The Burma Road

More bike filled blips! The Monadhliath or 'Grey Hills' are situated to the west of the Cairngorms. Although they are less rocky and have lower summits than their grand neighbours, they are home to the classic Burma Road route.

My plan tonight was simple; to tackle a shortened version of this route, cutting between Geal Charn Mor and Geal Charn Beag and then turning almost directly back on myself to be rewarded with an adrenaline fuelled descent.

I first had to complete a 1500ft climb in less than 3 miles <gulp>. As I passed an excavator on the initial section of the climb, it did occur to me that there might be an easier way up...

Riding on though, I didn't find the ascent quite as taxing as I expected (maybe all this riding is paying off?), and I was soon enough eagerly approaching the cairn at the summit of the climb, ready to claim my prized descent.

As if to spite my efforts though, the route back had suffered at the hands of some recent rainfall and was disastrously soft & muddy. There were some brief nice flowing sections where rock was exposed and you could get some momentum and enjoy the terrain. By the end of it though, I was caked in mud for the second time this week (the sign of a good outing on the MTB some might say).

Laggan wolftrax on Monday; I can't wait! :)

Click here to see route, tracked on GPS

Self Portrait