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paulww


Posts: 26
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 21:17
17th Feb 2015
Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 19.25hrs on Mon 29 Mar 10
Hi All,

Planning on doing a mountain biking tour of the Cairngorms over the early May bank holiday (am hoping the weather improves and the snow clears!!!).

The plan is to a 3 day route:
Day 1
Start Aviemore,
Up to Ryvoan Bothy,round Bynack More to Fords of Avon.
Down the Lairig an Laoigh/ Glen Derry to Braemar.

Day 2
Braemar to Blair Atholl (via Glen Tilt)

Day 3
Blair Atholl to Aviemore (via Gaick Pass/Glen Tomie).

Has anyone any advice/thoughts on the route?

Thanks in advance

Paul
Hustler


Posts: 760
Joined: Oct 2006
Last Visited: 07:52
19th Aug 2019
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 11.23hrs on Tue 30 Mar 10
Yup, good choice of route. Day 1 is an excellent ride, with a couple of short portages. It's a challenging, full day in the mountains that means you'll be well exposed if the weather turns bad, so take first aid and weather gear.
You shouldn't rely on the Fords of Avon refuge as its a cold, dingy hole that you'd not want to sleep in if you could avoid it. There's no easy escape from here either. The downhills are thoroughly rocky and depending on your ability and enthusiasm, could be quite tough, being well beyond anything at a trail centre. Lightweight knee pads recommended and take strong tyres, the granite will shred lighter sidewalls.
As you drop down Glen Derry, cross the river at the steel bridge as the southbound singletrack on the west bank as far as Derry Lodge is much more fun than the main trail. It's on the OS map.

Day two is quite short and will be a good rest after the first day, taking perhaps 4 hours. The upper Glen Tilt section of singletrack is simply superb.
If it's a bonny day and you have the energy, add in a short 1km out and back on the trail that leads up towards Fealar Lodge, it's a sweet bit of trail.
More ambitious would be to take in the short bonus loop of the doubletrack climb to the summit north of Forest Lodge in Tilt, then back down by the zig-zag trail.

Day three is long but mellow, with a real treat along the first lochside, an Duin.
This day is all about covering distance, with only about 2km of singletrack before Inschriach. Crossing from Tromie into upper Feshie is much harder than the map would suggest.
Don't be tempted with the Minigaig; I've done it and it was horrendous. A huge carry up from the south and a trail that quickly disapeared into peat hags and tussocks on the north side. Avoid at all costs.


A two day alternative is to go from Braemar to Glen Feshie via the Geldie. Miles and miles of sweet singletrack from near Geldie Lodge all the way past the bothy to the Achlean road end. And then some more in Inschriach & Rothiemurchus woods, if you can face it. Last I heard, the old shonky timber bridge at the top of Feshie washed away, so plan to stay on the east side of the river all the way; there's a long bonus section of riverbank singletrack here leading to Achlean anyway.
Enjoy...
Don't forget to take some photos and post us a report.
paulww


Posts: 26
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 21:17
17th Feb 2015
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 18.55hrs on Wed 31 Mar 10
Thanks for the post and advice..

Have cycled the section from Fords of Avon to Derry lodge on a big loop of Beinn a Bhuird before.. your right wouldnt fancy a night in the refuge!!
[graniteandice.blogspot.com]

Funny to think it was this time last year!

Good to hear the rest of the loop links up. Will post a report

Thanks again



paulww


Posts: 26
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 21:17
17th Feb 2015
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 20.48hrs on Wed 5 May 10
Did this route over the weekend...amazing ride. Have posted some photos in the reports.
chrisski


Posts: 359
Joined: Feb 2005
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 15.28hrs on Fri 7 May 10
looked a good route!
is that the tour that i think either mbr or singletrack magazine did a few yrs back?

how was the gaick pass and esp the river crossing?
Camacazi


Posts: 207
Joined: Oct 2006
Last Visited: 22:15
11th Jun 2019
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 16.17hrs on Sun 9 May 10
Hi, Thinking about doing a similar trip in a couple of weeks and was interested in how your first day went : Start Aviemore, Up to Ryvoan Bothy,round Bynack More to Fords of Avon.Down the Lairig an Laoigh/ Glen Derry to Braemar.

Was the ground boggy or was it decent cycling? How much pushing/carrying did you end up doing on this section? how long did it take you?

Cheers
Callum
Hustler


Posts: 760
Joined: Oct 2006
Last Visited: 07:52
19th Aug 2019
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 09.31hrs on Mon 10 May 10
As it happens, I was in Glen Derry yesterday and while there is still some damp in the ground in places, it wasn't bad. There is still a huge amount of water frozen on the high ground above this route.
To get the best out of this route, you need to be fit, physically strong to power over the rocky sections and to have good, confident technical skills.
If you have, it's an absolute blast.
The trail is mainly a good, hard surface, grit and boulders. Away from direct snow-melt, the ground is largely dry and as the granite is very crystalline, it's grippy in the damp anyway.
The whole route is very bouldery, to the extent that if you run a three ring chainset and ride the bouldery bits, your big ring will soon take a few hits.
I'd recommend running a double & bash setup if possible.
Unless you are very fit indeed, you'll be pushing up onto the shoulder of Bynack mor. There are then a couple of sections that are very rocky, especially the last 1/2km to the Fords of Avon, where you will probably be wading, there's no easy way across while snow is still melting off the tops. Finally, the last 1/2km southbound to the top of the Lairig an Laoigh is also too rocky to ride and is a carry.
While it can certainly be done in less, it's best to count on it taking you all day, say 7 hours and in terms of food and clothing, prepare for it to take longer than that..
paulww


Posts: 26
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 21:17
17th Feb 2015
Re: Tour de Cairngorm - Any Tips?
Date Posted: 20.14hrs on Mon 10 May 10
Hi... Chrisski, not sure if it was in mbr or singletrack is a variation of the route in Scotland M<ountain Biking The Wild Trails (missing out Tomintoul). Gaick Pass was a long cycle (especially into a headwind) with a lot of landrover track and tarmac. The single track past the loch (Image 1 in the report) is nice if a little short. The river crossing was fine (compared to the other days), Image 2 shows the crossing! Wet socks could prob be avoided with a little more effort. Nice scenery means the miles pass quickly.

Camacazi... Day 1 was pretty much as Hustler said. Warning though the Fords of Avon crossing was deep when we did it.... above knee deep. Its a long way back so not a lot of choice but to push on! The only real snow patches are at the top of the descent into Glen Derry. Took us about 7hrs in total, take winter clothing it was snowing on us over the moor.


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