[Closed] Southern caringorm route advice

I haven't seen it myself but I've heard the Lairig Ghru really isn't a bike ride - more like a bloody hard hike for a few miles.

Anyone know if that's correct?

Having walked through the Lairig Ghru, I wouldn't be tempted to do it again carrying a bike.

Avoid the Lairig Ghru and do the Lairig Laoigh instead. Its far more ridable compared to the Ghru. The Lairig Laoigh will probably take less time and use less energy as you won't be having to carry your bike over 10 foot boulders, and it has a kick ass descent down towards the outdoor lodge.

the only really good bit of the Lairig Ghru I think is the drop back towards Aviemore :

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Ta, was thinking that the Laoigh may be better than the Ghru.
Any incling of a Feelar lodge to Spittal of Glenshee route??

Breamar - Aviemore is great done rding East to West via the Geldie and Feshie as the feshie section is the jewel of that ride. Glen Tilt is best done North to South, as the narrow section above the Gorge is sweet.
Lairig an Laoigh is really top notch riding but very remote. I would suggest best done North to South.

So in short ride from Aviemore via Glenmore round Bynack More to the Fords of Avon and Lairig Laoigh to Braemar.
Return via Linn of Dee, White Bridge, Geldie, Glen Feshie and don't forget to ride the bothy trail at grid ref NH 883 056.

This gives you a hard first day and a more mellow second.

First Photo is Lairig Laoigh, second Glen Feshie.

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Fealar Lodge to Spittal of Glenshee - I've ridden this the other way which involves a big climb to the top of Glas Tuliachean then some trackless bog to pick up the path between Carn an Righ and Mam nan Carn. this has some good riding but is a bit discontinuous. Going the other way would give you a mental descent to S of G, but the climb would be a bit of a mofo (lots of carrying and tricky navigation if the cloud is down).

The other option is the Enochdhu/back over the hill option - this is ok and gives a nice descent to finish.

Lairig Ghru with a bike is a bit of a death march, though I've only gone N -> S. Mostly not rideable until you pass the pools of Dee after which there is a brilliant descent to Glen Luibeg. Since you're going the other way, definitely Lairig an Laoigh/Fords of A'an. It's a bit frustrating in places but worth it for the descent off Bynack Mor.

thanks all,

I think my mind is becoming a bit clearer on routes.

Still looking for accomodation in Braemar

Just a quick heads up for when you're in the area.

The 'India Jones' bridge at Carnachuin in Glen Feshie just before Landseer's Bothy was washed away last week (The one that's had the 'dangerous bridge' sign on it forever).

Plan to go down the east side of the Feshie or you'll get wet...

thanks what_tyres

>The 'India Jones' bridge at Carnachuin in Glen Feshie just before Landseer's Bothy was washed away last week<

Finally...

That should hasten the "planned new bridge"

I took a Duke of Edinburgh group down the Lairig Ghru last weekend, it is NOT passable on a bike just now.

Why's that then Duckman?

just what I was thinking, do you have a reason or pictures why it's not passable?

One person's not pasable is another person's fun

Not passable for a D of E group perhaps...

And there's nae snaw up there - yet 😉

The river was obviously right up the week before with the flooding,the water mark was 15 feet up from it's normal level.a lot of the work done on the path in the last couple of years had been washed away,some of the mini bridges over the burns were also gone.It was rough to walk about a k past the turn for the bothy,really boggy and a lot of debris on the path. It would be a really frustrating 7k down to white bridge. One of my favourite routes is the through from Linn o Dee to Blair Atholl, which is always rideable, believe me, it is a mess just now.

Aye that can be a mess at the best of times but I'm assuming Luibeg Bridge / Derry Lodge will have held up ok?

Duckman, was that you and the group I bumped into on Saturday about 16:00 having a paddle at the Falls of Tarf? I was the single guy on the black Santa Cruz

The damage done to the path from White Bridge. Do you mean there are just some more burns to hump the bike over, or is the whole path a mess and not worth trying to bike?

Captain, aye it was us. I was sweeping behind the first group. I was told what you had done that day,impressive! Luibeg/Derry was ok,the bog just past Derry was a bit worse than usual. As the path turned away from corrocher bothy(sp) to go back to white bridge it got really bad.It starts ok, but when the path joins the river, it gets dire.Most of the stone and grit put down to firm it up is gone.The path was full of debris and we had numerous sink to the knee incidents amoungst the kids in innocent looking patches.The path is in the worst condition I can remember, I wouldn't like to walk it again any time soon. With the exception of the two off camber rocks just before falls of tarf, I can get the whole way along the glen,I would not even think about the l/g just now.

Sorry duckman, I'm getting a little confused here, is the path from Glen Tilt to Falls of Tarf/Whitebridge passable at the moment?

Had planned to ride to Aviemore from Blair Atholl in a couple of weeks, either Lairig Ghru or Lairig an Laoigh, but not interested in a day hiking through bogs and over boulders...

Sorry 13th floor, Yes the Linn of Dee/Glen Tilt/Blair Atholl is passable,(although the Geldy is pigging freezing just now) the lairig Ghru is not,to my mind anyway, for the reasons described above.While that was Friday,and the weather has been good, it was really boggy and the sort of peaty mud that is brutal to cycle through was everywhere.Even the secret camp which is a good dry spot to camp above the river had surface water.

Good info, thanks!

"So in short ride from Aviemore via Glenmore round Bynack More to the Fords of Avon and Lairig Laoigh to Braemar.
Return via Linn of Dee, White Bridge, Geldie, Glen Feshie and don't forget to ride the bothy trail at grid ref NH 883 056.

This gives you a hard first day and a more mellow second."

You dont think it could be done in a day?

all planned for a one day lug! get the mountain rescue no. ready!