Seldom has an extended weekend trip seen more „preparation“: For months we have been planning and scheming on the when and where of our next Mountain Bike Trip.
Our little Madeira adventure took place already a couple of years ago, and other than me taking the bike on an extended business trip into Huntsville, Alabama, there’s been no cycling abroad for us. Although we were looking at various potential destinations throughout the last years, at the end it drilled down to two options: a) going to Madeira once more. There’s plenty of good reasons to go to Madeira: awesome riding, extremely cheap food and drink for EU standards, the best steak sandwiches I ever had, Poncha, and of course the year-round nice weather conditions that hardly require a long-sleeve to be brought along. So much for a). b) actually was quite the opposite: Scotland. An idea inspired by several reports of seemingly overwhelmed riders and the fact that ‚we’ve never been there before‘. Despite a few potential downsides (expensive food and drink, need for a rental car, and of course the legendary Scottish weather conditions), it was Scotland who finally ‚won‘ the competition.
Having made that decision we started preparing ourselves. Such preparation was mainly done in front of phone or computer screens looking at Youtube videos, MTB Forums and related websites. It soon turned out that the variety of riding there would be way too much for the 3 days of riding I had wrestled from my wife - leaving her alone for 4 nights with a 18 months and a 3 year old girl. So hard decisions had to be taken. If Scotland, so our main reasoning, it should be as Highland as possible. We limited ourselves by not taking too much driving time. We finally settled for a B'n'B in Kingussie, putting us in range of some of our identified potential destinations, such as Aviemore, Fort William, Laggan Wolftrax, Torridon, Skye, Kinlochleven. Our extensive research had borne some fruit, leaving us with a package of several GPS tracks for some of these destinations. The plan was to go riding some trail park(s) and have at least one day taking us off the beaten track (Torridon or Skye). Well, as said, that was the plan…Our departure day approaching, I became increasingly nervous due to the weather forecast for Kingussie which did not look promising at all. Having recovered from a cold that had been plaguing me for several weeks, I was not too keen on spending time on windy hills, soaked by rain and mud…but as André put it: ‚it will have to be ok‘. So we packed our bikes into bike travel bags and got ready. Seeing our bikes disappear on the off-size luggage belt at Luxembourg Airport a day later left us with a somewhat awkward feeling. Would everything work out? Would our bikes survive handling in Heathrow, or would we be faced with a rattling bag containing bits and pieces once we’d arrive in Edinburgh? Apparently, all these concerns were futile. Several hours later the luggage belt in Edinburgh spit out 2 bike bags in almost perfect condition (some minor damage on mine, but nothing unusual to people traveling by air on a more or less regular basis), containing 2 bikes in seemingly good condition as well (a fact being checked IMMEDIATELY upon taking the bags off the belt).30 minutes, a rental upgrade to a brand new VW Transporter (10 miles on the clock) and some bike-bag dragging later we were on our way from Edinburgh to Kingussie. Having toured Ireland a couple of times in the past I was expecting similar conditions, and such was extremely pleased by the quality of the infrastructure in Scotland.
The roads are almost flawless, our drive took us through an increasingly breathtaking countryside, while the weather was fairly well, with only a soft drizzle here and there. Some thing that struck us as we came closer to the Highlands was the striking amount of obvious roadkill alongside our way. It seemed to us that every few hundert meters some feathers sticking out of a bloody blotch on the roadside marked the sudden end of an individual of a yet unidentified species. It was only later that we learned from our host John that these were the remains of pheasants, as Jon put it ‚a very, very stupid kind of bird. You will sometimes see them by the roadside only to walk in front of the next vehicle approaching‘. It developed into some type of running gag for the next few days to discuss the fate of the species and the apparent ignorance towards evolution’s rules these birds seem to represent. They seem to have replaced ‚survival of the fittest‘ by ‚strength in numbers‘, as they are probably the 3rd largest animal population in Scotland (1 being midges and 2 being sheep of course). Still, I am happy to report that no flat pheasant has been created using our vehicle.Having arrived in Kingussie and in one of the most beautiful B'n'Bs I have stayed (and I have seen a few - see my Irish ventures ), we decided to get us some food (test the local chipper), some drink (the local pub) and get the bikes set up only the next morning. Putting the bikes together was done pretty quickly, and after a hearty breakfast we set off towards Aviemore. The idea was to go to ‚Bothy Bikes‘ (a certain Danny MacAskill used to work here), as they have a reputation of providing good tips on riding options in the area. I used this occasion to get myself a long riding pant, as the weather and temperature seemed rather poor that morning.
