Aviemore-Carn Ban Mor-Lairig Ghru and other big rides

Lewis, once you get to Linn of Dee, you can hed to White bridge and then onto Glen Feshie. I did this last summer but did a 3 day circular starting at Blair Atholl and stayng in 2 bothies on the route.

The start of this section is on reasonable landy tracks, the middle section can be frustrating if it has been wet, the boggy sections can make it a pain as Shortbread says, the end section into Glen Feshie is all pretty nice, only wish it lasted longer!

ShortBread Fannylion – A few have said that LaL is a good descent, maybe I was off route? I was on a definte route that had seen a lot of walking traffic but it was very rocky and undulating making progress very slow going. Bikes were heavily laden too for an overnight stop so that maybe played a factor. Without a doubt, amazing part of the country!!!

Paul

How much kit were you carrying to have to push for 4-5km from the Fords of Avon to Glen Derry? With a very short section of bogginess near the Fords, we rode pretty much all of it without any hassles heading from Glen Derry towards the Fords. I’m surprised that the trail would be a ball ache in the other direction. Of course, we did it in the summer and it could be that it gets super boggy but I didn’t get that impression when riding down it. One mans technical trail is another mans shocker!

Sanny, we had panniers and bar bag so this may have effected our ride. I’m starting to think that I may have been off route! I can ride, and enjoy fairly technical trails. Might have to go back and have a rerun! 🙂

Well all this discussion, its going to have to be a go-er. 🙂
I’m just pondering on direction i think it will have to be N to S on the LairigL
and then return S to N via feshie.
Will only attempt if weather is good one thinks, as Carn Ban Mor is also one i desperately want to have a crack at!
Paul, i didn’t think there wa sso much walking in the LairigL as the ghru so maybe you took the ghru?

Check out drjonswanderings blog as he did this very route a few weeks back. It’s one I have planned for a while also though I ended up doing Braeriach as a bigger ride last time I was up there at Easter. Braeriach was pretty good fun – not the best descent in the area but still very good indeed and was definitely worth the effort to get up to the summit.

His blog is fantastic, cheers for putting me onto that 🙂
I’ll upload some images and video’s afterwards then 🙂
Just sit and hope for a nice sunny day 😀

Is it all push between the ryvoan bothy and the fords of Avon then?

No, almost all ridable. From Ryvoan, you head uphill on a good path to about 750 ASL. I had to push a little but others may be able to ride it all the way. The descent to Fords of Ann refuge is rough and rocky but almost all ridable, pretty good fun but not that fast, technical more than swoopy if you know what I mean.

Say hi to the wee mouse at the refuge!

You’ll have a ball!

Should be a good ol hack! and will do im sure he’ll be a good supper!
I hope its slightly more enjoyable than the corrieyairack, that was a bit over to quick and pretty much all walking up the zig zags

any chance of sending me the gpx of the routes mentioned above?
I’ve done the ryovan – bynack – fords of avon – derry – geldie – feshie route and am heading that way in a week or so.

Probable routes are CBM and feshie one day and burma road the other.

cheers
Chris

Well i have to say i’m pretty psyched after reading all of that, links and extra info included.. thanks all!!

I’m heading up that way this friday for 4 days.. Lewis i sent you an email so hope to catch with you and maybe tag along for some of the awesome rides you’ve got planned..

Jess

So how was it?

It didn’t start great with the trip being delayed 2 days by the fatality of one member in a car crash, but we decided to head up anyway.

Apologies Jess for not contacting you, it completely slipped my mind and we’d have probably missed your stay anyway.

How was the riding, amazing!

Burma Road was brilliant ascent, bit of a leg burner but fun, word on the street was the track off the top was rutted from all the donkeys ragging there brakes down it, so we opted for the standard descent. A 34 mph crash left my wheel like a square and my body like a ragdoll, but somehow picked myself up and got back at it. A fantastic ride, even better that it finished in carrbridge where we stayed.

