Scottish Winter Bivvy 2024

A large amount of procrastination on my part preceded this ride. Various options were considered including an actual bivvy as well as various bothies. But bothies are becoming more popular so the chances of getting one to ourselves, or even space in one, were slim and the typically variable December made a real bivvy less favoured. Jimmy came to the rescue doing a fine job of Tin Pot Dictator and named Auldhame Castle as the venue, on the East Lothian Coast. Bothies? Pah!

After the epic tales from the South Wales crew, braving storms and pub outdoor seating areas, the weekend looked set fine, at least for the Saturday into Sunday morning. So I had a fine ride from home to North Berwick. The fog of the previous week had finally gone and it was a cool, breezy and sunny day.

Once again I battled through Edinburgh (third time this year) and noted a shiny new cycle route linking the end of the Roseburn Cycleway to almost Fountainbridge. I believe they intend to punch it right through to the Meadows one way or another. My route was as per a trip out to meet up with my folks back in September 2022 who had a holiday cottage near East Linton. It was strange to think a mere 2 years ago, Dad was capable of walking, driving and generally living life as much as his age allowed. Now is a very different story.

So as then, I followed NCN's 1 and 76 eastwards. Mussleburgh provided a Baynes Bakers (South of the river, I ask you!) for a late lunch then it was more fine cycleways including the Pencaitland railway path which is still nice and gravelly. Dark O'clock occurred on the back roads just before Haddington and I carried onto East Linton as I was in plenty of time for our notional 5pm meet up at the Ship in North Berwick. Sure enough, Justin was in residence, Dave incoming and Jimmy preparing our accommodation.

Beers were drunk and chips were eaten then off to the spot via the inevitable Co-op. A bit of nosing around then the castle loomed out of the dark. Jimmy had a fire going in the 'fire place' (ahem) and fairy lights up! Well I know what we say about fires but this would do no harm to any flora or fauna and given that the castle would have been built by local slave labour for some posh, rich git, it seemed fitting that four reprobate bikepackers squatted in it for a night, with a fire to warm our ageing bones. So there.

Much conviviality followed, probably why I ended up drinking too much as it's the first social I've had in a long time....

We crashed out at 12 (literally in my case as I tripped over Dave's sleeping bag heading for the loo and measured my length - I blame the whisky) and I slept soundly until just after 8.

Quite a pile in it's day.

I got packed up before the full force of the hangover struck. Dave, Jimmy and Justin were heading to Dunbar - Dave for his wagon and the others for the train but I felt I had to cycle all the way home as penance for abusing my body so. Plus, to be honest, I didn't trust myself on a train in case my breakfast made a re-appearance. 

So a lengthy ride followed, my body on a go slow, my head louping, and a stiff breeze in my face. This built as my hangover receded. I was trying to follow the John Muir Way East but the sections signed for cyclists just seem to be on the (main) road. Occasionally the footways were signed as shared use but it was all a bit haphazard, not helped by my limited mental capacity. The various walkers I encountered must have been horrified by this apparition cycling towards them - eyes like p*ssholes in the snow and a grey complexion... I stopped for a snooze near Prestonpans (it was now 12 or 13 degrees) but after a brief rest, sleep was far away so I kept going.

As I ground along, I made a ferverent hope - "please don't get a puncture" - I'd probably just roll off the bike into a ditch and stay there. Sure enough, pedaling along the innocent railway, there was an almighty hiss and sealant sprayed everywhere. Fortunately the hangover had largely receded by this time so I set to as it was quite a slash, caused by broken glass, no doubt. This lasted to the meadows and the plug actually came out - a first for me, leading to more sealant spray... I used one of those WTB bullets and that seemed to do the trick. 

Leaving Embra it was a full on gale. I stopped at the garage just south of the bridge for a much needed bottle of coke which my stomach accepted with reluctance, but this seem to settle it down. Not sure what the shop assistant and his mates thought of this stumbling wreck though! I nearly ended up in the Forth going over the bridge as huge gusts were battering me all the way across and the handrail suddenly looked somewhat weedy. Relieved to survive that lot, and with my appetite back, Greggs in Inverkeithing was a lifesaver fueling the final miles up the hill back home. Total distance 200k!

Cheers to Jimmy for organising and cheers to the others for putting up with me....

And another BAM complete! Fair to say there were a few close shaves this year with one thing and another. Roll on BAM 25!

November Bivvy

Well I survived my November Bivvy although it was looking a bit marginal at one point. I'd meant to head out on Friday night but the weather looked better for Sat / Sun so I decided to delay, always a bad idea. Plus I got distracted by a motorbike but that's another story...

Still, it was dry as I left the house with stars showing, so I was feeling pleased with my timing decision at this point. But by the time I'd entered Glendevon woods there was a hint of rain in the air and I was a mite concerned that the stiff south westerly might make my planned spot (as per February, March and July) a bit drafty. When I got there it seemed sheltered enough so I got pitched up. Haute cuisine followed, B-in-B pasta and smoked sausage, and a few beers. By this time it was blowing a gale and although the wind wasn't hitting the tarp too much (the Deschutes thank goodness, given what was coming), it was noisy! I figured whisky would help me sleep, which it did.

