Cairngorm loop May 4th 2019

[ScotRoutes]

Frosty overnight in Aviemore and sub-zero temps currently forecast for the weekend BTW.

[FLV]

Thanks for the info SR, good to know. I'm pondering which bag/quilt to take

[ScotRoutes]

Also, it's currently 18C and cloudless

[GregMay]

Any idea what snow cover is like?

Was pretty poor when I was up in Feb to go climbing :(

[ScotRoutes]

Any idea what snow cover is like?

Was pretty poor when I was up in Feb to go climbing :(

Almost non-existent.

[GregMay]

Most excellent.

A plan may be being hatched.

[ScotRoutes]

Northern Corries from my bedroom window - 3 minutes ago!

2019-04-29_09-05-42 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[GregMay]

Definitely not snowly then :)

[ScotRoutes]

Out of curiosity, how many folk follow the CL GPX route through Glen Feshie rather than the line past the bothy at Ruigh Aitchechan, the new(er) crossing of the Allt Coire Garbhlach (the one that was washed out 3 years ago) and the newer track at Achlean Farm? Seems these are the commonly used options and I see little wear on the "official" route these days.

[whitestone]

Out of curiosity, how many folk follow the CL GPX route through Glen Feshie rather than the line past the bothy at Ruigh Aitchechan, the new(er) crossing of the Allt Coire Garbhlach (the one that was washed out 3 years ago) and the newer track at Achlean Farm? Seems these are the commonly used options and I see little wear on the "official" route these days.

I think (it was dark) I passed the bothy closer to the river then followed at least part of the newer track that got washed out and is right on the edge of the river. That ended at a sort of knoll just before the burn. I was expecting the washed out burn crossing but without realising I ended up slightly further upstream and getting down to and out of the burn wasn't too difficult. The next bit of track was pretty much as I remember doing on a ride round the glen some years earlier and I think was as per GPX.

[AlasdairMc]

Shall we agree to an early start then? I’m thinking of departing at 8 after a night chez Vito. Haven’t worked out whether I’ll park in Blair or Bridge of Tilt.

[boxelder]

8am suits me. Also in van the night before I think, so doubtless awake by 5am.
Looking chilly.

[Crisp]

Out of curiosity, how many folk follow the CL GPX route through Glen Feshie

Tried in the dark last September and have since poured over GPX comparing to Google maps aerial images etc... think that a second try in the light would go a lot better (faster) knowing where I went wrong. Route seemed to be all there, resolution could improve for certain turnings and still a via ferrata scramble to find one diversionary path. Sense of humour failure has faded with time.

Hopefully 10am start if new bottom bracket arrives and snowline stays above the passes.

[padonbike]

Out of curiosity, how many folk follow the CL GPX route through Glen Feshie rather than the line past the bothy at Ruigh Aitchechan, the new(er) crossing of the Allt Coire Garbhlach (the one that was washed out 3 years ago) and the newer track at Achlean Farm? Seems these are the commonly used options and I see little wear on the "official" route these days.

Yep I followed the route past the bothy and the newer river crossing although I think i was on the usual path that I can always remember at Achlean farm. Also is the 2km before the bothy, I go high up on the rocky hillside path, rather than take the lower landrover track and extra river crossings.
To be honest there is really only one clear, obvious route through and it's not especially easy or a short cut in any way.

[ScotRoutes]

To be honest there is really only one clear, obvious route through and it's not especially easy or a short cut in any way.

Yep, that's my point really. The estate (and users) have created a clear path that is no longer the GPX route from the CL site.

[padonbike]

Agree Colin, there's been a lot of change to the landscape there in the last 10 years, what with the bridge being washed away and then the glen itself changing considerably due to flooding/minor landslides. You're right about the estate too: they have invested in a good path network and I seem to remember some diggers still working when I passed by last month.

[whitestone]

Ah, somewhat misread what you were getting at there Colin

As Philip says, there's really only one practical way between the landslip area at the head of the lower glen and Achlean farm regardless of what the "official" GPX shows. From memory the path high on the rocky hillside is on the official GPX rather than the fords that the more obvious vehicle track takes. It would be different if one line was a tarmac road and the other technical singletrack but there's no material (temporal?) advantage in this instance. Maybe the official GPX could be updated but it would always be subject to natural diversions - there's a saying in climbing: "Geological time includes now".

I remember the photos of the storm damage and was riding along wondering if the whole path/track would suddenly disappear in front of me Certainly what I rode felt the "natural" way down the glen and didn't feel like it was going out of its way to avoid obstacles.

[touch]

In the email sent out before last year's CL, Steve said:

Water courses through flat areas do change, and the tracks on the ground can vary to those mapped to accommodate ground or water changes. So in some cases the GPS track may be slightly off the best line, just for a few hundred yards at most. Stick to the obvious track on the ground in these areas, there won’t be any penalty or such interrogation of GPS tracks.

I've always followed the newer path to Auchlean.

[ScotRoutes]

Yeah - makes sense. It would be shame if someone struggled along the old lines

[Zippy]

Yeah - makes sense. It would be shame if someone struggled along the old lines

I have a feeling I did this back when I did it I just blindly followed the GPS track!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1088024841

If anyone wants to check my GPS track...

[GregMay]

I'm sure if someone wanted to update the current track with the new amendments it would be taken as a kind act by Steve.

FWIW, I tend to just follow the pink line on my GPS...

[ScotRoutes]

I'm sure if someone wanted to update the current track with the new amendments it would be taken as a kind act by Steve.

Yep - I might do this Greg.

[ScotRoutes]

Yeah - makes sense. It would be shame if someone struggled along the old lines

I have a feeling I did this back when I did it I just blindly followed the GPS track!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1088024841

If anyone wants to check my GPS track...

Looks like you skipped a bit (by crossing the river twice) then stuck to the "old" track further down the glen. As said above, I doubt there's any advantage to be gained by these few variations so I'd not be concerned either way. I guess the estate workers might wonder why folk are avoiding their nice new tracks though

[Crisp]

Some of my route (blue, trying to follow the "official") showing:
* First image is obvious path to the narrow metal bridge, it was dark and blindly following the official loop bit was nuts!
* Second shows how took riverside path missing bothy - missed small section in red that appears to be feint on Google images
* Third is lost en route to Achleum/Auchlean -- green looks like the proper route path but at the spooky barn headed cross country. Pink line is a new estate path?

It would be a shame to replace all the route with the fastest estate track if nice singletrack and discovery exists in the glen.

Edit; Mountain weather now available, be good to know snow levels on Friday http://www.mwis.org.uk/scottish-forecas ... 2019-05-03

[fatbikephil]

I did a similar route to the eidart Bridge in 2014 as that is the trodden line. I was following my nose rather than the GPX track... One other thing is the route past Ballintean (first leg to Glenmore as you approach the Feshie for the first time just of the C road)the GPX track is on the old line of the ROW, this has been diverted in a slight dog leg, which is clearly signed. And the path alongside the Feshie just after this has changed a fair bit in recent years - don't follow the GPX track