It’s taken me a week to finally getting around to writing up an account of the three-day BAM trip in the Cairngorms I made last week. I left Braemar on Tuesday 8th June, headed to the Linn of Dee via the Mar Estate Bridge then made my way up to Derry Lodge.
Towards Derry Lodge by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
Plain sailing all the way on good gravel tracks but as I continued northwards up Glen Derry things got rather less smooth – water bars and rocks, mostly.
Looking back down Glen Derry by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
Untitled by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
After a fair bit of hike a bike I eventually reached the Fords of Avon Refuge. I should add that the Fords of Avon crossing was pretty tame, with the water only coming up to mid-calf level.
Fords of Avon Refuge by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
I had a short feed stop at the hut, taking the opportunity to shelter inside from the wind. From there I headed northeast along Glen Avon, with a loose plan of staying the night at the Faindouran Lodge bothy, if it wasn’t already occupied. There then ensued another prolonged session of hike a bike along the mostly narrow, rocky path until things flattened out a bit as I drew closer to the bothy.
On arrival at the Lodge I was surprised to see that there are actually two separate buildings, both equipped with sleeping berths. The better of the two (smaller footprint but has a wood burning stove, sleeping space upstairs and a view of the river) was occupied by a chatty guy who was staying overnight whilst he conducted a two-day bird survey in the area. We had a good natter for a while and I then crossed over to the other building to let him have his space (and in case he snored!).
Faindouran Bothy by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
On the morning of Day 2 after I’d had breakfast I noticed a bee crawling along the bothy floor, looking a bit worse for wear. I squeezed some of an energy gel into the rim of my pot lid. I was careful to dilute it with water so it didn’t end up ricocheting off the walls! After a while it was starting to look a bit more lively so I put it on the doorstep and when I checked later I was pleased to find it had flown off.
Bee rescue mission by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
I was also pleased to find that the 4 x 4 track heading eastwards from the bothies was mostly smooth (anything would be, compared to the previous day!) hard-packed gravel and, with the exception of a couple of stiff climbs, was mostly downhill towards Inchrory and my next objective of Tomintoul.
Faindouran Bothies ('mine' on the right) by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
Untitled by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
Untitled by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
After a second breakfast in the Old Fire Station café in Tomintoul, I followed the road for a bit before heading in towards Glen Brown, through the Dorback Estate and into Abernethy Forest. I'd planned my trip using the Komoot app and it’s only now I realise (doh!) this section of the route is part of the Cairngorms Loop, albeit I was riding in the opposite direction to the established route.
Untitled by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
On familiar ground now, I rode down past Ryvoan Bothy to see a couple of tents outside plus a group of people inside. No surprise there, given its easy accessibility.
Ryvoan Bothy by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
I enjoyed a couple of well-earned beers in the Pine Marten bar before riding along the south side of Loch Morlich and finally to a bivvy spot overlooking Loch An Eilein. Unfortunately, as I was putting up my tent the breeze had died down to the point where the midges decided to come out to play. I promptly donned my head net and covered up any exposed skin and in the end got away without any bites. Result!
Next to Loch An Eilein by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
I awoke on the the morning of Day 3 to find there was still no breeze to speak of so I quickly packed up and rode to Drake’s Bothy in Inshriach Forest where I was able to enjoy a midge-free breakfast.
Loch An Eilein by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bothy Breakfast by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
Despite having visited the Cairngorms many times over the years (Munro bagging and biking), this was actually the first time I’d been as far as Upper Glen Feshie. I enjoyed the singletrack above the River Feshie but the area of landslip (that has been highlighted on the forum previously) was sad to see and it took some careful manhandling to get my loaded bike down the now exposed path and up the other side.
Untitled by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
I enjoyed a leisurely lunch break at the impressive Ruigh Aiteachan bothy. It’s clearly a popular place and no less than 9 people passed through (either to eat or just to have a look round) during the hour or so I spent there.
Ruigh Aiteachain Bothy by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
From there it was into the final phase of the trip i.e. following the River Feshie towards the Geldie Burn. As many on here will know, there was a fair bit of hike a biking to endure (think bogs, rocks, stream crossings…) before and after the new, improved Eidart Bridge. Thanks must go to Scotroutes and others for getting it fixed!
Eidart Bridge by
Jimmy G, on Flickr
It was a relief to finally hit the 4 x 4 track heading east from the old Geldie Lodge and actually get some consistent pedalling in. It was at this point, too, where I finally got a tailwind behind me and I made swift progress from there all the way to the Linn of Dee.
In summary, that’s now 6/6 for this year and a run of 54 consecutive BAMs.
!), I decided to once more keep it short and local.
), but it was good to be out on the bike again. I went to the special pace that is so special I don't tell anyone where it is (but I might be open to bribery with, say, a Mivvy ice lolly...), enjoying the last bit of hike a bike in the dark with no lights on. I initially went for a lower spot by the little lake, but then headed for the high ground, which was gorgeous, if a bit windy in the night. Warm and bone dry night, same as most places I think. Woke up at some stage to see the moon.
It starts OK though so you're tempted in. I guess it's similar to the Lairig an Laoigh in many ways. Obviously easier with an unladen bike too.
IF I were to head east down Glen Avon again I think I'd take my fat bike since it'd do a better job of bouncing off (and hopefully over) the plentiful rocks in the area. Another option would be to come in from the east (the Tomintoul side). Very good tracks but it would entail a lot of climbing.