Until 2.30am when I woke up to the sound of torrential rain and even more wind. I had a quick look around under the tarp and all seemed well, apart from a few drops of rain on the bivvy bag. I actually checked the weather forecast to get an idea of how long this would last - light winds and light rain until 6 according to the beeb... I contemplated abandoning wood, but I wanted to do a decent ride in the area the next day so buried my head under the pillow and tried to sleep, grumbling about the fact that this is the third time I've had a wet and windy night in these woods, and I really should choose my spots with more care. Anyway, the rain eased off after about an hour and although the wind was still fierce sleep followed. I eventually surfaced at 9.30, albeit having woken up a few more times when a particularly big gust hit me, so actually a pretty good kip all in all. A quick check suggested all was dry, bag-wise so I made tea, ate sausage and cheese then departed.

A perfect gap for the wind to blow in....

I headed to Auchterarder via various easy trails for a Co-op meal deal (I am now a member, wonder if they will sponsor me?) then it was off onto new ground.

I've pedaled past the start of a track off the Dunning road up the south side of the Ochills a few times over the years. It's a dead end but I was fairly sure I'd find an onward route off the end of it. A lengthy climb followed on a good track, dodging the prodigious cowpats, the perpetrators of which I'd passed at the bottom of the track, safely locked up in a byre. At the track end, I pushed up through a field, aiming for a block of forestry through which I hoped to find a route.

Riding the good stuff. I rode through this lot and contemplated my next moves.

This was where I wanted to get to - i.e. the summit of this hill - but how? The direct route looked to be a lot of descent then a large climb through more delightful tussocks so instead I contoured round to the forest. After climbing over a gate I found an old track down to a nice little pond. Windblow blocked one end but I picked my way round to the other end picking up another forest track and another lengthy climb for a view of lots of low cloud on the summit of Simpleside hill. Next time I'll use this track from the bottom... A bit of nose following led to a new track through a load of carbon credit scam forestry that went in a couple of years ago. I'd walked around here last summer so knew roughly where to go, although subsequent map appraisal suggests I could have avoided a long length of more tussock hopping. However I eventually made it to Corb law then another new track to where I'd been earlier. Odd patches of dreich blew in and it had been hard going at times but good training for the Highland Trail which I'm in for again next year. 

Home was via a usual route, reflecting that I was glad to get that one in, at the last minute. It's about the only crap weather I've had on a bivvy all year so I can't complain. But so much for a sub-zero bivvy, it was 13 degrees today!

Ten years of truckin'

As I was pedaling the Ice Cream Truck across the high summits of the Ochills the other day, it occurred to me that it was ten years old. I gave it a fond pat and reminisced over the trials, trails and tribulations we had shared in that time.

I encountered my first fat bike, courtesy of friends Rob and Iona, in 2011. Iona had scored a Surly Pugsley, then Rob upped the anti with the first Moonlander to hit these shores. I was sold, even before buying one. This happened soon after with a cheap Mk 1 Salsa Mukuk, on which I rode a range of terrain and became a die hard fat bike rider almost overnight. Stuff I'd previously never contemplated riding was tackled with ease. Suddenly a whole new world opened up before me. As Rob said "they can destroy the terrain other bikes can't reach!"

That said, as much as I liked the Muk (I still have it) Rob's Moonie seemed a better bet as more is always more. But the asymmetrical back end didn't appeal and Rob noted he'd bent the rim a couple of times as a result. Then Surly announced the Ice Cream Truck - 5" tyre compatible but with a symmetrical back end (197 hubs!) more trail friendly geo (i.e better for downhills) and it was bright blue.

By this time, fat bikes were in their ascendancy. Everyone was starting to talk about them and the hardcore niche / early adopters were emerging from beach and bog to preach the word. Big tyres = riding where you had previously thought was impossible, a massive 'V' sign to where mountainbiking had got to at that point and crucially, a huge amount of fun. So Ison (Surly dealer) finally got behind Pat (Surly rep) and started importing them as soon as they were available.

Coinciding with Surly announcing the ICT, Fife Council announced a new bike to work scheme which allowed you to use any bike shop. I high-tailed it up to Bothy Bikes and got Dave to pull a fast one which enabled me to buy an ICT frame, 80mm rims, Bud n' Lou and a few other bits and bobs with a hefty 25% discount. Thereafter followed a nail biting wait for it to land. As it happened, I'd told Dave to get me a black one but by mistake, he ordered a blue one - the first into the UK. I was a bit miffed at this as black is a much easier colour to maintain, but when I saw the metallic blue frame, I was very happy with Dave's choice! In the meantime I'd sourced most of the bits I needed so the build was carried out in short order.

