Walkhighlands

Biked in up to derry lodge and then up a bit further than usual, to the split between entry to the fenced off wood and actual climb to Mcduie. Fairly easy slog to the summit as plenty of energy left after ride in. Decided against Derry Cairngorm as from where we were it looked less enticing than the ridge walk to Carn a'Mhaim. Huge boulder field later and much lower down than we expected, we slog to the top. Cannot stress the amount of wind chill in the Cairngorm region. All Plateau and no real cover. Hard day compounded by going over the handlebars on the way back. Great views all day takes the edge of the cuts and bruises though.

Highly recommend using a bike on this one! Mate brought up a spare one for me to use as not rode one in 15years and still made it fairly easily and there and back saved a 10 mile hike. Kept passing people and hearing "Thats the way we should have done it" made the day even sweeter.

Always fancied doing this walk (and bike)

Hope your bruises and cuts arn't too bad

Nah not that many bruises, just one of those oh god going to crash , huge brake , front wheel hits and you teeter on the edge of coming back down one way or the other. The really annoying thing was that it was in a river crossing the path, so gloves got soaked! Mate felt sorry for me after my fingers became a liability and gave me his half way back.

Cannot think of any reason not to bike in unless you don't own one that is! I was lucky with that though.

scarey....

that happened to me, got a bit concussed,

Hope the bruises are healing nicely minealone. Interesting to hear that you can cycle beyond Derry Lodge. Having not been up there yet just how far can you get on a bike? Did you get to the Luibeg bridge? I'm thinking of combining Carn a Mhaim with Ben Macdui and hoping to do it as soon as the weather looks favourable.

Richard and I tried cycling past Derry Lodge on all routes, i.e. going towards Cairn a' Mhaim and also up Glen Derry... I found it more of a nuisance than a help as there are deep drainage ditches (lined with stone on the entrance and exit) all the way along the path. Richard was somehow managing to ride them (despite risking a buckled front wheel each time) but I was having to get off every few yards. We soon abandoned the bikes to the heather!

Thanks for that. Weather isn't looking too brilliant this weekend so if I don't do a hill I may well go for a reconnoitre ride and see if I can get to the Corrour bothy.

Well just remember your bike lock in case you give up and abandon your bike in the heather like we ended up doing

mountain coward wrote:Well just remember your bike lock in case you give up and abandon your bike in the heather like we ended up doing

Always wondered about locking your bike up when in the hills. Would it really get nicked?

Probably not... I guess there is always the thought that some returning tired walker may be tempted to "borrow" a bike if the opportunity presents itself. So better safe than sorry.

I was talking to someone in the excellent Cycle Highlands in Ballater about this recently and they suggested using camouflage netting to hide your bike if there was nothing to chain it to. Guess you would need to remember exactly where you left it

There's most certainly the possibility of a walker cycling out on it when they're knackered! Not stealing so much as borrowing of course...

Think it's more bother than it's worth to take a bike past Derry Lodge - there's a bit of a long muddy patch just over the bridge on the Cairn a' Mhaim route, and as MC says, there are quite a few drainage ditches.
... and as AlanS says, lock up your bike - the temptation would be there for (knackered) others to "borrow" your bike rather than walk the road back to the car park.

Yes, having just recced this today there isn't that much to be had by cycling beyond Derry Lodge. But I think I'd still do the extra couple of k, but can understand why others might not bother.

I think we managed an extra 1.5 miles each way by taking the bikes further, up to where the path splits off from the main trail onto the walk proper. The drainage ditches are most certainly annoying and in some places, well for me personally had to just get off and on again. There is a majorly boggy bit just after the bridge which did have us thinking twice about just leaving them behind. However we made much better time than just walking in regardless.

Heh we did have a wee worry about leaving the bikes sitting about and decided to lock them all together attached to the deer fence nearby. We did muse that a particularly needy thief would leave us a trio of wheels and a long trek back but luckily we were fine on the day.