Mountain Biking in the Cairngorms – My Favourite Routes!

Terrain: Varied, mostly flat
Distance: From 5 miles

An abundance of trails await in Rothiemurchus Forest – there is something for everyone!

Along old logging trails, across rocks and tree roots, past rushing rivers, lochs and through native Caledonian Pine forests the routes in Rothiemurchus tell a different story at every turn.

A single day alone here could be enough to see yourself progress massively, and with so much beautiful scenery and wildlife to take it, you will definitely be back for more! The routes are well marked and easy to follow using an OS map or a specific cycle route map, and all are within walking distance of the main road – and more importantly a cake shop!

Starting at the Forestry Commission Visitor Centre, this route zips downhill along an excellent trail and through a variety of scenery – pines, heather, lochans, perhaps some red deer!

Terrain: Easy, downhill
Distance: 7 miles

Well laid, this trail has very little in the way of technical obstacles with the exception of a few sharp turns, allowing you to travel at a moderate speed or fly down as fast as you dare – I’ve managed to get my speed up to 57km/ph! Just be aware that the trail crosses a road half-way down – so remember to hit the brakes before the fence!

Once over the crossing, more lovely, easy downhill that takes you out at Inverdruie. Again, you can park up at the Visitor Centre and off you go, or you can slog it up on the bike – of course, if you go for the former you’ll have the uphill to look forward to on the way back. Great cake shops at both ends.

A great little spot for working on your technical skills.

Terrain: Fun, technical, uneven, plenty of obstacles!
Distance: From 1 mile

this is more than going for an actual ride – it can be linked from Aviemore or Boat of Garten which provides a decent uphill climb to Carrbridge, and a nice downhill through farmland, the super-large sheep did bother me initially but they don’t seem to mind passersby themselves!

Once at Ellan Wood, there’s plenty of technical little trails, with short up and down bursts, plenty of rocks and tree roots, bridge crossings – it can get pretty muddy and slippy when wet, but that’s all part of the fun!

Options for this route are plenty, and really it’s not for the faint-hearted – there are a number of technical sections, and the route does go quite deep into the forest

Terrain: Challenging, technical, uphill, downhill, uneven – slippy when wet!
Distance: 26 miles

In parts you could struggle for mobile reception, and it’s a bit of a trek back if you can’t fix an unexpected puncture!

That said, this is one of my favourite routes in the Cairngorms and one that I can really see myself improving on each time I try it. I’ve done it from both Aviemore via Glenmore, and from Aviemore via Boat of Garten – in my opinion via Boat is much easier and you have all the downhill to look forward to on the way back. From Aviemore, there is the slog up the Old Logging Way to Glenmore Lodge and then across the Ryvoan Pass, past the Bothy and then down towards Loch Garten, to Boat and back to Aviemore along the Speyside Way. Take the opposite route to go via Boat, making your starting point the Speyside Way and finishing with the Old Logging Way.

This is a long route, that could take some riders a number of hours to complete, some of the uphill is challenging and you do need to be in good shape, although you can always hop off and walk up with the bike if needs be. Bring a map, and know what route you plan to take – a compass would be a good idea as well, there are plenty of wrong turns just waiting to be taken!

Make sure you bring a good lunch and plenty of water – no cake stops until you reach Glenmore! I’ve done this alone, but if you’re not sure you would know what to do with your bike in an emergency, bring a pal. Some of this particular route goes along the road as well – it’s not usually busy, but cars do drive at speed along a lot of these roads, so keep aware!

The bothy on Ryvoan pass. great place to stop for a breather!

Described by some of the best mountain bikers as brutal, I can confirm it most certainly is this but also an epic achievement and definitely one to work towards.

Terrain: Very challenging, steep, technical, farmland, remote
Distance: 24.5 miles

Starting at Aviemore and crossing the A9 to the Railway Cottages the route for the Burma Road is well signposted. Basically, follow the trail straight up, the terrain on the ascent is pretty good – new stones have recently been laid and I really found my wheels spinning on the steeper gradients, and am more than happy to admit I had to hop off and push my bike up a couple of times. The total ascent to the summit should take about 45 mins for someone who is fit and experienced.

The view from the top is easily worth the pain and suffering on the way up, and the downhill, although slightly technical and steep in places is an absolute joy to ride down – just be careful not to cook your brakes! The route is pretty easy to follow and takes you across 4×4 tracks, through farmland and past abandoned little crofts. I headed towards Carrbridge over the Sluggan Bridge (one of the strangest bridges I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to SE Asia!) then shed more blood, sweat and tears along General Wade’s Military Road to a finishing point at the north of Aviemore. Believe me, it was fish and chips for supper that night, never mind the cake!

As above – be prepared and bring all necessary supplies, and I probably wouldn’t recommend doing alone, it’s a long, hard day and some parts are quite remote – it would be easy to get into difficulty.

So for those of you keen to try mountain biking in the Cairngorms, that’s a few decent suggestions of really good routes that are varied and challenging whatever your skill level – there are countless trails for mountain biking in the Cairngorms – even the most experienced rider will find themselves spoiled for choice – couple that with amazing surroundings, well, you’ve got yourself a lifestyle, not just a holiday!

Autumn is an awesome time to try mountain biking in the Cairngorms – with all the changing colours and elusive wildlife emerging to forage for food before a snowy blanket covers the hills – there is so much to take in, even at top speed!  Just make sure you don’t miss any of the slippery leave covered rocks and roots when you’re zipping about!