Southern Cairngorms Circuit

So the ICT has been a bit neglected this summer. I've done a few beach rides but no expeditions and no day adventures either. I'd been in for the capital trail but a large does of CBA and other commitments on Saturday meant I was a no show. Instead the fab forecast for Sunday and a desire to see mountains inspired me to head north so the beast went into the car for the leisurely drive up to Blair Atholl. 

My plan was to do a circuit I've done a few times before, on various bikes and on various trail conditions from rather damp to bone dry. It follows three well known passes:- the Minigaig which is one of the harder routes south too North from Tayside into Speyside; the Feshie / Geldie crossing, well known to all who have done the Cairngorms Loop; finishing down the excellent Glen Tilt trail. Its a classic route and well worth doing, given the variety of trails it covers and the fabulous scenery that is the southern part of the Cairngorms. I got the bike out of the car and hit the dirt. The next tarmac would be 8 hours and 50 miles later, very close to my start point....

For a change, instead of doing the direct climb from Atholl estate up through Glen Banvie wood, I followed a new (to me) trail up the north side of the Banvie burn over to Glen Bruar via the Alt Shiechechan bothy. Frost was a-plenty in the shade but the strengthening sun promised much warmth as the day progressed.


Alt Shiechechan Bothy, small but comfy looking.

The descent down to Bruar Lodge was decidedly damp so in future I'll stick to the climb up the other side of Glen Banvie and the nice track down past Ruichlachrie. After the lodge, the track gets much rougher as it climbs the ever narrowing Glen Bruar until it stops at the confluence of three water courses which form the Bruar water. From this point the route follows a narrow trail which climbs steeply up the hillside.

The climb out of Glen Bruar. This pic was taken on a very dry day in 2013

The last time I was here travelling north there was still much snow about after the winter of 2015. The 'trail' ended up being a fabulous ride across large fields of snow. Today the climb was hot work however stunning views all round made the effort well worth while. As I noted in my post back in July 2015 about my southbound traverse of this route, the path seems to be getting little use these days and is starting to fade out in places. It was fairly wet after the somewhat damp summer but overall its a good route, as long as you are prepared for a bit of hike-a-bike. 



The only tricky nav is where the route crosses a burn which flows down into the Caochan Luib. An obvious path follows this side burn down to the main stream but avoid this and stick to the line on the map. If you aren't using GPS follow your nose, avoid losing any height and you'll be fine.

This pic shows the bit where you have to watch your Nav. In February 2015 I came through here and it was full of snow...

This route was an old drove road and surprisingly, you often see evidence of this as the now single track follows a wider eroded corridor, overgrown but still clearly visible.



The route tops out at the Minigaig pass, some 830-odd metres above sea level. At the summit of the pass it was decision time. A rough and fairly faffy descent down the minigaig route would see me in Glen Tromie and the Gaik for an easy run back to the car. I did this with a mate in about 2004 and it was mostly good. A couple of years later and it had started to fade away and the last time I did it in about 2009 it was very vague and hard going. The reason for this is that most people doing this traverse now cut across to the Feshie which makes for better views and easier going, albeit with a couple of extra climbs. This was my other option and what I'd planned that morning.

Given the weather I was encouraged to stick to this original plan and head for the mighty Glen Feshie. You turn right at the pass summit and follow the ridge up to the unamed peak at 912m. There is no path as such but the going over the short heather is easy enough. Views all round were out of this world....

From this (oddly) un-named hill you descend to another bealach and then climb steeply up to the summit of Meall an Uillt Chreagaich. I've used various ways to get up this and the best one is to head for the small ruin marked on the 1:25k OS and then head west-north-west from this to pick up a double track which goes up to and over the summit. You can see this on aerial photos. The line shown on the OS 50k is sort of there but steep and rough so worth a miss.

This double track descends steeply to a small bealach at Loch an stuic where it joins a more substantial way that bombs down to Glen Feshie. Once into Glen Feshie I did have the option to head north to the bottom end of Tromie and back through the Gaik but given the weather I was set on continuing south for the hard climb up the Glen and over the famously boggy trail linking the Feshie catchment to the Geldie. 

In the way was the river Feshie itself. This would require at least one crossing and its got quite a reputation hereabouts. Burns on the southern side of the Minigaig weren't too bad but were definitely higher than normal so I was a bit worried. The Feshie has created some real epics over the years and I was well aware of my isolation. Fortunately the northern catchments seemed to have missed the heavy rain of last week and the river was low. Not only that but the devastation of the storms at the end of last year / beginning of this had dramatically widened the bed of the river making for a wide but shallow and easy crossing. Rather than chance two more crossings I took the path on the east bank and had the easiest crossing of the landslip area I've ever had! A far cry from what it was like post Hurricane Berth in '14.


Onwards and upwards goes the track before ending at yet another burn crossing and the start of the single track. Its tempting to follow the obvious Argocat track from here but this is seriously wet and best avoided unless conditions are droughtlike. The single track was wet but generally stony and much more fun.



I stopped for a late lunch at this small Houwff which would make for a good shelter if you fancied this route as an overnighter. What I first thought was litter was a pack of freeze dried muselli hidden in this rough shelter - something that could be a life saver in this wild place. Another K of hard trail saw the Eidart bridge and the mandatory photo



After this the trail is pretty boggy and very wet this day. I'm an old hand at this route so knew not to follow the line on the map but rather a more direct line that misses out the loop of path shown on the map. This is all easy stuff on the fat bike of course but I keep thinking that this route would benefit from some path work along the map marked line (which is drier) as its a popular route these days and starting to show signs of serious erosion in places.


The watershed - the trail improves somewhat after here having been worked on by the NTS in 2006. Me and two friends rode through here in 2007 as part of a large circuit from Aviemore via Bynack more, the fords of Avon and Glen Derry. The path work was fairly new and after a dry summer the trail was easy going compared to today. The direct line to the bridge didn't exist in those days and we roughly followed the vague line of the path shown on the map. Its changed quite a bit in the intervening ten years.

