Plans were changed and the east seemed a better bet than my original idea of heading through Argyle. After a damp start Saturday noon approached and with the threat of sunshine and a stiff tailwind I headed away from the house. This seems to me to be the best way to start a holiday - no transport to arrange or flights etc. to catch, you just load up and go. I followed a variety of quiet roads to Perth mostly on NCN 1 and 775. Perth itself was largely bypassed and NCN 77 takes you on a fine route alongside the Tay and out to Almondbank. From here its more back roads to Dunkeld.
By this time it was about 5pm and the weather was fine. I stocked up with some food and headed up into a network of tracks and trails just north of Dunkeld, generally heading for Loch Ordie.
For a while the pedalling was easy until the main track ended and a rougher, wetter trail climbed steadily away to Loch Oisinneach. I rode this in about 1994 and had a memory of the tracks being rough but dry. 20 odd years of zero maintenance had taken their toll however as many sections were flooded or sunk into the prodigious marshland the track passed through.
I turned off the main trail and things got immediately better until a 'burn' crossing nearly defeated me. Quad tracks ploughed straight through a swamp which looked like it would be knee deep, at least. No way was I doing that so instead I managed to tip toe past it using the dense reeds as support over the marsh. Thereafter things got a bit better but the prolonged wet weather we've had made this trail slow going. At around 6pm I'd climbed out of the woods and was heading for a large section of open moor. Before this I encountered Sarah's Bothy - definitely 5 star accommodation with 2 bedrooms, well stocked bookshelves and soft furnishings!
It was an easy choice to stop as I reckoned I had about an hour of daylight left and I'd no idea what was ahead in terms of bivvy spots. Unsurprisingly no-one else had made the effort to plough through the swamps to get here so I had the place to myself. There was plenty of wood for a fire so I got a merry blaze going and had my tea after watching a fabulous sunset.
The view south from the bothy seemed to follow a clear gap in the hills so that I could see the Lomond hills clearly in the distance, the lights of Perth twinkling in between. I've ridden the Lomonds countless times and surveyed the amazing views they offer to the north. It still surprises me when I see them from those same places, however so remote.
Eventually I turned in and had a lengthy sleep until cold woke me just before 8. I had a leisurely breakfast, did a quick sweep and clear up of the bothy (There was no litter for a change and I was sure to leave it as such), then headed out.
I had a vane hope that the track might improve after the bothy but its still part of a well used circuit from Dunkeld so was just as bad. Several other seriously swampy sections forced a fair bit of dismounting and careful picking my way round.
Eventually I reached the turn off for Kirkmichael and this was far better. The path was hardly used so whilst a bit damp was easy going. This joined a better track which in turn joined the Cateran trail - a shortish long distance path starting and ending in Blairgowrie - that took me to Kirkmichael.
Kirkmichael provided an excellent shop cum cafe for a nice second breakfast. Thereafter it was more back roads east into the Angus Glens. There are a lot of trails hereabouts of various standards and gradients. I wasn't in the mood to be too ambitious this trip so my route followed what in theory should be two easy moorland traverses over to Glen Prosen via Backwater Resevoir and then over again to Glen Clova via the Ministers Road. Both are Angus core paths and signed. Apart from a minor bit of overgrown trail out of the reservoir both of these routes were nice. Another two trails bagged.
Looking back to Glen Isla at the top of the descent to Glen Prosen
On the Ministers Road climbing out of Glen Prosen
Next up was a famous climb - the Capel Mounth road out of Glen Doll, one of several hard trails out of this amazing place. Its a steep push but not too bad all in all. The only minor concern was overhead as the cloud that had been thickening all afternoon seemed to be finally building to a point where it dumped on me.
Looking back to Glen Doll
The Top of Loch Muik
Cresting the final rise gives great views over Lochnagar and sure enough a large rain cloud sat firmly on its summit. That said, looking ahead, Deeside was in sunshine, so I cracked on hoping to miss the worst of it. As it happens, apart from a wee sprinkle of rain I stayed dry and the descent into and out of Glen Muik was bone dry.
