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The new mountain bike with the super dupper suspension is now set up for me; oh and including the angle of dangle of the saddle
Still unfit and overweight, but it is now a pleasure to cycle on these estate mountain tracks.
I'm stilling pushing it up the steepest gradients, but expect most people are.
Anyway on with the story.
Great free parking at bridge of tilt and a tarmac road leading onto a very good 4x4 track out to the bothy. The short stretch through the woods only lasts just over a kilometer
and then opens out to moorland. Pass through a deer gate and there is an interesting old bridge right at the boundary of the forrest and moorland
The track rises steadily until you get to the built cairn, with an interesting small bridge on the way, suspect the road it used to be connected too washed away a while ago; sorry about the quality of the photos, taken on the phone which was in the waterproof bag, there were a few showers and it had been raining quite heavily earlier.
and the built cairn
Have to say my opinion of cycling differs from Howzat. I would find the walk out to this munro a slog, on a bike it is a lot of fun, especially on the way back
Once past the cairn the still very good track undulates slightly as it dips into a few stream gulleys, a substantial lump of concrete bridges this one
The track turns slightly to the left and the going is pretty easy. At the turn the view opens out and at first I thought I was looking at the objective, but it's probably Beinn Mheadhonach.
Another kilometer and around a bend and the Beinn Dearg comes into sight. It's not exactly dramatic, but I'm really enjoying the cycle out to it.
The track descends steeply to the bothy, which although in the middle of back country is well kitted out with a picnic table and chairs outside, a fireplace, sleeping platforms and pots and pans amongst other attractions.
Crossed the stream behind the bothy, and the track steepens as it climbs more or less in a straight line up the gulley
some deer on the top of the ridge across the stream watched me make my way up, wish I'd brought the good canon super zoom as they were pretty still and I'd have got some good shots. Shortly afterwards and oh how I'd wished I'd had the super zoom camera as an eagle bothered its way down the ridge on my side mobbed by a couple of smaller birds. I'd thought I'd seen eagles before and am pretty sure my sighting on Ben Wyvis recently was genuine, but this time there is no mistaking the enormous wing span and lazy flapping, this the best of the photos
Shortly afterwards and I am at the old stalkers path. On the way up there was a constant rumbling which initially I had thought were jets from Lossie or Luchars, but then realised that due to the very v shaped gulley it is actually the noise of the stream as it flows down amplified.
To be honest if you were very fit and capable you could probably still cycle up most of the stalkers path and there was in fact some evidence of bike tracks up top. I though, hid the bike in the heather and made my way up on foot. It's a pretty easy climb, the zig zags taking all the sting out of it.
I was soon up on the plateau and my first close up view of the Beinn Dearg
and encountered the only real bog factor on the entire route, it only lasts fifty meters or so and is easily skirted around
The climb up is straight forwards literally. The cairn in the distance is Meall Dubh
There's a slight dip before the climb up to Beinn Dearg itself
It was misty up top when I started, but by the time I reached the summit cairn the gods had smiled on me, this the view east towards what I assume would be Beinn a'Ghlo
The clag may have lifted or more probably been blown away by the biting east wind, so a quick bite to eat and back down at double scamper
A view of the summit from the plateau once I'd got down
A nice view south from the edge of the plateau, the bothy would be about center of shot
Concerned about my new pride and joy hiding in the heather without a cable lock around the wheels I quickly descended, collected it and contemplated the push up the steep start to the track home
Wasn't an issue getting to the elevated start of what is a fantastic free wheel pretty much all the way back
So where does the hunners and hunners from the title come in
Just around the next bend a reasonable size heard of deer escape across the track in front of me; I'm really enjoying getting this close to them, on a bike you can get pretty close
and they are majestic as they bound along, very fit creatures. I really must get my go pro sorted out and come back for some movie shots.
Anyway I carry on down enjoying the 30 kph cruise when I spot another heard in the distance, and then further along another heard.
Managed a photo of the last heard that shows them clearly enough
There were literally more than a hundred altogether, but the expression I believe is hunners and hunners
Must make sure the good camera is on these excursions at all times and the gopro as well.
Deer sightings over it is down the last of the moorland track and through the deer fence; no surprise they have to have these
as you can see a really nice cruise back down, in total including stopping to take in the awesome deer it took about an hour to get back from summit
Once through the deer gate along past the firing range
it's more or less tarmac again and continuing to cruise downhill.
Watch out at the bottom of the hill for the left turn just after the new big farm sheds though as if on a bike at speed it's easy to get carried away and overshoot down through the collection of cottages at the bottom.
I back tracked, got my barrings and was soon at the car.
As I say on foot I think this munro would be a slog, on a bike its definitely great fun