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How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?


Postby miami mike » Thu Jan 27, 2022 12:33 pm

Hi everyone, I have agreed to help some friends complete an end to end cycling challenge this year, driving their vehicle to and from each overnight stop on the northern half of their trip, which will cross the Cairngorms via Braemar and Tomintoul, in return for them paying for my accommodation and food. It will make a nice change from sleeping in a tent when up in Scotland. Not sure about having to be sociable in the evening though, I do like my own company when on bagging trips normally.

So I can't plan any huge days out, I can't get going really early nor leave them getting cold in their lycra and clippie cloppy shoes for hours at the evenings accommodation while I am still on a hill.
I have already been up all the Munro's that are reasonably accessible in the Southern Cairngorms, so I am thinking of taking my own bike to shorten some days. Ben Avon looks like it might have potential, and I was wondering if anyone can recall how much of the walk in is cyclable from either the A93, or from Tomintoul, and how far you could reach on a road/gravel bike. Vehicle space means I may even be on a folding small wheeled bike ( a cheap version of a Brompton if anyone is wondering). I'm pretty confident on a bike so a bit of unsurfaced gravel won't bother me too much so long as its hard packed and fairly smooth.

Beinn Iutharn Mhòr and Càrn Bhac from Inverey looks like it needs a mountain bike from the photos I have been able to find? Again any personal experience will be appreciated.

Or I might just start on the Corbetts this year!
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby jmarkb » Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:59 pm

You should make it as far Inchrory from Tomintoul - it's tarmac until the last couple of kms.
Still a fairly long day, though, maybe 8 hours including the cycling.
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby WalkWithWallace » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:02 am

We cycled all the way to Faindouran, really easy cycle until the track gets rougher from Linn of Avon. My video shows some of the terrain to expect from Tomintoul. Nice quiet approach compared to Invercauld.

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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby prog99 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:49 am

Agree, the tomintoul approach is really good. It also makes it much easier to visit all the tors. We cycled almost to the excellent stalkers path(thwarted by snow)
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby Sunset tripper » Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:10 pm

Apart from one short section of pushing it's a straightforward cycle on a standard hardtail mountain bike from Invercauld up to here (see map).
IMG-20220128-WA0002.jpg

stay on the high track where it splits at Slugain.


I did Google it to see what it was, but not quite sure if a gravel bike is any use for these sort of things. :?
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby prog99 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:01 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:I did Google it to see what it was, but not quite sure if a gravel bike is any use for these sort of things. :?

Would be fine, I’ve seen them on some pretty gnarly trails.
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby Alex W » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:19 pm

Carn Bhac is a pretty good track as far as Auchelie where I left it, but it looked good further on as well. I'm not an expert on the threshold between fold up bikes and mountain bikes, but walking it felt like on the better maintained side of tracks.
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby Giant Stoneater » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:44 pm

I think you could cycle all the way to the little hut (NJ1259 0597) from Tomintoul, i came the other way and the track from Faindourain to the wee hut was fine so i am only presuming the rest of the track is fine, a lot depends on the terrain your comfortable cycling on. It is a good way of doing Ben Avon as it takes in the largest tor Clach Bun Rudhtair though you can access the ridges earlier along the track.
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby al78 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:08 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:Apart from one short section of pushing it's a straightforward cycle on a standard hardtail mountain bike from Invercauld up to here (see map).
stay on the high track where it splits at Slugain.


I did Google it to see what it was, but not quite sure if a gravel bike is any use for these sort of things. :?


That is useful to know. I hope to climb those two munros this summer with the aid of a mountain bike coming in from the Braemar side.
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby Sunset tripper » Sat Jan 29, 2022 12:55 am

This is on the upper part of the path which leads to the start of the climb up to The Sneck. There is drainage channels to negotiate but generally they are not wide and it's a great cycle on the way out. Very fast if you wish it to be.
20170906_121339.jpg
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby weedavie » Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:00 am

This is on the upper part of the path which leads to the start of the climb up to The Sneck. There is drainage channels to negotiate but generally they are not wide and it's a great cycle on the way out. Very fast if you wish it to be.

Best leave your bike at the start of the drainage channels. There's only 2.5k to go and you can walk comfortably at 5 kph or cycle precariously at 8. Mind you last time I did it I'd come up from Glen Quoich (beautiful walk, tricky cycle) and I was cream crackered.

Other thing for a cyclist is take the high track at the Slugain. On the way back I didn't and was painfully reminded why we always left our bikes at the bottom. It's a track fit for goats.
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby Murray the Teuchter » Tue Feb 22, 2022 10:50 am

I took my MTB all the the way to the summits of Ben Avon and Beinn a Bhuird in September 2020

Not too much pushing! very good fun.

I think that MTB's are great way of getting a big day in with out being on the hill for 10hrs plus!
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby AyrshireAlps » Tue Feb 22, 2022 1:58 pm

Brilliant Murray, that's one that's been on my radar for a while now!
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby gammy leg walker » Tue Feb 22, 2022 8:55 pm

Sunset tripper wrote:Apart from one short section of pushing it's a straightforward cycle on a standard hardtail mountain bike from Invercauld up to here (see map).
IMG-20220128-WA0002.jpg

stay on the high track where it splits at Slugain.


I did Google it to see what it was, but not quite sure if a gravel bike is any use for these sort of things. :?


Yep, a short section of pushing above the Fairy Glen, then a good path to the river crossing where you’ve marked, albeit you need to bunny hop the drainage ditches on the path
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Re: How much tarmac en-route to Ben Avon?

Postby miami mike » Sun Feb 27, 2022 10:59 pm

Thanks everyone for the advice. Those midges on the youtube make me itch even though I'm safety a few hundred miles away!
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