Is the Cairngorm Loop mullered now?

[Richpips]

I was planning a winter ride round the Cairngorm loop. Having said that I've not even looked at the map yet.

Has the recent storm damage made an impact on the route?

[Gari]

hi Rich, I haven't been out there in a few weeks but for the most part it pretty well draining. the problem areas would be glenfeshie and the river crossings at the end, and also fords of a'an by the bothy.
the rest is good draining single track. that said the current weather shouldn't be under estimated as a lot of the route is very remote and committing.

[zigrat]

Anybody know how much of the route is now affected by shooting ?

[ScotRoutes]

None of the route should be affected by shooting as it's all on established hill tracks - most of which are also RoWs.

The bridge at Derry Lodge has been washed away so it would definitely be necessary to stick to the track on the east side of the Derry Burn (I prefer the one on the west side).

[fatbikephil]

On the BBC news website there was a photo of 'a minor road near Tomintoul' with a rather large hole in it and a raging torrent just beside it. It is almost certainly the access road up Glen Avon on the outer loop. Should be possible to fight your way round it and I guess will get fixed soon as there a quite a few properties along there. Also I bet the Feshie has clobbered the wee path (which used to be a track until the feshie washed it away!) that goes down the east side (ie the CL route).

I was actually planning to do the CL this weekend as the weather is looking OK - will keep an eye on the SEPA website to see what the river levels are doing but I suspect I may put it back to the following weekend. I'll keep yers posted

[ScotRoutes]

The road near Tomintoul that has been washed away is the B road between the junction of the Grantown-Tomintoul road and the Glenlivet trail (the B9136)

[Mart]

I was looking to do the outer loop this week, whilst I'm up for my hollibag

There has been reports from the MCofS to say bridge damage at Derry and road damage near the Glenlivet MTB and near Nairn (these are the ones I've heard of so far)

Maybe considering postponing a few days to let the water levels subside before I set off. Going up to Rothiemurchus with the kids tomorrow to have a look

[AlasdairMc]

We bailed out of it the weekend before last as the Geldie Burn was in spate. We just did the inner loop and stopped at Feshiebridge because doing the outer loop too and getting caught out before the top of Glen Tilt would have been horrible.

First time we got to the Geldie it was a mere trickle, and then it rose a good couple of feet overnight.

[Richpips]

Is the general consensus then that getting across given the rivers in winter would be inadvisable / impossible?

[ScotRoutes]

They'll be fine....










....if they are frozen solid.

[ScotRoutes]

Going up to Rothiemurchus with the kids tomorrow to have a look

I was up there a few hours ago. The tracks are all fine - just a bit muddy in places.

This is the car park outside the Old Bridge Inn though...



And Dalfaber Road (the wee back road past the steam railway) is under about 60cm of water, judging by the fact it was above my front mech (and it's a high-band type).

[fatbikephil]

Thanks for the road clarification Scot Routes (although I would not be at all surprised if the road up to Inchrory lodge has been hit!) I'm postponing until next weekend in any case. The geldie can be a bugger to cross at any time of year although If I'd have got round that far and it was high, I would have found a way!

Richpips your biggest issue for a winter circuit will be snow - the Bynack more path and the final climb beside Beinn Aghlo are all well into the snow zone if the last couple of winters have been anything to go by. As it happens I was discussing the possibility of a snowy cairngorms loop with friends in Aviemore - we were imagining the bynack more to Glen derry path as a nice smooth snowfield with enough freeze thaw for an easy traverse by fat bike

[Gari]

I did that route winter before last, counter clockwise via feshie. It was pretty soft the first day through Glenfeshie almost all the way to Bob Scott's, but the Derry/Bynack section was really nice, all rideable and really firm all the way over the shoulder of Bynack.

[Richpips]

Yep, I was presuming little or no snow.

[fatbikephil]

No its going to be wall to wall snow this winter I can feel it in my water!

[fatbikephil]

Update
Apparently the path up the east side of Glen feshie has been destroyed but we're not sure how bad and whether its still passable. A mate is gonna recce it on wednesday....

[ScotRoutes]

More updates
http://cairngorms.co.uk/visit/outdoor-access-issues