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The chill weather has drawn in, the snow is down and my Christmas plans meant the opportunity for getting a few thousand feet up has passed til 2023. It’s been a frantic year and fitting in high altitude bike rides has been difficult. Having said that, I’ve probably been up more mountains this year than ever before – my wife decided to climb half the Munros in her lifetime so we’ve made a start on that, and some pals moved from England to Scotland who are keen to tick off a few so I’ve done some on foot.
In between kayaking and hill walking and camping and travelling and all the other adventures, here’s what I managed to squeeze in –
[b]Ben Vrackie[/b]
Always a good one when ground conditions are iffy, Ben Vrackie was a nice start to the year. A little snow cover at the top to spice things up, then straight into a steep slabbed section that rattles down to a corrie. You then have some great singletrack all the way back down to Pitlochry. It’s short but fun from start to finish, and you can combine it with the steep handbuilt trails in the woods at the bottom.
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[b]Dreish[/b]
I’m not sure how this one has passed me by in the past – it’s a straightforward hill, in a great setting next to Glen Clova and close to the central belt. It’s perhaps not the most exciting but on a sunny day the views are expansive – hills to the north and west and views out to the North Sea and the Firth of Tay to the south and east. The top is lumpy rocks and heather which then turns right down to the Glen on a set of stone stairs. At the bottom this opens up into a properly rowdy trail through the woods.
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[b]Devil’s Staircase and the Ciaran Path[/b]
I had planned a trip up Binnean Mor, one of the all time great bikeable munros, but the weather when I reached Glencoe was foul. Being up there for the weekend to see some friends anyway I gave the Devil’s Staircase and the Ciaran Path a go. These always seem to go nicely on a wet day – the Staircase drains well and while the Ciaran Path is a river in places grip is (mostly) high. It’s a tough ride and it’s worth noting that the Blackwater Dam now has twirly spikes on it which make it very difficult to get over alone.
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[b]Carn a’ Mhaim[/b]
The Queen died and that meant a long weekend with some time to myself – where could be more fitting than Royal Deeside? First up was Carn a’Mhaim. The ridgeline descent off this summit is widely lauded and I’d agree that it’s a good descent – not steep but fast with some big technical features. Whether it’s worth the very steep climb through a boulder field to get out from is another question.
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[b]Choire Etchachan[/b]
I’d wanted to ride the slabs down towards Loch Avon from Choire Etchachan for a few years. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a case of “don’t meet your heroes”. The descent off the summit towards the crags feels like prime delicate Cairngorm tundra – not a place for bikes. Where the gravel is exposed it’s lovely Cairngorm fine gravel but a lot of it is more fragile. The slabs themselves are good fun but short and probably not worth the trek in. You do get to enjoy Britain’s highest beach, though.
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[b]Ben Macdui[/b]
The biggest peak in this neck of the woods, Macdui is a classic big day out. Incredibly fast and open gravel at the top, I stuck to the traditional route going down via Glen Derry to the Hutchinson Memorial Hut. This section is distracting in its beauty but has a lot of features to keep you on your toes. The ride back along Glen Lui was a delight – it was dark by that time and bats were riding in front of my face, using me to bounce noise off.
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[b]Beinn Mheadhoin[/b]
A solitary peak hidden in the Cairngorms, surrounded by glens and lochs on all sides, Beinn Mheadhoin is an easy one to miss if you’re focussed on the Glen Derry descent. However, it’s worth adding on to the Ben Macdui day out – I did it on its own and it was steep and lively, but it didn’t take long to attain the summit from Loch Etchachan. There were a few bits that, in the strong winds, I didn’t complete but the rest is good to go. It also has a very satisfying stretch of Cairngorm rubbly plateau to enjoy at the top.
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[b]Derry Cairngorm[/b]
I’d never really thought this would be worth it, but Sanny (who I almost finally got to ride with this year) said it did and I trust him implicitly. The top takes a bit of work – it’s a mess of boulders and as I was trudging through it, watching every step, in strong winds and fog I was regretting my choices. Eventually though my turns had been earned and a great descent – first shallow and fast singletrack then steeper twistier lumpy singletrack to the bottom – followed. I’d say this was actually a better descent than Glen Derry, but it’s definitely harder work.
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[b]Wetherlam[/b]
Back down to the Lakes for a couple of hills, starting with Wetherlam. Now, only a couple of weeks prior to this I’d been quite rude about Wetherlam, saying it’s basically just grass. I don’t take it all back, but it’s more exciting than I remember and I think I’d skirted round one of the more interesting bits by mistake (there’s a maze of routes down it). I’d still prefer the Copper Mines descent or the Old Man but if you want to tick this one off, it’s worth doing. We climbed from the East which is a spicy way to do it.
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[b]Ard Crags[/b]
Nowhere near as gnarly as their name suggests, Ard Crags is a nice short ride that most people could have a crack at. Largely grassy singletrack, it’s steep in places but there’s nothing unmanageable. We tied it in with an extra climb up by Moss Force then descended to Buttermere from Buttermere Moss. This extra descent was a delight – mixed rocky and grassy singletrack with some satisfying switchbacks all the way to the valley floor.