Lochnagar and rain cloud!
Ballater was reached at about 5 and once again holiday mode kicked in. I'd vaguely thought of heading down to Glen Tanar for a bivvy but this would mean either a long evening in the tent or a lot of riding in the dark, neither of which appealed. Instead I opted for the luxury of the Ballater hostel and a beer in the Alexander hotel. I love touring....
Day 3 dawned rather grey with the roads wet from the early morning rain. I had a leisurely start at 10 with the sky showing increasing signs of brightening up. The destination for today was my friends place in Speyside just downstream of Aberlour. The obvious route was to go up Glen Gairn over into Glen Builg and down Glen Avon to Tomintoul. I fancied a change however so actually stayed on the (very quiet) A939 to the top of the climb above Strathdon. Just off the top there is a great track which follows Wades Road to Corgarff. Nothing drastic (I once took a touring bike along here) but nice scenery and a cheeky shortcut compared to the Tarmac.
One of several stone arch bridges on Wades Road.
From Corgarff Castle I turned off the road again onto a route I'd been meaning to bag for years - a roughly westerly track which emerges in Glen Avon just by Inchory Lodge. This is (yet another) great through route. The riding is easy on tarmac then a good track with only a gentle climb then a nice switchback descent into Glen Avon.
At the top of the pass into glen Avon, Ben Avon in the distance
It had been a bit gloomy to this point but the sun finally made an appearance as I headed down to Tomintoul and lunch at the usual Fire station Cafe.
From Tomintoul its possible to roll down a quiet B-road to within a shout of my pals place but I was out for more trail bagging so turned off the road at Tomnavoulin and headed roughly east through Glenlivet on a rather wet track which climbed steadily up the glen. Glenlivet is actually part of the vast Crown estate but unlike Balmoral where every building is in mint condition and every track a smooth motorway, this area had an air of dilapidation and neglect. As you climb out of the valley the route passes two fine old houses at Suie which are sadly dropping to bits. I don't suppose there would be many people willing to live in such remoteness but its sad to see properties like this simply being left to wrack and ruin.
Suie looking back to the Braes of Glenlivet
Beyond these houses the track improves somewhat but this too seemed to be in serious need of maintenance with numerous washed out sections. The descent down Glen Fiddich is a gem - double track but the upper section follows a narrow defile with steep slopes on both sides and a narrow burn right beside you. Watch out for the Elf House!
Several sections of track seemed to have become the burn so this could be tricky in wet weather. Further down the Glen there was evidence of a vast windfarm going up on the right. This is in the neighbouring Cabrach estate and cause of much concern by locals as the multi billionaire owner apparently is only interested in screwing as much profit out of the estate as possible.
The dilapidation theme continued on passing Glenfiddich lodge. This and several nearby farm cottages are empty with windows and doors broken in and (apparently) still full of furniture. The owners aren't interested in occupying it or selling; instead electing to let it fall apart in its own time. This is somewhat at odds with the image of Glenlivet Whisky and seems unfathomable to me. I rolled quickly past and down the now tarmac (with huge potholes) track to the main road above Dufftown. A bit more road bashing got me to Aberlour itself and then the Speyside Way and some forestry tracks took to my destination.
Day 4 dawned with a herald of a change in the weather with high winds and rain forecast. I left at my usual 10 and headed to Grantown on Spey by the back road. The Speyside Way is a no go by bike along here and not much fun by foot as it departs the nice disused railway line and follows a convoluted route through fields and woods. This is inevitably due to a landowner refusing permission for it to follow the railway. Signs at the side of the road proclaiming 'Private' and 'No Access' hinted at yet another landed idiot who can't get their heads round Land Reform and the irony of the fact that it was their kind of attitude that lead to Land Reform in the first place. Hey ho, The SPW was picked up just before Grantown for a nice run in through woodland paths. Breakfast 2 was eaten in the cool sunshine and then more road riding took me to Nethy Bridge.