Carn Ban Mor was out of this world, by far the best ride of the holiday by all means. It’s fairly terrifying, stood at the bottom looking at whats to come, but we where straight at it, in an anticlockwise direction. In hindsight I am in two minds, clockwise would involve a bikable ascent and a rocky technical descent. However anticlockwise meant pushing at least 4/5 of the way, but the mad cambered descent by far made up for this. There was a dgger about 500m up doing some path maintenance. At the bottom, the bridge no longer exists a 2.5 km walk downstream or you can do what we did, shoes and socks off and brace it, as long as you have a firm grip of your bike and dont mind getting bit by midges, you’ll be fine!

Biking about Rothiemurchus and finishing down the ryvoan pass was a fantastic if slightly easier day aswell, the bothy is due to be demolished and rebuilt this weekend!

A day at Badaguish located the XC race course which although short was intense and the Canadian memorial trail by far our favourite section. One wouldn’t advise to do in poor weather just for the respect for the guys who built it.

Another day was at Inshirach, Glenfeshie and messing about on some of the awesome trails around Carrbridge. Difficult to find but definately worth it.

And not forgetting breakfast at teh station cafe and a big fat day off!

A fantastic place, my only regret is not going up and down the Lairig Ghru or doing the Lairig an Laoigh and back by the geldie and feshie, but aches and safety concerned delayed this!

Definately recommend it, just looking for opinions of Carn Ban Mor?

pictures are to follow shortly

>Definately recommend it, just looking for opinions of Carn Ban Mor?<

Overrated.

Probably being thick but can’t figure out from your description which way you rode it. Trad approach is up the estate track from Carnachuin, on to Moine Mor then down to Auchlean. Anti clockwise and nae pushin’;-) I have ridden up it the other way – just for the hell of it. btw there’s a ford about 100m North of the old bridge – it’s cleanable if the water’s low.

Sounds to me like you have done the Carn Ban Mor loop the wrong way round, I did it a few weeks ago and the digger was on the descent. The normal route takes you from the car park along the lhs of the river before you turn left and start climbing up the landrover track to the top. Did you come down a landrover track?

I am curious ap to which Burma Rd descent you took?

A bunch of us did CBM last Sunday – passed some folk pushing/carrying up as we started the descent. Maybe that was you guys? I can see blasting down the fire road would be fun but anti-clockwise is the way to go. Just remember to take some spare tubes for all those water bars if you are like me and don’t have skill to match enthusiasm 😕

Sounds like the Burma Road descent was just carrying on down the landy track and then down to Carrbridge. CBM that way – if you did push up the descent – is daft. Each to their own though 😐

Burma Road we carried on along the landy track down to carrbridge, then hooked on the military road.

CBM we started near the cottages at the bottom pushing up through the woods and past the digger. Descending meant down the track which cambered left, over all the drainage bars, which meant hopping them every so often! I think probably the best way. It finished at the demolished bridge

Edit: that means CBM we did clockwise!

up the singletrack / down the landrover track? 😕

Lewis, how come you did CBM clockwise? Did you do the bit on the other side of the river?

Oh, and my condolences 🙁

really up the singletrack and down the landrover track. Oh my, 😯

I was one of the fellas push/carrying up the CBM track last Sunday. We were unsure what the weather was going to do, so decided a ‘direct’ approach would ensure some decent descent if the weather crapped out. We didn’t ride back down the CBM track, instead heading north over Sgor Gaoith.

We headed west of the col between Sgor Gaoith and Sgoran Dubh Mor, following the north side of the ridge before following a trail marked on the flank of Geal Charn.

This involved a bizarre badger encounter (no kidding) at about 750m altitude, but rapidly deteriorated into unridable midge hell. We headed for the weather station at 894025, figuring there would be a better track – there wasn’t. By 888039 the trail was better with an excellent descent into Glen Feshie, but I wouldn’t contemplate this ‘ride’ again.

To add intrigue, the proponent of this route got ‘lost’ in the mist at the col, and despite communication via text telling us he was on route and we’d meet up, his navigation (apparently unbeknownst to him) led him to the col on the CBM track, and he descended there. Lucky fella – I smell a rat. A wedgie will be give at some point in the future.

As for the CBM track. I’ve never ridden it, just pushed up it once, but if anyone thinks that is the best downhill in Scotland then they need to get out more. I was disappointed by what I saw pushing up, and the path works will make it much less interesting to ride.