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[b]Goat Fell[/b]
The last hill of the year was touch and go. I was working out west and thought I’d take the opportunity to take the boat to Arran and ride Goat Fell. Despite glorious weather on the day I was working the forecast for the day after was vile – strong winds and heavy rain, with Calmac threatening serious disruption. In the end the weather wasn’t as bad as I expected but still bad enough that I had to fit the ride in between only one round of the ferries as the last one was cancelled
With that pressure in mind, and some vile weather at the top, I didn’t quite make the summit. However, what I did ride was superb. The top has big slabs mixed with big drops and is very rough in places. Going back up sections didn’t look rideable but everything went. The lower section into the woods gets rowdier still, with drops into big ruts with boulders poking out, clamouring for your fork stanchions. It all ends with a very fast blast on walker’s paths back to the 39 Steps.
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Now that's mountain biking. Great stuff.😃🍺
oooh, I like the Year in Mountains threads every year.
Thanks Luke 👍👍👍👍👍👍
YAY!
#Threadoftheyear
Proper mtbing. Lovely, thanks.
Dreish is one I've been wanting to do for a long time.
Superb stuff, I cant wait for my 2 week trip next year!!
cracking that Luke, as it is every year.
Can't remember the rules on this, are random contributions allowed?
Always a highlight of the year!
Never fails to impress and inspire
As others have said, it’s an annual highlight! Full of jealousy!
Best thread as ever!
Glad you liked Derry cairngorm. The top section does indeed make you question why you are there but when the flow starts, it is just magic.
We will definitely do a ride in the Spring!
From left field, I rode the tops north of Raise in the Lakes today. On a normal day, they are boggy despair but heading south to north with several days of sub zero conditions and hoar frost, all of the climbs went while the lack of wind and blue skies made for an unforgettable day in the mountains. Not in any way technical but one of those days to savour.
Next time you do Vrackie, when you hit the track to the saddle off the descent, head to the saddle then carry up onto the shoulder. Lovely moorland trail through the heather then some smashing hand cut trails down to the golf course. Really rather special!
Cheers
Sanny
Love this yearly treat!
Super stuff!
@thegeneralist - contributions are inspiration!
@poah - it's not a world beater but it's a nice ride and very easy to get to from much of Scotland. Do it from the north otherwise you'll climb and descend a Landrover track.
Thats wonderful. Thanks.
Real life commitments of starting a business explain why I'm hardly ever on this forum any more. And when I checked my tally of mountains ridden this year, it came to exactly 1: A loop of Ullswater and the Helvellyn ridge over the Dodds (that Sanny mentioned above) on Easter sunday, fuelled by a fantastic surprise Macmillan coffee morning at Ruthwaite Lodge. Covid also had a part to play, literally knocking the wind from my sails for 3 months too.
More next year...
Great thread as always 🙂
Well, apart from any sort of encouragement to take a bike up Carn a Mhaim...
That boulder field up onto Macdui, on a scorching day, with a hefty susser on my back, after going up and over Beinn aBhuird, nearly had me greeting.
My own tally of big days out was hampered this year by a silly workload, just repeating some choice stuff close(ish) to home.
I noticed a few pictures without a bike in it, could do better.
But, yes, amazing photos and very very inspiring!
Always a delight this. Thanks again,
Great thread & pictures. That rocky step on the Ciaran Path in your picture :o) My bottle went on that bit after stopping to scope it out. There's a semi decent path below the Blackwater Dam avoiding the twirly spikes that were installed a couple of years back. It's not that obvious but you can get from one side to the other.
What are twirly spikes please?
Anti-climb features on top of a fence or gate.
@bunnyhop - they now have these things on top of the fence at the top of the dam. They're spiked but also rotate as you grab them so, particularly with a bike, it's very difficult to get over alone.
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@davesport - it wasn't as bad as I expected, it is essentially just a scary looking roller, and in the wet it was actually easier than the chicken line!
:DW: over the pix as always.
And as ever this thread comes around all too quick, and as ever, me commenting about how quick it comes around has come around too quick
#Threadoftheyear
That in spades... As much as i love my MTBing, i absolutely love this thread every year it comes up.
Thanks for explaining and photo of twirly spikes guys. Vicious looking.
Bloody hell, you get over those twirly spikes!
I’m so jealous of you guys with proper riding nearby, incredible pics, thanks for sharing.
Excellent thread. Always look forward to it.
Excellent thread. Proper mountain biking and Amazing pics.
I was unaware of this fabulous annual thread. I agree that it’s my thread of the year!
Really inspirational thread, wish I hadn't lost my mojo for big days out on the bike.
Luke, was that down the Kilbo path from Dreish? This used to be an eroded trench across the side of the ridge, has it been rebuilt? The two Clova munros can form part of an epic loop starting from Glen Callater taking in Carn an Tuirc, Cairn of Claise, Tolmont, Tom Bhuidhe, Mayar, Dreish, down to Glen Doll up Glen Clova then Broad Cairn, Cairn Bannoch and Carn an t-Sagairt Mor.
I also prefered Sanny's Derry Cairngorm route over the lower section of the Coire Etchachan route.
Carn a Mhaim boulder field up to Macduibh can be avoided by spiralling up rightwards and joining the Sron Riach route up.
Chickenman- yeah, we went over Mayar then up Driesh and down the Kilbo path. I do need to get into Tom Bhuide at some point to tick that off so I'll bear that in mind.