Straight through here and over one of my favourite through routes in the area - Ryvoan Pass. This is a steady climb through the woods of Abernethy finally topping out at just over 400m. As I approached the edge of the woods a chap on a Krampus with his daughter astride the top tube was coming the other way. He looked familiar and as my slow brain processed who it could be he beat me to it -
"Phil!"
"Stuart!" (And Isla)
These encounters never cease to amaze as the chances of meeting anyone you know in such a spot is rare, let alone a fellow Fat Bike Forum type. We chatted for a while about bikes and routes and stuff then went our separate ways.
Hmm. The cafe at Glen More was full and the bar was shut. In May it was 'Closed for refurbishment.' Now it was 'Closed until further notice.' I don't know what the story is here but it seems odd for such a gold mine to close. Tourists were still in abundance despite it being October so I pedalled off in search of quieter places. Not at Rothiemurchus - this cafe too was busy and expensive. Aviemore town centre suddenly seemed to be more trouble than it was worth so I hightailed it down the Insh Road sharpish.
15 miles of empty B road and I rolled into Kingussie. Now the weather had been getting progressively gloomier as I headed south and the wind was strengthening in my face. All as forecasted but my enthusiasm for weathering the impending storm was waning. A plan was hatched - I needed food but a quick stop at the station determined that there was a train south due in just over an hour. I found a great (and quiet) cafe in the town, ate the food I craved and hatched various other plans to find one of several bothies should the train be full. In the event it was half empty and no bikes were on it. Better yet it was due to stop in Glen Eagles, a short hop over the hill back to home. The run down was fine, the weather was grey and I was happy I'd had another great trip. Riding up Glen Eagles I felt slightly displaced as a few hours earlier I had been climbing steadily up the Spey valley. The rain came in down Glen Devon so I was happy to have quit whilst I was ahead. I feel no need, these days, to deliberately put myself in the way of bad weather - I was on holiday after all!
The Top of Loch Muik
Cresting the final rise gives great views over Lochnagar and sure enough a large rain cloud sat firmly on its summit. That said, looking ahead, Deeside was in sunshine, so I cracked on hoping to miss the worst of it. As it happens, apart from a wee sprinkle of rain I stayed dry and the descent into and out of Glen Muik was bone dry.
Lochnagar and rain cloud!
Ballater was reached at about 5 and once again holiday mode kicked in. I'd vaguely thought of heading down to Glen Tanar for a bivvy but this would mean either a long evening in the tent or a lot of riding in the dark, neither of which appealed. Instead I opted for the luxury of the Ballater hostel and a beer in the Alexander hotel. I love touring....
Day 3 dawned rather grey with the roads wet from the early morning rain. I had a leisurely start at 10 with the sky showing increasing signs of brightening up. The destination for today was my friends place in Speyside just downstream of Aberlour. The obvious route was to go up Glen Gairn over into Glen Builg and down Glen Avon to Tomintoul. I fancied a change however so actually stayed on the (very quiet) A939 to the top of the climb above Strathdon. Just off the top there is a great track which follows Wades Road to Corgarff. Nothing drastic (I once took a touring bike along here) but nice scenery and a cheeky shortcut compared to the Tarmac.
One of several stone arch bridges on Wades Road.
From Corgarff Castle I turned off the road again onto a route I'd been meaning to bag for years - a roughly westerly track which emerges in Glen Avon just by Inchory Lodge. This is (yet another) great through route. The riding is easy on tarmac then a good track with only a gentle climb then a nice switchback descent into Glen Avon.
At the top of the pass into glen Avon, Ben Avon in the distance
It had been a bit gloomy to this point but the sun finally made an appearance as I headed down to Tomintoul and lunch at the usual Fire station Cafe.
From Tomintoul its possible to roll down a quiet B-road to within a shout of my pals place but I was out for more trail bagging so turned off the road at Tomnavoulin and headed roughly east through Glenlivet on a rather wet track which climbed steadily up the glen. Glenlivet is actually part of the vast Crown estate but unlike Balmoral where every building is in mint condition and every track a smooth motorway, this area had an air of dilapidation and neglect. As you climb out of the valley the route passes two fine old houses at Suie which are sadly dropping to bits. I don't suppose there would be many people willing to live in such remoteness but its sad to see properties like this simply being left to wrack and ruin.
