Finally it dried up and the sky cleared once more. I figured on a fast getaway to try to get to my chosen bivvy spot before it clagged in again. This lead me up a somewhat challenging trail that I had failed to find on my July 2020 bivvy trip. It was saturated thanks to the rain, but thanks to single speed I was pushing in any case... Finally I topped out and progressed along the nice route I'd followed that year, the woods of Dull (they were) my destination.
Looking up to Loch Tay and the receding clouds. There were plenty more incoming behind...
This lead me into that oft experienced scenario of a route of slightly dubious provenance to what I hoped would be a fine shelter from the elements but could easily be a dump, demolished or occupied by drunken neds. The last was extremely unlikely as the track through the forest pretty rough and with a large climb. I'd actually taken the trouble to plot a route and bung it on the GPS to ensure I got to the hut as my previous attempt to find it landed me in a large swamp. However things were looking up! (again in a break with tradition) There were no fallen trees on the track and the fire break I had to descend was also tree free, had a quad track down it and whilst wet, not too boggy. Thank god for sturdy boots and gaiters!
Finding this place was a relief as the rain was just starting again. Location supplied on application!
That said, being objective it was a bit rough and ready but compared to pitching a tarp in the soggy grass at the mercy of the winged menaces, it was luxury. Having said that my wanderings around between showers revealed no midges, despite it being fairly mild, totally still and very damp. Odd. After a reasonable kip, rudely interrupted by an ear shattering dawn chorus (bloody cuckoos!) I packed up and left into a bright day, although there was plenty of big clouds around, somewhat at odds with what the forecast had stated the previous day. Sound familiar?
I followed the track out I'd meant to find two years previous but bafflingly missed as it was dead obvious. I stopped to fire the phone up and check on the progress of the HT560 and text Bob to say where I was going. Bob and Cath were in the general vicinity (i.e the Grampians) and we had a very vague plan to meet up if our paths crossed. A longish bit of road riding down and along Loch Rannoch took me to that classic traverse from Bridge of Gaur to Dalwhinnie via Ben Alder. The boat house veranda at the end of Loch Ericht provided a fine lunch stop whilst a light sprinkle of rain came through. This persisted to the boggy approach to the cottage, which was very boggy, not helped by the passage of 70 bikes four days previous. I guess I've been luck through here the last few times as it's been pretty dry. Anyway the singletrack climb and descent were a hoot and lo and behold, I passed a chap doing some work on the trail a few miles up from culra. Whilst Ben Alder Estate is stinking rich, they do carry out regular maintenance of this path, solely at their own expense. I'm not aware of any other mountain path in Scotland that gets anything but token maintenance, mores the pity.
Fab, and the descent was the usual blast. Rolling along the loch, the sky was starting to clear considerably with a light breeze to keep you cool. Dalwhinnie garage provided food eaten whilst sat out in the evening sunshine.
Local wildlife
From here I went up to loch Cuaich and over to Phones Lodge and the Military road.
This odd sculpture is on a low hill overlooking this little used track but not much else - its a large arrow stuck into the ground. I've no idea what this signifies and there was no sign to explain.
I'd an idea to stop at Luibleathan bothy but a curl of smoke out of the chimney put me off. It might have been fine or it might have been idiots in residence but I was keen to get a few more miles in, in any case, so cracked on on this fine track, the Kingussie chippy my destination. After a fine fish tea (and a beer, drank whilst sat on a park bench, it's come to this!) I headed back aways and into the forest above Drumguish, on the Cairngorms loop route. I was aiming for a spot I'd passed a few times and figured would be a good 'un. It was - a bit grassy and tussocky but I found a good spot and pitched up. Again there was not a midge to be seen so I figured on a fine night. Then the mozzies appeared. Oh for f**** sake, not again! There only a few and fortuitously I had head net, smidge and my nano mesh mozzy tent thing so a bit (a lot) of faffing and running around got me installed into the bivvy eventually. Then the rain came on....
