Tag Archives: bike packing

Glen Kinglass, Mull and Ardnamurchan, July 2021

Sometimes the best adventures happen by chance….I had been keeping this week free as my sister and her family were planning on the long journey up from Kent to visit us, however just days before setting off, my young nephew tested positive for COVID and everyone had to isolate… I didn’t want to waste this week off, so I hastily started gathering my bike packing stuff together and gave the mountain bike some much need attention and made sure my tubeless tyres were topped up with fresh sealant. With not much time to plan I decided to go some where familiar and so made an early morning start for the 6 hour drive North up to Tyndrum in Scotland and parked up at the Green Welly shop, a familiar landmark on the busy A82 road to Glen Coe and Fort William. After an hours faffing around in the carpark, the bike was back together again and the bags strapped on, clothing and food decisions were made and I was off riding by noon. The weather was still glorious if a little breezy but this was to be the last day of the heatwave…the plan was to check out Glenkinglass, a well known and popular off road cycling route. From Tyndrum it’s an easy ride North following the West Highland Way and crossing the A82 at Bridge of Orchy, then along the very quiet road to the Inveroran Hotel. I had passed here many times before but never called in, this time I couldn’t resist and had a very nice pint sitting outside in the sunshine. Refreshments over I continued over the Victoria Bridge and turned left at Forest Lodge and headed west along the Abhainnn Shira, it would be off road all the way now to Taynuilt. I didn’t know how far I would get today and there are loads of places to camp/ bivi along the way, but with the lovely weather and the dry conditions making the boggy bits easy, I was flying along and was really enjoying the riding and the scenery. At the mouth of the River Kinglass the track crosses the river and heads South-West following the edge of Loch Etive, the views are great but the wide track undulates a lot with plenty of stiff, short climbs and I found this quite a gruelling section, I finally rolled into Taynuilt at about 7.30pm, tired and hungry. After a quick look around I called into the Taynuilt Inn for burger and chips and a much needed pint. I was looking for a bivi site now and checked out the Old Pier area but there were already quite a few camper vans and tents down there so I continued on the Oban road for a while and turned off at Airds Bay, where I found a grassy spot next to the loch, it seemed ideal and I was soon unpacked and tucked up inside a cosy sleeping bag, inside my bivi, supping on a small bottle of whisky… however it turns out this was not a good place to stop after all… Loch Etive is a sea Loch and during the night with the tide coming in, the water was definitely getting closer… but it also was raising the water table, so everything was getting decidedly squelchy everywhere, in the end I had to retreat a few feet higher up the shore… big lesson learnt, well at least I know my bivi bag is waterproof! The next morning I was up early and away on the A85 for the 12 miles or so into Oban, passing the impressive Connel Bridge on the way, 4 miles before Oban there is a signposted way for cyclists which takes you down to Ganavan Bay and a very pleasant quiet road into town along the coast. I headed straight over to the ferry port to find out when the next ferry was leaving for Mull and bought a ticket. It was here I got chatting to Indra from Wales…. she had travelled up to Scotland yesterday with her fully loaded touring bike and had had a bit of a nightmare due to delayed trains and missed connections, which meant her bike was no longer booked onto the trains she needed to catch. Her original intention was to start her tour from Lochailort but with all the confusion she decided Oban was just as good! As we chatted on the ferry I found out her plan today was the same as mine, to cycle the southern road loop of Mull, clockwise from Craignure and maybe head for the bothy at the end….We stocked up on goodies from the little store and I left Indra to write postcards to her friends and I headed off alone on the ride, which starts off easy enough before a long steady climb up through Glen More and a fast descent down to the road junction at Loch Scridain, the last time I was here I turned left, for the long detour to Fionnphort and ferry to Iona, but today I turned right around the head of Loch Scridain for a few miles, before another steady climb takes you over to the wild feeling Loch na Keal. At the road junction I carried straight on to Salen and called into “The Little Bespoke Cafe” for a much needed toastie and coffee. Suitably refreshed I then set off to check out the nearby Tomsleibhe bothy, which was open and unoccupied… I was there just over an hour when I heard someone else arriving… I was delighted to see it was Indra and we had a good catch up of the days event and I also had the chance to check out her bike – which was a rather fine looking Dawes Super Galaxy tourer, equipped with large Ortlieb panniers, I did wonder at the time what on earth she had in them as they weighed an absolute ton….over the next few days I would find out and the answer was….a little bit of everything!