Lounge test passed with flying colours. Oh yes.

First proper ride in my bog-tastic local hills. In spite of the weight - about 15kg, some 2 less than the full Surly build thanks to narrower rims, hope hubs, a 1x drive train (my first!) and a few other select bits - it rode incredibly well, that fatbike speciality of giving the impression it would ride anywhere.

First snow. Not a good start as I picked up a thorn on the Dollar cycleway which stitched 4 holes in the tube, all of which I repaired but in four goes! But bloody hell did it rip. I'd already tried a bud up front on the Muk but having two monster tyres led to a total re-appraisal of what was possible to ride. A gamechanger indeed.

So it went with a monster winter setting the stage for some unbelievably hard rides as I pushed (and exceeded) the bikes limits.

This ride over the Minigaig pass to Aviemore was key as I came home with a pair of Schwalbes newly announced Jumbo Jims (4.8 natch) strapped on the bar roll. These heralded a fat bike revolution as they were nigh on 400g's an end lighter than Bud n' Lou and rolled better than many 'normal' MTB tyres. On the first ride on them, the bike fairly flew!

So. I had a bike that would deal with any terrain you could care to mention. I'd used it for pretty much all my rides at the end of 2014 and the early part of 2015. Spring approached but the poor old Krampus was ignored. Another challenge was approaching - The Highland Trail. I'd binned it the previous year and this year, nothing would be stopping me. So why not ride a bike that nothing would stop.

I did. Nothing did.

That said, the beast got a rest until the next winter. This led to another fat bike revelation - run your tyres tubeless and drop the pressures to 1 psi, you can then ride snow that would destroy a hill walker.

Snow, snow and more snow. I've spent many hours pushing / dragging this beast through knee deep windblown snow with there been a few times where I thought about abandoning it, the going was so hard! By contrast, and for the sake of it, I've done plenty of summer rides just because I could. The fat bike smile persisted. 

Fife is blessed with many miles of fine coastline, much of it fair game for big tyres. Me and the ICT have done most of it, once all in one go!

Yes I have just ridden across this lot...

Then in 2018, I made a decision - it's time to race the Arctic. A lot of cash disappeared from my bank account and we were off to Finland.

Since then, I've tended to use it mainly in winter only with only an occasional summer ride when I couldn't be bothered riding singlespeed. The ICT is only bike I own with gears. I keep thinking of trying it SS but you really need a very low granny gear to get it through deep snow, so so far I've resisted. I've even thought of replacing it, but after much objective viewing and consideration, I've come to the conclusion that the best fatbike for me is an Ice Cream Truck. The newer version Surly launched in 2018 is better - threaded BB, slacker seat tube and a bit lighter - but I've been through too much with my one to contemplate swapping it.

The frame is bomb proof so I suspect it will do me another ten years, providing I can get tyres...

Ah yes, the fat bike boom and bust. I hate the bike industry really. It's run by a bunch of money grabbing idiots who are too stupid to realise that there is enough people into bikes to enable them to sell a broad spectrum of machinery that enables us to do what we want to do. Nope, they have to hook everything to a genre and USP. So the bike mags firstly raved about fatties, then panned them as being stupid jokes. If you are serious (yawn) about mountain biking then you must (MUST!) buy a carbon framed bouncer. Fat bikes are a joke for bearded weirdos (I know a few die hard female fat bikers - they don't have beards) so get them out of the frame quickly.

On the social side it's the same - the UK fatbike forum declined and then ground to a halt. In the US, the last remaining website looks like it's also no longer being updated. Despite this, races like the ITI and Arrowhead seem to be as popular as ever. The snow hasn't disappeared (or the beach) so there is no reason why their popularity has waned other than due to marketing...

Hey-ho, I've a stock of tyres to see me through and Surly's recent Moonlander re-vamp seems to have captured peoples imagination again so maybe the bike industry will wake up to the fact that it's OK to sell low volume niche bikes to a niche bunch of people, Just like Surly and Salsa are doing. Some hope.

Anyway enough of all that nonsense, I'm off to ride my fat bike! And it's winter!

Keep on truckin'

October BAM

I had serious doubts I'd get this one in, given what is going on with poor old Dad. Anyway, bruv was happy to take over Mum supporting duties so I had a weekend free to get a bivvy in. After the fraught last few weeks, heading off into the woods to chill out seemed the perfect antidote.

The weather forecast has been a bit up and down all week, starting with rain, then rain, then actually looking pretty good before settling on dry but misty (!) then sun

Not half misty - as I departed the house everything was decidedly damp. It was that kind of mist that if you stood still you'd stay dry but pedaling into the breeze soon had me somewhat soggy. On with the jacket and press on, heading for another usual spot but one I'd not been to for over a year. 

Dull, misty and blurred photo - true to life!