I picked my way through the route at a steady pace but by the time I reached the track by the Geldie I was starting to feel the distance. The second major river crossing of the day was the Geldie itself. I've had a few difficulties crossing this in recent years and whilst the level looked low I expected wet feet. However I was greeted with a pleasant surprise - a wide flat bed over which the river was running mostly at about ankle depth and easily rideable. In the old days this crossing was via 2 engineered channels, the shallower one acting as an overflow for the main one. The problem with this was that it didn't take much water for this to be deep and fast flowing. Hurricane Bertha in 2014 trashed most of this and left the river as a confused mass of channels and rocks but it looks like Storm Desmond scoured most of these away to leave this:-


Compare with this image on geograph which shows the crossing as it once was - the central grassy island is now totally gone.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1127964]http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1127964

The double track continues, getting increasingly rough up to the ruins of Bynack Lodge. There are two crossings of the river here buts its a much smaller flow before the Geldie joins it so no bother this dry evening. 

This photo was taken on my 2013 traverse of this route near to the point where the double transitions to singletrack. Its one of my favourite places in the UK. Hard to say why - the isolation of a wide open glen, various surrounding hills, the river, the ruined lodge and the woods seem to chime well with me and I always pause to savour this view.

Amazingly the single track over the water shed into Glen Tilt has had some work done on it through the boggy section with, even more amazingly, pipe bridges over the various water channels rather than the usual wheel wrecking stone channels. Could the NTS finally be acknowledging bike use??


The tilt descent is a classic and a great way to end the day.
It gets a bit narrow in places....

Definitely one of my favourite descents and also one of my favourite through routes. I first did this as part of a large circuit from Pitlochry in about 1991. We'd ridden across to the Spittal of Glen Shee, up over the Cairnwell and were using the Tilt route as a way back to Pitlochry. Thanks to a late start, short days and slow progress, it was getting dark as we commenced the descent, fortunately not getting full dark until after the start of the double track. In those days of rubbish lights this was of serious concern. That didn't stop the same scenario developing on several occasions subsequently before we eventually twigged to get an early start and do the route in the summer!



Mandatory Tarf Water bridge shot. This is pretty much at the end of the single track. The OS 1:50k shows a chunk more single track than what is on the ground (which is a relief when its getting dark!) This is part of the appeal of this route, the way the trail progressively improves as you descend down the glen, getting easier as you get tireder. I stopped to eat the last of my food in the now warm evening sunshine and the final roll down the big track from forest lodge was a fine way to relax and reflect on a fabulous day.

QE Forest and West Highland Way circuit

This months long ride took me due West towards Loch Lomond. The plan was to ride the West Highland Way south of Inversnaid hotel, as this was the 'best' of the Loch Lomondside section, the whole of which has a grim reputation for anyone considering doing the whole WHW by bike.

My start point was Buchlyvie on the A911 as its easy to get to from the house and a cycleway along a disused railway line starts here and takes you to the edge of Queen Elizabeth forest above Aberfoyle. It was a cool, breezy but sunny day. The weather this summer hasn't been great but I've actually been lucky on my big rides, weatherwise, thanks to some some selective timetabling. My back was currently on one of its better cycles, having finally found a proper physio and doing what he told me. Just as well as my route would soon involves some serious bike man-handling!

For now though it was easy pedaling through the network of tracks in the forest. I was on the Krampus (again!) and this was also my first use of a pair of Jones 'Loop' bars, with their extreme sweep. There are various ways through the forest heading roughly west up what is technically the upper reaches of the river Forth. You finally emerge on the road just before the top of the glen. A new path links this point to Inversnaid on Loch Lomond and Stronachlachur on Loch Katrine. It was done by the National Park lot but clearly sees little use as its already quite over-grown in places. Anyway it traces a nice line and contours easily above Loch Arklet before descending steeply to the hotel.



There were a few folk here and a guy on a bike who gave my steed the usual funny look that normal mountainbikers give a rigid 29+ with weird handlebars. I was going to stop for food but couldn't be doing with all the people so headed straight off. The loop bars had been comfy so far but this next section would be a real test!

Overall the trail was pretty good. There were some really nice techy, nadgery sections with occasional easy bits and occasional scrambles over a particularly big rock outcrop. North of Inversnaid is apparently much harder with many stepped sections and some really awkward carries. This was just within the bounds of 'doable' so I was happy. Being an expert creator of paths, I can't help being critical though. I can see that they were trying to maximise journey time along the loch shore but its typical of many such routes that were built by people with little or no engineering knowledge. As part of a short route its entertainment but as part of a long distance walk, its brutal and explains why so many West Highland Way walkers that you see in Tyndrum look so wrecked. The vast majority of people doing it (and others such as the horrendous Southern Upland way) aren't hardened hill walkers (who generally avoid overcrowded long distance routes like the plague). A typical WHW walker is usually wearing a cancer charity T shirt and only doing it as a one off. This of course is great but I do wonder how many people do this route and never go walking again thinking its all like this. Hey ho, as I picked my way along it, I planned a much nicer alternative which would contour above the shore and miss out all the big rock outcrops and their endless ups and downs.

Finally you come out a Rowchoish bothy, an MBA one and rumoured to get a bit wild during the main WHW 'season'. It was empty today so I sat inside eating a late lunch.

Beyond here there is a double track alternative to Rowardennan but I foolishly kept on the single track. This is the worst section and definitely worth a miss.

Rowardennan was mobbed so I rode straight on through looking for a shop. I managed a few snacks and an ice cream from the campsite at Cashel but considering the vast numbers of people who visit here, there was bugger all shops, cafes, pubs or other typical tourist draws. Very odd but typical of Scotland that never seems to be able to get the balance right of tourist attractions and facilities.

The WHW follows various easy paths along this section but the were mobbed also. Also typically the WHW entirely misses out Drymen in order to include another horrendous rocky trail, climb and descent. I just stuck to the road to Drymen and then sat in the evening sun eating some proper food for the first time that day courtesy of the spar shop. From here it was simply a case of following the road up a big climb and then down the other side right back to my start point.

On the techy riding the loop bars had surprised me as to how good they are for such stuff. Your hands are so far back its easy to get back over the seat for steep drops. Although they feel very odd at first you soon get used to them and they are comfy on the wrists. That said I had a distinct ache between the shoulder blades but this seems to be down to the fact that they are 2" lower than my usual bars so I'll try a high rise stem before passing final judgment.

One final rant.....
The West Highland Way, as a concept is great - an off road route from the urban sprawl of Glasgow to the wilds of Lochaber. Its execution is crap though. I've now ridden a fair chunk of it (excepting the bit north of Inversnaid and out of Glasgow) and a common feature prevails - namely endless miles of rough rocky path with countless ups and downs that are totally pointless and will just serve to destroy anybody trying to walk it. The route should accommodate the typcial users, i.e people who aren't hardened mountain men. I'm fed up of hearing people say that "no its all part of the challenge" and (worst of all) "its the mountains, its meant to be rough" This is bollocks. The route above Inversnaid that I'd done earlier is what the WHW should be. Easy going, durable and entirely in keeping with the landscape. Compare this to so many (too many) sections of the WHW with steps, many, many pointless climbs and descents, rocks everywhere and all requiring constant maintenance to deal with the thousands who use it every year.

