Tailwinds Blog Logo
Uncategorized / January 1, 1970

Staff trip diary: The Singletrack Fix: Riding in the Cairngorms National Forest

Day 7 and 8: Back to the Highlands

I woke up in what felt like the guest bedroom at a friend’s house, but was actually a nice bed and breakfast located on the bank of the Ness River in Inverness. I’d spent the previous day traveling with Euan from Glasgow, and Catherine and Euan had treated me to dinner at their house. Who knew paella in Scotland could be so tasty?



I made my way down the stairs of the B&B to the dining room like it was Christmas morning -- I was excited. Catherine and Euan (in photo to the right) would be picking me up and taking me to Cairngorms National Park to ride some sweet single track. That’s right, single track. Singletrack is to a mountain biker what top-shelf hard liquor is to an alcoholic. And the Cairngorms National Park may as well be a jumbo-sized liquor store full of it. 

We drove south to the town of Aviemore, a ski town in the Cairngorms situated in the middle of a plethora of outdoor sporting opportunities, like skiing, mountain biking, golf and a variety of water sports. Despite the touristy overtones, it is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise.

We had lunch at a mountain café/gear store that I could have easily spent half of a day in. I had a warm bowl of tomato bisque and what may quite possibly be the best scone I have ever had.

We then set off for the trails. I haven’t been this excited for a ride since the day I finally figured out how clipping in and out of pedals works. We started off on a rolling gravel road that worked its way into the forest. The forest was much different than what I’m accustomed to here in the Southeast U.S. The trees were thick like the Southeast, but the forest floor was covered in rolling, thick moss and heather bushes. It was as if the forest had been outfitted in 70’s shag carpet.

We turned onto a piece of singletrack that had been carved into the shaggy moss carpet. The single track twisted and undulated in all the ways that make a mountain biker smile. There were a few rocks and roots thrown in as well to spice things up. It was the well-balanced trail recipe consisting of 3 parts singletrack, 1 part rocks, 1 part roots, 3 parts twistiness, with a large handful of scenery and a dash of spiciness.

We spent the next several hours riding a nice combination of forest roads and singletrack. Some of the singletrack blasted down the sides of wooded slopes, while other pieces meandered alongside lakes and ponds. It is an understatement to say that it was great riding. 

After our fill of pedaling, we packed up and headed back to Inverness. Catherine cooked for us all again and we spent the night discussing the new bike and boat multi-sport tour over a bottle of wine. Amazing food, exhilarating riding, productive planning, smooth red wine and phenomenal people. What a day. 
See H&I's Cairngorms Adventure tour details. 

Leave a Comment