SPEYSIDE PEDAL

For a number of weeks now I have been looking forward to a three-day cycle tour away with Pauline to the Oban area, picking up a fairly new cycle path linking through to Ballachulish. But the west coast of Scotland has been a washout this year, as I know only too well, trying to complete my latest film project.

Determined to get away regardless, we found an alternative, this time in an old favourite of Speyside, and thus on Saturday morning took the train to Aviemore.

The Autumn colours are just kicking in, and so the surrounding countryside was already a mixture of hues. The birch is probably my favourite native tree, with its delicate leaves, and the way they turn golden in Autumn. But at the moment they are mostly in their lime green stage, but I love this too, as it creates a canvass of variegated green across the landscape.

The first part of our route would take us through Boat of Garten, known as Osprey Village, due to its seasonal population of ospreys.

The run from Aviemore winds through native woods and cuts across a once open area, but now the trees have started to really take hold, and in just a few more years this too will be forest. Just a little further on, after scooting along a winding path through autumnal woods, we popped out into the village of Boat of Garten. A great new coffee shop had recently opened, so it felt wrong not to support it.

Not far from here is the village of Carrbridge, which boasts the oldest stone bridge in Scotland, built in 1717, though I doubt you would want to use it now to cross the River Dulnain below, such is its level of decay.

On this particular day the World Porridge Championships were being held, and somewhat disappointingly it was a girl from Sweden who had won!

We would end up camping wild beside the River Dulnain just a few kilometres on, due to the fact we had not arrived in Aviemore until early afternoon, and so our day was short in available light. Both of us were surprised as we pitched out tent, to discover that we were in the company of midges. It was unseasonably warm though, so perhaps their season had extended, as normally by now they are all gone. We had also hoped for a clear night so we would be able to see the spectacular Draconid meteor shower, but sadly that was not to be. As I lay in my tent, slowly drifting off, in the distance I could just hear the bellows of the rutting stags.

Day two began with a frustrating search for my buff. Every bag was searched three times at least, inside and outside the tent, over and over, but still I could not find it. Until . . .

I remembered I had stuffed it down the rear of my shorts to keep my behind warm during the night!

Our first section of the days route took us over Sluggan Bridge, built by General Wade as part of his military road network.

That two-arch bridge was washed away in the early 1800s and the one we crossed this day was built shortly after. The surrounding area was spectacular in colour and setting.

It was Carrbridges turn to get our coffee and cake spend, but I was to regret this a little later. From there we retraced our route back through Boat of Garten and on to Loch Garten. The Ospreys were all gone for the year now, but this made the backroads pleasantly quiet for cycling. We then headed through the Abernethy Woods toward a familiar route to cross the Ryvoan Pass to take us over the hills into Rothiemurcus. But no sooner had we reached the start of the climb, than I had a "sugar crash". This can happen with an abnormal rapid rise in blood glucose levels, triggering an insulin release and rapid uptake of the glucose, thus causing the crash. I was literally wiped out. It had to have been the large overly sweet cake in Carrbridge. The cure? Exercise. And so after a brief break we cycled over Ryvoan and into Glenmore and the expanse of Rothiemurcus forest.

I was disappointed to discover that the Glenmore Cafe has changed hands, and is now called the Red Squirrel Cafe, possibly due to its famous frequent visitors. On reflection though it had been in need of being dragged into the 21st century for along time. The new owners are clearly not used to the weather yet up here north of the border, as they had their wood burning stove on full tilt.

Camp that night was in a familiar spot within the Rothiemurcus Forest, but once again in the company of midges, and still no clear sky for meteor shower viewing. Light rain fell during the night, and the sound of it on the tent, together with the gurgling of the nearby passing river, gently floated me off to sleep.

Our final day started damp, but it rapidly cleared up, and our route took us through the forest to Loch an Eilein and then 7km south west to Kincraig.
I love the circuit path around the loch, and at this early hour we had it all to ourselves. The sun repeatedly broke through, casting beautiful light through the trees onto the orange, pine needle-covered track.
Leaving the loch behind we were back on tarmac backroads, heading for Kincraig. Here we picked up a brand new extension to the Speyside Way, but not before bacon rolls at Loch Insh.

The 9km run, which mostly follows the railway, is a complete delight. It twists and turns, up and down some very steep, but short, inclines for the first couple of kilometers. We were well ahead of time, and it had cleared up into a glorious sunny day, so we stopped a while, to soak it up, and nibble our chocolate peanuts.

But it was soon time to go, and we followed the perfect track all the way into Aviemore, at one point getting a friendly toot from a passing train. Soon we were on the platform for the train home.
The adventure was over . . . until next time.