Hi i am going on a family holiday in tomintoul end of the month and have been givin a day for riding by the missus can anyone advise me on some routes i will be riding a 29er hardtail.
I’m not having much success with googling for routes but i’m sure there must be some???

Thanks in advance

Rich

Richard.clayton74@gmail.com

Drive over to Aviemore and check out some of the stuff over there? Glen Feshie, Burma Road, loads.

I’d recommend asking in Bothy Bikes.

If you don’t mind estate tracks, from Tomintoul up the River Avon as far as you like, turn round, come back to the river bend and if you still have energy go south to Loch Builg (don’t forget to shut the gate*) and return. OS36.

*It is still there, is it?

A few ideas here

http://www.mtbtrails.info

If you want a day’s ride then a circuit south to Braemar via loch Builg, then up to Derry Lodge, Glen Derry, Lairig an Laoigh to Fords of Avon, right turn down Glen Avon to link back up to Tomintoul is a classic. That’s the way I’ve ridden it, but it might work better anti-clockwise. Pretty big ride in remote country.

There is a character-building hike-a-bike in that route, from when the Lairig kicks up all the way to the Faindouran lodge. I think in reverse it might be better as the Lairig is prob rideable as a descent (with care if you’re on your own!)

I’ll be in ballater riding that way at the end of the month on a 29er hard tail too.
Give me a wave.

there is a lovely route from Tomintoul over the hill to Glenlivet, easy to see on a map

That view looks amazing I think I’ll try to find the route to glenlivet from tomintoul
As I’m on my own don’t want a all day epic as my map reading skills are a bit sketchy and I don’t fancy spending the night out mountain top
How long is the route to glenlivet and back ???

Rich

I’m just back from the ride Garry Lager describes above – that loop (we did it clockwise) is pretty hard going, and we had decent weather.

We cycled a loop from starting and finishing in Aviemore, going into the mountains, with an overnight bivvy stop near Derry Lodge. Total distance ~50 miles, total calories ~10k.

The route was 95% ridable the 20 miles to the Fords of Avon bothy. Then we entered the Lairig an Laoigh glen, where the singletrack became quite rocky and it was hard to get a flow, and long sections of pushing/carrying. Once we’d passed the Hutchinson bothy (and into Glen Derry) the trail became flowy with sweet rooty singletrack.

From Derry Lodge area, the Gleann Laoigh Bheag started off with some nice techy climbing across water bars and exposed granite, which lasted to the Corrour bothy. As we gained height up the Lairig Ghru the trail became increasingly rocky with boulder fields at the summit of the climb (Pools of Dee) – pushing/carrying is the only options for extended sections. Once you descend to the tree line the lovely rooty and rocky singletrack starts again, and out through the Rothiemurcas estate back to Aviemore.

However I didn’t get to ride the last 10 miles as my frame cracked behind the headtube – game over for me!

Google map of route: http://goo.gl/maps/XLK92

Rich – I stuck quite closely to the Speyside Way, as on the OS Map, dead easy to follow in most parts – probs 2 hrs riding, but I was a bit hampered by snow. Could ride it as an out and back, but I cam back on the road,which was actually very pleasant. I’d reckon at this time of year doing it as a loop in around 3.5hrs

Cheers Iainc that sounds spot on for me

Thanks for all your help and input guys
i now have a plan

Rich

There’s some nice flat-ish woodland singletrack between Aviemore and Boat of Garten (nice hotel with bar there too) – dip off the trail and there’s loads to explore. Scenery’s not bad either.

Enjoy!