Suie looking back to the Braes of Glenlivet
Beyond these houses the track improves somewhat but this too seemed to be in serious need of maintenance with numerous washed out sections. The descent down Glen Fiddich is a gem - double track but the upper section follows a narrow defile with steep slopes on both sides and a narrow burn right beside you. Watch out for the Elf House!
Several sections of track seemed to have become the burn so this could be tricky in wet weather. Further down the Glen there was evidence of a vast windfarm going up on the right. This is in the neighbouring Cabrach estate and cause of much concern by locals as the multi billionaire owner apparently is only interested in screwing as much profit out of the estate as possible.
The dilapidation theme continued on passing Glenfiddich lodge. This and several nearby farm cottages are empty with windows and doors broken in and (apparently) still full of furniture. The owners aren't interested in occupying it or selling; instead electing to let it fall apart in its own time. This is somewhat at odds with the image of Glenlivet Whisky and seems unfathomable to me. I rolled quickly past and down the now tarmac (with huge potholes) track to the main road above Dufftown. A bit more road bashing got me to Aberlour itself and then the Speyside Way and some forestry tracks took to my destination.
Day 4 dawned with a herald of a change in the weather with high winds and rain forecast. I left at my usual 10 and headed to Grantown on Spey by the back road. The Speyside Way is a no go by bike along here and not much fun by foot as it departs the nice disused railway line and follows a convoluted route through fields and woods. This is inevitably due to a landowner refusing permission for it to follow the railway. Signs at the side of the road proclaiming 'Private' and 'No Access' hinted at yet another landed idiot who can't get their heads round Land Reform and the irony of the fact that it was their kind of attitude that lead to Land Reform in the first place. Hey ho, The SPW was picked up just before Grantown for a nice run in through woodland paths. Breakfast 2 was eaten in the cool sunshine and then more road riding took me to Nethy Bridge.
Straight through here and over one of my favourite through routes in the area - Ryvoan Pass. This is a steady climb through the woods of Abernethy finally topping out at just over 400m. As I approached the edge of the woods a chap on a Krampus with his daughter astride the top tube was coming the other way. He looked familiar and as my slow brain processed who it could be he beat me to it -
"Phil!"
"Stuart!" (And Isla)
These encounters never cease to amaze as the chances of meeting anyone you know in such a spot is rare, let alone a fellow Fat Bike Forum type. We chatted for a while about bikes and routes and stuff then went our separate ways.
Hmm. The cafe at Glen More was full and the bar was shut. In May it was 'Closed for refurbishment.' Now it was 'Closed until further notice.' I don't know what the story is here but it seems odd for such a gold mine to close. Tourists were still in abundance despite it being October so I pedalled off in search of quieter places. Not at Rothiemurchus - this cafe too was busy and expensive. Aviemore town centre suddenly seemed to be more trouble than it was worth so I hightailed it down the Insh Road sharpish.
15 miles of empty B road and I rolled into Kingussie. Now the weather had been getting progressively gloomier as I headed south and the wind was strengthening in my face. All as forecasted but my enthusiasm for weathering the impending storm was waning. A plan was hatched - I needed food but a quick stop at the station determined that there was a train south due in just over an hour. I found a great (and quiet) cafe in the town, ate the food I craved and hatched various other plans to find one of several bothies should the train be full. In the event it was half empty and no bikes were on it. Better yet it was due to stop in Glen Eagles, a short hop over the hill back to home. The run down was fine, the weather was grey and I was happy I'd had another great trip. Riding up Glen Eagles I felt slightly displaced as a few hours earlier I had been climbing steadily up the Spey valley. The rain came in down Glen Devon so I was happy to have quit whilst I was ahead. I feel no need, these days, to deliberately put myself in the way of bad weather - I was on holiday after all!
