Bothy Ride

Well, the Bothy ride did take place and Tim Luke and I survived, despite our spouses scepticism. We set off for the bothy and quickly noticed the additional weight of our kit including 3kg of coal (each) as we puffed up the gentle gradient. My bike weighed 19kg and back pack another 10kg. I was also experimenting with my 1×9 set up, so I was struggling more than usual.

climb up from Bridge of Tilt

Once beyond the trees we were coming across patches of snow and then the patches of snow joined up. The snow had filled up the double track so it was easier to cycle across the heather. Who needs a fat bike anyway? We were just getting into our stride and we found ourselves descending down to the bothy a couple of hours later.

climb up from Bridge of Tilt

 

2 happy chappies

2 happy chappies

We had a quick tour of the bothy, one room with 2 platform beds, open fire and a kitchen table, the other half of the bothy was a work room and there was sleeping loft above the main room. With a couple of hours daylight we decided to head up towards Beinn Dearg. It was good to ride with out all our gear but we didn’t get very far before we were back into the snow.

We had a quick tour of the bothy, one room with 2 platform beds, open fire and a kitchen table, the other half of the bothy was a work room and there was sleeping loft above the main room. With a couple of hours daylight we decided to head up towards Beinn Dearg. It was good to ride with out all our gear but we didn’t get very far before we were back into the snow.

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Beinn Dearg and Carn a Chlamain – hitting the new trail jackpot!

“Do you have your bank card with you?” inquired Andy in a manner that gave me slight concern. With the fuel light on and halfway to Perth, I checked my pockets in a slightly concerned manner. “It’s just I left mine at home….” He tailed away. The thick end of eighty five quid later and we were back on the road heading northwards in the warm glow of the rising winter sun. The plan was simple. Pick a day that promised proper winter weather (minus 3 and blue skies with a hint of wispy cloud – check) and knock out two Munros off Glen Tilt that would be a tough walk in but a manageable bike ride. Continue reading