I'm hoping to do this soon and I've got it in my head I don't want to cross the A9 (I know daft) I know since the A9 was made into duel carriageway that at the end of the loop there's wee tunnels under the road that get you back to Aviemore but on the way to the climb I'm not sure if there is. Does any one know If I'll have to dash across the A9 or if there's any tunnels at that end of town?
Thanks in advance
Head south out of Aviemore and then as you say a few tunnels and cut through bits, no crossing of A9. I can ride it but not describe it clearly enough, but Scotroutes will be along in a moment with the proper version 😁
Out past La Taverna on the footpath/Speyside Way.
Under the first tunnel.
Turn left out of the tunnel, climb a wee hill and you'll be on the (very wide) hard shoulder of the A9.
Head south on a clearly defined path through the grass.
After 100m or so, veer over to the fence.
You'll see the path go through a gap in the fence. Follow this through some scrub and birch until you come to a small quarry.
Carry on along the broken tarmac (old bit of A9) until a gate.
Through the gate and you'll see the signpost for the Burma Road.
I added it to OpenStreetMap some time ago. This was to help ensure that there would be some sort of path retained when they dual that part of the A9.
Ive been up the Burma road about 6 times now and never even considered going out of my way not to cross the A9 especially if it means climbing over a fence. The road is not a dual carriageway and there is a proper junction at either side for vehicles and all other users the road is not that busy unless your unlucky with peak times.
You're not climbing a fence - you're riding through a gap in it. The ride through the woods is also a lot nicer than along the road.
Look up the trails at High Burnside for a fun bit of tech at the end of the Burma loop. There's a tiny tunnel (as in you have to duck!) at the bottom of the housing estate that takes you back under the A9 and end up near the middle of Aviemore.
Got a pass early this morning so buggered off before the words " its a nice day for some gardening" were heard! Thanks to Scotroutes and Ian for the directions, they were what i had on my planned route but i couldn't figure it quite out from google maps/street view as i was convinced the A9 was duel carriageway past Aviemore now but like Eddie says its not. Nice little bit of single track once you cross over and go through the gap in the fence although its a bit overgrown at the minute. Weather was stunning and not even thinking of sun cream my wife now informs me the back of my neck is now bright red which will be from the initial climb which involved a lot of pushing as I thought I'm not going to kill myself at the start. It was a great day out, the slog up the massive first hill was worth it for the rest of the ride although the last 4 or 5 miles getting into Aviemore I was wishing I was just back in the car as I was spent by this point but once I knew i was close to Aviemore again I got a second wind. I did do one of the trails at High burnside Murf as it cut off a bit of fire road and it was fun but by that point i was tired so didn't do it justice.
All in all a cracking day out 🙂
Cool. Glad you found the track. Sounds like I need to ride it a bit more in order to get rid of some of the greenery (or go along and chop it back).
Oh - when they do eventually dual that section of the A9, they'll be continuing the cycle track that currently runs from Kincraig Wildlife Park, past Alvie and it'll end at that underpass just south of Aviemore. Not the most scenic option but it's good we're at least getting something out of the A9 budget.
