Glen Feshie, Glen Tilt, Gaick Pass Bikepack
I think sometimes it is good to do stupid things to get them out your system!
I had this idea back in 2017 that it would be ‘cool’ to cycle through Glen Feshie to Glen Tilt and then back up through the Gaick pass and Glen Tromie, at the time I lived in Fort William and the idea got shelved until the last year. I had the opportunity to recce the Gaick pass in the reverse direction last summer on an amazingly hot and sunny day - and got incredibly sunburnt, something that was definitely not an issue this time. I’ve used some of the photos from that trip however, as they give a better sense of the place than my rain streaked photos from this time round.
Back in June, after a frustrating week of annual leave which had been filled with rain and grown up activities, such as waiting for the Garage Door Man to come and fix the door and the Roofing Man to come and give me a quote, I was crawling the walls and desperate for adventure.
So, I packed my bike - saddle bag, handlebar bag and top tube bag - and a rucksack, looked at the map and decided go for it.
Proceeding at my own risk (Eidart Bridge)
It was an easy start, cycling a section of path along the river Feshie that I know well from going up to Mullach Clach a’Bhlàir. I was feeling pretty good as I approached upper Glen Feshie beyond the Ruigh Aiteachain bothy and enjoyed the fact the path was getting a bit more interesting, although the bike handling felt odd with so much added weight. I left the crowds of walkers behind and it started to rain as I crossed the fords over the River Feshie but I was determined not to let it pull me down. Unfortunately the easy ride was over however, and there was approximately 7km of bog trot ahead of me. As I eased forward through the drizzle there was quite a lot of dismounting and walking! There was a definite sense of relief as I hit the track alongside the Geldie - perhaps I might actually get somewhere and not be lost for ever in the wilderness.
The next few kilometres whizzed by and soon I was approaching the Bynack Lodge ruin which looked like a good camping spot to keep in mind for the future. From there was another fairly long challenging section, the rain having made the rocks slippy and the steep sided narrow river valley adding to the excitement. How on earth the riders at the end of the Cairngorm Loop endurance race manage to keep on their bikes in their sleep deprived states I don’t know! I had one fall, and apart from a scraped elbow and injured pride I was thankfully okay, but I took it easy from then on.
The track down Glen Tilt was another opportunity to make up for lost time as I sped by bemused sheep, and almost before I knew it I was approaching the Bridge of Tilt. Before starting out on my trip I had vague thoughts of camping in Glen Tilt, but it was only 5pm and the rain was coming down heavier than ever. I had borrowed a one man inner pitch first tent, which would end up soaked if pitched in those conditions. Decision made, I had a snack, found some bike lights for visibility on the upcoming road section, and cycled on.
I’m not sure the section of Sustrans Route 7 between Blair Atholl and Dalnacardoch is ever terribly exciting, but it was definitely tending towards the miserable side in the heavy rain that evening. It is easy riding however, although uphill, and does feel like a safe route. I was soaked to the skin, and brief moments of respite (such as the bus shelter in Calvine) were soon forgotten as I tried to plough onwards.
The A9 crossing at Dalnacardoch was thankfully not too busy, and it was a relief to be away from the road and heading up the track into forestry again - even if it was uphill and I had been cycling for approximately 70km and 7 hours! The wind had picked up, and there was very little shelter which was starting to concern me. I remembered from last year that there should be nice places to camp further up the glen, and the legs seemed happy to keep propelling me forward, so onwards I went.
How I envisaged the camp site (Edendon water)
Eventually I got to a spot where there was a hint of shelter and the rain had almost stopped, and deciding that enough was enough, I stopped cycling. The 1 man tent set up in fine drizzle, I discovered the guy line set up was less than ideal and there were not enough pegs so some improvisation was needed. I stripped off and put on dry clothes and all my spare layers. Presumably due to the moisture, my stove was being temperamental so I had very lukewarm slightly cooked pasta with cold pasta sauce. Having refuelled, I climbed into my sleeping bag and promptly fell asleep, waking up an hour later sweating as I had so many layers on! Sadly the rest of the night I slept little thanks to the wind and being intermittently sprayed in the face by water from the tent, but it felt good not to be moving for a bit.
The morning after the night before - at least it's not raining!
The next morning the rain had gone, but had been replaced by an even fiercer wind. The surroundings were a perfect place to wake to however. I had made overnight oats which turned out to be a good plan as try as I might I could not get my stove to light at all now. My sodden shorts from the night before were quickly dried in the wind and I set off at snails pace up the glen towards the high point.
Loch an Duin last year - it was a bit wilder this time round.
I can’t say I rode the single track alongside the Loch an Duin particularly smoothly, given my heavily laden bike, fatigue and the strong headwind. I did however very much enjoy the experience of being there, in such a beautiful wild space. It was slow progress through the Gaick pass, pedalling hard into the wind, but there was a lovely sense of the surroundings being very fresh following the rain the day before.
Familiar territory (Glen Tromie)
It felt strange coming through Glen Tromie and then into the woods at Inshriach, somewhere I ride my bike a lot but not usually fully laden or as part of such a big adventure, but it also meant my adventure was coming to a close. The weather decided it hadn’t finished with me and the rain came down hard. I arrived back at the car only 24 hours after leaving it, soaked and tired but also happy with a sense of accomplishment.
The total distance was 118km and it was my first solo bikepack trip, next time I will take my own tent and put up with the extra 300g in weight in return for a better shelter!
Kirsty Griffiths