The next morning we set off in the steady rain to do the Northern loop of the island, from Salen we rode the loop clockwise along the narrow twisty roads that included several long climbs before enjoying a really fast descent down to Calgary Bay, where we stopped for some food and coffee at the Calgary Arts Cafe and tried to dry out a little. By now the weather was improving and the rain jackets were soon off as we huffed and puffed our way steeply out of Dervaig and managed to hear and spot a distant Golden Eagle. We stopped to admire the view and take some photos high above Tobermory before dropping steeply down into the colourful harbour village. We wanted to catch the ferry from Tobermory to Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan peninsula but we were unsure of the times, so we headed down to the harbour to check the timetable, it turned out we were in time to catch the 6.00pm sailing and even had time to get some tasty takeaway fish and chips from the mobile chippy on the Fisherman’s Pier. We stood on the upper deck of the ferry for the half hour or so journey to the peninsula with the warm air from the ferry’s funnel protecting us from the cold Atlantic wind. Once off the ferry we decided that the legs still had enough energy in them to get us to the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, 6 miles away, we were partly lured on by a sign pointing to a hotel on the way (the thoughts of pub meals and beer did cross my mind) but it turns out the hotel closed some time ago and it seems to be a community garden place now, however the lady who lived there very kindly filled all our water bottles up…..needed for the camp tonight. It was about 8.00pm when we finally got to the lighthouse and from there Indra spotted a fine looking white beach in the distance, so we headed there to set up camp, it was actually a bit trickier to get there than it looked….. and involved a tough yomp over long tussocky grass, a boulder field and a couple of small streams but it was all worth it in the end! We soon had the tent and my bivi set up, carefully avoiding the scores of tiny little frogs which appeared to be everywhere and soon the stove was purring away as the sun was starting to set and the temperature dipped. Indra muttered something about it would be nice to go for a swim and I unenthusiasticly agreed as I pulled up the zipper on my jacket and cupped my chilled hands around the stoves flame….she disappeared into her tent and a few moments later to my amazement, reappeared in a swimming costume, cap and goggles, she was going for it and no messing about neither as she ran through the sea and dived in…… to say I was impressed would be an understatement!!

The next morning we were up early and after a quick brew, we fought our way back to the road and cycled the 6 miles back to Kilchoan and called into the “Puffin Coffee” cafe for much needed coffee and sausage and bacon sandwiches, which went down a treat. Fully refreshed we set off on the 19 mile section of road to Glenborrowdale and then along the shores of Loch Sunart to Salen. Just before Salen there is a very nice sheltered bay with a little path that takes you right to the rocky edge of the Loch, here we stopped to get the stove on and made a meal, once again the lure of the water was proving too much for Indra and it wasn’t long before the swimming costumes were back on for a chilly but enjoyable 10 minute swim in Loch Sunart. Back at Salen was to be the place where we went out separate ways, Indra planned on heading North to Lochailort train station, where she would get the train home early the next day, I was thinking about heading East to Ardgour and the ferry to Corran and cycling along the A82 for a few miles before picking up the West Highland Way, which would be off-road all the way back to Tyndrum. Indra spent almost an hour on the phone trying to confirm a place on the train for her bike but with no success. Having been refused access to a train already this trip she was reluctant to head to a small station without this reassurance, so we looked at the map…after some head scratching we decided on a new plan, in a nutshell the idea now was for us both to head to Oban… (via Mull again!) from here we could both easily get to where we wanted to be. So we set off on the flat, pleasant road that skirts Loch Sunart, past Strontian and around the head of the Loch before heading South on the A884 that goes to Gleann Gael, this route has a sting in the tail though, in the form of a hill that literally goes on for miles, it was gone 8.00pm by the time we finally got to the top, once over this formidable obstacle however there are 2 fantastic warp-speed descents to enjoy… About 4 miles before Lochaline (where the ferry leaves from) with the light fading we pulled off and found a place to camp and get the stove on….it took a while before they found us but word soon got around and before long it felt like half the West Coasts population of midges had come to join the party….. Indra had a rummage in her cavournous panniers and produced some smidge and a bush hat with a midge net on, I told you she had a little bit of everything in them!

