help, where to ride in the cairngorms..
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Where to start - you're spoiled for choice really !
There are plenty of choices - high level routes if the weather is good, or lower more sheltered runs through the forests below the mountains if the tops are in cloud. Word of warning though - I was in Glenmore Forest a few days ago and the midges are still on the go, so get yourself some repellant !
Some thoughts straight off the top of my head below, but there'll be plenty more options.
1 Rothiemurchus & Glenmore Forests - Loads of trails around Loch Morlich & Loch an Eilein, or to Ryvoan bothy and into Abernethy Forest
2. Glenn Eanaich - In and out the same route, but a fairly straightforward route into the mountains.
3. The Burma Road heads west from Aviemore, at the top you can head left and take the singletrack straight back down the way you came, or carry on over the hill into the glen and follow the River Dulnain back out to Dalnahaitnach and the military road back to Kinveachy.
4. Glen Feshie has some low level singletrack which is ok, but the main attraction ( for me ) is the climb from Carnachuin up to the summits of Carn Ban Mor & Sgor Gaoith ( 3668 ft ). The view is stunning, worth the pain of the climb up the track. The singletrack down from Carn Ban Mor is excellent.
5. Laggan Wolftrax is only about 30mins away by car. Superb trail centre.
6. You can also get yourself up onto the summit of Cairngorm or Ben MacDui ( 4295 ft ) as well if you're fit. There's a great loop from the top of MacDui down the east side to Loch Etchachan, through the Laraig an Laoigh to the Fords of Avon before following the path N then NW to Ryvoan and back out to Glenmore.0 -
I think it's criminal that Aviemore doesn;t cater for mountain bikers in summer.
Their lifts are snowboarder hostile, which meant most of them(us) used the vernicular railway thing, which got me thinking... it would be an awesome uplift vehicle for bikes.0 -
I agree, although to be fair to the company who run the railway I don't think it's their decision. They've only recently been allowed to let folks who go up on the train out of the restaurant at the top so they can walk up to the summit of Cairngorm, along a nice little path with ropes along the side believe it or not !
The plateau is a SSSI because it's an Arctic environment and there's an Arctic moss growing under a couple of rocks or something. Without wanting to sound like a right lout - who really gives a $#1t ?
If you want to go see an Arctic moss might I suggest you try somewhere in the Arctic perhaps ? How many people actually walk up there just to look at a film of green stuff covering the underside of a rock anyway ?
Was working up there a couple of years ago and we had to get escorted by some guys from SNH. One of them went nuts when someone drove their landrover tyre off the track for a few feet. It was terrible - bent some grass and stuff. We all got over it though and the trauma isn't so bad now.
Roll on global warming - it'll kill the moss so no need for the place to be 'preserved'. And there'll be no snow so they'll need to expand into a summer season to keep the railway viable.
God I sound like a right Neanderthal !0 -
They need some chairlifts in Aviemore, those drag lifts are stupid.
There's a blue/green piste run, and the only way back up is via a drag lift that's suitable for experts only (paraphrasing their words) that goes at mach 9. Bloody stupid.0 -
First time I ever got air on my snowboard was when that very lift went flying away up the hill and hauled me skywards.0
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Yep, same here. Watched my mate get thrown 5 feet in the air, then landed on his head, and it was my turn next.... Ooooooh good!0
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thanks for all the info, getting really excited, hope the weather is kind to me.That climb up from camachuin and the descent sound great, might have to give that a go.And might head for that trail centre if i can convince the wife!0
