BIKEPACKING SCOTLAND – THE CAIRNGORMS

This week we are exploring the cairngorms national park in scotland with a 180 miles bikepacking adventure, this one got wild as i headed into storm babbet, hope you enjoy the adventure.

The ride – https://www.strava.com/activities/10085105862

The Route – https://www.komoot.com/collection/2446841/-bikepacking-the-cairngorms?ref=undefined

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The gear i am currently using

The tent – https://youtu.be/n9GKHSf805E
Framebag – https://youtu.be/6LM3UJKDOEk
Seatpost bag – https://youtu.be/W1E_iWY6Ajo
Jones Handlebars – https://youtu.be/dhPBSdRros8
Gravel bike – https://youtu.be/Gnd_4LgTyrg
plus bike mtb – https://youtu.be/COTUOzLPbGk
gps device – https://youtu.be/BWeMmx62A9M
mtb shoes – https://youtu.be/OYVEnfXwT0k
All the gear from GNT – https://youtu.be/e5oKSoPoMk0
Vest bag – https://youtu.be/01nzgd-t550
Ortleib bar roll https://youtu.be/Uk9fLgS1ioo
Dynamo setup – https://youtu.be/SL7MhjB6Lp0
Questions answered – https://youtu.be/u1q9AEs9flE
Gb divide bike/gear- https://youtu.be/epcZ81wqFCo