I got there and pitched up at 8.30, then cooked tea (trans - re-hydrated a 'Tent meals' effort with added smoked sausage)

Anyway, despite the damp (actually fine under the trees) I had a very peaceful evening sipping beer, eating and reading, although with a couple of interruptions - at one point something swooped over head with a whoosh - I have absolutely no idea what. It would have had to be something fairly big (i.e. a light aircraft or a hang glider) but not in the dark and fog. Tetradactyl maybe? Then later I noticed a bit of thread on my groundsheet which started to move  - it was a very thin worm, like 1mm dia thin. Never seen anything like it! Subsequent research suggests it was a 'Horsehair Worm' which is one of those horrible parasites that lodge in a victim and eat them from the inside out, before abandoning the empty husk for a new victim. Fortunately they find humans a bit much so leave us alone....

A fine sleep followed but I was awakened by lots of mechanical clanking and a machine engine some distance away. It seemed like the middle of the night but actually 6am - still keen though. I have a fear that this whole area will be getting clear felled soon, wrecking this perfect bivvy spot.... Plus yet another wind farm is being planned for round here. I dropped off again, woke to hear the dawn chorus, then fell asleep gain, waking up at 9.30! I always sleep well here. Of note was the fact I was in the Cumulus 150 quilt and was nearly too warm at one point - the weather this year has been very odd.

Sunny as predicted, thank god as I hate mist. First use of yet another DD tarp after ripping the last one on my January BAM and passing it onto someone on the BB forum who was going to repair it. This came up cheap on the bay so I couldn't resist. It's a bit sturdier than the DCF one and better in the wind. After a leisurely breakfast I was off with a vague plan to ride a few trails, enjoying the fat bike which I've not been out on for a while.

Lots of tussocks bagged. A fair few hard and fun trails later I wended my way back home, thoroughly stress free, something the woods help me with. Dad is a long way from being out of his woods mind you, so I'll be home a fair bit over the next couple of months. That said I've scoped a few bivvy spots in my old stamping ground, Hamsterly forest, so an emergency bivvy south of the border could be on the cards!

Cowal, Kintyre and home

"Indulge yourself" was my Mum's parting shot on the phone on Friday evening. What she meant was to use cafes, pubs and *gasp* hotels on my forthcoming tour, rather than my usual co-op and a sheet of nylon style. My issue was a need to visit Mum and Dad, who is back in hospital, and the weather, which was set fine for three days before going down the tubes again. In fact the West of Scotland looked like it was going to be wall to wall sunshine. So Mum's advice was interpreted into letting my mile munching head thoroughly off the leash and blaze through a 5 day route in 2 days, then cycle home. 

A couple of short cuts would help, starting with training it to Gourock, then the boat to Dunoon  - 

The view ahead, still a bit gloomy although there were hints of sun. In fact my day had started in damp, drizzly mist so this was looking much more promising. I departed the boat at Dunoon and hunted out a food source - Morrisons! After a feed on the now much more pleasant sea front (it was looking a bit tired when I was here in 1991) I pedaled off along the shore heading north.

This is Holy Loch, famously used by the yanks as a submarine base in the cold war. When I passed through in 1991 it was a very strange place with lots of (short) submariners wandering around the place and lots of large American automobiles and Harleys in the car parks. They pulled out not long after and left the place to it's own devices. I was pleased to see quite a bit of regeneration of the sea front has been done and it all looks much cheerier. First proper ride on the Stormchaser!

The cloud had progressively lifted as I headed west so the hints of sunshine on the Arrochar Alps were a welcome sight.

Rather than just cut west over to Tighnabruich, the plan was to throw in a loop up Loch Eck and over the Cowal way. I'd ridden the Loch Eck track in about 1993 and the route over from Glen Branter to Glen Ruel looked a corker. I asked a chap out for a walk for directions to the start of the Loch Eck track as I couldn't make out the line on the GPS. He noted that it might still be closed due to landslips. This rang a vague bell from reading Andy Williamson's trip out here earlier in the year but I figured it would be fine.

Various signs proclaimed 'Road Closed due to landslips and fallen trees' without giving any specifics, which is annoying as what I really wanted was some objective intel on what I would actually be facing. When you have done the BB300, anything is possible. So I ignored the signs and bashed on. As it happened all the fallen trees had all been cleared but two landslip areas remained. 

OK, a landslip right enough, but a forwarder had been over them however (and there were lots of tyre tracks) so I carried on regardless. This is not a reason to close a route... Beyond the two slips I was aware of the forwarder tracks and a vehicle track so I figured all would be well thereafter. It was and progress was good up the loch and onto the Cowal Way in Glen Branter.

Only to meet this! The (large) culvert had been totally washed out leaving a 20 foot drop into a rocky gorge. No way was I crossing this but just then an older couple appeared on the far bank. they had done a long loop up the neighbouring glen to that point and were having to back track. Instead I nosed down a path downstream to a crossing point, noting a bloke walking his dog on the far side. Pushing up through the woods was a bit of a struggle thanks to fallen trees and boggy bits (sound familiar?) then disaster struck. The bike struck a tree route and stopped dead, I stumbled and bounced off the aero bar arm rest. Ouch, one very sore rib. Undeterred I got back on track and ground up a huge climb, on near perfect gravel.