The next morning we rode down to Lochaline for the short ferry crossing to Fishnish on the Isle of Mull and had a quick bacon sandwich at the ferry cafe before cycling the 6 miles or so down to Craignure and waited for the next ferry to Oban. Here Indra met up with Ruth, another cycle tourist whom she met on day 1 of the trip and had a catch up. Back at Oban we all went for a quick meal and pint at the Corryvreken pub before dashing off to catch the same train, Ruth and Indra heading South and me getting off at Tyndrum to see if my car was still there….it had been another memorable Scottish adventure…..

Rode past here many times but this time the temptation proved too much…

Riding West along the Abhainn Shira shortly after the Forest Lodge turnoff, heading for Glen Kinglass. — Rode past here many times but this time the temptation proved too much…

Exploring Arran, October 2019

Cycling Scotland’s North Coast 500

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North Coast 500 route http://www.northcoast500.com/

Scotland’s North Coast 500 is probably the best bike ride I have ever done. A combination of the route, scenery and beautiful sunny weather for the entire trip made this a memorable ride. The route starts and finishes at Inverness Castle and is 516 miles long. The route was officially launched in 2015 by the tourism board for the North Highlands to boost visitor numbers and increase business and it has been a huge success though not universally welcomed by all locals who value their quiet way of life. For the cyclist the NC500 presents a tough challenge with some serious climbs and exposed roads where you are at the mercy of the elements. There are a few recommended variations to the normal route for cyclists, eg around Lochinver and later on near Portskerra where the A897 can be taken, which avoids having to cycle south on the busy A9 road. The week before I set off I came across a great YouTube video by the GCN boys with Simon Richardson and Mark Beaumont it’s called Bikepacking Scotlands North Coast 500 , it’s beautifully shot and well worth a look.

Day 1 Inverness to Applecross

Looking back to Tornapress on the way up to the Bealach na Ba

An early start saw me in the Inverness Youth Hostel car park reassembling the bike from the back of my car and making those last minute adjustments about what to take based on how the weather was looking. It was about 8.00am by the time I cycled round to the castle for the obligatory setting off photo. By chance it was here I got talking to a guy called Liam Harris, he runs a cycle touring holiday business www.gocycletours.co.uk and this week he had 5 clients doing the NC500 and setting off at the same time as me. The clients do the cycling without carrying anything and Liam provides the backup with a transit van and they camped there way around the route. Over the next few days we would be leapfrogging each other and meeting up in cafes and pubs a lot. I made my way out of the city via the end/start of the Great Glen Way, (a route I had done a few years ago), then cycled along the Caledonian Canal until I reached the A862 and headed for Beauly and Muir of Ord, then left to Contin and Garve. It was a beautiful sunny morning, quite chilly to start with but it wasn’t long before the gloves and arm warmers were stashed away and as it turned out never used again for the whole trip! The riding from lnverness to Lochcarron is quite easy with gentle climbs, that changes quite dramatically when you leave Lochcarron when a 20% climb has you reaching straightaway for the bottom gear… a good warmup for what is to come……. The Bealach na Ba is one of the highlights of the whole route, a fearsome long climb and swooping descent that allows access to the Applecross Peninsular. My bed for the night was the SYHA affiliated hostel called Hartfield House, about a mile away from the popular Applecross Inn.

