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  • Royal Deeside (route advice content)
  • skindog
    Free Member

    Planning an all-dayer for Easter Monday and current thinking is to head to Aboyne, park in Glen Tannar and ride up and over the Firmmounth and then back into Glen Tanner via Mount Keen.

    In light of riding many a loop in the Caringorms and wishing I’d done them in the opposite direction I thought I’d get some advice. Also open to completely different routes too… Cheers.

    metalheart
    Free Member

    Last time I was up the Firmounth they were resurfacing it, making it complete bobbins. Not been up since as a consequence. Maybe someone else can confirm?

    If you go over Mount Keen first then back by the Firmounth from the south (Tarfside) turn off at The Fungle (and make sure you take the single track section sign posted back to Aboyne/Glen Tannar. Reckon that would be okay (the Firmounth from Tarfside was just a land rover track anyways).

    skindog
    Free Member

    Thanks for the advice, I assume when you talk about turning off the Fungle you mean right at the start of the Firmounth rather than following the Fungle all the way to the guard?

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    metalheart
    Free Member

    Skindog, firstly I’ve only ridden the route anticlockwise personally and the Fungle is one of my favourite routes so I’m displaying my own innate prejudice here… 🙂

    The Firmounth used to be my favourite climb but the last time I was up (over a year ago) they were resurfacing and had got to approx the dip between Hill of Cat & Gannoch. I’ve assumed that they didn’t stop there… That was the fun bit for me…

    So what I meant was if you are coming up the Firmounth from Tarfside turn right at the sign post for the Fungle (see photo 1) and follow it down (it gets a little vague at Birse Castle but if you keep left and hit their access road you’re fine) and then take the left at the sign posted path down to The Guard (see photo 2). Hope that’s cleared it up… :mrgreen:


    What are they doing? by Metalheart-UK, on Flickr


    Singletrack Fungle by Metalheart-UK, on Flickr

    From photo 1 they have resurfaced the start of the Fungle too, that’s what the Firmounth looked like from Hill of cat to Tarfside….

    I really must take a look up to see where they actually stopped…

    HTH.

    sillyoldman
    Full Member

    Pop into Cycle Highlands in Ballater, and ask route advice from Richard, and buy something nice while you’re there.

    metalheart
    Free Member

    You could do worse than follow som’s advice…

    :mrgreen:

    CH is a nice wee shop, never bought anything there personally, but looks well stocked (and staff are friendly).

    skindog
    Free Member

    Cheers guys, I’m quite clear now.

    I’m coming from Aberdeen so won’t be passing Ballater but will bear it in mind if I’m heading up Loch Muick, Jock’s road direction.

    Hopefully the weather is as good tomorrow as today.

    skindog
    Free Member

    Great ride yesterday. At 10am Glen Tannar was full of mist down to the bridge at the foot of Mount Keen but it cleared up and ended up about 16 degrees.

    The run down from Mount Keen is a blast, more jumps than a trail centre.

    the best news is that the resufacing of the Fungle did not continue past the gate so the decent to Birse Castle is pretty good fun, fast and slidy.

    the Singletrack to the Guard is amazing. I could session that all day.

    I also met a young lad out on a hardtail who was heading to Aboyne, he ahd been searching the internet for a route, if you are on here I’d love to see what you thought of the Fungle single track down to the Guard.

    Really glad I followed your route, thanks again.

    Skindog.

    metalheart
    Free Member

    Good stuff skindog!

    I should have said be a bit wary of the flat edge drainage channels on the south side (me and a mate had three puctures in half a k due to those…).

    Yeah the resurfacing only goes to the gate on the Fungle (not sure on the Firmounth though). The bit after the gate was surfaced about 8 years ago and took a couple of years to settle down but is pretty good now.

    Yup the singletrack bit was the reason I was recommending anti-clockwise. A brilliant finish to any run.

    Glad you enjoyed it. :mrgreen:

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    i prefer the guard as a climb 😉

    i also prefer the rocky descent from the deer gate at the top of the fungle into glen esk….

    but then im an angus lad originally so we always parked in tarfside – climbed mt keen – lunch in aboyne then back over the fungle.

    cracking route 😀

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