The descent was taken with care given my previous incident and the lower bit was a proper farm track which was pretty rough. Backroads took me down the glen to the next bit of hero gravel, after a considerable climb:

A chap in a truck appeared and stated he was about to do some shooting down from the track. I was sticking to the main drag so no worries but the amount of deer that crossed my path suggested he would have easy pickings.

I became aware that this was taking some time and I needed to get the 6.30 boat from Portavadie to get across to Kintyre, or crucially Tarbert and its Co-op, or else starve... I'd started up this track at just after 5 so was a mite concerned when I checked my watch on finally hitting the Otter Ferry road and noting it was 18.10. As usual I had a vague notion there was still a few miles to go but in the event it was nearly all downhill and fast going.

Phew, made it, with 5 minutes to spare (note weather, I believe the south has been deluged over the weekend!)

A leisurely ferry trip followed as the sun sank. Tarbert was busy and the chippy shut. There seemed to be some kind of do going on, on the far pier which included a bar and a burger caravan but instead I opted for the Co-op, as per. Food on the (chilly) sea front then off away from the madding crowd and into the peace and tranquility of the woods. I'd thought to do a coastal bivvy but it was actually pretty breezy so woods it was, but a great spot - level, dry and with enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay. A fine evening followed....

I was up fairly sharp and pedaling before 8.

Rather than do the coast road I disappeared back into the woods on a fine route which cuts a large corner off and offers more perfect gravel riding. The 'Wild about Argyll' route takes you over the windfarm which is a huge climb on a rough track. This is far nicer.

A nice one, grass growing up the centre!

Jura in the distance - sunny but hazy, I'm not complaining though...

Rather than do the Knapdale route I'd done before I stuck to the road and then turned off to Ardrishaig on the Sustrans route. This was a mix of nice gravel single track and forest roads, but with some horrible climbs for no gain thrown in....

Finally it dropped me into Ardrishaig and the blessedly flat Crinan Canal towpath. Three work colleagues have been poached to Scottish Canals over the last couple of years and they have all reported the same - no money for maintenance and some big bills outstanding on this canal, which is why it's currently shut for boats....

I chilled on Lochgilphead seafront eyeing up another couple of bikepackers with horribly overloaded bikes - hopefully they weren't doing the WAA route.... Then the Co-op for onward food and off we go. I was aiming for Killin (Co-op), some 85 miles off, so I cracked on. First up was loch Awe after more forest roads. I'd scoped this route out on the map but hadn't quite appreciated the humongous climb up a ridge under the new power lines.

Nice view at least, over Lochgilp and my route so far. The track was a bit of a dog leg but missed out some more road riding. It spat me out on an amusingly decrepit back road complete with grass growing up the middle and cows.

Finally I hit the the Loch Awe road - a long but easy pedal, fortunately without the usual lochside road ups and downs. Annoyingly, the rib had got progressively sorer as the day progressed. It was fine, as long as I didn't breathe too hard!

Ben Cruachan, pump storage scheme dam just visible centre pic. I reached the main road eventually but there was quite a bit of traffic on it, so took a punt on a section of Wades road which according to the map would lop a corner off and dump me into Dalmally direct. Which it did, after a k of vague and over-grown boggy trail. Not gravel-tastic...

Dalmally provided a final coffee and a snack and then off again, up Glen Orchy. I was pleased as I'd had a notion it was getting on a bit but actually only 4pm as I departed Dalmally. I'd also done all of the off road stuff I'd planned and avoided any cop outs. I could have used the main road of course - 20 odd miles to Killin - but it was mobbed with Sunday evening traffic. No thanks. Instead I was on the scenic route, with many trials and tribulations to come!

Yonks ago, there used to be a path up the west side of Glen Orchy promoted as a bike route. The only time I did it, it was already disappearing into the undergrowth and soon after it was forgotten about. Now there is a super smooth forest road that is far nicer to ride on than the actual road and takes you right to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel. 

Except it was shut for forestry work. For flips sake this was doing my nut in. Bugger it, it's Sunday evening, no-one will be working. Almost right, they were knocking off and ignored me as they abandoned all the machinery and drove off in various pick up trucks. This is annoying - once upon a time there would just have been signs up warning of forestry work. Now they seem to shut tracks as a matter of course, irrespective of if the works actually impinge upon it, which these didn't, they were just using the track as a timber haul road. The A82 wasn't shut to allow the timber wagons to pass...

Anyway, enough of all this, onward. To this point there had been a stiff easterly breeze which had helped me along for the most part. However I knew that at some point it would be in my face and I figured Glen Orchy would be the start of it. Except it felt more like a breeze was helping me along. No complaints though! In the photo above you may spot cloud spilling over the hills. As I headed back east, I was expecting to leave the sun behind so seeing this I figured the perma-cloud wasn't far away. But in the event, the blue sky continued.