Investment in the route is minimal despite the status it seems to hold; but this is down to it being maintained by various cash strapped councils, not central government. It would be easy (and in the grand scheme of things, not that costly) to re-create the route as a path that will allow people to experience the amazing scenery, be hard-wearing, won't (contrary to the belief of many) look out of place and won't result in your average walker having to spend most of their time on the route managing blisters. It would also then be a great biking route, further enhancing its appeal.

There, I've said it. I'm out of that game now so its up to someone else to sort it!

Manx Grand Prix with a difference

I've been going to the Isle of Man since 1998, always on a motorbike. This was for Manx Grand Prix week - basically a toned down version of the TT with classic racing as well as modern stuff. For this reason it always attracts the classic crowd and the place gets packed with a huge range of old machinery, most of it being well ridden. We went pretty much every year, me on a variety of old nails with an ever changing group of people. 2012 was my last year on a motorbike, actually the BMW, and it was a wash out seeing the worst weather I've ever had to deal with in a tent. This soured things somewhat, as well as the ever increasing cost of the ferry fare. When we first went the return ticket with a motorbike was about £125. By 2012 is was over £150. The next year I gave it a miss, and then I was out of the habit.

As Summer progressed I was wondering what to do with a fortnights holiday I'd booked at the end of August into September. The solution came as I was speaking to my mate Rick on the phone. Him and his partner Judy were going to the Manx, paid for by Classic Bike magazine, which he writes for. I'd noted that it would be good to go and catch up with them and revisit my old Isle of Man haunts. Of course the ferry was booked solid for any kind of vehicle so this was looking like a no go. Various combinations of sailings drew a blank and it would be £200 in any case. Then I noted that a pedestrian fare was only £47 and better yet, bikes (as in pedal) went for free. A plan was hatched. I'd train it down to Lancaster, get the overnight sailing, camp at Peel as we had done in the last few years we'd been there and catch up with Rick and Judy whilst checking out the old bikes. A bit of research indicated a fair few mountainbike trails in the various bits of woodland, as well as the various byways and greenways I'd ridden on old trials bikes on my previous visits. Perfect. Not only that the weather was looking good!

The train run went OK (although my back was playing up a bit, yet again) and I pedaled from Lancaster to Heysham on cycleways and back road. It was dark of course and so a bit dubious on some of the cycleways, but it was a Sunday evening so very quiet. I got to the terminal a couple of hours before sailing so spent some time snoozing and reading until boarding time.

Ha! this was brilliant. As soon as boarding was announced I got sent down the ramp first, in front of several hundred motorbikes. Every time we have taken motorbikes on this boat, it's been complete chaos. The Isle of Mann Steam Packet has been carrying motorbikes to the Island since 1902 and yet they seem to make such a meal of it. Hours of sitting in a queue of other bikes, people revving engines, move a bit, wait again, repeat. Even on the boat it was mayhem as the deck hands tried to tie up several hundred bikes with bits of rope. Not today, onto the deck, bungy bike to a pillar, stroll up to the lounge and grab my seat I'd booked, then relax with a few beers as chaos took place below. Soon enough we were off and I actually slept pretty well. I've used the overnight boat before and it's actually quite nice. A cafe opens on the harbour front early enough for passengers so you can get a breakfast on arrival. I then pedaled into the lightening morning, via an old railway line which actually took me all the way from Douglas to Peel. It was a bit damp in places but I had the place to myself. 

I got to the campsite and the chap running it was around so I pitched up in a space recently vacated by people departing for the boat I'd just got off, then crashed out for a few hours.

There then followed three days of great bike riding on a mix of the forestry stuff, byways and the odd bridleway. I caught up with Rick and Judy, had plenty of pints in the various ace pubs around the island, in particular the Creek Inn at Peel, and even watched a bit of the racing. One of the best things of being able to go off road is that you can access various parts of the (closed obviously) TT course by various trails that others can't. It was sunny too!

Finally it was home time but this was easy too - no stressing about whether some recaltriant machine was going to start, just my usual pack up of tent, into bags, jump on bike and ride to Douglas, also on the old railway line. The crossing back was fine and Rick and Judy were also on it so we could chat. I was first off at the other end and soon away from the road and re-tracing my route back to Lancaster. I was in plenty of time for the train so sat around in the sun eating food, before being whisked effortlessly back up to Fife.

I'd kind of missed being on the motorbike, particularly an old one, but the cheapness, the lack of hassle and the good riding meant that I think I'll do this again! 

Ben Alder and Ardvericke Circuit

A decent off road ride was definitely on the cards for this weekend. Various ideas had occurred to me including an overnighter. Annoyingly the weather on Saturday was somewhat wet and it lasted far beyond what was forecasted, so my usual weather wimp out made a day ride a more suitable prospect. I'd been through the Ben Alder Area back in May on a tailwind assisted blast from Aviemore to Tyndrum. I fancied another wander round the area as well as bagging a new trail from Loch Rannoch over to Loch Ossian which I've never managed to get round to. This would make for a route which seemed a bit long to do in one day but I figured I'd be fine.....

In view of this I had an early start which made for an easy run up to Dalwhinnie, my start point. From here it was down Loch Ericht and over into the Pattack. The cloud was right down so there were none of the usual views to Ben Alder. It was allegedly to clear up later however. The boggy bit to the bridge over the Pattack was very boggy, an indicator of yet another damp summer. I picked my way carefully through, not wanting to plaster either me or the bike in mud at this early stage of the day. Finally I reached the bridge (now looking very shonky after the storms at the beginning of this year) and headed down the river. 

Hmm, first check. There is a hydro scheme in progress here and technically the track was 'shut.' The signed diversion was via the old stalking path which is long since overgrown. Its typical of these projects, they never get the traffic management right, thinking that as its the middle of no-where, no-one will care. So of course I did what everyone else will do and ignored the closure sign. Being a Sunday no-one was working so this presented no issue. Beyond here I bore left over to and along Lochan Earba. The last time I was here it was horrendous weather and I'd just done a very snowy traverse of a path high above the loch. Today the cloud was starting to lift and I finally got some views. This is the old Highland Trail route and as I started the long climb up Strath Ossian, I reflected that the last time I'd been here was indeed on the 2015 HT group start, heading the other way obviously. The new route is better overall but this was a great part of the route. Its all of motorway standard so an easy pedal in the gentle breeze.

