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Testing out the new forum's ride report capabilities.
Dicking around on Strava route planner I sort of stumbled on a very appealing route taking in some stuff I'd ridden almost two decades ago bikepacking on the MTB, some new (to me) stuff taking in some classic MTB trails, and a whole bunch of sneaky riverside singletrack a stone's throw from the A9.
Link here: https://strava.app.link/0hMvm93M6Rb
Looked like this:
Beautiful but misty climb out of Dunkeld to Loch Ordie:
Then scenic but increasingly wet and boggy trails on to the Oisseanaich lochs and the old pass over to Pitcarmick Loch.
The descent from Pitcarmick was a hoot, almost puddle free, swooping and rolling land rover track, then on to a short section of entertaining and techy singletrack on the Cateran Trail to Kirkmichael for coffee and cake.
More land rover tracks to Enochdu and some singletrack through felled forest.
I was surprised at the length and quality of the dead end tarmac climb from Enochdu up through Glen Fearnach, wouldn't mind revisiting on the road bike.
I branched left at Daldhu to visit Loch Loch, inspired by a Rusty Rides Gravel video. Very beautiful spot and another riotous descent back to the junction, rattled a shifter loose in the process!
Back at Daldhu I turned left again to continue the climb up Glen Fearnach, towards Fealar Lodge. This was on gravel now and felt like quite a big and wild climb, I began to wonder if it surpassed e.g. the Burma Road but having checked since I see Burma Road climbs more, although is perhaps shorter in distance.
Enjoyed finally reaching Fealar Lodge, I've known about it for decades as an MTB classic but never visited. The classic singletrack descent to Glen Tilt would have been a disappointment if that was all I had come for, the exposure was fun and it was mostly rideable if boggy and eroded in places, but I've ridden more exciting stuff elsewhere. I didn't realise I was on the final zig-zags until it was suddenly very steep and loose and beyond my abilities on a gravel bike! Short enough walk to the Glen Tilt singletrack on the other side though.
Glen Tilt itself was, well, Glen Tilt as I've always experienced it, i.e. very beautiful but a miserable slog downhill into a stiff headwind coming up the glen. One day I'll enjoy myself coming down here!
After refuelling in Blair Atholl I picked up the cycle path on the other side of the river, then singletrack from Killiecrankie to Pitlochry which was very good fun.
To make up for list time and rapidly depleting legs I followed the NCN minor roads from Pitlochry to Inchmagrannachan, tailwind and gradual descent meant almost spinning out my 48x11 and rethinking my plans to go 1x earlier in the day 🙄
I picked up the final sections of riverside singletrack into Dunkeld as a grand finale and restored a bit of pride after a lengthy spell on the tarmac.
Overall delighted with the route although it would definitely have suited a longer summers day with lest of a westerly! Could definitely improve the return leg, I'm thinking the final singletrack wasn't good enough to merit skipping all the good gravel between basically Guay and Dunkeld, and I would love to find a way to avoid all the boggy stuff north of Loch Ordie, but that would mean missing the gravel descent from Pitcarmick Loch, so I think just saving it for drier conditions would be better.
This is a wonderful post. (Although I’m not personally much into gravel biking (yet)). I think more of us should post this kind of thing. But I think very few of us are adequately organised and eloquent, and good enough photographers, so make such a thread as nicely as this. Good work.
Loch loch there was a Hercules crashed there a few years back, it was so remote maybe 12 miles from the nearest road
Cracking run when the sun is shining
Nice report but what are
Testing out the new forum's ride report capabilities
Ah sorry, just being easily able to post multiple pics! 😎
Although I was curious how many I could post, 11 it would seem.
and good enough photographers
I'm not, I rely on the GoPro and my Pixel 9 and just papp away constantly, often on the move. I had to whittle about 144 photos down to 10! 😂
Fab! It's amazing the the 50k OS map still has the track continuing due north from Lochan Oisinneach Beag...has this ever existed? I think I'm right in saying that the Dunkeld-Kirkmichael route was Queen Victoria's carraige route to Balmoral before the railway to Aberdeen and Ballater was built, must have been quite a bone rattler though.
