Routes from Braemar to Aviemore?

I’d like to do Macdui again, but this time down Coire Etchachan rather than DerryC or Cairn/ Coire and Lochan.

With the full Glen Derry descent.

With the family, which means it needs to be reasonably mellow, which means I need to either stump for an insane taxi/ bus or spend a night in Braemar and then find a cunning return back to Aviemore.

But it needs to be fun and exciting for the boy, which frankly rules out Glen Feshie.
We could come back up Glen Derry and over Bynack Mor but I seem to recall that section from Lairig an Loaigh through Fords of A’an to the shoulder being type 2 fun.

I’ve been mulling over a Braeriach route, which it appears McTrail may have done a video on. But it looks more of a mates ride than a family ride. Anyone done it?

Lairig Ghru is obvs out, as is Strath Nethy.

I’ll have a look on sheet OL58 in case there is anything from Beinn Avon.

What have I missed? ( and don’t say Glen effing Tilt) the boy would kill me.

<Edit to ask if there is any sane way from the Fehie/ Geldie watershed up to Mulach Clach a Blair? Assuming the LRT on the plateau still exists that would get us nicely to Sgor Gaoith and its wonderful descent…
But I can’t see any path. Is there a way up Glen Eidart?

@scotroutes

I think the route that the outer Cairngorm Loop goes would be an option.

There is an option if you follow the Avon all the way to the crossing into Glen Derry then follow that descent.

Bikepacking the Cairngorms Outer Loop, Scotland

You’ve confused me by mentioning Glen Tilt as a route between Braemar and Aviemore.

As regards approaching Mullach Clach a’ Bhlair from the South/East I think that’s a no-go. I’ve looked at the track and it appeared to be no more than a quad track over some very soft ground. Having said that, it’s the sort of stupid thing I might try on foot later in the year :-)

“You’ve confused me by mentioning Glen Tilt as a route between Braemar and Aviemore.”
Fair point😟. I used it as shorthand for Glen Tilt then north along the A9 and then through some other pass back to Aviemore. Silly of me to have not been clearer. 😔
Which is, I guess, the bit of the outer loop that is referred to above…

<Edit. Now I am confused. The loop named Cairngorm Outer Loop above doesn’t seem to be the COL I know of.

Got you. If you’d been starting in Blair Atholl I might have suggested the Minigaig to the Allt Bhran and then over into Feshie, from where Sgor Gaoith would be an option.

You could do the Outer Loop in reverse, from Braemar to Tomintoul and then into Aviemore but it lacks the big mountain element you’re looking for. You could throw in a descent of Bynack Mor if you head from Tomintoul, up the Avon to the Fords and then head North but there’s possibly too much type #2 on that .

I’ve been mulling over a Braeriach route, which it appears McTrail may have done a video on. But it looks more of a mates ride than a family ride. Anyone done it?

What do you mean here? Up from Corour bothy and over Braeriach? That’s massive hike-a-bike.

“What do you mean here? Up from Corour bothy and over Braeriach? That’s massive hike-a-bike”
Yes, and yes.
TBH I’ve put it onto the “With Dave” list rather than the “With Family” list for that reason

Beinn a Bhuird? You could push up the path heading SW from the river Avon 6km west of Linn of Avon (and tell us all what it would be like as a descent!) and then do the blue standard descent SSW to the river Quoich. Anyone not up for the summit just sticks to the OCL. Return next day via Sglugain, The Sneck over Beinn Avon (scramble to the summit) and its fab descent to Linn of Avon. If you’re keen join the Quoich heading west from the Slugain watershed (path on N bank really nice but not on map) and add in an ascent of Beinn a Bhuird from the south.

I don’t think there’s an answer, without big compromises, to your question!

I’d go Geldie and Feshie. It’s not too bad if it’s been dryish and then head up the landy track to do Sgurr Gaoith if you’re looking for a big descent. Pretty big day out though, although more often than not you’ll have a tailwind, especially for the second half toward Aviemore.

Good thinking Chicken.
“Return next day via Sglugain, The Sneck over Beinn Avon (scramble to the summit) and its fab descent to Linn of Avon.”
So is that descent to Linn if Avon excellent? That sounds just what I need. I really like the cycle up to the Sneck, loads of it is rideable.

“push up the path heading SW from the river Avon 6km west of Linn of Avon (and tell us all what it would be like as a descent!) ”
Won’t do this bit, as the whole point is to do Macdui on the Aviemore to Braemar leg.

” join the Quoich heading west from the Slugain watershed (path on N bank really nice but not on map”
Very interested in knowing what this bit is like.

“I don’t think there’s an answer, without big compromises, to your question!”
Yep agreed.

