Ride - Scotland, Rothiemurchus
Where
This is my ninth ride in one of the remnants of Scotland’s ancient pinelands. Rothiemurchius is the second largest after Abernethy, just a little to the north. I started my ride where my Glenmore ride finished on the road to the west of Loch Morlich and headed into the forest.
Most of the trails here are pretty wide and easy. One exception is the trail up towards the Lairig Ghru and the connector over to the Rothiemuechus Lodge. The trail up the Lairig Ghru is narrow, rocky, rooty and un-bikable in a couple of spots. The connector over to the Lodge resembles a dry river bed with boulders that are difficult to ride over for a substantial distance. Challenging, but a spectacular setting.
The overall course I took started at the west end of Loch Morlich skirted the southern shore of the loch and headed west. I went over the Cairngorm Club footbridge, through a couple of fords and around Loch an Eilein and back again. In total I covered 21 miles in the forest. Combined with Glenmore earlier, I rode 28 miles today…my record in a single day.
Gallery
Gear and Nutrition
Same as Glenmore.