The sky had completely cleared by the time I'd started to pitch up but suddenly clouds rolled in from the east and a light rain started and kept on and off for a few hours, eventually clearing out at about 3 am. I knew this as uncharacteristically, I couldn't get to sleep. The rain didn't help, or the incessant buzzing of the mozzies, plus my bladder drove me up and out three times, requiring a large amount of finesse (faffing) to get out of the bivvy, out of the mesh screen, into boots and jacket and then reverse. Finally when the sky cleared, a snipe appeared with its siren warble which seemed to calm me and sleep followed.
A clear dawn is always a good thing. I packed up in double quick time but fathomed that the nearby track was mozzie free thanks to a bit of a breeze (it wasn't and I got stung several times) so made and ate breakfast and contemplated my onward moves. I'd a vague plan to do another night out or to head to my pals place in lower Speyside. To be honest the thought of another night getting savaged by those sodding buzzing, flying, stinging things was far down my list of wants. So a quick text to let them know I would be there mid afternoon and off I went on the fine route up through Inshriach forest, Rothiemurchus and Glenmore. I had a proper breakfast of fried things at the cafe and hammered Ryvoan pass in the now warm sunshine. Of course this meant I had to stop at Nethy Bridge to lie around on the grass eating ice cream and pies (in that order) Further rumination suggested I should give the Speyside way a go to just past Grantown. As advertised there were multiple gates but most are new self closers, two were being held open by a school group out on bikes and the old style walker gates had field gates next to them which were unlocked and open enough to squeeze through. A bit of nosing got me on a trail at Cromdale bridge to miss some more road out and I finished with a leisurely twiddle down the road to Blacksboat.
Lazing around followed but rain swept in which kyboshed Barby plans (this was entirely un-forecasted, even whilst it was happening!) The next day finally looked like it was going to be a roaster so.... I lazed around all day chatting (we did go for a brief bike ride) and we finally got our BBQ in the late afternoon.
So homeward bound at last. I'd various ideas to extend my route and throw in another bivvy but I actually fancied getting back to Dunkeld in a oner as it's a great route - back road to Tomintoul then the Cairngorms Tour route to Blair Atholl, fun riverside path to Pitlochry, finishing with back roads and cycleway of NCN7/78. It's also 90 miles but that seemed a fine way to end a good trip and would allow me a lazy sunday to recover. As it happens this was a fortuitous decision.
And it was sociable. Tomintoul seems to be bikepacking central these days. A chap was just leaving as I arrived and 6 more turned up as I ate an early lunch on the village green. Heading up the glen, I slowly reeled in the first chap who turned out to be Steve aka Dakar on here, doing the full Cairngorms Loop. we chatted for a while until my antisocial singlespeed cadence took me away up the climb out of Glen builg. The sun was blazing....
Heading out past Linn of Dee presented a stiff headwind (I passed a further two bikepackers along here) which was somewhat at odds with the gentle easterly breeze forecasted. After an easy and dab free crossing of the Geldie I paused at the ruins of Bynack Lodge for a late lunch - I actually took the trouble to boil water and do a freeze dried meal and coffee, sat in the cool shade of a Scots pine looking at the fine view.
On the singletrack descent I met another ascending bikepacker who is also a poster on here. So we are not niche at all, boners are everywhere! Another guy on a longitude was filling his bottles at the burn by the path end and rolling out to Bridge of tilt and came upon a guy wearing a BB jersey - Singlespeed George - who with his partner had just done the Cairngorms tour.
So much for my excellent Lake winter boots. I'd gone with these in view of the weather and the terrain and they'd been ace. They are so much more comfy than the Shimano MT91's / XM9's and despite being advertised as good down to -10 are in fact fine for plus 15 and only a bit warm at plus 20. I'd finally found my perfect cycling footwear. Except on leaving the BA Spar shop I became aware of something catching as I walked. Both soles were coming adrift and flapping uselessly about. Most annoying and it had only just happened as they had been fine on the various scrambles across side burns on the tilt descent. So I'll send them back for a replacement and hope these are just a Friday afternoon special.
Anyway, the run down the riverside path was a hoot as it was ped (and dog) free and the final easy miles down the road to Dunkeld was a great way to finish up a fine few days.
Logierait Bridge on NCN 7 - private but publicly accessible.
