3 days in the Cairngorms - Ride report

particularly just how high we’d been last night!

Maybe that'll be a safe place to be come the zombie apocalypse.

Quite how Scotland managed to dish up gale force winds in October that were warm enough for a t-shirt I still don’t understand.

As you've probably heard by now, it was properly hot down here (and still is).

crisp sheets

Crisps thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This was a brilliant read, I am very jealous. Although I would totally have booked the following day off to recover. sitting at work after that? you're a stronger man than I.

This ^

Yeah, but its the great benefit of the sleeper. Without it, Aviemore is a flipping long way away. With it, provided you sleep ok it's not that different to any other decent weekend in the saddle. You could easily do a two day trip aiming to go from Blair Athol to Aviemore. We covered bugger all ground compared to what many could thrash out.

The route was loosely based on sections covered by the Cairngorms Loop, a mental double circuit unsupported mountain bike race. Pick bits of that and go riding. If you take a seat up there and cabin back you're looking at about £180 return. Factor in free accommodation in the bothies and that's not bad weekend away. The lack of pub opportunities also keeps the cost down!

Also, there is nothing quite sitting in the monday morning meeting sharing your weekend pics and stories as everyone else laments that they only went to a three year olds birthday and did the big shop at tescos.

'Also, there is nothing quite sitting in the monday morning meeting sharing your weekend pics and stories as everyone else laments that they only went to a three year olds birthday and did the big shop at tescos.'

Sums it all up really.

Fantastic adventure.

Jealous, Moi?

only went to a three year olds birthday and did the big shop at tescos.'

In the interest of transparency, this, plus a visit to the in-laws is about the sum total of plans for this weekend.

Another great read. Thank you.

A friend and I did the sleeper Euston-Fort Willian, Inverness-Euston, for about £200 each but that was with a cabin both ways.
The beauty for us was that you didn't waste any holiday days travelling to your destination. Left work Friday and woke up in Scotland ready to go on Saturday. We used the full week, including two weekends and rolled off the train straight to work on the Monday. For me the train is a no brainer and I will definitely be using it again.

On the lack of understanding your accent, I had a guy ask me where I was going so I told him, several times, he had no idea so I showed him on a map. He the said 'ah, soandso', which was essentially what I had said to him, only subtly different in pronunciation. At the time I thought he was deliberately being a dick. Who knows!?

Here's the route from day three. Longest one of the bunch, and took our total to just over the 100 miles. I should refer to it in km so it sounds better: 165km!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26412026

In the interest of transparency, this, plus a visit to the in-laws is about the sum total of plans for this weekend.

That's called 'earning brownie points'.

Great ride and write up

Thanks for writing up a great ride report. I did a similar off-road circuit around the Cairngorms a couple of years ago - the stars aligned and it was one of the best weekends of my life. It certainly is surreal riding through London on knobblies, getting on a train at night and within a few hours riding in the morning ending up in such spectacular surroundings.

I have a question... do you reckon this kind of route is doable on a gravel bike with some 38mm subtly knobbly tyres?

Definitely doable but wouldn't recommend it. I rode it rigid on 2.2" tyres and that was ok taking it steady.

I'm just thinking of the loop: http://www.cairngormsloop.net/map.html

It mostly looks like road or trails, a little off-road but nothing major.

worth saying that the road riding in Cairngorms is pretty amazing too. Some great roads.

This has got me back into planning mode, I think I'm basically going to copy this trip, maybe in April.

Yep, mainly Landover track with some techy bits thrown in. I always recommend a mountain bike, rigid or hardtail. It just makes it more fun, you can actually rip it down descents, otherwise they are just as much effort as the uphill.
That said, we saw someone pushing their cross bike uphill. Still had a smile of their face.

I've been tentitively planning a wee ride that'd cut through the Cairngorms.

Start in Forres, there's an offroad bit of the cycle network that takes you to Grantown, from there pop down to Aviemore then along the Lairig Ghru* to the corner at Linn of Dee cottage where I'd transfer onto the path @Scrabble took to get me to Blair Atholl and then maybe some more more riding or maybe just the train back to Glasgow.

*I've googled "cycling Lairig Ghru" and just find forum posts of people saying its impassible by bike, that to do so would mean certain death etc but the photos on walk highlands make the path look pretty good in the main.

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I've heard shockers about the lairaig ghru including from people who are clearly pretty good at riding bicyles. I'd avoid and just take Glen Feshie which is supposed to be challenging enough but still beautiful. That can pop you out near linn of dee too.

Just spotted the original post; looks like a really nice trip that. Top bodging work with that chain tool. I've also done the bit out to the abandoned ruin thing in Glen Tilt in about April last year, but we had absolutely glorious weather (although a bit cold in the night). Left late on a Saturday, did just a few hours cycling, camped overnight and was back in Edinburgh before dinner. I really don't take advantage of living up here as often as I should!

I have to say you're a much braver person than me if you rode that steep gully bit! I pretty much walked the whole section for fear of falling in.

Speaking of falling the Falls of Tarth and were particularly nice and the abandoned lodge was a great location for camping (we decided to stop early instead of fording the rivers). Feels proper remote; in fact we only saw 2 other people the whole time. Highly recommended for a trip!

Just google image searched it. It seems like it might be a case of a lovely path or absolutely no path and virtually no middle ground.

Will look into Glen Feshie, cheers.

I’m definitely doing this on the first weekend in October.

Few more people up for it as well, but the more the merrier

Plans taking shape here

The added bonus is that we can start from my house.

If anyone is in this neck of the woods, give me a shout as I can do a nights acomodation before and after and run folk to and from the sleeper at Pitlochry

The loop is not suitable for gravel bikes unless you are Chris Akrigg , parts are very techy and there is a good amount of HAB. I rode it in September last year and it's bastard hard ! I would say a hard tail or short travel full sus would be best.

Nice... I may join. It depends on my wife's travel schedule as to when I'll aim to do it but she's travelling a lot at the end of the year, so there's a good chance.

What bike are you taking? A full MTB, or just a cross/gravel thing?

The loop is not suitable for gravel bikes

Oh :(