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A mate and I are doing some touring up there in 2 weeks time. Our original 3 day tour plan has now had a week in a camper van touring about added on.
The 3 day tour plan involves riding from Braemar, to aviemore via glen feshie, then back over Ben Macdui then a loop around Lochnagar. However, having seen scotroutes recent photos it has made me wonder how advisable that is.
We are also looking at riding in Torridon and probably Ben Lomond.
Anyone got any idea of current snow conditions so I can firm up a plan? Looking at the photos I have seen 2 weeks may not make much difference to the amount of snow.
Thanks
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/sick-of-the-incessant-snow-updates/page/10 ]Still a lot there, apparently[/url]
Luke - I think you'll mostly be OK for Torridon and Lomond. While there is still some snow out west, it's not like it is here in the Gorms. Another couple of weeks of warm(ish) rain can actually make a huge difference at this time of year (though it's only 6C here today). UNlike many folk who go into the mountains up here, you're smart enough to realise that you [i]may[/i] encounter some snow so just factor that into your plans.
I'm currently sipping coffee and looking out to the northern corries. I've changed plans today but if it wasn't so driech I'd go up onto the plateau to see if I could get over Macdui but I'm equipped for walking as much as biking. Scotroutes, as part of my alternative plan I may be doing a tour of the Islay shelf in the Old Bridge Inn later.
We were around all the tops of Aviemore, Torridon, Fort William and Devil's Staircase week before last and the snow was higher than all the tracks and only in very small patches.
We went up to 780m at Aviemore and 700m at Torridon.
Only the very tops of the very highest peaks and plateaus looked like they would pose any problems.
Because of the snow-melt, many of the rivers are running high though, so normally deep fords might be tricky.
Long range forecasts (for what they were worth) are predicting quite a bit of warmer weather for the next few weeks (15-19c) with a few hours of snow.
Typical that the year I get time to go mucking about up there the snow sticks so long!
Alex- good to hear out west is OK.
Hmmm reading this with interest.
I'm waiting for a train at the moment, be in Inverness tonight. From tomorrow I'll be heading towards Cape Wrath using some roads but chunks of the HTR550 route. I'd looked at this and thought I'd be well below the snowline - is this going to be the case? My route is never cast in stone, so I'll keep an eye on this.
Don't worry, the HTR route will all be clear (but likely wet).
Excellent, thanks
Edit - wet I can live with!
The [url= http://www.cairngormsloop.net/map.html ]Cairngorms Loop[/url] last weekend was clear of snow apart from one approx 15 meter patch on the Lairig Ghru.
Rivers were low and routes were reasonably solid (apart from all the bogs, of course!).
That's good to know. Lairig ghru is in our plans. We will probably miss Torridon given how far away it is.
Current loose plan is-
Inners/road bikes in the borders
Braemar to Aviemore via Glen Feshie and Can Bhan Mor
Lairig Ghru
Aviemore to Braemar via Ben Macdui (or as close to the top as we can get)
Lochnagar
Laggan
Devil's staircase and Ciaran path
Ben Lomond
Something in the lakes on the way back south.
Devil's staircase and Ciaran path was amazing. Loved that ride.
That and the two Torridon days were my highlights.
We were there on the day they had the pre65 moto trials and that was cool to see too.
Macdui a week ago (yes that is a skier in the shot)
http://www.winterhighland.info/touring/displaypic.php?id=29605,3903#start
Still some massive snowfields up there - will take more than a few weeks to shift (short of a sustained heatwave)
Afternoon,
Can only help with the Torridon area and as I think it's now three weeks since I was there....... But with that in mind you can see how little snow there was in the last couple of entries in my blog
[url= http://www.cheekynorthernmonkey.blogspot.it ]www.cheekynorthernmonkey.blogspot.it
[/url]
We had a great time.
Take care
Dan
Anyone got any recent updates? Hoping the warm weather and a bit of pissing rain will have sorted the worst of it.
Bookmarks - I'm due a Cairngorm tour next weekend....
Some snow patches still lurking when we crossed the Minigaig on Sunday. The ground is, of course, very wet (snow melt) and there's a decent amount of water in the various rivers (I think we forded five).
Would I be mental for doing a Cairngorm loop at the end of July? It's my 30th so would quite like to do it over then, but also have visions of midgegeddon - or just a case STFU?*
*Smidge The **** Up
honeybadger- STFU.
Scotroutes- wet ground I can handle. Sounds good.
The outer loop was perfectly fine last weekend. Some rivers a bit high but not crazy high
[url= http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3688 ]link to bearbones[/url]