[Closed] Cairgorms - Invercauld/Ben a Buide/Ben Avon advice please

Morvern (sp) is good.

Check this:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-week-in-scotland-where-must-i-ride-pics-please#post-131264

thread, apart from all the ace pictures, there's a bit of discussion about the best way to do your route.

For me, all i can recommend is the trail up and down Glen Slugain (accessed directly through Invercauld Estate. really cracking rocky singletrack.

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(apologies to those that have seen this image several times now, its the only one i've got of that trail...)

Thanks 1FM. Coming back down Glen Slugain is what I was planning. How did you get to that point, or did you do an out and back?

Anyone else know the path from the bealach between Ben a Buide and Ben Avon?

Show me on a map and I might.

Cynic-al, not sure if the clicky will work, but the grid ref of the bealach is about NJ 105005, then following the path down into Gleann an t-Slugain

[url= &loc2=25&type=O&road=Y]HERE[/url]

erm sorry it didn't work and I am rubbish w/grid references - is there a site that works with them?

Ah - Ben a' Bhuird??

Long time since I walked that one, and certainly didn't have my biking head on at the time. However, from another thread....

Sanny - Member

Beinn a Bhuird - a marvellous munro that can be ridden all the way up without having to push. Take in Ben Avon too and marvel at the tors.

Sanny

Mail me if you want to know more or for route advice.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-week-in-scotland-where-must-i-ride-pics-please#post-130940

As a general question, is there any kind of path from Ben a' Bhuird down into Glen Avon. Map suggests no, but they're not always up to date.

Long time since I did these two munros (on foot I might add). I remember looking down towards Glen Avon from the sneck and couldn't see a path. Not sure why anyone would need a path to there from Glen Avon as its so remote.

Druid, are you compleat?

#2926

Fizzer - not quite. I have one left, which I'm sure I'll get around to one day. On Skye, but an easy one 🙂

Yes you can do it and yes it's marvellous.

On the top of Beinn a Bhuird, the trail disappears so you are riding over bedrock and grass. The views over the various corries are pretty bloody special. When I rode it, I dropped down the loose scree to the bealach to head up the footpath onto Ben Avon. This is easy to see from when on the summit of Beinn a Bhuird and is a 15 minute hikey bike up onto the plateau of Ben Avon. Retrace you steps between the two munros and head down the Glen on what becomes a clear (if slightly sanitised) trail back to Braemar.

In summary, yes you can do it, yes it's great but make sure you have a map and compass to guide you. Be VERY careful if you're in cloud as it would be easy to fall into one of the corries.

As for time, it is definitely longer than three to four hours!

There may still be some snow on the top so best to plan accordingly. The climb up onto the first munro from the west is cracking. It's a clear and very obvious path and is 100% rideable.

Have fun.

Cheers

Sanny

I did that ride last year on a warm summer's day in July after a two week dry spell and there was still a little bit of snow up there. I would say it is a total no-no at this time of year. We were riding in Glen Muick yesterday and there was a couple of inches of snow above about 200m. Having said that it is a great ride, the singletrack coming down from the Sneck through the Slugain is great although you need to be able to hop the drainage ditches. The total ride took me 4-1/2 hours.

I think there was path from the Sneck down into Glen Avon but as Fizzer says taking that route would turn the ride into a multi-dayer as you are pretty remote.

Second Morvern - go "round the back" up the landrover track and "down the front" on some awesome rocky singletrack.

Thanks all, especially Sanny and enmac. I'd done the Slugain walk to Ben Avon before, and done Ben a Buird on foot, but years ago and not with a cyclist's head on. Completely agree that there will probably be a lot of snow at the top so best avoided. Think I will either take the Slugain path as far as I can get and back, or look for another lower level route

Don't panic!
They don't like it up 'em! (sorry, couldn't resist)

I live in Braemar and have never biked that particular track before, only done it on my feet. We've had a little snow over the weekend, but it's all gone from the village, Alt 1000ft ASL (above sea level). However there's still quite an accumulation on the tops.
There are some lower altitude tracks that we do locally on a Monday night. They take around 2 hours at a casual wait for each other at various points pace. They're situated around Craig Choinnach and the Birchwood, and are based on the circular walking routes in the forest etc. There are a couple of deviations which we've added locally. If you're interested I'd be happy to show you around, and might be able to drag some of the other lads out of work.