I’m arriving late to this week’s Adventure arriving in aymore in the kores national park in Scotland a bit late to make a proper start so I’d find somewhere amongst the trees to set up camp for the night waking up nice and early because it’s time for another adventure that’s right this week we will be discovering the K’s National Park 180 M bike packing trip starting and finishing in ayore you are going to want to get comfortable because this one is one Wild [Music] [Music] Ride [Music] [Music] I don’t know if you can tell or you can hear the wind over there it’s coming through these trees is absolutely ridiculous luckily I’m a bit sheltered right now but I’m about to turn right which means going in into it so I’m kind of hoping that uh the trees are going to still be there if not it’s going to be one hell of a long slog this morning through the uh headwind now the route is like two circles so there’s going to be some tailwind and some head wind and uh after today it’s looking like we will be uh in our natural habit out of the rain so we got that to look forward to but for today it looks like the wind is going to be our battle I’m hoping these trees stay here because they are Sheltering me quite a bit right now let’s go and deal with this [Music] wind [Music] I would find myself mostly sheltered from the wind along the start of this ride which I was truly thankful for cruising through the wooded Trails hearing the gusts above my head the hills either side of me Sheltering [Music] me it all felt a little too good to be true then everything opened [Music] up [Music] W first 20 mil done it’s an absolute Vlog but I’ll tell you what I will take the wind over the rain any day especially this time of the year because you get wet you get cold but uh yeah very windy found a great little sheltered spot this would be like the perfect little Camp spot in a valley sheltered from most of the wind little stream there so I just collected some water and uh going to chill for a bit have they salami and a whisper and uh chill for a little bit because I’m heading to a place can’t remember what it’s called I put it on screen and uh after there we got to go up up up and it’s going to be directly into the wind I’m hoping today I can get up and over that one because camping while it’s this windy might be a bit tricky I’m going to have to find little sheltered spot like this hopefully we will be able to find them because ain’t no way I’m camping high up with this wind right going to have some uh some food chill for a little bit and then uh onwards and upwards let’s go after dipping my toes in the river Trails I would arrive in Tom and talk leaves changing colors oh I do love this time of [Music] year it was time to climb and this climb would be long and growling the valley acting like a funnel for the wind making every turn of them pedals even harder [Music] the endless gravel roads the hilltops even with a Dustin of snow already then out of nowhere I found myself completely sheltered from the elements just quietness all around me as I was able to just pedal along these endless empty gravel roads through the valley [Music] enjoying the Epic views as I pushed myself up and over the top of the [Music] climb [Music] oh you can tell the nights are drawing in the win’s on its way half five got about half an hour until sunset so I’m just going to try and find somewhere to to Camp pretty soon got try and find somewhere out of the wind just had some food and uh the nice thing is now I do actually have a Tailwind for a little bit but really want to find a nice wooded area if I can’t or just somewhere shouted from that wind cuz tell you it has been brutal today it’s done about 50 miles though so pretty happy with that and uh yeah this is going F Camp I’m so ready to Camp my legs have had it today well I have hit jackpot a few miles cycled a few miles more and I’ve just found this perfect spot right by the river it’s nice and shouted the gentle breeze nothing too major happy days I’ve got like perfectly flat ground as well ah you don’t get many Camp spots like this absolutely absolutely perfect perfect ground out out of the wind and everything absolutely so happy because tonight w at least early in the morning the weather might turn it might rain I mean in Scotland it’ll probably do that but hopefully uh hopefully it won’t rain in the night and uh I can get a good night’s sleep with the sound of the River today has actually been really fun if we take away the struggle of the wind is been super fun the trails were great fun to ride um everything was ridable few little boggy sections but that’s always to be expected a few tiny little bits of hiker bike if it wasn’t for the wind I would have been able to ride everything pretty much and it would have just been absolutely great even even greater fun but it’s actually a lot of fun very beautiful um but tomorrow is another day and the Adventure Continues probably into the rain and wind but it’s another day and I will see you bright and early as always in the morning for a day two of this adventure see you in the morning well it’s still very dark you probably can’t really see me it’s about4 to 8 I think it’s time to get up it’s not currently raining although although I can feel a bit of drizzl in the air it does feel very windy out here now today this route is like three Loops three separate loops today we’re going to be going on to the second one the second one technically ends pretty much where I am now so I think for the goal today will be possibly just to get back to where I am today possibly even Camp here again cuz this was a great Camp spot it is pretty much all out of the uh out of the wind and stuff but um I can feel the rain coming I want to get packed up before the temp gets all soaking wet so yeah let’s get packed up and do that should we go and see what this day has in store for us right now I’ve got a lovely Tailwind it’s a shame uh it won’t last all day or maybe it will I doubt it it’s uh looking very gray and uh it’s not very light doesn’t look like it’s going to get very light today right let’s go see what today has in store for us let’s do it morning how do you wake up on a day like today knowing full well that what today has in store for you is going to be full of hardships a day that will continue to test well all you can do is deal with the now deal with the situation at hand and that is exactly what I would have to do on this very morning although the start of my morning was fast going with the wind behind me the trails would turn to technical unridable foggy Trails stopping and starting over and over again all while getting battered by the wind and rain this is absolutely Grim the tra if we it’s not even that it’s windy or rainy that’s bad the trails are just unridable I don’t I’m trying to think if I ridden or hike should I say a worse Trail in the UK because right now this section is just pointless it’s just I think I’ve just hiked for about 3 4 miles so far and it feels like that I’ve got a Tailwind which would be great if I could take advantage of but I can’t because I’m just hiking cuz the trails are either boggy or just just generally crap like you trying to ride and then like like you have to get off hike over some stuff over some bar or whatever then you ride a little bit more you’re lucky if you get like 10 15 M of riding in before you have to get off so it’s just so slow going I’m just like I’m just currently just hiding under this sheler that’s probably just about to fall fall down because it’s just so windy I have no idea what I’m going to do I don’t even think I’m even going to be able to cycle back into this so I just don’t know but I got to keep going forward to get somewhere I’m just trying to I’m just hoping we’re going to find like a normal Trail because this is just ridiculous all right I’m just going to carry on I guess oh God I just uh I just want some trails that are ridable that’s all I ask I don’t want to hike for like 5 miles I think I’ve still got like two three miles until my Garin says turn right which I think is at the point where we sort of get to the end of this Valley all I know these Trails suck today finally I was able to get on to some rable trails with the wind pushing me I was hopeful that I would finally be able to make some progress at last but sometimes the trails have their own plans if my day can get any better the uh the path is just completely