There are three more hydro schemes going off up here but the contractors seem happy for people to walk and cycle through the works. Why here and not the one on the Pattack! Anyway on with the views:

Looking back to Lochan Earba and Lagan

Cloud lifting above Strath Ossian

Ossian YH and the track over to Loch Treig, the Mamores in the distance. On the start of 'The Old Road to the Isles'

This route was the reason for this ride as I've been meaning to do this for yonks. The Old Road to the Isles is an ancient right of way pre-dating the A82 and the A9 routes. It would have been used primarily to drive livestock along as well as linking the ancient (and lost) communities on Loch Rannoch and Loch Ossian. Previously it was a typical rough quad / argo-cat track which was very boggy and hard going in all but the driest of weather. The Scottish Six Days Trial uses it most years so 200 trials bikes bombing through didn't help with its condition. But last year it was substantially upgraded to a nice smooth track as part of two hydro schemes. So what used to be a slog is now a breeze and do-able on anything with reasonably chunky tyres, in all weathers. With a bit of imagination, this, NCN 7 and the route over from Glen Lyon to Loch Rannoch could be used for a mostly off road touring route north, missing the grimness of the A82 and the dullness of the A9 cycle route. And it crosses an amazing part of the world. This is one of the UK's biggest wildernesses with vast areas of moor, no roads and only the West Highland rail line and a few estate houses in the middle.

The old road to the Isles, the hills above Tyndrum in the distance

Blackwater Reservoir and the hills above Glencoe in the distance. In between the vast bogland that is Rannoch Moor. A particular feature of this route are these massive views.

Closer by is the rail line. As I watched a four carriage sprinter trundled by, looking totally out of place in this vast wilderness. The line was built by Thomas Telford in the rich Victorian times and its a major feat of engineering as the land is just bottomless peat bog, requiring much ingenuity to float the lines across it whilst maintaining the easy grades suitable for a train. It avoided the Beeching closures and is now a popular tourist route as well as providing a car free link to the smoke from several remote Highland towns.

Just visible is the train.....

At the high point of the climb you pass by the ruins of an old lodge - Corrour. It was originally built as an estate house but unsurprisingly no-one wanted to live so far away from civilisation, even in the 1700's. It then became a hospice for Tuberculosis sufferers. In those days, before a vaccine was developed, the only thing that could be done for TB was to move people out of the horribly smoky towns into the countryside and away from everybody else. This place pretty much beats anywhere for those criteria. For me it provided a useful lunch stop before a fast cruise down to the road. Tick! Another one bagged.

Rannoch station in the the trees, Loch Laidon behind

After a brief bit of road along to Loch Rannoch you turn of through forestry at first and then out across another moor to Loch Ericht. This is the new Highland Trail route.

The boggy section was pretty wet, a far cry from the bone dry passage at the end of May. The good news was clearing skies and sunshine - finally! A late second lunch at Ben Alder cottage was clearly in order.


Thereafter over the Bealachs cumhann and dubh and a proper hoon down to Culra. At the top of the pass I noticed for the first time the wreckage of an aircraft which apparently is the remains of a Wellington bomber which crashed in the war. Finally out along the last bit of single track to rejoin my outward route and up past Loch Ericht to Dalwhinne, all in blazing sunshine. 

I had a minor discussion with a resident on the Highway code with regard to parking on road (she came out to object to me parking outside her house). I love it when people do this as thanks to my job, know chapter and verse on such things. It particularly amused me when she said (in hushed tones) "I'll call the Police!" Ho ho ho. After my assertion that the Police would, a) not be remotely interested; and b) on my side, she stormed off in a huff.

Anyway, all in all I'd done 78 miles of which only 4 were on road, a good days ride by any reckoning.

2016 Road Tour

Cycle touring seems to have gotten a lot of bad press in recent years. The rise of bikepacking and 'Adventure Cycling' has relegated (in the popular press) cycle touring to the pass time of a decreasing few old fuddy-duddies who are part of a happily declining part of cycling. Given my history of cycle touring and the knowledge of what its really all about, I'm not of this view. Cycle Touring is where it all started. Mountainbiking (thanks to the RSF - google it), Bikepacking (ditto), Adventure Cycling.... its touring, get over it.

Why? Because I've done it for many years. And I love it. I love throwing some stuff on your bike, getting on it and pedaling off into the scenery, no care in the world and no travel stress that seems to be an accepted part of most peoples holidays. You might bivvy or camp, bothy, bunkhouse or hotel, its all travelling on your bike and seeing the world away from the mainstream of life and tourism.

July 2016. I had a week off work and a desire to head for the hills. It had been a funny old year. In March I'd properly done my back in which had scuppered my Highland Trail attempt for this year and dominated my life ever after. I'd managed the YD300, but only due to a previously unknown tolerance to pain. The weather was looking rubbish but I just needed to get away from work so road touring seemed to be the solution.

Fair to say the start wasn't good. I woke to low cloud and rain. I'd booked digs in Ballater so felt compelled to get on with it.  As usual my plans had been fluid until the day before but east, as usual, seemed best so I aimed for Ballater on this basis, north east from home with a forecast south westerly wind. Except it was clearly an easterly. WTF? the weather forecasts had been particularly bad this year but getting the wind direction 180 degrees out was a first. Nothing for it but to get the waterproofs on and get going. 

To Ballater from home is a good 95 miles but I had all day so made steady progress to Perth in the drizzle. The wind got lighter as I headed north so didn't hinder me much. From Perth its the A93. I missed a section by using a bit of back road before Blairgowrie and there is a section of the old road just after here which is still just about passable. But mostly I was on the A93 although it was pretty quiet thanks to the weather. Its quite a climb. Perth is at sea level and you climb steadily to Blairgowrie. After that its a series of shortish ups and the odd down but all the while you are gaining height over the 30k to the Spittal of Glenshee. From here its a steady pull up the glen finishing with the infamous Cairnwell road. I've been up this a few times over the years and felt that today, given my current fitness, it should be straightforward. Its not. The final climb is a steady grade which isn't super steep but goes on for a lot longer than it looks. Finally staggering into the cafe at the ski centre was a relief and I was happy to sit and drink tea and eat cake knowing it was downhill all the way to Ballater. 