[/url] CIMG6609[/url] by lewismorgan2011[/url], on Flickr[/img]

On the way up

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from the cairn at the top

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All the walking really was worth it

[/url] CIMG6624[/url] by lewismorgan2011[/url], on Flickr[/img]

flying down the descent

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CIMG6626[/url] by lewismorgan2011[/url], on Flickr

Demolished Bridge

Any route uestions or conditions i’m happy to answer

Jeez, Lewis, who the **** told you to do it that way?!!! That means you descended the best part of 3000m on a landy track!. The only way I, or anyone I know, would even consider doing CBM, is to ride south down Glen Feshie, to the bridge (god rest it’s soul) and then up the fire road onto the plateau, then north to the cairn on CBM, and down one of the best descents in the area, spitting you out at Auchlean (or Auchleum).

You did do it this way, didn’t you?.

I’m still gobsmacked by the thought of someone even contemplating doing it that way round….

Oh – and there’s some lovely singletrack from the bottom of the LRT all the way back to the car park in Glen Feshie. No need to cross the river over to the road.

In Lewis’ defence I once encountered some riders in Verbier – IIRC they were riding Orange 5s dripping in Hope stuff – who preferred to trundle down the gravel roads rather than hit the singletrack. I didn’t get it, but each to their own. If Lewis enjoyed his day, who are we to criticise?

Whatever the direction debate, it was a day out in the mountains which was extremely fun and I would happily do it that way again. I really struggle to see how the other way can be so much better, it looked a lot looser and rockier and something requiring much more patience and time, on another day something I would donut I really enjoyed the landy descent it was like the Burma Rd times 10!

What a view from thee top though ey!

Lewis – any day up in those hills is worthwhile! Glad you enjoyed the Burma Road too. It’s on my list to go back to. Great wee cafe/cakeshop in Carrbridge for a stop on the return journey too.

You’ll recognise this..

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2008-07-24 09-31-35[/url] by druidh_dubh[/url], on Flickr

I really struggle to see how the other way can be so much better, it looked a lot looser and rockier

class! Has there ever been a more clear cut case of missing the point?

Great photos but some numpty keeps getting in the way! 😉

Glad you enjoyed it. some people might have prefferred it the traditional way but if you prefferred it your way then, great! a successful day in the hills, what more can you ask for?

Aye. Loose and rocky, sounds hellish.

Sounds like Lewis did 2 rides exactly opposite to me.
A couple of weeks ago I did Burma road, up from Carbridge then down the singletrack from the top.
Yes it was a bit rocky and interesting and some was slow, but beyond the top bit it was a blast.
Next day was CBM, up the river to the old bridge, up the landy track to the top. Once there a little diversion to bag the 2 munros (one south which is boring, the Northern one good with an amazing view) then down the CBM singletrack. One of the best descents around.

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Munto 2[/url] by ChrisWilkinson1[/url], on Flickr

I’m lucky enough to be heading up there again on Friday.
Day one Braemar, Glen Tilt, Blari Atholl, Gaick pass to Kingussie. Day 2 Feshie, Rothiemurcus, Ryovan, Abernethy to Tomintoul. Day 3 just back to Braemar (and driving to Liverpool for some).

A fantastic area to bike in, We jogged up to the north Munro, but didn’t touch the South one, didn’t set off till 11ish so was a fairly late start.
Next Time i think i would ride it the anticlockwise direction, but i completely enjoyed the ride. If I’m honest anywhere there is a good day and im already planning a cheeky return in october!

Has anybody done the ryvoan pass to nethy bridge from the Glenmore lodge centre? It’s a great wee ride and a bit of a leg burner. The Green Loch is an interesing one aswell!

I’ve done Glenmore – An Slugan – Nethybridge – Ryvoan and back makes a great loop, with a handy shop and pub in Nethybridge.

We encorporated the an slugan into it aswell altough, we took the an sluggan where we climbed and descended dropping us into badagusih, played about on the Canadian trail before heading up round Loch Morlich a bit for lunch, then over the ryvoan to nethy Bridge, a low altitude good ride actually.