Spring is nearly upon us, i think it is time to start looking forward to epic days out in the Scottish mountains. Do you have any suggestions, ideas for rides/descents that really stand out for you in the quality stakes or perhaps ones that require a bit of pioneering spirit, suffering for your art is fine, so hike a bike and the more techy the better, there are just so many mountains to choose from, where is that holy grail trail of Scottish riding ?

and Led Zeppelin starts playing in my mind…

Led Zep…

Personally I would really like to do the Minigaig / Feshie / Geldie / Tilt circuit. Ridden a fair bit around there but never done this loop. It’s a bit of a monster, apparently – I belive the Minigaig can be extremely character-building if the weather is bad – goes up to 900m over a top as well.

One for a long summer’s day after a dry spell.

Ax3M4n –
So I’m packing my bags for the Misty Mountains / Where the spirits go now, / Over the hills where the spirits fly, ooh. / I really don’t know.

Here’s a recent thread in a similar vein 😉

“Misty Mountains” referred to in song are in Wales not Scotland btw…..

Thanks for reminding me, although i was thinking more hike a bike stuff, those mountains possibly only frequented by serious walking types,munro baggers and the likes, although perhaps the likes of the Aonach Eagach is probably a little to leftfield for me, with a little riding please!.
Just trying to get psyched for summer adventures.

hilldodger shame on you surely it is subjective.

So where was your last epic hike a bike!

Two that spring to mind that i walked years ago but haven’t ridden, are the Ptarmigan ridge on Ben Lomond and Ben Lawers over Beinn Glas, Sanny from here mentioned Lawers a week ago, any knowledge of these.

Garry, I did that exact route and the Minigaig was a bog fest. lots of carrying and pushing the bike downhill! Expect to get WET often, wear clothes that dry quickly, was upto my waist a few times crossing rivers/streams. This was in July 2010 I think. the sections either side of it were great though. Real mountain biking!

In saying that, I’d probably do it again just to confirm that it was definately awful 🙂

Nice one Paul – sounds like proper hairy-arsed mountain biking. Although as you say – the trails in the valleys either side of the Minnigaig should be OK. Hope to do it later this year if I’m feeling fit enough. Baby due in June so I guess it has to be before that.

It was surprisingly tiring due to the carrying/pushing but our plan was to start in Blair Athol, cycle to Feshie and stay the night in the bothie then back out the next day. Wouldn’t like to have done it in a day though. Good luck…on both counts 🙂

Other alternative is to do the Minigaig in winter so the bogs are covered or frozen:

This was from a Glen Tilt/Mingaig/Glen Geldie loop from Braemar in February.

That Macdui one in the last mag is a cracker, Arkle loop likewise, various Torridon loops as covered here in the past are all techy wonderfulness.

Real kudos to you for this sort of epic, but dude you are getting into the realms of the likes of the iditarod in winter here on a bike, those guys seem to spend a hell of a lot of time pushing their bikes and it ain’t up hill.

Yeah hoping to have a bash at the Macdui one come the breakup, along with dozens of other wannabes know doubt.
Mctavish come to think of it that is real prospecting.

Macdui/Cairngorm area is outstanding. Any loop around there will be epic and plenty of hike a bike.
Torridon/Achneshellach circuit must be the best in the UK
Planning something with Sanny for Ben Lawyers but not easy to find good biking without lots of height lost on roads/tracks
Ptarmigan I would suggest don’t bother
Beinn a Bhuide
Lochnagar

Need to give it another 3-4 weeks at least for the high stuff. The amount of show up there at the moment, especially on anything north facing, would be a right pain