It was sort of dry but the dreich kept coming in. The wind had swung west finally so at least it was all behind me. There is a fine wee road into Braemar then it was a last few k of the A93 before turning off road at last through QE2's land at Balmoral. This is a smooth and easy track and very pleasant after all that road bashing. It joins the back road down Deeside at Balmoral itself but this road was empty. I finally got to Ballater at 6 some 8 hrs after starting. The bunkhouse was quiet but the useless warden had put us all in one room (presumably to save on cleaning) leading me to further mutterings about dorms. Still; I had a large feed, a few nice ales in the Alexandra hotel and a good nights sleep.

Day 2 started somewhat murky. It was just about dry as I headed east on the Deeside way but it was clear the rain was coming. My route, worked out the night before, took me north east out of Deeside at Muir of Dinet and along a network of back roads through Tarland and over into Donside. This was all new to me. The terrain is hugely different from Deeside and the Cairngorms - all pleasant rolling farmland, forestry and just the occasional higher bump to remind you that Britain's biggest mountain range is just behind you. Next up was a steady climb over to Cabrach, another new place, then a long descent on yet another empty A road. I picked up a fab singletracker at Bridgend which went on for many descending miles finally dumping me in Keith. If you are reading this and wish too follow - check out the OS. Its all fairly obvious and there are many other alternatives.

By this time the on and off again drizzle had settled to a steady rain leading to and extended cafe stop in Keith to warm up and dry off. Pre ride research indicated a bunkhouse in Cullen that got good reviews so I figured this was my best bet. More dormitories.... I got my head down and pedaled through the rain, arriving at about 5. After a bit of wandering around I found the bunkhouse and after a bit of fiddling found the owner and booked in. There was a group in cycling NCN 1 west to east to Aberdeen who were chatty and somewhat appalled by the distances I was doing compared to their more leisurely approach with lots of cafe stops and easy days. Still, its all touring. 



Cullen Harbour

Tea was fish and chips but none of the pubs seemed to be that welcoming looking so I settled a for a few bottles from the co-op in the bunkhouse. This was indeed a good one with each bed in the open plan room curtained off for privacy - genius! 

The weather had cleared up the previous evening but day 3 dawned grey and cool. I was heading west on NCN 1 which would be off road for a fair bit before following more back roads. I managed to avoid putting on waterproofs but it was quite damp at times and cold for a July day. I could feel my motivation ebbing by the minute and even after it finally dried up a bit my mood didn't lift as I now had a stiff headwind to cope with.



Fine old railway bridge over the Spey on NCN 1

I'd actually thought of trying to head up to the far north (again!) but this was likely to take a few big days up and back in what was looking like crap weather. It didn't help when I turned off NCN 1 to miss out Elgin only to find myself on quite a busy road. I got back onto NCN 1 eventually but a new plan was needed. 

Forres provided a much needed cafe - one of those old fashioned ones where none of the clientele are under 70 but its cheap. I sat drinking tea and eating cake whilst thinking and looking at the map. North was definitely not happening, I wanted an easy time. In the end I settled on Tomintoul as a destination via my route of the previous year.

Turning south meant a tailwind, clearing weather and much lifted spirits. Suddenly I was back into that state of total relaxation that cycle touring brings on. Easy pedaling, benign weather and no need for thinking, just look at the ever changing scenery with brain in neutral..... Given the rain that had fallen I missed the Speyside way out and was soon on the steady climb up to Tomintoul. The hostel was nearly empty so I settled in for a pleasantly quiet evening with a few beers at the pub to help me sleep. The best plans are those that can be changed on a whim.

Next morning was actually quite pleasant so after breakfast in the Firestation cafe I traced the usual Glen Brown / Dorback route to the road, then missed the Egg path to go to Nethy Bridge the easy way, being on the Fargo. That said I figured that Ryvoan pass was in scope so headed over to Glen more, the fargo easily tackling this great through route. Glen More cafe provided beers as usual, then for a change added a few more miles doing the Sluggan pass to Boat of Garten and the NCN south into Aviemore. More socialising in Aviemore with R&I followed. Tomorrow would be south in earnest.





Fargo's turn to get photographed in Glen Brown. Drying socks due to an incorrect river crossing...

The top of Ryvoan. Now quite smooth mostly so ideal for the fargo.

I had a leisurely cruise down the NCN, done today in the face of yet another weather deterioration. This time I turned west on the wee road to Lagan, a quick buzz down the A86 then off road past Ardverickie and the Loch Lagan track, the sun out again. I'd contemplated the East Highland Way but given how wet its been felt this would be a bit of a mission on the fargo so hit the road at Fersit and bombed down the hill to Roybridge.



Loch Lagan in some rare sunshine

Despite being an old hand at Scottish Weather, the speed at which rain clouds can jump on you still catches me out. One minute blue sky, next minute black sky, next minute deluge. I jumped into my waterproofs sharpish but even in the brief run to Spean Bridge and the cafe, my gloves and over trousers failed.... Still I was in no rush so languished in the cafe until the rain passed and I'd dried off. The A82 is gruesome to Fort Bill so I hoofed it up the footway to the Commando memorial, down the back road to Gairlochy and onto the Canal towpath instead.



At the Commando memorial looking South to the hills above Loch Eil.

Annoyingly I'd just missed the wee ferry to Camusnagaul so had to do the A82 after all, and on my least favourite bit, regardless of mode of transport. It was also as much a rush hour as you get in the Highlands so busier than expected with the usual twits who entirely fail to pass a cyclist either safely, or in the case of one person, at all. Thankfully at the Corran Ferry there is now a cycleway of sorts to Ballachullish. Its basically the footway with some widened bits but still infinitely better than the road. At Ballachlish I did think about continuing down NCN 78 but I was running out of time and without a couple of big days I'd be tight to get home for a weekend commitment.

So I continued east to Glencoe, grabbed supplies in the shop and headed for the red squirrel campsite.

Anyone who knows this rather scuzzy site will know its death by midges. In the vain hope of avoiding them I pitched right by the river just out of the trees where there did seem to be a bit of a breeze. Others were wandering around in head nets so I knew this was optimism in its most extreme form. 



Finally pitched the tent!

And (wait for it) no midges. The neighbours were getting eaten alive, just under the trees. I had a gentle but constant breeze which did indeed keep them away allowing a pleasant evening eating food, drinking beers (no Clachaig this trip!) and relaxing after a 94 mile day. 