Leaving the shop with a small map, some hints on where to go and the mechanic shouting a cheeky ‚enjoy the rain‘, we hit the road towards our first riding spot - Laggan Wolftrax trail centre.An hour’s drive from Aviemore through the beautiful Spey valley, Laggan is located close just by the main road, providing currently 5 different purpose built lines plus some natural trails on the opposite side of the valley. The trail park’s purpose built trails are perfectly waymarked and being accessed using mostly fire roads (the last 1500m of ascent to the upper lines are singletrack though) and a consequently not too hard ascent. Our decision was to ride the ‚Upper Red‘ line first, which required us pedaling all the way up to the top. The singletrack on the last bit already made us whoop with joy, and the following descend left us grinning like madmen. Once leaving the fire road onto the ST it will take you out of the forest on more open terrain, changing from graveled track to rock slab ‚boardwalks‘ taking you through the boggy terrain back into pinewoods and finally up on the hill from where a fantastic view could be enough of a reward for the previous uphill struggle. But the following descend, partly through open bogland and back into the forest is absolutely fantastic. Wide berms and moderate declines let you pick up speed effortless, and rock slabs used to create drops and kickers to spice up your ride and leave you grinning. Some riders may find it too easy, but being our first descent we were totally stoked, and eager to get more of that stuff! Down at the end of the trail we met 2 other bikers, who could read the excitement in our faces. We attacked the following ascent together, passing ‚Ayers Rock‘, a huge slab of rock that is part of the Lower Red Line and would be on our way down later. It provides a steep (Arriving at the top of the lower red line we were again in for a surprise. A few hundred meters are passed pedaling the meandering trail through the low growing shrubbery, before it opens to more rocky terrain and ‚Ayers Rock‘. The latter is approached over a small drop approximately 1 meter ahead of the actual edge that marks the beginning of the rock face. So you do not see the cliff edge, much less any of the descent when you are already passing the point of no return. Bravely we rode towards the rock, knowing where the line should be but not seeing it and…nailed it!
Looking back it was not hard at all, but great fun for sure!The red line further moves over rocky terrain back into the forest, surrounding a small peak to loop back on it’s valley-facing side. As of here, you’re much exposed to the elements, which luckily that day were consisting mainly of wind only, so that trail too was nice and dry with excellent grip. Which was good. Because other than to it’s upper sibling, the Lower Red Line is a good bit more technical, leading over larger rock sections and moving not as meandering and flowy. Until we reached the last part of it, which consists of fantastic berms in almost perfect condition, making it feel like a curvy pumptrack downhill. Sadly, it is really only a few corners like that at the end, but the whole trail is as awesome as the Upper Red Line. We had to go on a fire road downhill next, and saw plenty of old and broken nortshores laying around amidst the fallen trees and remains of the forrest work being done it that part of the park. I understand that the line once crossed said fire road and had to be destroyed when the machines had to enter the area for deforestation. Not being a big fan of industrialized forestry, I still understand the need to do it, but here in Scotland my view shifted. Once one understands that the trails ridden here are built, paid and maintained by the Forest Authorities (not by private landowners) the ‚destruction‘ of a trail looks a bit different. Looking closer, it becomes more obvious: the trails here mainly move through terrain that is not suitable for planting and harvesting trees. There’s too much mud, rock, or it simply is to steep. And there is ample space where this is possible at ease, so these spaces are being used to do so, while the other space is used to provide bikers an excellent opportunity to ride great trails in excellent condition, at the same time taking a glimpse into the Scottish wilderness. This for free. A fair parking fee is the only mandatory charge, and besides there’s a cafe, a bike rental, showers, toilets and bikewash available.The cafe was our refuge once we had mastered the last part of the trail leading back down, a nice flowy section over large bumps and wide berms. We enjoyed a coffee (and an IRN BRU for me) while let the recent descent pass by once more. It was clear to us that we had to go up top again, and I for my part could not let go of the idea of riding the Black Line. I was being told that it was pretty technical, but not impossible to ride. The guy that told me rode a hardtail, so I tended to believe that it should be ok for me to do so on my bike. Well, I knew it before, and would agree that it has been confirmed once more the very day - the bike does NOT define the skill of a rider.After our second full extend we then decided accordingly. And rode the Black Line. Boy, it is technical.