Day 2 Applecross to Kinlochewe

Robert on the hilly road around the Applecross Peninsular

my cousin Robert was by chance stopping at Kinlochewe caravan site this week, he is a keen cyclist and despite being 71years young is still strong on the bike. He set off from the caravan about 7.30am and we met on the Applecross Coast road at Fearnmore. We then cycled back to Kinlochewe together along the very hilly northern section of this road to Shieldaig, stopping off at the very nice Nanny’s cafe for a big breakfast, where we also caught up with Liam and his cycling group. Then it was a stunning ride down to Annat and along Glen Torridon with great views over to Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe and down to Kinlochewe where I spent the night sleeping in the awning of his caravan. This was only half a days ride really but it allowed us to visit a rather nice pub at Badacro and to go and visit Gairloch.

Day 3 Kinlochewe to Polbain

Gruinard Bay

By 7.45am the next morning I had said my goodbyes to Robert and Delia and was enjoying the early morning sun cycling on the road alongside Loch Maree With the imposing Slioch in the background. It was fairly easy going as far as Gairloch then it got hilly before descending down to Poolewe and past Inverewe Gardens, another steady climb takes you up to a good vantage spot of Loch Ewe, which was a marshalling point for Artic convoy ships during the Second World War. Then it was round Guinard Bay with its beautiful beaches followed by another long steady climb up to a viewing point looking down the length of Little Loch Broom, followed by a very fast descent past the Dundonnell Hotel, well known to mountaineers as its a good base for climbing the mighty An Teallach located behind it, one of the grandest Munros. Another long steady climb ensues before a fast descent down to join the A835 for the 12 mile run into Ullapool along the banks of Loch Ewe. I spent a couple of hours in Ullapool, enjoying the beautiful weather and then resupplying at Tesco’s, I was planning to bivi out tonight so I needed food and drink for later on as well as something for in the morning, when all that was sorted I had an enormous fish and chip supper just to make sure, I might have gone for something smaller had I known about the big climb coming up straight out of town. About 10 mile along this road I turned off left on a small road leads to Achiltibuie and skirts Loch Lurgainn and gives great views of Stac Pollaidh, once past this mountain I was on the look out for somewhere good to bivi for the night, I nearly chose a small sandy spot on the loch side but instead carried on to Polbain and found a good spot on some low grassy cliffs overlooking the Summer Isles and fell asleep listening to the ferry chugging its way back and forward with the sun still shining on my face.

Day 4 Polbain to Durness

Beautiful views on the Nedd to Unapool section

I was out of the bivi by 6.00am and had a quick cup of coffee and some food and was back on the road again before 7.00am making my way around around the tiny hamlets of Atlandhu and Achnahaird then a stiff pull up to join the road I travelled last night past Loch Osgaig turning left at the next junction signposted to Lochinver, this was a beautifully quiet, scenic and hilly road and in the sparkling morning sun I was seeing it at its best. I was looking forward and slightly dreading this next section to Lochinver and Kylesku , Dave Barter in his book “Great British Bike Rides” brings together 40 of the best rides in Britain and highlights this ride (done as a loop from Lochinver) as his personal favourite and he stresses how hilly it is and labels it a bit of a leg ripper! I rolled into Lochinver very hungry and called into a new looking Bunkhouse and cafe (An Cala cafe) for a big Scottish fried breakfast, it was a chance to recharge my phone too. I forgot about the famous pie shop here which I intended to visit and only noticed it when riding out of the village, the road steepened up straightaway but after a few hundred meters I turned off left onto the minor road that gives access to the beautiful beaches at Achmelvich, Clachtoll and Clashnessie Bay. At the tiny hamlet of Drumbeg I called into the very well stocked little store for an ice cream and juice and sat outside on the benches enjoying the sun. After Drumbeg the road got proper hilly with several climbs and one long steep climb in particular standing out. Eventually though the Kyelescu Bridge came into view in the distance across Locha’ Chairn Bhain and it was a long swoop down to rejoin the A894. Here I turned left and crossed the eye catching bridge, stopping to take a photo and admire its sweeping curves. I found the 10 miles to Scourie hard work, a series of long steady climbs combined with a rough road surface and an increasingly strong headwind took their toll and I crawled into town looking for refreshments. Here I teamed up with another cyclist doing the 500 too and we set off for Durness vowing to “take it easy” but competitive instincts took over and I think we both went harder than we really wanted. There is a massive long steady downhill into Durness which goes on for miles but the wind was now so strong we were pedalling downhill just to maintain our speed. The Cape Wrath running festival was on this week and all accommodation in Durness was taken, so after a good meal in the campsite bar/restaurant, it was bivi number 2 on the beach.