So the plan was to ride all the way home. There are various trails you can follow up Glencoe but they are a bit rough for the fargo so the plan was to get up sharp and get over Rannoch Moor to Loch tulla before the traffic kicked off. 7.30am saw me leave the campsite sharpish as the breeze was gone and the biting menaces were there. Sure enough the road was quiet until I was heading down past the ski centre. In hindsight I should have done the West Highland Way but instead at Loch tulla I turned off on a track which follows the north shore of the loch. I then followed the WHW from Bridge of Orchy to Tyndrum excepting one wee bit to miss out the hike a bike under the railway line. After the usual cake stop in Tyndrum I bashed on along the main road for 10 miles. This was a bit crap to be honest but the WHW is horrible over this section. 

I finally ditched the A82 a few miles before Lix Toll to pick up a back road to Killin. Thereafter it was the usual route home - NCN 7 to Callander and then more back roads and the odd bit of cycleway. Home for 4.30, 107 miles done. In total I'd done just shy of 500 miles in 6 days of pedaling. Not bad all in all but a bit of a thrash given I was meant to be relaxing. Iffy weather tends to make me push on a lot more than if it was sunny. One day I'll do a dry cycle tour!

Yorkshire Dales 300

I'd first heard of this route after reading a couple of blogs on the 2015 group start, its first year of running. Having done much riding in the area over the years, my interest was piqued and 300k's of Yorkshire Dales trails (with a few roads) seemed like a fine way of spending the midsummer weekend. I'd just pulled out of the Highland Trail group start thanks to a persistent back injury and was feeling a bit miserable as a result. So I figured I should be fit by the end of June and the YD300 seemed to be just the thing to do by way of compensation. I put an entry in and downloaded the route.

Despite my back injury I've still managed a fair bit of riding since then, including a fab bike packing trip around the eastern Cairngorms and plenty of local rides. But my back was still an unknown quantity and a couple of relapses meant that come the end of June I wasn't hugely confident of my ability to do 300k around the YD with its monster climbs. I'm an old hand at riding here thanks to countless family holidays and I knew what to expect, i.e. it would be hard. I'd ridden pretty much everything there was to ride within about a 30 mile radius of Hawes where we used to stay. That was the clincher for turning up though. My folks have a static caravan in Hawes and the route passed close by twice in the first 175k so it would be easy to bail out if my back played up. It would also serve as a base to start and recover from the ride which started in Skipton, not too far down the road.

So Friday evening saw me take a leisurely run down the road, the Krampus in the boot. I'd used this on my ill fated attempt on the Highland Trail in 2014. The Ice Cream Truck had taken the honours at the 2015 HT and I'd meant to use the Kramp for this years group start. Therefore it was due a good long ride out and hopefully a successful completion. It was also the perfect tool for the Dales trails. I was up early the following morning and bombed down the empty roads to Skipton. The start was at Ryders Cycle Centre in a small industrial estate near the station. Stuart Ryder is the man behind this route and its 200k sibling. You actually have to pay up to enter the group ride but you get breakfast and meal on return so its pretty good value all in all. A fair few folk were there including three other Scots in the form of Jenny Graham, Lee Craigie and their mate David Jones; all from Inverness. I knew Jenny and Lee from various Highland Trail exploits and I'd met David the previous year at the Capital Trail ride out so we chatted as we ate breakfast. The Highlanders seemed oblivious of what was to come but didn't seem to be underestimating it given the advertised climbing total of 7500m. This is a common mistake made by several Scots friends who assume that as its England, its easy.....

There was a fair bit of bike and load eyeing up. I'd decided to throw bivvy kit in - bag, mat and sleeping bag - as I was definitely not going to do the route in a oner. Many obviously were and a few were looking at doing it over three days so there was a wide variety of gear on display..... Finally at 8am sharp we were off.

The first bit of the route was actually all new to me as my previous perambulations from Hawes had never taken me this far south. Road at first through Embsay and over into Wharfedale, all of the typical Yorkshire narrow, twisty and lumpy type. The first dirt was an easy (apart from the first of many monster climbs) gravel road over Pockstones moor. I hoofed it up the climb, as usual going too fast at the start of a large bike route but I figured I would settle into my normal steady pace soon enough. Pateley Bridge was bypassed as I had plenty of food for the morning at least. Nidderdale was also new and very pleasant up a tiny road and then another substantial climb on a track which took us high above the valley floor, contouring round to Scar House Reservoir. I'd always meant to do some riding round here but never quite got round to it so this was all good stuff. A brief sprinkle of rain actually came through here (and the forecast was for more) but it made little difference to the trails which were iron hard and dusty thanks to a spell unseasonable dry weather... 

On the climb over Dead Mans Hill I caught up with a group who it turned out were at the front. Lee Craigie was there as well as Ian Barrington who I'd chatted to after that years HT group start and bought some bike bags off (he is one half of Wildcat Gear). I was a bit dubious about making this kind of progress as I had little indication of my form. However my back was behaving so I lead off on the last steep of the climb and got up it to a cheer from the others. But this was dangerous ground for me after my Highland Trail blow up in 2014. I stopped to take in the views and eat food whilst this group of elites disappeared down the descent. Thereafter I made a conscious effort to keep the pace down. There didn't seem to be anyone behind in view so I had the place to myself - perfect!

More road climbing took me onto familiar territory. The Starbotton cam road was a nice grassy bridleway on which I passed a very hacked off looking Lee Craigie. She seemed to have ground to a halt and totally ignored my greeting and inquiry as to how she was doing. So I left her too it and hared off down a fine descent to Starbotton itself. It turned out that Lee bailed at that point and rode back to the start.....

For me it was a leisurely pedal up the road to Buckden where I hoped to score food at the cafe. A few of the others were there and seemed to be struggling to get the proprietor to produce any food. There were only four of them (and no-one else) but four rounds of sandwiches and some filled water bottles seemed beyond him or his assistant without much huffing and puffing. His last straw came when the assistant dropped a water bottle and spilled water everywhere. He tried to sort it but the guy totally lost the place and refused to serve anyone else, which unfortunately was me. He assumed I was part of the same group (I wasn't really) and ignored my polite but firm statement otherwise. So instead I went into the next door shop and the same guy appeared. He begrudgingly served me and I begrudgingly paid up. This sort of attitude isn't a common occurrence hereabouts however many years ago I did once witness this same bloke have a total melt down with a neighbour over parking. Yeah, one of those types.....