Way too technical in parts for me (although I pride myself that I rode at least 95% of it), and unbelievably demanding in both concentration and physical fitness. There’s tons of huge rocks, very high steps that can be rolled but only very carefully, being followed immediately by rock gardens and tight rocky corners. It is great though. I am just not there yet (not-there-yet zone is a place I would be visiting a couple of times still during our trip).Ending our black adventure on the last few meters of the Upper Red Line, I knew I had to go up once more to do the Upper Red Line as well. As enthusiastic as I was, still it was impossible for me to convince Andre. So we parted ways where the Lower Ride Line begins, as Andre decided to do that part once more and call it a day. So I rode on by myself. For the third time that day I left the fire road to go up the last 1500m to the peak on singletrack. Already at the last descent I had attempted not to step off the pedals, and failed only twice. Although i managed both critical parts this time, I still failed one time. Sad. But it did by no means turn me down, and so I rode off for the descent. It was great again, despite being not as surprising as last time, but some jumps had stuck in my memory so I could take them on more aggressively this time. Not even halfway down though I realized that I’d probably gone a wee bit too far in judging my fitness. So going up again for the lower part I decided to cut short and use ‚Ayers Rock‘ as an entry point. Going up the small peak was terrible this time, and the wind was howling in cold gusts when I started the final descent that brought me down to the cafe, André and another IRN BRU.
On the way home we spoke about the awesome riding and of course the incredible luck we seemed to be having with the infamous Scottish weather conditions. Not a single drop of rain fell on us while riding that day!Upon our return we both went to shower and get ready to grab some food. Jon, our host, had recommended ‚The Bistro‘ in Kingussie to us, so we booked a table and went off. The food was excellent. It is a non-license restaurant though, which means you can bring along your own bottle of wine - alcohol is not being sold. Lacking a bottle of wine, and not wanting to ruin dinner style by bringing cans from the CoOp, I quickly hopped over the street to get 2 pints from ‚The Tipsy Laird‘, our local pub of choice. As we had to return the empty pints later, we decided to just stay for a little while longer….
Our little Madeira adventure took place already a couple of years ago, and other than me taking the bike on an extended business trip into Huntsville, Alabama, there’s been no cycling abroad for us. Although we were looking at various potential destinations throughout the last years, at the end it drilled down to two options: a) going to Madeira once more. There’s plenty of good reasons to go to Madeira: awesome riding, extremely cheap food and drink for EU standards, the best steak sandwiches I ever had, Poncha, and of course the year-round nice weather conditions that hardly require a long-sleeve to be brought along. So much for a). b) actually was quite the opposite: Scotland. An idea inspired by several reports of seemingly overwhelmed riders and the fact that ‚we’ve never been there before‘. Despite a few potential downsides (expensive food and drink, need for a rental car, and of course the legendary Scottish weather conditions), it was Scotland who finally ‚won‘ the competition.
Having made that decision we started preparing ourselves. Such preparation was mainly done in front of phone or computer screens looking at Youtube videos, MTB Forums and related websites. It soon turned out that the variety of riding there would be way too much for the 3 days of riding I had wrestled from my wife - leaving her alone for 4 nights with a 18 months and a 3 year old girl. So hard decisions had to be taken. If Scotland, so our main reasoning, it should be as Highland as possible. We limited ourselves by not taking too much driving time. We finally settled for a B'n'B in Kingussie, putting us in range of some of our identified potential destinations, such as Aviemore, Fort William, Laggan Wolftrax, Torridon, Skye, Kinlochleven. Our extensive research had borne some fruit, leaving us with a package of several GPS tracks for some of these destinations. The plan was to go riding some trail park(s) and have at least one day taking us off the beaten track (Torridon or Skye). Well, as said, that was the plan…Our departure day approaching, I became increasingly nervous due to the weather forecast for Kingussie which did not look promising at all. Having recovered from a cold that had been plaguing me for several weeks, I was not too keen on spending time on windy hills, soaked by rain and mud…but as André put it: ‚it will have to be ok‘. So we packed our bikes into bike travel bags and got ready. Seeing our bikes disappear on the off-size luggage belt at Luxembourg Airport a day later left us with a somewhat awkward feeling. Would everything work out? Would our bikes survive handling in Heathrow, or would we be faced with a rattling bag containing bits and pieces once we’d arrive in Edinburgh? Apparently, all these concerns were futile. Several hours later the luggage belt in Edinburgh spit out 2 bike bags in almost perfect condition (some minor damage on mine, but nothing unusual to people traveling by air on a more or less regular basis), containing 2 bikes in seemingly good condition as well (a fact being checked IMMEDIATELY upon taking the bags off the belt).30 minutes, a rental upgrade to a brand new VW Transporter (10 miles on the clock) and some bike-bag dragging later we were on our way from Edinburgh to Kingussie. Having toured Ireland a couple of times in the past I was expecting similar conditions, and such was extremely pleased by the quality of the infrastructure in Scotland.
