Help needed to put the mountains into mountain biking – riding the Munros

Looks fantastic!
Hope to get in about there myself in the next fortnight if the weather holds.

Awesome write up, I love a ridge ride, something special about them that’s hard to put in words.

Just to say Sgor Gaoith is an absolute classic in the making, lovely descent off the munro top, then once you reach the old stalkers path off creag follias it keeps you on youre toe’s, with some great rocky switchbacks, a tad overgrown lower down in the forest, but still very entertaining, loved it, thanks Sanny for the pointer.

PS. finaly got to Kintail, the Beinn fhada loop is sensational.

Both on the list for 17 Fergal!

Just spreading the love.
http://unduro.co.uk/riding/beinn-fhada-the-most-beautiful-ride-in-the-world/

This thread is a goldmine!

Had a skive day today and did Sgor Gaoith in beautiful conditions. Magic!

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Does that excel/google file still exist?

Does that excel/google file still exist?

The bikeable Munros one?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q-fHtwI5Y4thKVZ8N9vQ-mdpE2JnuPhBIAUdR-JYnNo/htmlview#gid=0

Took advantage of the weather and did Ghlas and Lawers today. Followed what seemed to be the suggested route of up Ghlas first then down to the bealach, up Lawers back to the bealach and then branch right and down the valley. Really enjoyed it but will need to go back and attempt it the other way around as I think the descent down the front of Ghlas would be 99% rideable with a bit of commitment. Top of Lawers down was interesting with the wind – blew me off line more than once!

Also nipped up Meall nan Tarmachan as the above only took a couple of hours, didn’t technically reach the top just went to the peak at 923m then turned around. Had a look and it looks pretty steep from the top back down that way but possibly rideable – anyone done the whole ridge? From the 923 top back down was good – mostly hardpack singletrack with a few open fast grassy bits and some good rocks to launch off.

Had a look and it looks pretty steep from the top back down that way but possibly rideable – anyone done the whole ridge?

Post a helmet cam if you try it!

Anyone biked up An Socach (the one near Glenshee)? I’ve not even walked up it, but am wondering for another of these summer weekends. Not Munros, but I’ve recently been wandering around the Glen Isla hills – both from the end of Glen Isla and from Backwater Reservoir.

Yes. An Socach rides well. Push up from the landy track from Glen Cluny.
Ridge rides well N all the way to Sgor Mor; you’ll see the impessive singletrack descent off this soon after you leave the car. I came from Glas Tulachan via some heather hiking then went on to do Cairn O Claise. Monega, Glen Isla, Black Hill and back to Spittal of Glen Shee; a monster day out!

So the 4000 footers.

Cairn Toul is a waste of time. A boulder field as expected!

The Devils Peak descent to Corrour is ace. I walked a couple of the switchbacks as they were as loose as hell due to the lack of rain and being on my own and a very long way from help!

Sron Riach has a cracking 2 km singletrack start to it and the improved path is easy to follow.

It took me eleven and a half hours to reach the summit of MacDui at 8pm on Friday evening bathed in glorious sunshine. I took a lot of pics and the first couple of hours were hard having eaten far too much for breakfast!

I was set to do Cairngorm but the descent is a bit meh so I opted for the descent beneath the corries. It was epic!

Things I learned.

The ice cream truck is brilliant over the rocks and loose ground. Fat bike for the with win!

Shouldering a bike when laden that weighs over 40 pounds is hard going. As my mate Gary put it, you’re off your f#cking head!

Do it with a mate – as a solo mission, there is scope to get yourself in a fair bit of bother.

😀

So is it worth doing? It depends. It is a long and tough day out with a lot of carrying. The scenery is epic. You really do earn your descents. The Braeriach plateau has a real sense of grandeur to it.

For me, the MacDui side offers the most bang for the buck. It is easier to access with more bail out options and the better riding. I would like to try the route clockwise next time. Ride up Cairngorm, descend via loch etchecan, ride up to Corrour then carry up onto the devils point. I think this way offers potentially more riding and less carrying.

Cheers

Sanny

Good effort sir!.

Sgorr Gaoith and the weather station switchbacks in a couple of weeks, fair looking forward to it.

If anyone on here is an instagrammer, have a look at grizzly_munro_diaries, guy just does munro’s by the looks of it! worth a follow.

Relive…

If anyone sees this on Strava and thinks it looks good, don’t bother, possibly the longest I’ve ever walked my bike for!.

An awesome hike though, if I could only have seen the views…..

