Hello

With map in hand, I’ve been scoping out some potential fruity loops in the Cairngorms for the Spring. Potential routes would include a hikey bike up onto Braeriach via Loch Einich with the potential to explore the high tops of Cairn Toul and Monadh Mor as well as heading onto Ben Macdui via Cairngorm. Meall a Buchaille looks pretty inviting too having walked it in the past.

Any advice from folk who have done it or walked it would be greatly appreciated. Pics would be great too. I’m not limiting the search to rthe Cairngorm area so any other big mountain pointers would be great.

Cheers

Sanny

Oh and I should have added whether anyone has ridden down the obvious path from Braeriach to the Lairig Ghru as it looks like a peach from below when riding up.

Cheers

Sanny

There is likely to be still quite a lot of snow up there in ‘spring’…

The top of macdui is OK, large expanses of big, loose boulders that weren’t really rideable. Between the summit of Macdui and the ski centre is rideable for a section, but then turns into bouldery trials again.

I spoke to one of the guys at Bothy Bikes, he had a kona cowan full susser set up with a dual ring chainset and pikes, but had used it to do similar routes to the ones you’re talking about.

Also, if you’re prepared to go slightly further south, Cairn of Claise, just south of Braemar, is quite accessible, and the descent towards braemar is brilliant fun, in a sort of swooping, loose, rocky landrover track type way.

“big mountain” is the word used to describe riding at the red bull rampage etc.

You’r just going for a cyclo cross ride in big mountains byt the sounds of it.

have fun 🙂

The path from Loch Einich at least the way I did it was a bit of an easy scramble in parts.

Across the top, there’s a bit of a hike / boring rocky bit, then the descent to the Lairig Ghru is a mix of rideable and quite fun, and boring as hell massive boulder fields (like 4 foot boulders – you’d have to be a trials god to get down em).

All in, it is a nice thing to be able to say I’ve done, but I wouldn’t bother doing it again.

Joe

If I remember from walking it some time ago, most of the section from the Devils Point through to Cairn Toul and Sgorr an Lochain is big boulder field that is difficult enough on foot and with using poles.

I’ve walked the Lairig Ghru path to Braeriach and again from what I remember most of it would be doable. I think one of the Bothy Bikes guys has actually done it but might be wrong