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Cycling: 28.1 km
Time taken: 2hr 50min
Ascent : 679mI'd come across a thread on some cycling forum about MTB'able Munros and two that were local to me were mentioned: Mount Keen & Broad Cairn. Well I'd already cycled to the base of Mount Keen from the Glen Tanar side and no way would I be able to cycle up the rough path from the Shiel of Glentanar. The southern approach looks slightly more hopeful however but I've yet to take a look.
And I knew there would be no way to cycle up the just a rough and steeper path from the side of Loch Muick that crosses the Black Burn. Looking at the map the nearby Capel Road that forks off the loch-side track before you get to Lock Muick looked a lot more promising (in that you might actually be able to cycle up it). I've been past it on several occasions and I didn't recall it being too rough. But there is still the problem of how to get from the top of this track over to the Broad Cairn track. I thought that there may possibly be an unmarked path across. Only one way to find out - go and take a look. So this is what I did.
Not an early start so rolled into the chocker Lock Muick car park around 10am. Had to park in the coach bit. By happy chance I happened to catch up with a group of four MTB'ers just at the start of the Capel Road. They were headed for Glen Clova. I managed to stay with them for about half the ascent when eventually my lack of fitness caught up with me & I had to stop for a breather. After 5 minutes I was back on the bike again until a steeper section forced me back onto my feet. In total I probably pushed the bike for about 400-500m. Up ahead I could see a couple of the pukka MTB'ers had also resorted to pushing (but they had full suspension machines that were probably a bit heavier than my hard-tail). I found them all at the top having a snack & stopped for a breather myself.
![1.Loch Muick from Capel Road #1.jpg]()
![2.Loch Muick from Capel Road #2.jpg]()
![3.The back of Lochhagar.jpg]()
After 5 minutes I carried on along the track. Things didn't look too hopeful. The heather up here was knee-high & thick and there were also lots of peat hags. There was one large cairn for no apparent reason and then a line of grouse butts. But no path. So headed back. The descent was fairly hairy even with my brakes nearly full on all the way. Caught a bit of heather with a pedal near the top that nearly sent my flying but managed to get back down in one piece and without having to get off the bike.
Then went to confirm that other track was way too steep. It was. The pukka MTB'ers said they'd been down it the previous day but I doubt I would have even attempted riding down it. For some reason I decided to push my bike round to the head of the lock (I've walked round before & knew this path wasn't bikeable). It would have been quicker to cycle all the way round the other way.
Anyway the beach at the head was a lovely (& popular) spot for lunch and the cycling from then was easy going. It was such a nice afternoon that I did a bit extra once I'd got back to the north end of Loch Muick.
So IMHO Mount Keen isn't really MTB'able. Someone fitter wouldn't have a problem cycling up the Capel Road but I doubt anyone but a super-fit & expert biker would get up the Black Burn track. Sure, you could push your bike up, but doing the bulk of the ascent on your feet don't make a hill MTB'able. I guess you would also have to walk the last half to 1 km - I've only been up there when it was under snow. I guess I'm going to have to find another hill to conquer so that I can post the the Flickr group
People standing on top of mountains holding bikes above their heads.
