Cairngorms Bikepacking

[Nico_S]

Hi everyone,

I've just come back from a year of touring from Canada to South America and am looking to recapture a bit of the adventure now that I am back in the UK, before I get back into the office.

I have built up a Surly Karate Monkey (29er) and am thinking of getting a train to Aviemore and exploring some of the trails that I can see on the Ordnance Survey maps.

Forestry tracks, singletrack and dirt would be ideal for this trip I will be travelling with just a saddle bag and some camping stuff strapped to the frame, not the four pannier setup that I used on my last trip.

After a year of using some pretty horrendous maps, OS maps look like a dream come true so I was hoping for some feedback from people who use them for biking, and if the double and single track that is on the map is generally suitable for a mountain bike?

That area looks wonderful with plenty of tracks on the map and I know from my previous Glasgow to Inverness cycle that the area is beautiful, not to mention well connected to the train system.

Sorry if this should be in the touring section, I figured that bikepacking is more the preserve of MTBers!

Ta,
Nico

[irc]

The Tour of the Cairngorms is a good starting place. I've done it (with the Minnigaig instead of the Gaick Pass) Superb riding. Mostly tracks with a few bits of superb singletrack. Nothing too technical but unbeatable scenery and by UK standards a feeling of remoteness in one or two of the sections.

If doing it clockwise and going over the Minigaig Pass there is a nice descent to Glen Feshie down the obvious land rover tracked marked on the OS map about a mile north of the summit of the Minigaig. I've also done the Gaick Pass as part of another trip. It's also superb and worth doing. Going up Glen Bruar and over the Minigaig gets you right on the plateaux though for a few miles. Superb views on a clear day..




http://www.offroadadventures-online.com/rr014.html

[Nico_S]

Fantastic, thanks irc. Looks like a perfect little adventure!

[RobMac]

Good to see your back safely Nico