You can avoid the bogs north of Loch Ordie by heading west towards Tulliemet and Loch Broom, then over the hill to Loch an Oisineach Mor.
Adds a bit of distance on but possibly quicker and the decent down to the Loch is fun on a gravel bike.
Fab! It's amazing the the 50k OS map still has the track continuing due north from Lochan Oisinneach Beag...has this ever existed? I think I'm right in saying that the Dunkeld-Kirkmichael route was Queen Victoria's carraige route to Balmoral before the railway to Aberdeen and Ballater was built, must have been quite a bone rattler though.
Yes! I remember first reading about Queen Victoria's 'Lost' road north of Oisinneach Beag in the wee brown Bije Scotland guidebook, I never found it first time looking but there is now an almost all rideable (if not for some boggy squelchy bits) signposted trail which joins another track that can be followed to Pitcarmick/Kirkmichael.
You can avoid the bogs north of Loch Ordie by heading west towards Tulliemet and Loch Broom, then over the hill to Loch an Oisineach Mor.
Adds a bit of distance on but possibly quicker and the decent down to the Loch is fun on a gravel bike.
Awesome, will check that out 👍
But I think very few of us are adequately organised and eloquent, and good enough photographers, so make such a thread as nicely as this. Good work.
Well said. And that's quite the epic for a one day ride.
Excellent write up, you're tougher than me though, I'd be doing that loop on a mountain bike. 👌
You can avoid the bogs north of Loch Ordie by heading west towards Tulliemet and Loch Broom, then over the hill to Loch an Oisineach Mor.
There was a high, locked gate on that route a few years ago, with a (non-compliant) No Entry sign. It might have been at Baledmund. Do you know if that's been resolved?
Ah sorry, just being easily able to post multiple pics! 😎
Although I was curious how many I could post, 11 it would seem
Yeah, the previous limit was (I think) 6 or 8 which made such ride reports a bit of a pain. Nice to see that fixed and we'll hopefully see more excellent posts like this one.
There was a high, locked gate on that route a few years ago, with a (non-compliant) No Entry sign. It might have been at Baledmund. Do you know if that's been resolved?
I've not been up there for a couple of years and it was clear then, but I stay between Blairgowrie and Dunkeld so it's easy for me to go and check it out.
Won't be this weekend though as I have a mini digger to play with 😁
Unfortunately not. Digging out a load of leylandii trees.
I've always regarded the Corrieyairack climb from the A9 end as the potentially wildest.
I may be biased because when I was a callow youth I was caught in a blizzard near the top in August and ended up having to overnight with summer camping gear.
Effing miserable shivering all night. Next morning the sun was out, melted all the snow, and I got sunburn.
It taught me a lesson though. After that I always dressed for the mountain, not the ride, when heading into isolated spots.
I've always regarded the Corrieyairack climb from the A9 end as the potentially wildest.
Oooh yeah, there's lots of big remote looking climbs around there, I've been wanting to visit the windfarm behind the Tarf reservoir.
The more easterly route up to Lochan OB I remember as being much drier and more singletrack than the normal route up from Loch Ordie.
Awesome.
The Glen Tilt singletrack descent scares me, not gonna lie - even on a big bike. There's that 10m stretch where if you fall to your left you'd just pretty much die. But that's probably me being a coward.
The climb towards Fealar lodge is a killer in a headwind. Especially when you realise you've accidentally brought sugar free sweets with you.
that 10m stretch where if you fall to your left you'd just pretty much die.
In my colleagues experience it was "only" a simple lung puncture.
The Glen Tilt singletrack descent scares me, not gonna lie - even on a big bike. There's that 10m stretch where if you fall to your left you'd just pretty much die. But that's probably me being a coward.
I have a theory that for very skinny, slow speed stuff like this, the gravel bike might be an advantage, I certainly feel you can thread some quite improbable lines with the skinny tyres!
I thought the Fealar Lodge singletrack felt very similar to the Faindouran / Fords of Avon singletrack, I have a nice photo saved somewhere of didn'thurt riding that...
In my colleagues experience it was "only" a simple lung puncture
Yikes, which bit did he fall off??