It's always a bit weird doing this route (WHW from BoO to Auch Farm, then up the Glen to Loch Lyon) when not doing the Highland Trail and I was on a similar mission so riding as quick as the trail (and my rib) allowed. That said I was having a very good time. I knew I would reach Killin in time for the Co-op, the riding was ace and all was well with the world - one of those moments you have to grab and appreciate. Pity about the sore rib! There are famously a few burn crossings on this route, some of which can be a bit deep and pretty rough. The Stormy aced the lot but enough water got splashed up to give me damp shoes. My feet chilled instantly.... Ignoring this I bashed on as I wanted to get over the Pubil climb before it got dark. Again I had feared a horrible headwind along here but it was of little hinderance, in fact the wind had dropped to a mere whisper of a breeze. The dam head was reached eventually and dusk was starting to fall as I ground up what is now quite familiar terrain round the huge potholes. I topped out to see cloud blowing in from the glen and cloud overhead to the east.

Cloud incoming, Ben Lui just rising above it. 

Last of the sun, note water pipe which is part of the vast hydro-electric infrastructure that criss-crosses this whole area.

I was a might careful descending the wrecked road to Glen Lochay but the bike fairly flew along the glen road in the last of the light. Overhead was now solid cloud and it was cold but the Killin Co-op was nearly in sight! Better yet there was a chip van!! So I grabbed sausage and chips, a hot chocolate and snacks and beers for later from the Co-op and sat out under the shop awning feeding my face and reflecting on what I'd just done. To crown it all, I knew of a fab bivvy spot just up the cycleway. This is just off the end of the forest track where the tarmac path starts to take you up the last of the climb to Glen Ogle. So it was with a huge grin as I departed Killin in the dark, no sign of anyone on the steady climb up the cycleway. I reached my spot, pitched up and relaxed after 118 miles of top class bike riding, stunning weather and scenery.

As usual I woke to the dawn chorus but nodded off again. I woke a few more times as trucks went by on the nearby A84 and when I eventually decided to get up it was 9am!

Just up the climb you come across this - 30 years after it happened. Me and a mate did a bike ride round here a few days after the crash - the RAF were there collecting all the wreckage - a lot of very small and mangled bits.... When we built the cycleway, the contractor pointed out the actual impact site, all quite sad.

Much greyness in Glen Ogle. I had an expensive breakfast in the Strathyre 'Broch' cafe then tootled home by my standard and oft used route. Total distance 233 miles! My rib is now very sore....

PS - the Stormy was a hoot. 47mm tyres provided just enough bunge to enable easy riding over the rougher bits but flew on the hard stuff (terravail rutlands...) It also handles as sweet as, just a pity I managed to smack a rib on the bloody aero bars!

Moray Meanderings

The "Moray Triangle" is now so well known that someone should publish the route on bikepacking.com. I'll not bother as the GPX from this week's ride round this route resembles a dropped plate of spaghetti...

I didn't actually mean to do it. Inspired by Jimmy's and Sean's escapades on the Badger Divide, I hatched a plan to pedal along to Callander and then do the Badger route up to Schneckie, cut east on a route following various tracks and trails (roughly the Pictish trail route) then head south by some suitable means. However the weather looked horrible for the Saturday evening and Sunday and as I've done pretty much all of the BD route this seemed a bit pointless. Up east looked drier and my new gravel bolide was duly contemplated for such an undertaking. But I've kind of done that and whilst it is very pleasant, I was fancying something a bit more interesting, riding wise. So I duly rode round the procrastination loop a few times before taking the radical step of going onto the Scotrail website and seeing where I could get to on the Saturday. Answer? Up the Inverness line. Aviemore seemed a good bet so I coughed up and did a map re-appraisal.

The train journey went OK after a leisurely pedal down to Inverkeithing. Up to Perth took an eternity as it stops at every station and I had to wait 40 minutes for the schneckie train. This was rammed so a bit of creativity was needed to wedge the Jones in amongst a bunch of carbon gravel bikes with minimalist bags on. I found a seat next to the train drunk who was cheery enough although he did cause a certain amount of carriage embarrassment when his girlfriend phoned and he answered on speakerphone allowing us all to hear about his domestic problems...

Departing the train at Aviemore was a relief for about 1 minute. The entire town was rammed with extremely large motorbikes and their extremely large owners. Oh gawd it was 'Thunder in the Glens' the Harley Owners Group rally that takes place every year up here. I'd my heart set on a pint in the Bridge Inn but it was queued out the door. There was a terrible band playing 'rock' dross and there were far too many people strutting around wearing leather waist coats. Grumbling mightily and resisting the temptation to shout "you are all *******" I got out of there fast. Then I berated myself for such negative thoughts as this lot were no worse than us lot in a way and people being into stuff, whatever that stuff may be, is a Good Thing. I prefer the minimalism of my Triumph, however. Then I recalled my last encounter with this rally which was in August 2014 when I pitched up on my successful Cairngorms loop Ride, in fact my first successful ITT. 10 years ago to the day!

