And I can now see why the confusion !

Ray's map is not detailed enough to show where the tracks are - it looks like it's just north of Bheinn-a-Ghlo but its is I think just the normal way !

Thought I would revive this thread. Is there any agreement on clockwise versus anti clockwise.

Funny you should bring this back up Mike as i've been thinking about it again myself.
For the outside loop anti clockwise gives shorter steeper ascents with longer shallower descents with a distance of 130 miles. I think that's the way I would do it.
Have you given any more thought to dates yet?

It's looking like Friday 16th may to Sunday 18th is the only time I would have three free days to do this. Probably head up on the Thursday night. Any good to you Ray?

I would do it counter clockwise too, I think it rides a little better. There is some nice single track between Dorback Lodge and Forest lodge that is lovely going that way.
I have attached an alternate route into Glen Tromie that saves a little road, it's a bit of a climb but the ride through the early part of Tromie is pretty dull with lots of blacktop! You can also go via minigaig pass trashier than the Gaick pass too, both are nice in their own way. I was planning to do this again maybe for Solstice, depending how fit I am then! May sub Feshie for Minigaig/Glen Tilt



Any more info just ask here or ping me a PM.

Hi Mike, yes I can do those dates.
Hi Gari, thanks for the info, I think that if we add that bit in and go straight up Glen Tilt from Blair Atoll to ease ourselves into the route it should make for a great 3 dayer if that's OK with you Mike? It comes out at 123 miles, 13,475 feet of climbing.

Link to the ride I did a couple of summers ago, going up Glen Tromie rather than Minigaig. Pictures might wet your appetite though. Great loop IMO.
http://racksonracksoff.wordpress.com/20 ... r-day-one/

Ray, Mike, I can make it too

Gari wrote:I would do it counter clockwise too, I think it rides a little better. There is some nice single track between Dorback Lodge and Forest lodge that is lovely going that way.

It's exactly that section I was thinking about when I first considered it anti-clockwise

I did the Feshie-Tromie link you've highlighted late last year. That's a bugger of a climb to get round the top of the forested section and it was a miserable, wet, muddy descent down again. Might be better after some drier weather though.

Yeh, character building though eh!?

jamiep wrote:Ray, Mike, I can make it too

Hi Jamie, be good to see you again.

Ray Young wrote:Hi Mike, yes I can do those dates.
Hi Gari, thanks for the info, I think that if we add that bit in and go straight up Glen Tilt from Blair Atoll to ease ourselves into the route it should make for a great 3 dayer if that's OK with you Mike? It comes out at 123 miles, 13,475 feet of climbing.

Sounds good to me Ray. Any gpx files on the route?

Email sent, hopefully with a gpx track attached.

Gari wrote:character building

Reality means pain and suffering

Ray, would you mind sharing your gpx?
I will probably be back in that area in the summer and am always looking for route ideas (I have only done the inner-route and that was in a clockwise direction).

Email is geoff DOT campbell33 AT googlemail DOT com

: )

Lughnasadh wrote:Ray, would you mind sharing your gpx?
I will probably be back in that area in the summer and am always looking for route ideas (I have only done the inner-route and that was in a clockwise direction).

Email is geoff DOT campbell33 AT googlemail DOT com

: )

Hi Geof, do you want the official outer loop or the slightly altered one that we are planning?

Ray Young wrote:

Lughnasadh wrote:Ray, would you mind sharing your gpx?
I will probably be back in that area in the summer and am always looking for route ideas (I have only done the inner-route and that was in a clockwise direction).

Email is geoff DOT campbell33 AT googlemail DOT com

: )

Hi Geof, do you want the official outer loop or the slightly altered one that we are planning?

Hi Geoff, sent you both.

Thanks Ray,

Its good to have both but as I dont know the area very well the modified one is great for experiancing more rideable areas.

Thanks again : )

Looks as though we can get away with not having to carry a lot of food for this one. Friday afternoon stop at Braemar to pick up food for the evening/breakfast, Saturday afternoon stop at Aviemore for the same, Sunday back to the start. Just need to carry enough snacks for through the day.

That's good to hear as I go a bit Jekyll and Hyde if I've not eaten enough.
Perhaps I should have said that earlier

I'll check this out nearer the time but I might join you in or near Aviemore for a wee bit of the ride if that's OK?

ScotRoutes wrote:I'll check this out nearer the time but I might join you in or near Aviemore for a wee bit of the ride if that's OK?

Hi Scotroutes, should be OK. Afraid we can't throw this open to all as there are already six of us saying we will be doing this ride.

No probs. I just thought it would be rude not to at least say "hi" if you're almost passing the door

I rode the Rothiemurchus to Tomintoul section of the "double loop" today. Took me 3 hours from Aviemore. Had lunch and came back via Ryvoan. All very pleasant and mostly dry. I was right though - that section of singletrack on the way down to Forest Lodge from the Eag Mhor is superb. It's a shame to have to climb it if going clockwise.

Was wondering if there would be any interest from the participants of this ride in visiting the Loch Garten Osprey Centre. It's £4 entry and is just before Aviemore and just after the Forest Lodge single track that Gari and Scotroutes are raving about.The breeding pair will be on the nest and we may even see newly hatched chicks, they have binoculars ready set up and a live video feed as well. It would mean a very slight detour but we could then take the Speyside Way (easy going running alongside a railway line) into Aviemore rather than the road.
Scotroutes, not sure if you understood my reply before, happy to have you join us for the day/night, just not opening it up to any others for the whole ride as we already have six saying they're going.