Yesterday's gravel ride from Drumguish took me through wild and wonderful Glen Tromie. I know this area particularly well from my time exploring and researching the area for my Beyond the Cairn series. As one travels through this picturesque Glen, the landscape evolves from undulating and pretty to extremely wild and exhilarating. At around 10km into the ride we begin to encounter real mountain conditions. It is much colder here and during the many times I've cycled into the region there is generally a howling southerly wind tunneling it's way down the enormous valley. The wind has been so strong at times that I've come to complete standstill. This does make for a fast ride back down the Glen however!
The route is good for cycling with a gravel bike or mountain bike and is rideable year round. In fact, this particular section is part of the Cairngorm Loop, which has become a bucket list destination for adventurous cyclists. Indeed, I would say that this is some of the best riding to be had, anywhere in the world. Of course, you don't have to be a cyclist to explore here. One of the main reasons for cycling in the Cairngorms is that one simply covers much more ground. These are long stretches of gravel roads and trails. The above photo is the approach to Loch an t-Seilich, which is utterly wild and atmospheric surrounded by dark, brooding peaks.
Above, taking it all in at a very small boat house on the shores of Loch an t-Seilich. I couldn't hang around too long to enjoy it on this particular day with the biting cold wind. The video below gives some idea of the wind on the day! All of the images and video in this blog post were capatured on iphone. I don't always carry full camera gear with me, riding is much more enjoyable without!
I do hope you are enjoying these (almost) live updates. Any questions or subjects you'd like me to cover, please do get in touch. I have been asked a few times about the kit that I carry whilst cycling. I will cover that soon in what will be a much more comprehensive blog post. Or maybe a YouTube video would be a better idea?
Take care, until the next blog update!
Karl.
コメント