White Bridge MTB recce

[Alastair S]

Walking: 3.0 km, 52 min
Cycling: 28.7 km, 2 hr 14 min

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Another trip to the Linn of Dee, this time to recce MTB approaches to Beinn Bhrotain & Carn an Fhidhleir. While the rest of Britain appeared to be basking in glorious sunshine the Cairngorms were cool & windy so I wasn't doing much hanging about.

First off it was the Bhrotain approach. As expected the track to the White Bridge was excellent & I made the 5 km is 18 minutes despite the headwind. Next the path up Glen Dee. This was reasonable (not steep, a few rocks & drainage channels) until the stream at NN 997897 (Allt Iarnaidh) but after that it deteriorates, alternating between peaty mud & mucho rocks. So this 2.7 km section took 20 minutes (& then 15 minutes back to White Bridge). So just about justifies continuing on the MTB.

I pushed the bike for a bit beyond this stream because I could see there might be a nice photo opportunity just round the corner & because I wanted to see if the path improved. It didn't. And the view of the Lairig Ghru didn't improve so I ditched the bike behind a rock & set off up the hillside (Carn Fiaclach Beag) for this pic:

The Lairig Ghru From Glen Dee


And this was the rock I stashed my bike by - thought it was worth a pic too!

HDR'ed Rock


So back to White Bridge & up the Geldie Burn & back on good track, very gently uphill. Stopped to take a pic of the ford you would need to cross if you were making your way to the Bynack Lodge ruin. Although there hadn't been much rain recently this ford still looked about knee deep. Beinn a'Ghlo is just visible in the distance.

Glendie Burn Ford


The track up Glendie Burn is also its pretty good - a few rocky bits but all cycleable. Slightly more uphill than before. There is a footbridge over a side stream that isn't shown on the map about half a k before the Allt Dhaidh Mor. This stream brought a halt to my progress. This ford looked about calf deep but it looked like there may have been a stepping stone crossing upstream. This 6.6 km section from White Bridge had taken me 44 minutes (including a photo stop). Its about another k to Geldie Lodge with 2 further river crossings. After that it looks (from Google Earth) like the track becomes a path and it certainly becomes steeper. So it might be worth taking the bike though this crossing but probably not worth taking it though the next.

After that it was a blast back, downhill & with a tailwind. Made the 11.5 km back to the Linn of Dee in 30 minutes reaching a max speed 43.6 kph (27 mph). I dare say after a long day in the hills I'd have taken this a bit more sedately

And for once I had time to wander about at the Linn of Dee. I've been over that bridge on many an occasion and not realized just what a marvel there is under it. The Dee squeezes through a gap that it just 4 feet across. So it was back to the car to get my expensive camera. I'm going to be taking lots more piccies of this one Here is one from that day:


After The Falls by Alastair S, on Flickr

[Left Behind]

Nice to see the state of the burn, I was planning on heading up to An Sgarsoch and Carn an Fhidhleir at some point in the next few months but wasn't sure quite how deep they would be. Do you think that you could MTB through them?

Cheers.

[Alastair S]

Do you think that you could MTB through them?

I couldn't but I'll like to see someone try - could be entertaining

[morag1]

A great pic of the Lairig Ghru and also enjoyed After the Falls. Your expensive camera must be VERY expensive

Bet you enjoyed that long cycle

[Border Reiver]

When I climbed Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain I left the bike right at the end of the vehicle track near the Caochan Roibidh. I walked up Glen Geusahan to Loch nan Stuirteag then over the two Munros and followed the Caochan Roibidh back down to the bike. Use of the bike certainly helps on the return to Linn of Dee, but it's a bit of a rough grind from White Bridge to the end of the track.

[Alastair S]

When I climbed Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain I left the bike right at the end of the vehicle track near the Caochan Roibidh. I walked up Glen Geusahan to Loch nan Stuirteag then over the two Munros and followed the Caochan Roibidh back down to the bike. Use of the bike certainly helps on the return to Linn of Dee, but it's a bit of a rough grind from White Bridge to the end of the track.

Persevered further than me then . How did you find Glen Geusahan? It certainly looked pretty soggy when viewed from The Devil's Point the other week. I was thinking of going the other way round, making for the Top of Carn Cloich-mhuilinn first (wonder how that one is pronounced!) & then back via Glen Geusahan.

[ChrisW]

cracking pics Alastair - quality over quantity

[Border Reiver]

When I climbed Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain I left the bike right at the end of the vehicle track near the Caochan Roibidh. I walked up Glen Geusahan to Loch nan Stuirteag then over the two Munros and followed the Caochan Roibidh back down to the bike. Use of the bike certainly helps on the return to Linn of Dee, but it's a bit of a rough grind from White Bridge to the end of the track.

Persevered further than me then . How did you find Glen Geusahan? It certainly looked pretty soggy when viewed from The Devil's Point the other week. I was thinking of going the other way round, making for the Top of Carn Cloich-mhuilinn first (wonder how that one is pronounced!) & then back via Glen Geusahan.

I've been looking at current O.S. map and it shows the track from white bridge as a footpath. It was certainly a landrover track when I was up there in 1996 and I left the bike at the turning area at the end. It was July and the way up Glen Geusachan was OK, much better than I expected. There was no well-worn path and I kept well above the floor of the glen where it was quite dry. I've just had a look at Google Earth and there's definitely a path to be seen and it seems to keep to a dry route.