Cairngorms Loop 300 - September Group Start?

[u02sgb]

Out of interest gents, how much resupply are you planning enroute and how much is packed?

I see talk of "dinner" which I've also got with a small stove.

[sean_iow]

I'll be carrying enough food to get round without having to stop anywhere, which is how I always approach a 300km event. But I might be tempted to buy something else, and I often have food left at the end.

The food I've put aside ready comes to 6000kcal, so should be plenty. I'm happy with cold food for the length of the ride. I went 52 hours with just cold food on the HT550 as I missed the serving times.

[whitestone]

Out of interest gents, how much resupply are you planning enroute and how much is packed?

I see talk of "dinner" which I've also got with a small stove.

I'm taking a dehydrated meal with me plus trail food. Resupply will tend to depend on where I get to, what the weather's like and how I feel. Basically there's the shop and cafés at Glenmore, 24hr shop in Aviemore, Tomintoul and Braemar. Unless the wheels fall off you are likely to hit three out of the four during opening hours.

Three years ago when it was a bit wet (!) I took five and a quarter hours to Glenmore, fifteen to Aviemore. I bivvied after that and got to Tomintoul just as the café was opening the following morning. Four hours from there to Braemar. I didn't actually do the whole route as my front brake died on the descent from Culardoch so headed back down Glen Tilt but it would have been around 33hrs for the whole thing but cafés and the bivy took up ten hours! Should give you an idea of timings.

[u02sgb]

Similarly got one dinner and one breakfast packed and lots of snacks.

Stu.

[fatbikephil]

Given the forecast, I'm going with proper bivvy kit. If I end up wrecked in the middle of the night and need to rest, and its lashing down and I have no way of getting dry shelter, I'm screwed.....
Food wise, I'm going with meths stove and dried stuff - lighter than same calories hydrated plus I can make a brew which could be a lifesaver. Will take plenty of snacks and pies too! I'll probably make use of the garage at Aviemore and the co-op at Braemar but will have notionally enough to get me round.

Colin, do we need to work around the 6 person gathering limit?

[sean_iow]

Given the forecast, I'm going with proper bivvy kit. If I end up wrecked in the middle of the night and need to rest, and its lashing down and I have no way of getting dry shelter, I'm screwed.....

Has the forecast changed, when I last looked it wasn't too bad? Can't possibly rival the 2018 BB300 so how bad can it be

[FLV]

I've not decided on food. May take dehydrated and a meth stove, may not bother.
It will depend how packing the bike goes later. I'd rather stop at cafes but can live on shop food easily enough.
I've got plenty outdoor provisions bars to pack as a new box just arrived today so that's snacks sorted.

[whitestone]

Given the forecast, I'm going with proper bivvy kit. If I end up wrecked in the middle of the night and need to rest, and its lashing down and I have no way of getting dry shelter, I'm screwed.....

Has the forecast changed, when I last looked it wasn't too bad? Can't possibly rival the 2018 BB300 so how bad can it be

There's a front coming through over the weekend but none of the forecasts seem sure as to where exactly it will track - the forecast on the BBC at the end of the news had the edge of the heavy rain tracking NE over Aviemore. Looks like mostly showers for Saturday with heavier rain Saturday night then showers on Sunday. Better weather further east.

This is the met office forecast for the Grampians:

A bright start on Saturday with some good spells of sunshine around. However a few blustery showers, perhaps wintry over highest summits, are expected in the afternoon. Cloud increases through the second half of the afternoon with outbreaks of rain, perhaps heavy at times developing in the evening.

Here's Bynack Mor - https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/fo ... 2020-09-12

[FLV]

*packs a bigger jacket

[ScotRoutes]

Colin, do we need to work around the 6 person gathering limit?

Not as I understand it. In any case, that new limit doesn't take effect until Monday.

Any issues and we'll just have to meet in the pub

[fatbikephil]

Colin, do we need to work around the 6 person gathering limit?

Not as I understand it. In any case, that new limit doesn't take effect until Monday.

Any issues and we'll just have to meet in the pub

Beeb weather - Yellow weather warning for the heelands. The models tend not to be very good at tracking these fronts over high ground so we may get away without too much rain if it expends itself over the west highlands. Temps not too bad at lower level but high altitude bivvies not favoured.... at least we won't have to worry about the fecking midges

[fatbikephil]

https://spotwalla.com/publicTrips.php?un=fatbikephil
My link, should have route on it.

[bigtalljohn]

Beeb weather - Yellow weather warning for the heelands. The models tend not to be very good at tracking these fronts over high ground so we may get away without too much rain if it expends itself over the west highlands. Temps not too bad at lower level but high altitude bivvies not favoured.... at least we won't have to worry about the fecking midges
[/quote]

I see a dusting of snow Saturday morning forecast, winter is here

[sean_iow]

When Ieft the Island this morning it was sunny and just under 20 degrees. It got duller the further north I got. Stopped at the Lakes tonight.

At Didcot I passed a slow moving gritting lorry, which as I overtook I noticed it had a snow plough on the front. I can only assume it's heared for the Cairngorms

[FLV]

I've just 2 extra jackets on the bike. And my tent... I'm not fast enough to push through in one, so may as well be warm and cosy when I do stop

[bigtalljohn]

I've just 2 extra jackets on the bike. And my tent... I'm not fast enough to push through in one, so may as well be warm and cosy when I do stop

I've just walked the dog this morning and I'm now changing to a thicker jacket and packing a cosy one for the stop

[stevewaters]

I've got the Descutes tarp tent and a Borah bivvy bag - assuming the ground will be soaking. I have never ridden through a night, but will try.
If I do have to stop I will see if I can limit the "sleep" to a couple of hours.
The Aviemore filling station sounds like a good target for something warm.

[ScotRoutes]

It has a M&S / Wild Bean Café.

[Borderer]

"parts of Scotland can expect torrential downpours this weekend that could bring almost a month’s worth of rain in just one day."

[UnderTheRadars]

Don't forget to pack

[fatbikephil]

Make sure we all know where our river crossings are and what the bail out options are - just saying!

[sean_iow]

I'm not panicking yet as the forecast has the weather warnings for west of Aviemore. I'm at Glengoulandie and it's showery but the sun is out and it's actually on the cusp of being too hot to sit in the tent. I have to open the door between showers to get some cooler air in.

On the drive up from Penrith this morning it was chucking it down so there may be more water in the rivers?

[ScotRoutes]

Nah - still looking low.




Just back from Glen Feshie actually...

2020-09-11_04-59-26 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[fatbikephil]

The ground is pretty damp so no hurricane bertha scenario where it was heavy rain onto bone dry ground resulting in all the runoff going straight into the rivers.
Gulp.....

[FLV]

Anywhere good for brekkie before the start?