Probably wasn't the best weekend for the Cairngorms eh!
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:09 pm
I decided to ignore the terrible weather forecast and head off to the Cairngorms after work Friday and hope for the best 
My plan was to start in Blair Atholl, head out round Beinn a'Ghlo and round to the top of Glen Tilt, ride the inner Cairnogorms loop route then back down Glen Tilt to Blair Atholl.
I got there Friday evening and had food and beer at the Atholl Hotel then headed out for a short ride before bivi, conditions were perfect.
Bivi with a view
It rained later in the night and Saturday morning I awoke to kind of angry drizzle, I finally bit the bullet and headed off
When I reached Glen Tilt and was heading North I met four women heading South and got chatting, they told me they were heading for Aviemore over the Lairig Ghru
It took me a full 5 minutes to convice them that not ony was this not the Lairig Ghru and if they kept walking they would end up in Blair Atholl and not Aviemore but also that they had been walking South and not North for the last 4 miles or so 
They finally turned around, though I tried to hint they might be better just carrying on 
Early afternoon the rain actually stopped and the sun made an appearance, only to realise soon after it wasn't supposed to be there and a little hail might be a nice touch for a Scottish summer follwed by rain usually reserved for biblical plaques.
When Scotland looks like this you are about to get wet
I finally arrived at the Ruigh Aiteachain bothy in Glen Feshie at about 6pm to find it empty :)
I had a little bit of a fire to cheer myself up, drank rum and read a book for a few hours, perfect evening.
This morning I left in rain and rode out, the burns were so high from the rain it was knee deep wading
Once I got to Feshiebridge I decided to just take the back road to Aviemore and a train back to Blair Atholl. After a 2 hour wait and daylight robbery of £18.70 from Scot Rail I was back at my car...it stopped raining.
Epiloque...while the bit of the loop I rode where a great wild out there adventure trail there was far too much hike a bike for my liking...actually I might go back and just walk some of it !
My plan was to start in Blair Atholl, head out round Beinn a'Ghlo and round to the top of Glen Tilt, ride the inner Cairnogorms loop route then back down Glen Tilt to Blair Atholl.I got there Friday evening and had food and beer at the Atholl Hotel then headed out for a short ride before bivi, conditions were perfect.
Bivi with a view
It rained later in the night and Saturday morning I awoke to kind of angry drizzle, I finally bit the bullet and headed off
When I reached Glen Tilt and was heading North I met four women heading South and got chatting, they told me they were heading for Aviemore over the Lairig Ghru
It took me a full 5 minutes to convice them that not ony was this not the Lairig Ghru and if they kept walking they would end up in Blair Atholl and not Aviemore but also that they had been walking South and not North for the last 4 miles or so They finally turned around, though I tried to hint they might be better just carrying on Early afternoon the rain actually stopped and the sun made an appearance, only to realise soon after it wasn't supposed to be there and a little hail might be a nice touch for a Scottish summer follwed by rain usually reserved for biblical plaques.
When Scotland looks like this you are about to get wet
I finally arrived at the Ruigh Aiteachain bothy in Glen Feshie at about 6pm to find it empty :)
I had a little bit of a fire to cheer myself up, drank rum and read a book for a few hours, perfect evening.
This morning I left in rain and rode out, the burns were so high from the rain it was knee deep wading
Once I got to Feshiebridge I decided to just take the back road to Aviemore and a train back to Blair Atholl. After a 2 hour wait and daylight robbery of £18.70 from Scot Rail I was back at my car...it stopped raining.
Epiloque...while the bit of the loop I rode where a great wild out there adventure trail there was far too much hike a bike for my liking...actually I might go back and just walk some of it !