Day 5 Durness to John o’ Groats

East side of Loch Eriboll

After a quick cup of coffee and some bars I was back on the road again by 7.00am basking in the warm early morning sun, cycling past Durness Smoo cave and then the millennium cairn and onto the pleasant circuit around Loch Eriboll. The landscape was changing now, the rugged rocky terrain of the West Coast was gone and it was rolling smoother hills which reminded me of the North York’s Moors at times. I stopped at the store at Tongue for some breakfast before continuing onto Bettyhill enjoying scenic views over the Kyle of Tongue on the way. Just before Strathy I came across the section of moor that had been burning for some days, there was a convoy system in place to escort vehicles the mile or so where visibility was really bad due to all the smoke. At Melvich I called into the Haladay inn for a bar meal and pint, where I caught up with the cyclist I rode with yesterday. This was a decision point in the ride. My original intention was to turn right just after Melvich onto the A897, this road would head south on cycle friendly small roads and would be in keeping with the route so far, this was the way the GCN boys went in the video mentioned earlier. However I had never been this far north before and a couple of years ago I was all set for a Lands End to John o Groats attempt before a broken knee cap spoilt everything, I was curious to see the finish point, so I carried heading East on the A836 past the decommissioned nuclear power station at Dounreay, through Thurso and past the golden sands of Dunnet Bay. The strong and cold Easterly wind was making progress slow and I eventually rolled into John o’ Groats at about 5.30pm, after the obligatory photo next to the famous finger post, I headed for the Seaview Hotel just up the road for a bar meal and a couple of pints. I checked out the price of their camping pods, they wanted £50, so I ordered another pint and mentally prepared for bivi number 3 on John o’ Groats Beach. I was tucked up in the sleeping bag by 8.30pm listening to the waves lapping on the nearby shore.

Day 6 John o’ Groats to Inverness

John o’ Groats Hotel and finger post (5.30am)

I was up again at 5.00am, quickly packed my gear away and scrambled back up to the finger post again and took another picture hoping to capture the early morning golden sunshine. The plan today was to try and make it all the way back to Inverness, a ride of about 120 miles. The 17 miles along the quiet A99 into Wick went quickly, where I spotted the Old Pultney whisky distillery. Another 17 miles on the A99 following the coast brought me to Latheron where the road becomes the A9 and the traffic was noticeably heavier. Somewhere near Dunbeath I stopped off at a little roadside cafe and gallery near a Croft to get a sausage sandwich which helped get me up a long Braes of Berridale climb, then continued on to the picturesque Helmsdale, the last 4 mile down to the village is a very fast descent. I arrived in Golspie about 11.30am, just in time to get a huge Scottish fried breakfast at Poppy’s Cafe on the main street. I was looking for ways of getting off the busy A9 now and was advised my best bet would be to continue along it as far as Tain. Just before reaching The town I passed The Glenmorangie distillery, another old favourite single malt of mine, this time I stopped and had a look around. In Tain I picked up the marked cycle route that takes you on a very quiet back road to Alness. This way marked cycle route in fact takes you all the way back to Inverness via Evanton, Dingwall and across the Moray Firth using the Kessock Bridge and delivers you right in the centre of the city. I finally arrived back at Inverness Castle at about 5.30pm, 6 days after setting off, I then cycled round to the Youth Hostel and managed to get the very last bed, a good end to a memorable ride.