The chippy at Dalfaber is a good 'un and Hog free so I grabbed a fish supper and sat under the next door Co-op awning scoffing it whilst a few sprinkles came through. The forecast for up here was also not that great but after grabbing a few supplies at the Co-op and getting going properly, the sun did shine.

On the trail at last, NCN 7 north, the relief of leaving all behind boiling off me like steam. I built this route in 1998 and it's survived the test of time. Part of the same scheme was improving a track over the hill from Boat of Garten to Carrbridge. This has now been abandoned by Sustrans as the NCN, alas. Instead you have to use the not that quiet B road. Last year, Transport Scotland consulted on sorting this route out but nothing has materialised on the ground yet. I suspect the consultants fees for prepping the options and doing the consultation will have been several times what it cost to do up the track over the hill.... 

Right, enough of all that, l'm on holiday! And a new trail!! This was via the wee road east then north from Carrbridge and up into the hills north of the A938. I'd tried to do this track a few years ago from the north but couldn't find it on the GPS as it wasn't shown on my 2010 version of the maps. Of course I conveniently forgot this fact today, until I was heading into the wilderness and trying to fathom turns. According to the GPS I was in the middle of a blank nothingness. Fortunately, and for the first time, my OS app on the phone worked and I was able to work out where to go.

A good 'un!

This eventually spat me out on the Lochindorb road and thence onto the Dava way. Now I'd figured on dossing in the wee hut about halfway along the route and as it was after 8, I was ready for a bivvy. So I cruised along with the help of a stiff breeze and plenty of sunshine on high. I passed an old brick built hut with its window out and a fair bit of muck on the floor, and figured this would be plan B. I got to the Halfway hut a few minutes later only to discover someone else in residence! Bugger. He was cheery enough and even offered to shuffle over to let me in but it's really only a one person hut (the sign on the wall notes "This is not a bothy!") Now what. It would probably rain in the night so a shed would be handy. Plus I was done for the day and didn't fancy yet another mad thrash trying to find a decent bivvy spot before it got dark. Right then, back to the alternate shed.

This is scuzzy - the window is out and the floor covered in muck. That said, although the door was open, there was no evidence of the sheep having been in, or the usual smell of it having been used as a toilet. I swept as much of the dirt up as possible with a bit of heather, wondered if I should just pitch the tarp up next to it, then got my gear out and sat out in the cool breeze having a beer and contemplating my journey to this point. As the sun set, coolness drove me inside and into my bag. Whisky helped me pass the hour to bed time and a sound sleep followed.

The far more salubrious halfway hut. Actually a nice little interpretation center with info about the history of the rail line and area.

The next morning dawned with clear blue skies. After a quick pack up I departed in search of nice trails and breakfast. The Dava way took me into the woods around the mighty river Findhorn where I picked up the fab riverside trail. This was empty at the early hour and I duly hooned it big style down to the Logie Steading cafe for breakfast, my head louping after too much whisky the night before. A large amount of food and tea followed, then.... more ace riverside trails. I rode back up the road a ways and crossed the river in search of more singletrack on the west bank. It's all a hoot and well worth spending some time here.

Some of the trails are quite precipitous!

The Findhorn is pretty spectacular as rivers go with a lot of its course in this monster gorge. I'd love to see it in spate!

Not a bivvy spot as it was locked - actually one of several well used fishing huts. The porch offers some shelter however!

I exited the trails to check out Darnaway forest and another possible shed, which turned out to be a water tank.... It's raised up above the ground so you could kip under it, in a pinch. There then followed an excess of road riding on NCN 1 to Nairn and a fine harbourside cafe. An American chap was asking after my bike so we chatted about various outdoor adventures and I gave him some shouts about stuff to do hereabouts.

The sea.

So off we go on the Moray Coastal Trail. After a bit of faffing through the dunes I picked up an easy trail into Culbin forest. There is a ton of single track in here so I tried to bag as much as I could. On emerging onto the beach I noted a large amount of grey cloud incoming. After the sunny start, it had steadily clouded over so this looked like rain on the way, contrary to any weather forecast I had seen to that point. Hey ho....

Sure enough, a wee while later the drizzle started. I'd originally planned to bash along the trail past Roselisle forest and Burghead, maybe getting to Lossie woods for a bivvy. But the trail between Hopeman and Lossie is a bit slow going through the dunes and I'd rather do this in nice weather. I'd an inkling it would dry up later so I figured that the best way to manage the rain was to stick to woods and ride pretty much every track I could find and remember from previous visits.

This edifice is smack in the middle of the forest. It's not marked on any maps but offers a fine view of the Moray Firth, the Northern Hills and the rain.