Anyway, I sat in the sun and ate about half of my stash before the steep climb out of the valley. This is a good trail and I generally get up it dab free. Today was no exception giving further hints that my form was actually pretty good, despite my earlier concerns. Slightly less good was a few twinges out of my back. Still, I also got up the climb on the byway above Kidstones, cruised across Stake moss and clattered down another fast and loose descent to Carperly Green. Into Wensleydale now and onto one of my favourite trails that traces a high level route along the valley, east to Castle Bolton. Less nice was an advancing rain cloud. I didn't muck around, just got into my gear and carried on.

It lasted over into Apedale and waterproofs came off above Grinton with the sun shining as I rolled into Reeth. I noted a bike shop cum cafe at the roadside so dived in. I've a fixed strategy for these kind of rides - if you see a food stop, you use it. Ian B, David, a guy on a Trek Stache (Tom Hill) and a guy on a Surly ECR (Michael Collins) were there feeding their faces. It was only 4pm (and 110k in) but after a quick think I figured this could be the last food source open on route that day so ordered soup, sandwich and salad as my main meal, as well as some cakes to go and lots of coffee. The place was called the Dales Bike Centre and I subsequently learned they had technically stopped serving food at 4 so cheers guys! They also sorted Michaels brake out and sold me some chain lube which I needed but had forgotten to bring with me.

Next up came a famous climb hereabouts - Fremington edge. This used to be the first climb on the Swaledale Marathon route which I did several times in my youth. It was hard going then so was pretty brutal after 110k. That said I got up most of it, only walking to avoid unnecessary back strain and stomach upset. The rain came and went a bit and it was quite murky over the top. I passed David fixing a puncture at Hurst but pressed on to get off the moor before the rain got worse. In the event it cleared on this ace descent and there didn't seem to be any other clouds around thereafter. Over another climb to the aptly named surrender bridge, but I was feeling good so didn't! Then an nice easy pull up Hard Level Gill and over the lead mine desolation of Merry Field.

Hmm. The descent seemed to be away from any marked line on the map. After a lot of too-ing and fro-ing, I eventually headed off on the line but on not much in the way of a path. It coalesced after a bit and headed down a steep rocky defile that was actually man made, sort of. They are called 'hushes' and were used for lead mining. Basically you dammed a stream and then let it run down the hillside so that it washed everything away, in order to expose the precious lead. These hushes are all over the place around here and somewhat at odds with the generally benign terrain. Anyway I picked my way down it carefully and even walked (!) one bit, not wishing to bash myself up at this stage. Another grassy descent took me out of Gunnerside Gill and what would be the hardest section of the route. Back on road (more climbing of course) seemed to signify a major stage of this route achieved. I'd dealt with some monster climbs and minor back niggles aside was in reasonable shape. I was also coming up to the halfway point, but that was at the top of another famous climb.

Before then I passed the Farmers Arms in Muker. I'd had many a shandy (then half pint, then pint) here with Mum, Dad and brother over the years, usually after a lengthy walk nearby. A couple of bikes were parked up outside so I thought "See food, eat food". Actually I only figured on getting a drink and crisps as it was now 8.30 but on entering the barmaid said "If you want food, you'll have to order now!" 
"Sausage and mash please"
"Coming right up"
10 minutes later it did, and I wolfed the lot without a second thought. Ian B, Michael and Tom were there so we chatted for a while, non of us in a particular rush. Eventually they left and I was happy to see them go, once again figuring that the best company was my own on this route, to avoid going too quick. 

The Buttertubs pass loomed and once again I was on a major climb with a full stomach. I was last here the day after the 2014 Tour de France grand depart which had also used this well known bump. On that day I waltzed over the climb on fresh legs, passing many roadies on the way, despite being on a loaded Fargo. This evening I took it mightily slow. It was now after 9pm and I was giving thought to accommodation, or rather a bivvy spot. In a way I was glad that the Farmers Arms had stopped me as if I'd bypassed it I would likely have diverted into Hawes and then the temptation to bail to the caravan would have been high. In the event after finally grinding up the climb I bombed down the other side and missed Hawes altogether. I passed an incredibly scrawny rat, gnawing away on some roadkill and totally ignoring me. It made me laugh out loud (I love rats and relate to their scavenging skills when bikepacking) so felt well happy cruising along the back road to Bainbridge. I would stop at the next available spot to sleep and tomorrow I'd have less than halfway to ride and a lot less than half the climbing. 

The others were caught at Bainbridge and David, who'd missed the Farmers Arms, was just emerging from the Rose and Crown. Another great feature of the Dales is the large number of great pubs! So a group of us started the long, long climb up the Roman road above Wensleydale. Tom was actually singlespeeding which is good going given the hills. My only single speed exploits hereabouts resulted in much pain and suffering and I'd vowed never to try it again... Another guy had joined us (Alistair) who'd actually been up the front for most of the day and was now easing off a bit. Turns out this was his first bikepacking ITT, and his first ride over 100 miles off road! Less welcome was the beginnings of another shower, typical when you are looking for a bivvy spot.

Over the top eventually and I was now tailing Ian B, the others strung out behind. Of course it was now full dark but I knew the route well and even shouted Ian onto the turn off for the Pennine Bridleway, which is easy to miss. Ian lead off down it and I hung onto his back wheel, a light beam back from him. It's a cracker and I'd not done it in the dark before. The first bit is grassy then it follows a smooth gravel path that descends in a series of wide sweeping bends. Ian pulled ahead but for me a stop was very much on the cards. Having a bag only made me think of bivvying under the viaduct at Dent Head but one of the others, who was local, mentioned that the midges were particularly bad that year so this option didn't look good. I did vaguely think of just keeping going but my back had started to give out some serious pain on the long climb and such a move would likely spoil my so far nigh on perfect first day. Then, as if by magic, I spotted a low, squat building by the side of the path. Amazingly it was a breeze block hut with a tin roof and a floor covered in old feed sacks. Perfect! Alistair appeared at this point with a puncture. We both eyed this place up and made an instant, easy decision - this was our digs. David turned up but Tom and Michael cracked on. There was plenty of space so I quickly unpacked the bivvy and got in. The others shuffled around quite a bit so sleep didn't come instantly, despite me having clocked 185k in around sixteen and a half hours. Soon after we all settled down another light appeared and a further chap stuck his head in.
"Room for one more?" 
It was raining so the answer was always going to be yes. In the event, he manged to fit in width ways at the top end of the hut so whilst it was definitely cosy, we all had (just) enough room. Hopefully no-one else turns up! Much crackling of bags and shuffling followed but eventually the distance and hour caught me up and off I went into a deep sleep.

