After the 6 hour drive from Leeds to the Cairngorms, we found ourselves parked up down Glenfeshie. The bikes came out of the back of the van and after the obligatory once over they seemed just as keen to get out in the hills as we were.
Our rucksacks seemed suspiciously heavy with the food and equipment for two nights out in the wilds. But we still managed to squeeze a little bit of port in there to keep us company in our over night bothy stops.
At about 6pm we set off down Glenfeshie for the 4 mile ride to Ruigh-aiteachain, our first stop over. The track to the bothy has only just been resurfaced and was a nice surprise after been cramped in the van for the trip up. With only one major river crossing giving us wet feet we soon found ourselves at our over night lodgings.
As bothy standards go, they don`t come much better than Ruigh-aiteachain. Running water, a fire roaring as we arrived and even a toilet are to be found. It was rude not to share a dram with the other residents and pass around our port by the fire, but we had to keep reminding ourselves we had a long day of riding the following day. We found three empty bunks and layed our sleeping bags down for the night.
The next morning we woke to sunshine streaming through the windows and for once the weather forcast seemed to be right. So knowing we had a chance of rain in the evening we packed up and headed out down the Glen.
The riding started out great as we picked our way through the ancient scots pine forest with only eagles for company. As we followed the river Feshie the pines began to become sparse and the track rougher. Steadily we climbed upto the water shed at about 550 metres, crossing the odd burn along the way.
Unfortunately it wasn`t all rideable, with bits of singletrack been too rocky to ride. Little did we know, but the riding (or should I say carrying) was to become worse on the next high pass. Eventually we managed to get on our bikes and pick out a route amongst rocks and boulders untill we hit the landrover track to take us at warp speed to the Linn of Dee. After a brief visit with civilization we headed north into the heart of the mountains and with just a few more miles under our tyres decided to re-fuel at Bob Scotts bothy. We fired up the camping stove, cooked up some noodles and had a good old brew. None of us wanted to leave, but with a 400 metre climb over 6 miles we knew we better make tracks. At least the weather was still holding up as we found ourselves steadily climbing through the forest and once again the singletrack was great if a little steep in places. Even the drainage ditches added a little interest, pumping in and up the other side.
The track soon began to become less maintained the higher we found ourselves and leaving the shelter of the pines the wind began to whip down the glen from the pass. The mountains also seemed to close in around us as the track became too steep and rocky to ride.
Mounting our bikes on our shoulders we trudged up to the high point of the Lairig an Laoigh. Disapointingly the track down the other side to the Fords of Avon was not the best and with some spring snow still lying around, care had to be taken on our line choice. As we reached the river Avon it was clear we were not going to make it across with dry feet, so into the rushing snow melt we went, using our bikes as a brace in the fast current. Luckily there is a refuge on the other side, so we crawled into the rock covered shed to change socks, check the map and of course have a quick brew. The day was getting late and on now knowing the terrain we were dealing with, it was going to be close to dark on reaching our planned bothy stop of Ryvoan. Plus in truth, the refuge at the Fords of Avon was more welcoming than we thought and once the gas stove got boiling water for drinks and food it got surprisingly cozy. So the three of us settled in for the night, it would have been a tight squeeze if anyone else turned up looking for refuge.
The wind and rain battered the shelter most of the night, but with the door closed and our head torches hung from the rafters we were oblivious to the elements outside, plus the port we carried round helped to pass the night.
The next morning the rain had cleared so after a quick breakfast we headed out. The track was again rough and some carrying was required climbing up and over the shoulder of Bynack More. Two hours from the refuge and we had reached the highest point.
The track ahead looked too good to be true after what we had been riding for the last 35 mile. Smooth, flowy, singletrack snaked its way down from 800 metres all the way to Loch Morlich at 300 metres. So we dropped our saddles, turned on the suspension and let go of the brakes. The bunny hopping skills got a serious testing, while trying to clear the drainage ditches, some of which were 4ft wide with a 2 ft curb to clear at the other end. Arm fatigue got the better of me and I managed to clip my back wheel and burst my new tubeless Nobby Nic. But after quickly putting a tube in we were soon sat in the cafe with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast in front of us.
With our bellies full and the rain outside starting to fall, we did contemplate on getting a taxi back to the van. But the lure of the Rothiemurchus won us over and we headed into the forest. We were glad we did. The sun came out as we picked our way through back to the van, on some amazing tracks and trails. Plus with the ever changing view into Coire an-t-Sneachda and the Lairig Ghru we almost forgot about all the toil of yesterdays route.