: North Coast 500 route map http://www.northcoast500.com/

: Stayed at Inverness Youth Hostel before and after the ride

: Looking over the River Ness to St. Andrew’s Cathedral from Inverness Castle

: Loch Carron

: Inverness Castle… the start and finish point of the ride.

: The Bealach Cafe at Tornapress at the foot of the Bealach na Ba climb

: Bealach na Ba warning signs

: The early slopes of the Bealach na Ba

: Looking back to Tornapress on the way up to the Bealach na Ba

: Bealach na Ba hairpins

: Hartfield House Hostel at Applecross

: Highland cow at Applecross

: Deer at Applecross

: The Applecross Inn

: Applecross war memorial

: Applecross Peninsula views

: Robert on the hilly road that goes around the Applecross Peninsular

: Beinn Alligin

: Shieldaig

: Gairloch

: Loch Ewe, North of Poolewe

: Loch Broom on the run into Ullapool

: Ullapool

: Ullapool

: Had a bivi near to Polbain,looking out to the Summer Isles

: Not far from Lochinver

: Inverkirkaig

: Lochinver

: War Memorial in Lochinver

: North of Clashnessie

: Clachtoll

: Clashnessie Bay

: North of Clashnessie

: Beautiful views on the Nedd to Unapool section

: The road from Nedd to Unapool has a reputation as one of Scotland hilliest roads

: Nedd to Unapool road… looking over to a long steep section (20%)

: View looking North from Drumbeg

: Gruinard Bay

: The Kylescu Bridge which spans Loch a’ Chairn Bhain in Sutherland, opened in 1984

: Durness Beach, site of my second bivi…

: Durness Smoo Cave access

: Durness millennium cairn

: East side of Loch Eriboll

: Loch Eriboll, close to Heilam

: Moorland fire on the road to Portskerra

: Dounreay nuclear power station, which is now being decommissioned

: Dunnet Bay, East of Thurso

: Nomadic Boulders sculpture at John o’ Groats

: John o’ Groats famous finger post

: John o’ Groats harbour

: Bivi site on John o’ Groats beach (8.00pm)

: John o’ Groats Hotel and finger post (5.30am)

: Glenmorangie Distillery at Tain

: Glenmorangie Distillery

: Kessock Bridge from the North

: River Ness flowing into Moray Firth (view from the Kessock Bridge)

: Back at Inverness Castle 6 days later ….

The Cairngorm Loop April 2017

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http://www.cairngormsloop.net/map.html

The Cairngorm Loop is a 186 mile mountain bike route that takes in some of the best tracks and trails that the area has to offer, the challenge of the event is to complete the 186 miles in under 56 hours. You can do this at any time but twice a year (April and September) there is a group ride, effectively a race, there is no entry fee or prize money and it is totally unsupported, you ride as if doing it yourself and no caches or pre-booked accommodation is allowed. More information about the challenge is on the Cairngorm Loop webpage. I put my name down for the April group ride and this was to be my motivation over the winter to get in shape to complete the challenge, it also gave me some time to think carefully about the gear and equipment I would need and also plenty of time to get the bike in good mechanical working order. The bike I use is a 7-year-old Specialized Rockhopper SL hardtail mountain bike, with a 21 inch frame, it has 26 inch wheels, Deore XT gears, Avid Elixir disc brakes and a Rockshox Reba front fork. It fits me well and has an excellent light weight aluminium frame. I hit the trails at the weekend with it and use it for commuting to work during the week, I try to clean it regularly, particularly the drive train and keep it well lubed. However little problems were starting to mount up though, skipping gears, damaged chainring teeth, hard gear shifts, rattling pedals and a rough feeling back wheel…. time for a major overhaul.