The somewhat monochrome view, thanks to the gloomy weather. It is one of the appeals of the coastline hereabouts - around you it's all woodland and rich farmland, but the distant panorama of high hills reminds you that you are in the heart of the Highlands.

More wanderings took me to the far eastern edge of the Forest. I can see the pub from here! This is the end of a track that used to go onto the beach, erosion has done it's work so there is a now a 20 foot drop. If you ever cruise along the beach to this point, beware of the tide as it comes in mighty quick. A few years ago we nearly got caught out by this, heading for this track. We had to back track sharpish to find a spot to get off the beach!

This lot seemed to be making an awful meal of rigging their boat. A block on the map revealed itself as a well secured boat shed which would not be a bivvy spot as even if you could get in, the chances are you'd end up floating....

Despite it coming and going, the rain never really got that heavy and when I finally exited the forest, the horizon did indeed look to be clearing. I cruised along more back roads that NCN 1 follows, past Benromach Distillery and out along the River Findhorn once more to Findhorn itself. I'm told the Findhorn Foundation is in financial difficulties so maybe the hippy camp will have to up sticks and depart. There was no real evidence of this on the ground though and a few more luxury 'eco' homes seemed to have appeared. On approach, the rain did actually get quite heavy, despite the horizon now being all clear. So of course I had to go to the pub to sit it out. In fact I ended up eating here (£21 for an average burger and chips and a pint) whilst contemplating my onward moves and digs.

Right, I'll head to Burghead, grab some evening snacks and a beer or three from the Co-op and then head back into the woods for a bivvy. This worked incredibly well, as I bagged as much of the fab singletrack as I could remember, scoped out a spot, grabbed beers, headed back and got settled in.

All clear on the trail approaching Roseisle Forest.

Whilst sat on the loo earlier that day, I noted a tick crawling across my leg. It must have got caught up in my shorts or something as it didn't look like it had sank its teeth into me. I was somewhat wary of more in my woodland retreat but the only insects I noted were devils coachman beetles, which are rather large and tend to curl their abdomens up, scorpion like, which is a bit alarming. Anyway, a very pleasant evening ensued, followed by a sound sleep.

I was up and away early, back to the Co-op in Burghead for breakfast. Oh joy of joys, they had a hot food counter with bacon and sausages - one of each in a roll please! Better still, I say out on the sea front eating this, contemplating a fine sunny morning.

So off we go. To Hopeman, the coastal trail is a cycleway but beyond here it gets more interesting. A bit of heaving up some steps leads you to a lovely gravel singletrack which twists and turns its way long the top of the low cliffs.

The trail, and more fab views north, with the ever present sea a fine backdrop. Then it got much better (after getting a bit worse) A few k short of Lossiemouth. The nice path dumps you onto the beach and the high tide route is a somewhat overgrown and vague line through the dunes. I'd struggled with this section the last time I did this route, got lost and ended up in the adjacent golf course. Today the tide was well out, so I hit the beach and cruised easily along the sand, all the way to Lossie. 

On the beach

Hard to tell what this was - A Minke whale, I suspect. I'm glad I approached it upwind as after taking this pic and riding off, the smell was appalling...

At Lossie, I indulged in more cafe culture having a nice and expensive cappuccino on the harbourside, sat out in the sun, the sun!

This is a new bridge put in a few years ago to replace the old wooden footbridge across the bay. If you can't ride the beach, you have to ride out of the town on the road and get into Lossie forest further along. Today I rolled off the bridge, onto the sand and fairly flew along the beach, finally leaving it as the tide was coming in and the shingle a bit hard going. 

A short push up over the shingle bar got me onto a rough trail along the edge of the forest.

Gun emplacements are dotted along the coast, along with miles of tank stoppers. Looks like a certain amount of anarchy goes on here, given the graffiti, fire sites and much evidence of use by motocross bikes. They would make a good bivvy spot, but probably not on a weekend...

Finally I emerged at Kingston, did a nice trail to Garmouth and then joined NCN 1 at the fine old railway bridge. From here it was all on the Speyside way up to my friends place at Blacksboat. I should have scoped out a route through Ordiqueish and Ben Aigen forests but ended up just following the SSW.

Oh dear, looks like the Spey is changing it's path. hopefully the route can be moved inland a bit.

Another great old railway bridge. This is actually the main Inverness to Aberdeen line.

Looking back down the Spey to Fochabers and Garmouth.

After spending two days helping my mate Rob stapling tyvek to his new steading roof, I bottled a ride home as the weather was looking a bit damp. I've done this a few times now so saw no need to do it in the rain. Instead I had an easy pedal to Aviemore by various means and then trained it down to Gleneagles, finishing with a very damp passage of the Ochills.

Total distance was 220 miles. The 'triangle' is defo worth doing and you can throw in a few variations to add interest. So a good trip for my August Bivvy. September next but Dad is having another crisis so not sure how it will pan out...