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I am planning a [ off road preferably]trip this summer with my kids - 9 and 8 - they will do about 25 miles a day or about 10 ish without moaning 😉 Nice if there is other stuff to see and do en route.
The plan is to bivvy/camp on a route somewhere and , partly due to them and partly because I will be towing everything in a trailer, we need a relatively flat ish route. For locals they can clear the climbs at Rivvy but they are not going to want to do hundreds or thousands of metres of climbing per day and I am not going to want to to listen to them moan about it.
I dont mind where but Up Norrth/lakes/wales or Scotland is the preferred choice.
Does anyone have any ideas or suitable websites?
Ta
You'd manage a fairly easy route round Rothiemurchus, over to Nethy Bridge and back to Scabbymore? 50km or thereabouts. You'd likely be pushing on the short climb up to Ryvoan Bothy but other than that I think you'd be fine.
Callander (or even Aberfoyle) to Killin on NCN7 would be another option, but you'd have to work out a way of getting back to the start.
You could probably construct a decent two day/short days loop in the S Lakes with a bivvy/camp on Claife by the tarns, using the Ferry from Windermere. Dubbs/Troutbeck/Jenkin Crag plus chips in Ambleside on the out-leg and heading across Winster/Ings on the second (easier) day?
Still might be bumpy and moany in places, comes with the territory.
An easier option from Aviemore would be to the FC campsite at Glenmore (which I've never used). Note the cafe at Glenmore next to the site has a fine view of red squirrels on a feeder.
[quote=slowoldgit ]An easier option from Aviemore would be to the FC campsite at Glenmore (which I've never used). Note the cafe at Glenmore next to the site has a fine view of red squirrels on a feeder.
Taint very far though. Might be OK for a first lunch stop 🙂
Lots of variations on the way though, and the option of the direct route if the weather turns bad. Long way around Loch an Eilein, with a castle to see, loop around the other little loch which is a bit wild, around L. Morlich, the FC routes at Glenmore up to the green lochan. Beyond this the track gets rougher. And then back the same-ish way, or an easy descent home on the logging way, or maybe the Sluggan route and back on the valley road?
Somewhere between ten and twenty-five miles, as spec.
Cheers scots routes and it would be nice to take them [ to my] home
we do ride in the Lakes and we did the [ much lower] part of kentmere but the real issue is the younger one likes downhills and hates climbing and the elder loves climbing and hates downhill. this can mean one walking in either direction. Finding a route that they will both do at the same speed is somewhat difficult but thanks for what i have so far.
Should have said looking to do about 5 days so about 75-100 miles in total
Lots of Land Rover track accessibility around the Balmoral/Braemar/Linn of Dee neck of the woods. If you are avoiding the bigger climbs then you will be looking at out and back for things like the Quioch and White Bridge, Glen Slugain etc but if they are first time they always feel completely different on the return anyway 🙂
If you camp at Braemar there is plenty of fun riding for an afternoon around the likes of Craig Coileach (sp?) right at the village but there are a few teccy bits including steps.
You could also incorporate a bothy stay, say Gelder Shiel or Glas Allt, though the latter is in Glen Muick and getting there would involve some of the South Deeside Road from Easter Balmoral which can be quite busy. Overall it would be a much quieter trip than on the Aviemore side of the hill though.
Have a good time whatever you do 🙂
Cheers all i will look at some scotland routes and a wee lakes routes as a pre cursor as i dont want 6 days of hellish moaning.
as a more general point, have you looked into Geocaching? Kids often get quite into the whole "treasure hunt" angle and it can give them something to look forward to on a walk/cycle.
I'd be quite happy to hide a few little surprises in the area for you 😉
The first part of the Great Glen Way from Fort William to Fort Augustus, following the Caledonian Canal, is pretty flat, and you could detour onto the forest tracks in Leanachan.
I don't know the section from Fort Augustus to Inverness, but I think this is more of a walking route, so might not be suitable.