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Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.


Postby akiggins » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:15 pm

I've just done my 2nd munro on a mtn bike (Carn na Caim + Mt Keen) and am heading down the rabbit hole. Looking for some suggestions on sane munros to bike. I don't mind some pushing/carrying, but things like the Tower Ridge are out.
Mostly because I hate walking down, and skiing conditions are rubbish in August (usually).
For measure I do the blue runs and some of the reds at Glen Tress.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby al78 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:23 pm

Glas Tulaichean (Glenshee)
The glen Feshie munros from Auchlean.
Leathad a Taobhain looks doable although it is three meters shy of a munro. Do it during a very low tide and claim you are Munro height above the current local sea level.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby Sunset tripper » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:24 pm

Mullach Clach a' Bhlair has a track to the summit.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby prog99 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:37 pm

al78 wrote:Leathad a Taobhain looks doable although it is three meters shy of a munro. Do it during a very low tide and claim you are Munro height above the current local sea level.

It is, makes for a nice big day out with the other two corbetts although you wont get to the summits of them on bikes due to terrain.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby prog99 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:46 pm

Munros I've done to the summit or thereabouts -
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/carn-a-chlamain.shtml (Pretty steep and a bit rubbly but perfectly rideable, the path is fairly recent)

Not munros but very good, both doable in a day with a drive -
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/grahams/pressendye (Really enjoyed this one, good single track)
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/grahams/geallaig-hill (Landrover tracks al the way, very enjoyable with excellent views. Very fast descent on he tarmaced road back to the start if you do the circuit)

I've seen bike tracks up most munros but it would depend on your level of enjoyment tbh.

Don't rely on tracks marked as landrover tracks matching reality. They can often be a boggy furrow, https://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm is your friend!
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby prog99 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:59 pm

Almost forgot, a daft day out -
These need a short carry between them, rest is on landrover tracks or B roads -
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/corbetts/meall-tairneachan
&
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/corbetts/farragon-hill
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby iain_mac » Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:05 am

Bynack More, Glen Feshie have good paths and make for a great day out on the bike.

I have done Beinn Ime, it has a good path all the way to the car park, just got to hop the storm channels.

Also Ben Vorlich by Loch Earn. I would even say Ben Lawers + Beinn Ghlas would be fine too.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby gaffr » Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:22 am

I do come across off terrain tyre tracks in several areas on the higher hills. Once saw a biker in the distance approaching Sgor Gaoith,,,,how the person arrived there I have no idea. I also met folks near the top of Mullach Clach a' Bhlair when coming out of Coire Garbhlach and when I talked to them on the summit about whether they cycled all the way up the Land Rover track they did say that a bit of pushing was done but as they said that the way back down on the track would be enjoyed.
As for the .912 top of the Corbett mentioned earlier I pushed my bike to the top after I reached the ruined wee shelter at the end of the bikeable track coming up from Glen Feshie and continued on my round trip of Minigaig, Bruar, Tilt , Bynach , Geldie and return to Kincraig down the Feshie.
I think that for battling the way to the Munro tops would need very strong legs....a bike with the 28 inch wheels? and deep pockets to keep up with the wear and tear on the bike.
My own use of the off road bike has been mainly for reaching the base of some of the higher hills by bike on the trails and tracks, to cycle two of the multi day walking paths and a few other of the round trips in the hills using paths and tracks.
Nowadays in my dotage I still enjoy being away from the busy roads on my bike doing shorter round trips on the walking ways that are on my doorstep. Only a couple of days ago when linking Feshie to the Corarnstilmore area the wee bridge that I used ten years ago had been removed?...it was only when I got to the relatively new bridge to Baileguish that I spotted the wee discs/arrow things with the Scotways indicating a path out to a crossing? close to the Baileguish ruin.
These re-organised paths need Scotway markers from both directions. :lol:
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby KatTai » Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:19 pm

Broad Cairn and Cairn Bannock (could add on some of the others in the round too) from Glen Doll via Bachnagairn or Loch Muick - paths and tracks all the way, Mayar and Driesh from Glen Prosen - landrover track lower down, paths higher up. Not much of a path coming down from Driesh but soon reach another landrover track. Second Bynack More, good clear path all the way.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby Coutts94 » Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:01 pm

As mentioned Sgor Gaoith from Achlean car park, Bynack More, also seen bikes on top of Ben Macdui last week.. paths most of the way but large boulder field near the top!
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby ChrisButch » Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:45 am

Richard Gilbert must be turning in his grave - though he did take rather an extreme view of the place of bikes on the hills.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby Caberfeidh » Sat Aug 29, 2020 1:18 pm

Bob Scott, deer-stalker at the Mar Lodge Estate (1950s-80s) reported meeting a chap once who said he had tried the Lairig Ghru by bicycle, but got lost in the mist and had to abandon his bicycle, then could not find it again. Some time later Bob Scott was high on MacDui and found the wayward velocipede - propped against the summit cairn! That cyclist certainly was lost... The Cairngorms have great tracks where the cyclist can zoom past the plodding pedestrian to get to the slopes first, but the ascents are very steep and lead to tops composed of vast boulder fields, impassable to the cyclist. If you don't mind leaving your bike in the woods or behind a large rock then carrying on by foot then the Cairngorms are for you. Just remember where you left your trusty steed!

7655761060_1f56cdf7a1_b.jpg
Caberfeidh's Expeditious Velocipederal Society club meet, Derry Lodge 1912.
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby rockhopper » Sat Aug 29, 2020 5:34 pm

Not munros but a couple of corbetts to the summit of which I've cycled:
Carn an Fhreiceadain
Geal-charn Mor (from Lynwilg)
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby gaffr » Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:17 am

Fhreiceadain and Geal Charn Mor are on my doorstep......I had visited them before I had an off-road bike. Fhreiceadain has a well used land rover track all the way to the summit from two sides. For Geal; Charn Mor I think that even with the bike I would leave it at the bealach and walk the rest.
I guess that if the folks on bikes stay on the walkers paths maybe just acceptable? however straying from the paths, say on the Cairngorm Plateaux, could lead to problems for the sensitive short arctic vegetation found there.
I don't know what attitude that the Cairngorms Park folks have on this subject regarding the high Areas?
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Re: Looking for mountain bikable munros suggestions.

Postby ChrisButch » Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:16 pm

Caberfeidh wrote:Bob Scott, deer-stalker at the Mar Lodge Estate (1950s-80s) reported meeting a chap once who said he had tried the Lairig Ghru by bicycle, but got lost in the mist and had to abandon his bicycle, then could not find it again. Some time later Bob Scott was high on MacDui and found the wayward velocipede - propped against the summit cairn! That cyclist certainly was lost... The Cairngorms have great tracks where the cyclist can zoom past the plodding pedestrian to get to the slopes first, but the ascents are very steep and lead to tops composed of vast boulder fields, impassable to the cyclist. If you don't mind leaving your bike in the woods or behind a large rock then carrying on by foot then the Cairngorms are for you. Just remember where you left your trusty steed!

7655761060_1f56cdf7a1_b.jpg


Surely that photo must be earlier than 1912? The 'high wheeler' (or penny farthing) had more or less disappeared by then (replaced by the 'safety bicycle' from the late 1880s onward). And the clothing looks like the 'uniforms' worn by cycling clubs in the 1870s-90s.
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