Boblo and I are going to ride C2C next week. I just received a note from Alpine Girl who has just ridden much the same route as we plan, but said she had a four hour push across peat bogs at the watershed of Glen Feshie. That doesn’t really appeal. Would it be more rideable up and over Glen Tilt to reach Braemar?

Yep. You should be able to ride all the way (if you’re willing to risk a fall into the Tilt at one point). There’s one river crossing north of Bynack Lodge that you’ll likely have to wade.

Cheers, that sounds like the way to go then.

Where are you hitting the Tilt from?

I thought we would just ride down to Blair Atholl from Laggan on the Sustrans route. Start in Kyle on Monday.

Have you considered heading down to Atholl over he Minigaig pass?

Hmm, I’ve crossed over the path the Minigaig uses, but never traversed it. Looks slow in places.

Have you considered heading down to Atholl over he Minigaig pass?

No, I’ll have to check it out on the map. I’m keen to find a flowy more rideable route. I’m not too worried about having to ride too much off road stuff. I’d prefer to ride a little further to a rideable section than slog knee deep in peat.

Which way from Kyle are you going?
Over into Glen Affric 😉

Glen Tromie through to Dalnacardoch Lodge might be worth a look.

We weren’t up to our knees in mud, just ankle deep at times! 😀
But yes, if you can find another option I’d recommend it. Although we did meet some archaeologists digging in the bog who were interesting to chat to…

From Kyle over on the Gleneld ferry to Corran, over to Glen Garry to Fort Augustus, over Wade’s road to Laggan.

Sorry Alpine Girl, I slipped into Dangerous Brother’s DEF mode*

*Dangerous Exaggeration Factor.

Surely the options are:
1. Sustrans route And tilt
2. Glen tromie and tilt
3. Feshie
4. Laraig ghru
5. Minigaig – not easy with some/lots pushing

Tromie is good, now tarmac much of the climb, nice singletrack along the loch then fireroad down to the a9

I forgot to say earlier you should watch the last episode of the BBC Hebrides program before you go if you haven’t – the Kylerhea-Glenelg ferry and Viktor the sea eagle (that we saw!) are on it.

It’s not a poll

But I’m voting Glen Tromie anyway

I’ve done the Feshie option. I thought it was about two hours over the gap between the end of the track in the Feshie and the good track in Glen Geldie. 3miles pushing and 2 miles with short rideable sections.

Personally I’d take the push and the remote feel of the Feshie over more riding at the cost of more more distance and traffic noise riding alongside the A9 going to Blair Atholl.

I’ve done the Tilt N-S twice. So IMO the section past the Falls of Tilt going S-N may involve some pushing as well as it is a gradual uphill
going N so harder to ride than going S.

There is some rideable singletrack between the Feshie and Geldie

EDIT I’ve not been up Glen Feshie since the bridge near the bothy got washed away. If the path on the east side of the river from the bridge downstream isn’t much good then that might Tilt the balance. Although the Feshie is fordable near the old bridge in low water conditions. My 82 yr old father managed to wade it.

I think we had 4 1/2 hours from the bothy to riding again, and we reckoned we managed to ride half an hour-ish at the start. We were quite slow as I had to push a section becuase of vertigo. Also part of the path in Glen Feshie has collapsed so there’s a couple of river crossings to do.

I think the boggy bit’s worse than normal because it’s been so wet this year – we found barely anything that was rideable until just before the track on the Dee.

Hmmmm feshiebridge–>glen tilt was on my todo list. Doesn’t sound too good the now. East most section of glen feshie before the glen tilt turn off the boggy bit? Only bit I’ve never ridden.

Did Tilt both ways on Friday – excellent and almost all ridable. Fill up on cake near laggan and take the back road to Dalwhinnie, then iPod in to combat traffic noise to Blair A.

I’m still liking the sustrans spin down to Blair Atholl. CynicAl and I rode it last year, we had a killer headwind to Drumocter then miraculously the mother of all tailwinds to Pitlochry. We could get some good scan at Bruar and have a decent campsite at Blair Atholl, or I’ve got a couple of pals a little further down the road in Killicrankie we could crash at.

EDIT All the above options look good for day rides, but for back to back days with gear I’m after something more mellow

When did you ride it alpine girl? It’s been fairly dry recently and I’ve done it in very wet conditions in the past and it never took 4.5 hours! Either doing tilt or feshie in the directions planned aren’t as good as the other way but this wouldn’t fit in with the route of course! I’d favour doing feshie over tilt though. Another option could Glen Tilt the long way, ie as part of the usual circuit via Shinagag, Daldhu and Fealar Lodge, depends how much time you have.

Well actually he bogs are fairly dry right now. I skived off today and rode from Callater over the top down to Clova and back; the high ground was very dry indeed! This was via Tuirc,Claise,Tolmount, Tom Buide,Mayer, Driesh, Broad Cairn and Bannoch; not the Jock’s Road route.
I’ve done the Feshie route twice and I wouldn’t bother again; the watershed is very bleak indeed and you will push your bike for about 4k. The Tilt/Tarf/Buidhe route is more attractive but you will push up the really nice singletrack going that direction.

Chickenman – I’ve done Feshie route during a dry spell and it was 90% rideable. Given the current settled weather I reckon it’ll have dried out nicely. And the bleakness and isolation of the watershed is ace!

I got the impression that Alpine Girl just rode the route.

There was a fair bit of fresh snow on the slopes above Feshie just two weeks ago- should have melted and drained out by now in the current very dry conditions. Maybe this is what Alpine girl experienced that made the normally good singletrack soft.
Feshie rides very well in both directions once it has had a bit of time to drain out.
Just to put the cat among the pigeons, how about looking at Glenmore- Ryvoan- Bynack Mor- Fords of Avon- Lairig an Lui- Derry Lodge- Braemar. Quite rocky though, doesn’t suit everyone.

>Just to put the cat among the pigeons, how about looking at Glenmore- Ryvoan- Bynack Mor- Fords of Avon- Lairig an Lui- Derry Lodge- Braemar. Quite rocky though, doesn’t suit everyone.<

This.

Way better than either Tilt or Feshie in that direction.

>Just to put the cat among the pigeons, how about looking at Glenmore- Ryvoan- Bynack Mor- Fords of Avon- Lairig an Lui- Derry Lodge- Braemar. Quite rocky though, doesn’t suit everyone.<

I’ve ridden that way a handful of times, I don’t think I’d fancy the hike a bike with gear though.

Path’s been rebuilt on to the shoulder of Bynack Mor. ‘Only’ leaves you with 10k of ruffstuff til you hit the broad trail in Glen Derry 😉

Depends what you mean by gear – would be a ball ache with Panniers.

Or Larig an Lui to the Fords of Avon and then follow Glen Avon down to Builg and out via Culardoch and the Invercauld Bridge. Quite a long way to go but very beautiful and from what I remember quite easy riding in the heart of the Cairngorms.

Either option is a good one – both have great scenery in their own way. I think I’d lean towards Glen Geldie as you get a lovely ride through Glen Feshie and the bits were you need to push are not that taxing in the direction you’re going – I’ve been through that way in winter snow with panniers in the dark! There’s a few pictures of Glen Tilt in the opposite direction here: A Cairngorm Loop

It feels more in the spirit of a mountain bike C2C to avoid too much road when you can!