Preparing the bike…

Wheels The wheels i have at the moment are an upgrade from a couple of years ago and they have Stans ArchX tubeless ready rims and run on Hope hubs which use cassette bearings, which makes servicing a bit easier.The front wheel was running smooth but the rear wheel was feeling rough so I took the cassette cluster off and then removed the free wheel body, on Hope hubs this just pulls off and comes off with a pop, being carefull not to lose the washer which sits behind it. This gives access to the rear wheel bearings and I could feel with my fingers that one of the cassette bearings was turning very roughly and needed replacing, you tap these out with a drift (or a screwdriver if you are feeling brave…) Hope sells servicing kits which makes knocking these bearings out and back in square a lot easier. With the new bearing in the wheel it was turning smooth again. Before replacing the free hub I removed the 4 pawls and springs (responsible for that distinctive Hope buzzing sound) and cleaned everything up for inspection and found out that one of the springs was broken… this seems to be a problem with Hope hubs as I have broken quite a few, anyhow I replaced it with a new one and greased everything and popped the freehub back on the wheel and made sure it was spinning ok.
New cassette (Shimano XT M770) 9 speed 11-32 ratio, replacing the old 11-34 cassette as I found I was very rarely using the largest 34 cog.
New chain (Shimano HG93) 9 speed. The last time I used a reusable link to join the chain, thinking I could then take it apart for cleaning, in practice I never did though so this time just used the pin Shimano supply with the new chain to join it together. Those re-usable links are handy to keep in your saddle bag though together with a small chain tool for any problems out on a ride.
New chain rings (Shimano Deore FCM590) 44-32-22 ratio. I took the crank arms off the bike to clean everything up and fit these 3 chain rings. You need to make sure you fit these the right way round, particularly the middle one. I fitted the last ones and I think I put it round the wrong way…. I’m sure now that this was responsible for some of the gear change slips I was getting as the Ramps and teeth profile wouldn’t be aligned optimally. With the cranks off it was a good opportunity to clean and re-grease the bottom bracket too.
new Jockey wheels (Shimano 105 RD-5700). This set is compatible with lots of derailleurs including mine, again care need as they are slightly different, the guide pulley is the top one and the tension pulley is the bottom one. I took the derailleur off the bike to replace these as I wanted to give it a good clean and was surprising how much gunk came out of it. After a good soaking with bike spray and oil it was moving much more smoothly.
New gear cables (Shimano MTB stainless steel gear cable set). Everything you need in one bag, cables and outer housing, end caps and cable stops too.
Headset service The bearings at the top and bottom of the steerer tube taken out cleaned and re-greased. I use a small neoprene collar attached with Velcro around the bottom of the steerer tube to help keep the worst of the mud and water out of the bottom bearing.
New pedals (DMR V12 platform pedals). The old pedals were the original alloy ones that came with the bike, they were still usable but were starting to rattle quite a bit.
New tires (Schwalbe Nobby Nics Evo, tubeless snakeskin, (26×2.25) pace star compound). The rims on my wheels are ZTR Stans Archx which are fully compatible with tubeless setups so this is the way I went front and back. The front tyre inflated straight away and soon after I heard the explosive pinging sound of the beads locking into the rims but with the back tyre I had a much harder job, even getting it inflated was tough but to get the beads locked in I tried all sorts of recommended tricks, washing up liquid on the beads, putting a tube in and trying to seat it that way (that got one side seated ok…) what done the job in the end was removing the core from the tubeless valve to allow a greater airflow from the track pump into the tyre, then pumping away furiously until finally with the sweat pouring from my brow I heard the explosive pings of success as the beads locked in. Once the beads are locked in you can deflate the tyres and the beads will stay in place, then you can inject the recommended amount of sealant into the valve hole and put the core back in and inflate the tyre as normal. They should now be immune to normal punctures as the sealant will quickly find and fill the hole in the tyres as it is spinning inside the tyre. The sealant does eventually dry up so check every now and then, I still carry a spare tube, patches and inflater just in case though!

Clothing and equipment…

Something you have to think carefully about is the clothing and equipment you take with you on the ride and that is largely dependant on the weather you are expecting, in Scotland at the end of April that can be a very tricky subject to predict! True to form the week before I travelled up to Braemar, winter returned to large parts of the country for a few days, with fresh snow and freezing northerly winds. On a bike it’s the extremities that feel the cold first, so a warm hat that fits under a helmet and winter mountaineering gloves went in the bag, along with a lightweight Montane insulated jacket which provides instant warm, particularly under a thin waterproof. Footwear choice is very important too as the route fords several rivers with no real choice but to wade straight across and this can lead to very cold feet, after much thought I decided on using my old Mammut summer walking boots, they were lightweight, comfortable and had room to get a nice thick wool sock inside too, which I was hoping would feel warm even when wet and they would be perfect on the hike a bike sections too.