Two easy ones for me last week, Lochnagar one day and Mount Keen from the North another. Mount Keen good, Lochnagar obviously excellent.

Callum – I think we bumped into you on Lochnagar on Saturday. What a day for it! How’d you get on? I’d forgotten how serious it gets by Glas Allt!

Hmmm. Time for a thread resurrection.

What is the best way of doing the Glen Affric Munros? I need some route advice. Anyone? 😀

Sanny

Great resurrection time… I’ve a plan with the lads to do some Munro’s on bikes this year.

How far along are you going?

I started last year with Ben Vorlich (loch earn). Plan to get a few this year, probably the ones closest to Glasgow to start with.

Glen Affric. Walked the Ceathramhnam group and a bike would not be worth taking except for the descent S from the col to the YHA. Mam Sodhail looks more ridable but have no other useful info, sorry!

Snows all gone, let’s get this going for the year!

First three down on Saturday, the three Beinn A’ Ghlo tops. Along glen Tilt to the bridge over the Allt Fheannach where there is a stalkers path up onto Meall a’ Mhuirich – a bit indistinct at first but gets better. An efficient (steep) way up. Good couple hours in a cloud here wondering what we were doing… up and down Gabhar, up Bhalgain and the cloud lifted. Happy days! All descents are rideable and hike-a-bikes aren’t too bad. The final descent down Carn Liath is pretty intense – all rideable but loose and steep. Rewards commitment.

Forgot my camera, but here’s a couple of phone pics. Lots more planned for this year.

Holy thread resurection Batman!? Well who has been taking advantage of this fine  stable Continental weather, had a great day out yesterday with a traverse of Ben Avon and Beinn a’ bhuird, luckily the cloud lifted as i summited Avon, with the final descent on  Bhuird really upping the fun quotant, serendipity at its finest, really enjoyed this exploratory outing in these remote wild hills.

How come you don’t take a phone with you on these rides Fergal? Not that it’s any of my business, just seems an odd choice in this day and age.

Jeeze i’m not that much of a Luddite, i’m even on instagram clarke1738 if you are interested. I like taking the odd interesting snap.

Besides i really tend to be in the moment on my outings, will certainly rarely stop on a brill descent, it ruins the flow dude.

So, which way did you go up and down those two hills Fergal?

I’ve not been able to get up to Scotland this summer, which is a bummer, as I’m getting ready to move house (back up to Scotland, fortunately) and cramming in a lot of other adventures. Did do some English mountains though and they were riding so fast!

Hi chickenman, descended from the south summit on dry grass and gravel, to join some excellent singletrack around Carn Fiaclach, this was outstanding, great blast all the way to below the ruin at Slugain.

Well of course on Ben Avon i took nothing but photographs and left nothing but footprints.

Ah, I see the confusion: There are two Carn Fiaclachs…I’ve descended off the one on the NE spur of Avon, good to hear the one off Bhuird is good too!

Big day out yesterday – 8 munros from Glen Isla. Had this in the back of my mind for a while from ideas on here and linking rides i’d done previously.

Route was: Glen Isla, up to Bawhelps then Mayar, over to Driesh, smash it down the Kilbo (bit of work up top, bit more ‘Steppy’ than I remember?), up the glen to Bachnagairn then over to the pony hut, along the ridge taking in Broad Cairn, Cairn Bannoch and Sagairt Mor (fierce headwind!), down the Callater singletrack, up to the landy track to take in Tuirc and Claise then over to Glas Maol before belting down Monega gill to finish.

Almost exactly 9 hrs car to car – could be quicker if the wind was a bit calmer. If you weren’t arsed on taking in summits then you could skip Sagairt Mor and Tuirc and possibly Driesh – the descents aren’t the greatest (Driesh one is good though). The rest are on the way anyway. Grand day out though – pretty hungry today!

Couple pics:

was there much in the way of diversion on the kelbo path?

Got a small taste of summer on Tuesday afternoon, wee run of Ben Lawers. Very nice conditions indeed!

What a day! I was up Ben Ledi doing a piece for the mag yesterday. Stunning sunrise!

Too nice not to stay out so went and rode the old school classic that is Glen Finglas.

Oh and great vid!

Sanny

Nice, can’t beat a bit of Ben ledi action. Suprised you didn’t keep going to Balqhuidder from the Meall loop, best left to a longer day I guess!

What’s the recommended route for Ben Ledi? straight up and back or do a circular (which way)?
Cheers