Abi’s bike had to spend the morning in the local bike shop to sort out the gears. Whilst this happened we got to have a late breakfast and hang out at the Mountain Cafe, which was cool.
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| hmm cake... |
The guy in the bike shop advised against the circular route on the Lairig Ghru that we were going to do, stating that part of it would be very boggy. Instead he suggested we should go up the Lairig Ghru until it gets unrideable, then turn back and descend the same way. He even claimed this trail to be the best single track in Scotland (mighty words indeed).
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| Lovely forest |
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| starting to become interesting riding.. |
The Lairig Ghru is the best known hill-pass in Scotland. It climbs to an altitude of 835 metres and crosses through the central Cairngorms, forming an old drovers/trade route through the area. I know lots of people do mt bike over it to Braemar, but having walked it previously I know that basically it would be more like a ‘hike with a bike’ and not enjoyable unless pain and suffering is your master!
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| Great views of the pass |
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| Will it rain (or snow)!? |
We took the guy's advice and headed into the beautiful Rothiemurchus forest from Aviemore, heading gently up, first on fire road, then on brilliant singletrack. It was nearly all rideable, with the odd high rock step that needed a dab. Beautiful views as we broke free of the forest and caught sight of the high pass and mountains guarding it's entrance.
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| Now the fun bit.... |
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| Abi breaking back into the tree line |
Abi again was proving a demon on the trail, but the rocky/rooty trail did cause some concern as Abi got some ‘first’ scratches on Nellie!
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| So much fun... |
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| Go girl.... |
The trail was even better when we turned and started the descent. Wow - I had a big grin on my face at the bottom, and we decided to go half way back up so we could ride it again. Its definitely the best track I’ve ridden in Scotland so far…..
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