PA180083 by mjc_226, on FlickrThe ride up the old A9 was a great warm up and very quiet. As i crossed the new A9 the cars were flying past and i just wanted to get into the back n beyond. I climbed the track up into the forest and as i came out the otherside was met with stunning views and just what id come to know of remote parts of Scotland.
PA180088 by mjc_226, on FlickrThe trails was stunning and the skys were amazing. I was making great time up the Glens towards Feshiebridge,
PA180091 by mjc_226, on Flickrwhich is where i thought id be bivvying for my first night. Turns out i was there by 3ish so cracked on through the forest and onto the inner loop. I hit some vaguely exciting single track not long into the loop and passed by Drakes bothy.
PA180108 by mjc_226, on Flickr"It would make a great overnight stop but its too early yet" little did i know that the following evening id be in there.
Right so time check, its just turned 4pm crack on to Glenmore, i know i can get warm food and coffee. Just after the bothy was probably the nicest trail i rode all trip. one coffee, two hot pies and a cake at the cafe. Im now off to stay at Ryvoan bothy for the night as the temp was dropping due to it being clear. Ah sub standard there are 4 dudes in the bothy already and its so warm in there with the fire roaring away. Thats no good. Ok ill crack on to the Fords of Avon refuge, its a big gamble as i know it only really sleeps 2 adults comfortably. It is now getting dark and colder. Theres a bloody big hill between them to called Bynack More
PA180114 by mjc_226, on FlickrStill smiling and enjoying myself i push up the mountain for what feels like over an hour, i think it took me half hr. The summit was in cloud and missle which made the head torch reflect light all over the place. Looking at the map its all down hill pretty much from the top.....Yeah right!! Anyhow i pushed for around an hour with abit of riding inbetween and got to the refuge at about 830pm. Cold and seriuosly wet feet. Now does the gamble pay off, is there anyone already inside. Ireally dont want to put my tent up in this wind thanks.....knock knock hello?? Yes the gamble pays off. Happy days iv the place to myself, in i go to get so dry clothes on n more food.
PA190124 by mjc_226, on FlickrThis little shed in the middle of nowhere is a real gem! through the night it rained heavy and the wind battered the shed walls. I got around 4hrs kip at best but more than id of had in the lunar for sure.
Day 2 i woke to some missle but this soon burnt off. Now later that day i spoke to a local who told me they had had two weeks pretty much of solid rain in this area prior to me going so ud imagine the trails to be fairly wet.....hmmmmm
PA190130 by mjc_226, on FlickrThats an understatement!! Omg ive never seen so much surface water on a trail before i dont think and it made for hard going and wet cold feet for 4 days!
PA190134 by mjc_226, on FlickrRivers running, these two pics above are basically what i encountered for id say 70% of the ride mixed with peaty boggy sub standard! still smiling though
PA190137 by mjc_226, on Flickr
PA190140 by mjc_226, on FlickrFrom the refuge i had to push for 1 n half hrs to get out of that glen, its was bloody sole destroying. From the saddle down to Linn of Dee my pads had near enough worn out due to all the water and grit they had to deal with over just two days. I passed a couple with a trailer at the Linn of dee and asked if they were heading the way id just come. Good luck with that one was my parting words. An easy ride took me to the junction of the return section of the inner loop where i was met with a nice double track. If it stays like this ill be in Aviemore before the shops close as i really need new pads now.
Seriously the trail ends and a bog fest began....nooooo it took me 2 hrs of pushing and pulling through wet bog to get to Glen Feshie. I wasnt happy i eat alot of time up and energy. I was following some pretty fresh tyre marks now so i wasnt the only crazy ass hauling over this ground at least. Glen Feshie was superb i really enjoyed that section. Although i didnt read the map properly and crossed a flooded river that came upto my ass twice and it was fairly scary tbh. This over i could see two guys in front with gear? I smashed out a road section to catch them and its was indeed Metal heart off the forum and his buddy. We rode and chatted for a few miles then i branched off to find hot food and a beer whilst the guys head to the bothy. After a bowl of hot venision stew and a couple of hrs of warmth i rode in the dark up to see if the guys were indeed there. We sat in the bothy drinking whiskey and chatting then the guys left me to it and went to their tents ( cheers guys but you could of stayed in there loads of room )
Day 3 i saw the guys off just about as i got up late . Today is another great day with some clouds but no rain again. This has to break soon i thought, i wont lye though it was damn cold
PA190142 by mjc_226, on FlickrThe day didnt get started till around 1pm as i dropped into town to find bothy bikes so i could buy new pads as now i was on the metal plates and my rotors were suffering. I gave the Stooge a real good overhaul but couldnt help notice the battle scars she is picking up from all that time in the grit
I managed to get to tomintoul by around 430pm i think by which time i was so cold and i seriuosly thought about the hostel but no im not pussing out, so with a few supplies from a shop i headed back out into the cold evening. I was trying to find a spot to camp that was away from the main track so i didnt annoy any possible shooters/keepers....there are a few stags being shot to say the least at the moment. By the next morning i wish they hadall been shot, this is why!
I found a cracking camp spot by an old ruined lodge at the head of loch Builg...its so quiet so i thought. By 8pm the Glen came alive with BEARS and LIONS really it was like being in a scene from Jurrasic Park!! Those bloody stags are rutting and the noise was all night long, no way i got 2 hrs kip. Now if you tot up my entire sleep over the last few nights by now with all the riding/pushing/climbing im pretty tired.
PA210188 by mjc_226, on FlickrAt least i woke to sunshine
Day 4 and yes its my last day ill make sure of that my tent is damp and my down bag is wet from condensation. I will be back to the car tonight for pizza.
PA210195 by mjc_226, on Flickr
PA210200 by mjc_226, on FlickrIm not going to say this was easy, it wasnt the last day i really had a sense of humour failure a few times and at the junction of Glen Tilt i really wanted to cut it short but no iv put this much effort in to this to get to this point im in for the duration. sub standard. the last 35 miles finished me off, some great sections of singletrack and double track decents but some good ups. It was going as well as it could but i had still 10 miles to go. My main objective now is to get to the cafe before it shuts for coke n pizza. they shut at 8pm, i lent my bike against the outside wall at 6pm well happy that id stuck it out. I had a 12" pizza with all the trimings and even managed to skank a shower from a nice lady at the local bar!! result.
To anyone who fancies this trail, its ace but i wouldnt recommend doing it after such a period of rain it made it so much harder than it needed to be. Character building it definitely is though