If you follow the descent off Ban Avon you should be able to pick up the singletrack path / landrover track which takes you by a couple of wee lochs and an uphill which takes you to a summit then down a long downhill back to Invercauld. I dont have a map in front of me. Could you guess?

I've ridden that loop a few times but back in the 80s. I rode it with Kev Dangerous from Escape Route in Pitlochry. In mid summer, we'd used up our one water bottle on the ascent of Ben a Bhuird. Got fried on the plateau. Its a great ride but as Sanny said its an all day ride.

notlocal, sounds good. Have done quite a bit of walking in the area, but mostly going up into the Cairngorms, and weel before I was mountain biking, so never looked for good bike routes.

Mrs M is going to drop me somewhere around 12:00, and I need to be back at Invercauld House by 4:00pm.

Was also wondering if Morrone was doable by using the fire road up to the radio mast and then down the path, or will there still be too much snow there too?

The other thoughts I had for lower level were:
1) Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge, round into the Lairig Ghru, cut back down Glen Dee, White Bridge then back (might be a bit too long?)
2) As far up the Gleann an t-Slughain track towards Ben Avon as I could get, then back
3) Lochnagar track from Easter Balmoral then tack west to Ballochbuie Forest

What do you reckon?

Was also wondering if Morrone was doable by using the fire road up to the radio mast and then down the path, or will there still be too much snow there too?

No way you could ride up the path, though there may be snow on the LR track as you say. It's tech in places.

There's one on the east of the road also - ride up a glen going south (double track) then turn west (exposed single track) and pop out on the road. 2 hours IIRC - Glen Callater?

I don't know about your other suggestions. Could you not get dropped off at Loch Muick and do a short one there?

Thanks mcmoonter and cynic-al. Best I leave Ben a Bhuird to the summer. BTW I know Kevin as Escape Route is my nearest LBS.

notlocal, you still up for something tomorrow?

If you see K give him a kick in the nuts from me.

cynic-al is that a friendly tap on the tackle or something harder in retaliation for some misdemeanour?

Dangerous is your man. He comes from Aboyne. If he mentions the mast at Ballater, tell him you've exceeded 52mph on the dowhill.

mcmoonter, unfortunately he won't believe me. I haven't ridden with him but he knows I am too old to go that mad. (Sigh - wanders off to check the suspension setting on my zimmer)

It wont matter because he'll be using the quotient of Danger exaggeration factor. Which quadrupples and squares his maximum speed.

Danger is never knowingly out exaggerated.

Then kick him in the nuts from Al.

OK, mission accepted Jim. My Camelback will self destruct in 30 seconds

Sorry Captain,

Went out on our regular night ride last night and had 2 brace of Cairngorm Tradewinds with the lads. Usually not a problem, but after being awake for 36 hours it kind of killed any plans I had about waking up:-/ Night shifts are a right pain in the a**e, they totally disrupt my riding!!! Anyone out there need a bicycle Paramedic? Then I can do 2 of my favourite things at once.
Let me know if you are going to be in the area again and I'll sort some trails out for you. Ballater Bike Bash is on the 18th April. There'll be a BBQ and the chance to try out some bikes from Cove, Rocky Mountain, Kona and I think GT and Mongoose reps will also be present. The 19th is going to be the LBS/bike club outing in conjunction with the reps, if we can get them out of their beds after Sat night. You're more than welcome to join us, and bring some friends. The reps will let you pre-book a Demo bike on Sat, if you want to give one a proper test, and we set off @10:00 Sun morning.
Again, apologies, hope you had a good day anyway; The weather seems to have changed for the better anyway.
If you're interested in the bike bash my e-mail is on my profile. Any one else out there that would like to come along would be welcome. We are trying to raise interest in trails around here to attract some much needed financing into the trail building pot, so spread the word. Trying to get the land owners attention away from blasting birds out of the sky and onto something for the Younger(?) generation is nigh on impossible.

Slochd Mor & The Sneck from the North on Easter Saturday. Wouldn't fancy dragging a bike up there.

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