The resident Scotsman in our riding group( Colin Barking Mad ) has just booked us a cottage at Tanar for our annual trip North of the Border (end May / early June )
Any locals got any suggestions for rides up there …?
I have got both editions of “The Wild Trails ” by Phil McKane and have done some of the routes featured in that part of the country ..Capel Mounth / Ben Avon..to name but two..
Funnily enough I have never fancied Mount Keen! ( should I? )
Colin has some routes which he has done ..are there any gems we should know about ..

Slightly wrong ..we are staying in a cottage at Tarland

Mount Keen is a decent ride if done as part of the Fungle loop. Loads of decent stuff around Ballater, ask at Cycle Highlands. However, remember Easter is quite early this year, so you’ll have to judge what to do based on the weather and ground conditions nearer the time. Or are you going May/June, the post is unclear.

Apologies ..yes you are correct ..its the half term holidays( England ) at the end of May when we are going..just in time for midge season ..
Thanks for the tip..
I saw a YouTube vid for “Heartbreak Ridge” in the Ballater area which looked interesting ..anyone know where that starts & ends ?
The video starts at the top of a hill ..but is it part of a circular route ?

https://youtu.be/EjKuNGBWZCE

You’ll be pretty close to where I live.

From Tarland there’s a lot of nice non-technical riding up into the surrounding hills on landrover track. You could easily cycle to the trails at Aboyne too.

There’s loads of trail/enduro stuff within a 30/45 minute drive at Ballater, Scoly, Pitfichie, Bennachie and Hill of Fare.

If you’re looking to get into the big hills there’s plenty too. The Lochnagar & Loch Callater loops are good and there’s plenty more if you head up to Braemar and into the Cairngorms proper.

Trailsforks is your friend, it’ll show you the heartbreak ridge loop and lots of other stuff.

Cheers Stumpy ..appreciated .

its the half term holidays( England ) at the end of May when we are going..just in time for midge season ..

Takes a while longer for the midgies to reach the east. You should be alright then.

Thanks for the words of encouragement KM79 ..that hasn’t dissuaded me from packing the repellent though 😆

Right on my doorstep too. Heartbreak ride is easy enough to find as are most of the other local trails – as above ask in CycleHighlands and use Trailforks. Plenty of locals on here who know the trails better than me who can offer more advice.

Rode Heartbreak ridge in October in the minging wet. That was pretty ace so I can only imagine how great it must be on a dry, dusty summer evening. Easy to find using trailforks and an OS map.

As stumpy says up there ^^ the Lochnagar loop is good too, and there’s a fair bit tucked away around Ballater, well worth an explore.

Cheers GKW & 2tyred..looks as though we are going to be spoilt for choice ..we know the North West quite well but this will be the first time we have ventured that far East ( although Colin has a daughter at Aberdeen uni so has been exploring the area this past year) ..again thanks for your input ..

Hi, I’m a local and just taken early retirement so have time on my hands. I would be happy to act as a guide if I’m around at the time. There are plenty of options. Send me a pm if you are interested.
Neil

Cheers Neil..pm sent

Potentially also available to guide or support if needed!

Groundskeeperwilly ..pm also sent
Thanks

I’m there at Easter, 1st week April, hoping to ride the Deeside Trail ITT route over 2 days. So, geared fatbike or SS 29er..?

Hi Richard

To be honest I had never heard of the Deeside trail ITT but looked it up, looks an interesting route. There are some serious climbs on that especially if you are doing the extended route via White Bridge and Glen Lui. I don’t know all the route, but I would expect the extended section is also the most technical part.

The Deeside trail is a great route for getting some miles in the wilderness.
The extended loop via White Bridge isn’t worth it IMHO…not much path from White Bridge up Glen Dee, so a fairly miserable hike-a-bike through the bog.
The main Stagecoach buses will also normally take bikes on them, so you could always do the first half of the Deeside trail from Banchory; finish at Balmoral or Braemar and then get the bus back to the start.

For the rest of it, yep use Trail Forks and speak to Rich at Cycle Highlands. The Mount Keen / Fungle loop is a great day out.
The mini bike park at Tarland is also good for an hour’s hooning around.

There’s some info about the Deeside Trail on Phil Clarke’s blog. Be warned! Phil’s ideas of what’s a great trail wouldn’t sit well with most of those on here 😉 😆

whitestone, thanks, yes I’ve read that blog; loads of info. I plan to ride the non-extended version and overnight at Bob Scott’s bothy. Probably on the fatbike.