I've got the chance of a few days cycling/hiking down sooth next week as I'm at a meeting at Battleby. The day before the meeting I was thinking to stay at Charr Bothy and do a loop around there somewhere like up around Mount Battock and Millden Lodge. Any Suggestions for a day ride a mere mortal day that is) to and from the bothy would be great.
The main reason for posting though is I'll be in my car. Any idea about parking for the bothy. I see there's a bit of a layby on the road and I see there's a place where people have parked along the Glen Dye access track, but there also seems to be a barrier gate that might get locked off the road. I don't want to be locked in in the morning when I have to go to my meeting. Any idea if the gate does get locked or any accepted places to park there?
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I've another 2 days free (weekend) after the meeting so I'm thinking of heading up Braemar way to either hike around the Lairig Ghru or there abouts and stay at Corrour or the Hutchinson Memorial Hut as I'm assuming it'll not be particularly bike friendly just now (not that it ever is), before I head for the ferry back north.
There's the Clachnaben access car park (on the corner) North of Glendye Lodge. Stick clachnaben in bing maps and select OS, it'll show up..
Iirc you can also access from south of the bridge itself (think there's a layby or something nearby, pretty sure I went that way once, oh, 20 years ago....
There are quite often cars in the little layby by the bridge so that should be fine, not sure on the gate though. The normal Clachnaben car park fine too though it's a bit more of a walk.
Mtbtrails has a lot of useful info for the area, much of the high stuff is pretty peaty and boggy all year though let alone in winter though. The loop from Tarfside, west past the monument and then up to Badalair and back to Tarfside is worth doing.
There's also some nice riding on the other side of the road from the bothy and you could probably put together a route over Kerloch, into Fetteresso and back by Drumtochty. A lot of good gravel riding in there, I've been tempted to put together a day long gravel grinder type route in there before.
I was thinking of the forest to the east too, thinking it might be a bit less exposed. A more gravel grinder type route might suit well. Could camp over there but the idea of bothy was appealing, especially with an all day meeting the next day!
I'll have a bit deeper look into the options and keep fingers crossed for reasonable weather.
A MTB route I used to do BITD was out the along the water of Dye (i.e. continue on from the bothy) until it runs out, hike a bike over the hill to meet the access road for Mount Battock and descend on to the Glen Esk road, on the road to Tarfside then take the Firmounth up to the Fungle turn off, down that until the you hit the fields above Birse Castle then hang a right, past the farm and out the Forest of Birse to Finzean then some more road bashing back up the Cairn (only 14-16%, so nothing steep...) and back to wherever you've parked the car.
Not done it for a while, but it used to be good...
I've got a route from MTB trails for Mount Battock that I'll use as a basis if I go that side.
I'm more tempted to go the Fetteresso Forest side (it'll be a nice change to be in woods) and have added to one of of the MTB trail routes for that area to give a 71km mainly forest track route for the day. Not sure if it's a bit ambitious (although I won't be doing it loaded), but we'll see!
Up to Mount battock is good option and its possible to shortcut to the Fungle road via a track not marked on the map - check out aerial photos on bing for its route.
On a trip last year I tried to bag all of the mounth roads in Fetteresso and nearly managed it! - http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... 756#p90756
Enjoy - Char bothy is a good'un but can be a bit chilly as there is no fire place.
Wow, that was some trip for a gentle one not to aggravate your back
Coldest bothy I stayed in was rackwick on Hoy in April. Stone slab sleeping benches and it must have been colder than a morgue! I'll take a handful of tea lights for a cheery glow and to ease the chill
Had a great trip away with 70km of tracks around Fetteresso Forest and a night in charr bothy. Was told (afterwards) the bothy is haunted by the ghost of a 'tinker' who was killed and left there way back when, but he never bothered me!
Ride over Ryvoan and around Abernethy forest on Saturday morning was sublime with snow sprinkled hills until the ride back up towards Loch Morvich where my free hub went and I had to push and free wheel about 6 miles back to camp. A disappointment in more ways than one as I had another loop over Feshie bridge way planned to make a 100km for the day. Went for a walk instead.
So now if i can't repair the free hub when I'm home it'll probably be a new wheel that I need for my trip back home to north Yorkshire at Easter