Another big choice has to be made about your sleeping system, how much do you intend to get? and where do you plan to get it? There are bothies on or near the route but conditions on the ground may make you slower than expected or they could be full when you arrive there. I decided to take a lightweight down sleeping bag and a Alpkit Hunka bivi bag, so in theory I could stop anywhere. If you intend riding in the dark you need a good light and these can be expensive, the best mountain bike specific ones are probably by a brand called Exposure, I did have a look at cheap Chinese ones on eBay and was tempted but in the end I decided I would just use my old MYo XP head torch and some spare batteries. I probably would have left the stove and pot in the car just to save weight, the ready cooked meals in a bag are just as nutritious cold. Also there are places on the route to buy hot food if you arrive when they are open. To carry all this gear I used an Apidura seat-post bag (compact size,11 litres), this carried my sleeping bag wrapped inside a plastic bag and I also used a very light-weight OMM 20 litre rucksack for the other stuff including food, some tools, spare socks, maps, compass and a small first aid kit etc.

Waiting for race day…

I drove up to Braemar on Thursday arriving just after 6pm, I got something to eat then reassembled the bike and packed some gear for an overnight bothy stop and set off on the 6 mile ride to the Linn of Dee, just past the car park there is a signed track that heads off north into the heart of the Cairngorms, I took this and headed for Derry Lodge, an old abandoned shooting lodge. I was surprised to read on the notice board that there were plans to turn this lodge into a hostel with warden accommodation, I had mixed feelings when I read this, it certainly would be a good location but I think also it would lessen the remote feel and the commitment needed for the long walk or ride to access the Cairngorms from this side. Also there is a very nice bothy nearby and I wondered what the impact of a hostel would have on that….. it was starting to get a bit chilly when I arrived at the bothy, there were 4 people already in, 2 young guys and a Dutchman with his son, they had the stove going strong and candles lit and it was a very cosy warm atmosphere. They had been up in the hills the day before and said the conditions had been really tough, deep soft snow in places, cold wind and rivers in spate with a thaw setting in.

The next morning I wanted to recce a section of the race route from Glen Derry to the Eidart bridge as I would possibly be doing this section in the dark come race day, so I headed off past Derry Lodge and then north up Glen Derry to the edge of the forest to check the terrain out, I turned round here and headed back to the Linn of Dee and carried on west along the track to White Bridge and followed the track heading along Geldie Burn, a couple of hundred meters before this track crosses the river there is a smaller track heading off on the right, this leads eventually to the Eidart bridge. Up until now the cycling had been easy with a nice firm stony track to follow but now on this smaller track it was much harder because it was so wet and boggy and in places soft snow, in fact I ended up pushing the bike nearly all the way to Eidart bridge, this was as far as I went and I now retraced my route back to Braemar, however things didn’t go smoothly, just before White Bridge on a rough land rover type track I caught my front wheel in a rut and I came off the bike and my left knee hit a rock with some force. At first I just tried to walk it off and ride the easy bits but it soon started swelling up really badly and I slowly realised the race tomorrow was over for me, all that preparation and planning ruined by a lapse in concentration on an easy track, by the time I eventually reached the car in Braemar it was hurting quite a lot and it was difficult to bend it. The next day I went to the hospital to get it checked out and an X-ray confirmed that I had a clean break of my left knee cap and I’m writing this with a full leg cast on wondering when I will once again be back in the Highlands…..

Discussing this accident with friends when back home we talked about the best ways to get help if ever you are out in the wilds and need to contact the emergency services, this little video by Lyle Brotherton contains some very useful information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZv_8dABfU