collapsed with that tree it looks like I’m going to have to go back does look like there’s another Trail it goes around that way this one was really nice because it was kind of sheltered from all the winds stuff uh hopefully I can ride over there otherwise God forbid I’ve got to go all the way back from where I come from I think fingers crossed ah so annoying H I’m not going to risk scrambling across that today well some 30 miles it’s taken 5 hours to do that last 10 miles have been pretty quick but the first 20 super slow I am actually I’ve probably got like 30 more miles as well or like 25 30 miles until I actually get to where I was this morning but I didn’t realize I overlooked this but we actually got to go up to the highest point on this ride which we’ll be into a headwind which is going to be growling and that’s probably within like 20 mil and then down which is okay but yeah it’s going to be a tough gring end of the day for sure but I have got a little bit of shelter from the rain and wind at the moment while uh I’ve got a bit of shout from the trees is quite nice I’m just hoping I can manage to get up and over today I don’t really have much choice I need to get that miles in tomorrow I was thinking maybe I just set up camp hide out for a day but to be honest tomorrow’s looking just as bad as today so I might as well just keep moving forward definitely a tough tough day all right let’s keep climbing let’s hope these trees keep me shouted for a little while longer though let’s [Music] go a quite truly magical part of this adventure a moment of calmness on a day that won’t stand still rolling around the wet Trails a calm moment to take a breather and enjoy this moment of Peace as I knew the tree cover would come to an end and I would be facing the storm head on [Music] [Music] w the wind and rain I had battled into for the last few hours the trail was back to unridable I would be hiking once more but time was running out out Nightfall was just around the corner so tonight I would hunker down in a solid structure I’d lay there listening to the storm make the structure Creek and squeak little did I know the storm had been given a name storm beet battered large parts of Britain beet has been an exceptional storm beet has already made her Mark just an abedin Shire in Scotland where some areas had 200 mm of rain that’s 8 in in 2 days good morning good morning it’s day three of this adventure I hunkered down in a Bobby last night um because it was just getting dark luckily this was here because I would have had like another five miles of probably hiking to get to where we ended up uh yesterday the trails are just basically unridable I wouldn’t enjoy riding it on an unloaded bike let alone a loaded bike wherever it was sunny it’s just uh very very full-on mountain bike riding at the moment I think I’ve still got another 5 miles which is probably going to be a hike now I was hoping to finish this ride today but the weather is still but as you can see it’s Grim the wind is still howling it’s still raining and uh we got to go out into it 80 miles left to go I don’t know how far I’m going to try and get but to be honest I’ve been quite tempted just to sit here for another night but the weather’s just going to get stay the same for the next like 4 days and I don’t want to sit here for 4 days so uh we’re going to try and make a move get out of this Valley First is our first goal hopefully we can make it hopefully haven’t got a headwind but I think I Do by the looks of where that rain is going nothing in here apart from a floor to sleep on just a bit of a shed but very welcome um out of the rain I might just sit here for a little bit longer and just uh warm up again after packing up the bike cuz it is barely cold out there as well with the rain and the wind going chill for a bit and then hopefully we can make a move I might end up staying here again I don’t know it’s just horrible out there yeah nearly forgot sucks this is going to be or not I think we’ve got a river crossing to start with cross wind lovely keep moving let’s keep sliding keep sign Adventures just like yesterday this day seemed to be a carbon copy I would start with yet more River Crossings hiker bike and plenty of Boggy Trails riding for a few meters before having to hike some more but just like yesterday focus on the job at hand and keep moving [Music] [Music] forward woo oh well finally off of that horrible Trail took so long barely rideable and now we’re on to our Second Challenge of the day we head up this Valley luckily right now the tail the wind is on from behind or sort of cross behind now it’s okay for a bit it’s quite flat but I know it goes like single track and then it’s a bit horrible to ride and it’s going to be a bit of a hiker bike but I do know the descent is nice nice double track descent but then we have one final climb to get over which is the aim for today is to get over that final climb at least bare minimum um but I don’t know how what that climb is is like and then that leads us into a place that I’m not sure what’s called but we’ll find out later on but yeah we got to go and uh climb this hill hopefully I’ll be able to do it quite quick I’ve done like what have I done I’ve done about 15 miles it’s currently halfast 11 already it just takes so long to do everything that’s taken me nearly 3 hours to do 15 miles ah but hopefully we’ll be able to make use of this wind today right onwards let the adventure [Music] continue [Music] [Music] after a day and a half of everything Fe feeling like it was against me I can’t tell you what a relief it was to just have one thing go my way the wind now pushing me along the trails that sense of gratitude when Nature gives you that much needed break how this morning started I was not expecting this this big b of fire oh so nice stay even just for the briefest of moments seeing that sun and the blue sky gave me a lift put a smile back on my [Music] face [Music] [Music] I have had some sprinkling of sun today um it’s gone again and I’m just hiding in a bus bus shelter and and we’re going to have a good old macaroni cheese pie because these things are banging right today started off absolutely brutal and horrible but turning out much better than I anticipated um but yeah we got about 50 M 45 miles I think until the finish line I will try and get another 20 25 maybe 30 and uh find somewhere nice to camp hopefully we find somewhere nice and showered because it is still incredibly windy and I know I’ve got a Tailwind going down this way on the road but I’m not sure if it’s going to be a Tailwind when we turn in and go Offroad again we’ll see just this morning I was fighting to move forward even the slightest but now I would get to cruise with ease the leaves starting to fill the roads the sun even Shining in the sky just the odd passing [Music] shower for every test over the last couple of days it was finally a joy to ride this bike easy and fact I catch you I catch you can I catch you Shadow jush going catch you well [Music] almost oh what a day what a day I was really hoping to have like the last day and it not be raining before I went to bed but unfortunately it did just start raining I have managed to find a really nice sheltered area wind is sort of just going just missing me so that’s good got the tent set up I’m just uh nice and sheltered but I’m a bit damp now so got to get changed I think I’ve got about 25 30 miles and it’s all downhill Happy Happy Days this trip has been a a character building one for sure but last night under the stars in some nice woods and uh we did see the Sun a bit today so yay I see you Brighton early in the morning as always oh good morning good morning I thought it was raining last night it turns out it was actually snowing I thought it was a bit colder than normal last night but any I think we got oh we got 25 miles to go and if I’m honest we’re going to try and blast these 25 miles out this morning because I have never wanted to sit on a warm train as much as I do now let’s get this final milang what an adventure what an [Music] adventure and with that final icy cold river crossing the slushy ice cold rain to end of the adventure I couldn’t help but smile rain wind sun and now snow to end the K’s bik packing Adventure it seemed fitting quite frankly the perfect end to a character building bik packing adventure for every High comes a low but for every low comes a high [Music]