Not long after I woke bleary eyed to the sound of people shuffling around. It was just 4am but I figured I'd had around 4 hours of sleep and the sooner I started, the sooner I'd finish so got moving. I'd not brought a stove with me, which is a change for me on an overnighter. My cold breakfast of a piece of brownie and a caffeine gel did little to endear me to this particular piece of TLS wisdom. Still, I was up and packed in jig time shortly after 4.30. The others were still sorting their kit so I gave them a cheery wave and left into the misty morning.

My possible bivvy under the Denthead viaduct looked decidedly damp so that was definitely a good miss. Along the road a bit I caught up with an older guy sporting a natty yellow jersey with a large Welsh Dragon emblazoned upon it. By his accent he was indeed from Wales so we chatted a bit about the route and terrain. He'd actually bivvied in the Dent station waiting shelter, not realising that whilst (on paper) just off route, it was about 200m higher! On the first climb I soon outpaced him, despite my own general feeling of wabbit-ness. I knew I 'only' had 115k to do and I'd also done most of the climbing so I was feeling fairly confident. Better still, my firm bed had done wonders for my back so the pains of yesterday had receded.

Its been years since I did the climb out of Dentdale over the great Wold and its a monster. The mist was clearing a bit hinting at sunshine to come. All was quiet on the usually busy descent to Ribble Head (this is part of the three peaks route) and even the car park was empty. The climb out of Gearstones used to be rough as when it was open to vehicles. It was done up after it became a restricted byway but now seems to have been done up again as a forest haul road and was super smooth. Then down an oft used trail to Birkwith and a trail I'd only discovered a couple of years previous on the Pennine Bridleway to Selside. This is a great route and goes passed the fabulous Morton scars limestone paving.

Bridge over the Ribble on the Pennine Bridleway (from a previous trip)

Moughton Scar (also from a previous trip, I had no camera with me for this)

This and the next few bridleways ended up being my favourite of the route. Likely due to the lack of hills, lack of people and general easy riding along little narrow walled lanes. Austwick was still sleeping but on passing the cafe at Feizor I noted that the door was open, despite it being only 7.30 am. I stuck my head round the door and asked the lady baking bread if they were open.
"Yes I can do you breakfast if you'd like"
I nearly burst into tears.

This substantially improved my mood and wellbeing. Tea, tea cakes, fried things, and a toilet! I eyed up the rest of the route on the GPS. I'd not done a huge amount of homework for this ride as I knew much of it already. The rest of it would be mainly on new trails and looked to be generally easy going so I was fairly relaxed.

Wee road to Stainforth and then up onto another substantial moor. The route zig zagged back and forth across this and often you were within metres of where you'd be several miles later. On paper it looks daft but in reality its a way of bagging several good trails. As a whole the route is very convoluted but that's the result of the myriad of trails in the Dales. In the Highlands there is typically one route so there is not much scope for route planning imagination. Here you could put a route all over the place and it obviously had been carefully planned by Stuart Ryder to make the best of the descents and general riding. It does make it easy to scratch as you are often at points where a bail out back to base would be easy, particularly if you were feeling rubbish and knackered. That said its part of the appeal as you are never too far away from home making the route a lot less intimidating than say the Highland Trail.

Anyway I criss-crossed this moor then bombed down to Malhamdale and up to Malham itself. It was now mid morning so inevitably I was drawn to a further cafe. Other people were now present, the first since the previous afternoon, and I caught a few sidelong looks at me shoveling food down and staring into space. Many people I've spoken too on these routes tell me they often have difficulties eating enough food to fuel them. I don't. So another huge climb with a full stomach past the Cove and up onto Mastiles moor. A guy walking up to the Cove made a comment about this being a big climb for me. I just smiled.....

I've ridden Mastiles lane countless times and its another trail that has seriously benefited from being closed to vehicles as its now super smooth. The sun was largely shining as I flew down the descent into Kilnsey leaving only some pleasant road riding to the last trails of the route. The first two were easy but Stuart had put a huge sting in the tail - a humongous climb over Embsay moor. As I ground up the last zig-zags, I noted a rider behind. Despite my cafe stops I'd not seen any of the others and hadn't been aware of anyone passing but it turned out to be a guy on a day ride. He made a comment about me taking some catching so I felt quite chuffed with myself and he looked a bit shocked when I told him I was doing a 300k route! I let him lead off on the descent and he soon outpaced me. 

Heading along the road back to Skipton it occurred to me that I might get in under 30 hours so upped the pace. I was on course until I reached Skipton itself. I'd seen a few signs out the previous day about it being 'armed forces day' today but these gave no hint that in fact the whole town centre was shut so that the local squaddies could show off their kit. So much for traffic management as the first hint of a road closure was.... the road closure. As for a diversion - what diversion? Loads of people were present (and a tank) so blasting through the lot of them seemed inappropriate. I spotted a marshal and asked if there was anyway past. She seemed unknowing of any way round so on the spot I made up a tale of having to catch a train as trying to explain the intricacies of a bikepacking ITT would take too long. If I promised to dismount I could get round so off I went, trying not to crash into errant pedestrians all wandering around the hardware. BANG went a large gun and everyone turned to look allowing me to nip across the square and away from this nonsense. Back on the bike and pedal like hell, arriving back at Stuarts shop at 2:07 pm precisely. Given that at the start I figured my dodgy back would put the stoppers on this long before the finish, I was well chuffed to have finished in thirty hours and seven minutes. 

Stuart appeared to congratulate me and I got stuck into the food he'd laid on. Lee was there so I chatted to her for a while. Turns out she had been fighting a cold which had finally got her the previous day, hence her scratch rather than a suffer fest to no real benefit. I was actually the seventh person back and the first to have had a sleep! Interestingly Ian B had only beaten me by an hour and a half despite not stopping. Sometimes a tactical sleep gains you more than you lose. First back did it in 21 hours 30, so I wasn't that much off the pace. Eventually I packed up and headed back to Hawes. Unfortunately it had started to rain and by the time I'd got going it was chucking it down which wouldn't be welcomed by the others still out on the trail. I got back soon enough and crashed out. I had the next day off for recovery so a few beers that evening were definitely in order!