“I’d go Geldie and Feshie. It’s not too bad if it’s been dryish and then head up the landy track to do Sgurr Gaoith if you’re looking for a big descent. Pretty big day out though, ”

Too much. The kid would have stabbed me well before we got anywhere near Achlean!
Hence why I’m after a shortcut from Geldie onto the Great Moss. Which I realise has Uebernightmatre written all over it 😝

I tried to take a bike up Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain from Feshie, found out why the area is called the Great Moss the hard way. Folk kayak the Eidart mind…

This feels a bit moon on a stick as your options are basically long, hard or long and hard.

Spin and I rode MacDui then returned via Lairig an Laogh a good decade ago as a day loop. We started with Cairngorm too. It was a bloody good day out and the Lairig an Laogh was a fair old push but not a trauma (unlike Strath Nethy which I rode the week before and was just a long carry and push with my bike).

The Geldie and Feshie are pretty mellow. I would avoid the great moss as it is well named. I very much enjoyed the ride through and would not discount it.

The shoulder of Ben Avon heading north east is mint but it is still an awful long way to go to get from Glen Avon to Aviemore.

You could head up Glen Derry then past the falls of Avon head towards the mouth of Strath Nethy BUT then climb over the old Munro top to reach Bynack Mor. Not done this so there is a health warning attached to it. It is on my to do list.

Personally, I would just toughen up and return that day via Lairg an Laogh.

OR……if it is two days, Carn a Mhaim for the ridge descent of joy followed by the tough hike a bike up Tailors gully (bouldery but doable) to get back to the summit of MacDui from whence you can descend beneath the northern corries which is lovely! The other option is to  push up Sron Riach which is fine underfoot. Probably the easiest way of getting back to the summit. I did it after doing the Braeriach range and enjoyed going up it.

Braeriach would be a long old schlep and having done it down to Corrour, I would not rush to do it in reverse. The descent off of Braeriach is ok but not a classic. I rode it as a loop via Glen Einach. It is fine and rideable but there are far better descents in the Cairngorms.

So there are definite options for one day or two days or riding.

Hope this helps?

Cheers

Sanny

Personally, I would just toughen up and return that day via Lairg an Laogh.

That was my first thought.

Can’t disagree with anything you wrote there Sanny.
I don’t think a solution exists to the question. But then given what the question is, that is hardly surprising….

” Recommend me a fun, technical, but not too long or strenuous route over/ round/ through the biggest/ highest/ wildest section of 4,000 ft mountains in the UK. That’s suitable for my lazy kid

😟😝

I genuinely can’t think of an option that doesn’t involve particularly horrible hike a bike that your kid will hate more than Glen Feshie, other than just going back the way you came.

Carn a Mhaim is good, but the descent isn’t very long before you have a massive hateful boulder field hike a bike to get back up to the top of Macdui and return the way you came.

Allt Dearg, unless you go up and down Bynack Mor (which I’d not fancy from the south) to liven things up has Lairg an Laogh which isn’t fun and is otherwise as tame a bit of trail as Glen Feshie.

Lairig Ghru is famously awful.

When I last did the same ride you’re planning, we’d started in Braemar, ridden over and spent the night in Aviemore then went back via Macdui and Derry. On the way out we took Glen Feshie but added Sgor Gaoith to avoid the dull bits. It’s a big day, about 45 miles. But you could ride the singletrack through Feshie, then turn up one of the landrover tracks to the top of Mullach Clach a Bhlair (we took the more northerly one – not the southerly one discussed earlier in the thread) and head over to Sgor Gaioth and down to make if more than a nice XC day out.

As regards approaching Mullach Clach a’ Bhlair from the South/East I think that’s a no-go. I’ve looked at the track and it appeared to be no more than a quad track over some very soft ground. Having said that, it’s the sort of stupid thing I might try on foot later in the year

Hmm. That’s only a 18km loop from Ruigh Aiteachain. I reckon I’ll ride to the bothy, dump the bike there and give it a go. Won’t be this month though.

TBH I’ve put it onto the “With Dave” list rather than the “With Family” list for that reason

Ok, family trip to Les Gets happened, so this is indeed going to be a “with Dave” ride..

The shoulder of Ben Avon heading north east is mint but it is still an awful long way to go to get from Glen Avon to Aviemore.

It is rather, isn’t it….

So the track from Linn of Avon west to Fords of Avon…. Looks to be about 18km. Mainly LRT but then gets narrow near the refuge. Any experience of that route?

Then over waterbar hell on Bynack More and thence to the Lodge…

It’ll be a bit stop-start after Faindouran to the refuge but it’s quite flat so not horrendous. I’d do it to link something up but I wouldn’t do it for it’s own sake.

So the track from Linn of Avon west to Fords of Avon

It’s better Eastbound. :-)

The good news is that the rideable track after Faindouran extends a bit further West than shown on the OS map. If you follow that to the riverbank then you should be able to spot a line of very old small cairns marking the best route across the boggy flatter ground. That gets you to the rough track towards the Fords of Avon.

Geldie and Feshie is a nice ride if going from south to north. Have done it a few times as part of a bigger loop coming back via Tomintoul and Invercauld.