Bynack More

Bynack More - Oct 2012 from Chris McMorris on Vimeo.

Ready for the off at Glenmore Lodge

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

With the October holidays upon us, Emily and I headed to Nakiska for the week - I was hoping for an early cold snap for the Scotswinter! The weather was looking like it would be best today, with a fresh dump of snow last night. There hasn't been any cold spells to speak of so far so it looked like an early winter climb was out of the question. Instead, we set our sights on Bynack More - the most Northern Munro of the Cairngorms.

Autumn Trees, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Emily on the cycle in towards the River Nethy, Cairngorms

Looking at the route in from Glenmore Lodge, it looked like quite a way in so we opted to take the bikes. Some good organisation and an early breakfast, saw us getting on our bikes just after 9am. It was a chilly morning and the cloud was low and rain was threatening. Sure enough, a few minutes into our cycle, the heavens opened and we reached for our waterproofs. The track was pretty much a road through the forest and we made swift progress through the trees and arrived at An Lochan Uaine in no time at all. The rain had stopped but still threatened and there was now a fair breeze. We headed down the steps to admire the water, but were halted by a film crew who were busy making a Norwegian dance video. We weren't too put out, as the water was rather 'choppy'.

Looking South down Strath Nethy from the River Nethy, Cairngorms

Heading into winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

Heading on, the track quality degraded and became undulating as we rode through the Ryvoan Pass. We took the right branch of the fork and headed around the corner and up a rather steep incline - much to Emily's disgust. I think it's safe to say that she isn't the biggest fan of cycling up-hill!

Loving winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

Emily heading into winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

After working hard, our reward was a gentle run down to the footbridge across the River Nethy where we left the bikes. Looking South through Strath Nethy, the cloud base was down to around 700 metres but the air was still and the rain still absent. Now on foot, we made quick progress on the good path and gained height quickly. Into the cloud, we stepped into winter and a fair amount of snow and frost. It was interesting to see the vegetation that was all around - it appeared as though everything had been frozen in the state of spring or possibly summer. Due to the return of winter in May this year, many of the new shoots of the plants have been late in emerging; now frozen once again.

Wintery Tors on Bynack More, Cairngorms

Emily enjoying the winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

We made swift progress in the cloud along the flat and the snow was a little deeper - possibly two inches. Randomly a woman and young boy appeared in front of us, out of the mist, and walked by. The boy looked frozen and seemed to lack any kind of appropriate clothing; only an anorak. The path then started to climb up the North ridge of the main event: Bynack More. Emily and I were commenting on how new the path looked and how good it was, when I spotted two bright orange jackets in the mist just up ahead. These two guys were braving the weather and hard at work building the rest of the path we were actually walking! We stopped to shake their hands and to thank them for all their hard work - we also commented on the frozen boy we had passed and they agreed that they had also been concerned by his unsuitable clothing - some people...

Emily on the summit of Bynack More, Cairngorms

On the summit of Bynack More, Cairngorms

The path disappeared, visibility decreased and the snow got deeper. I lead the way up the ridge and we passed some interesting (and rather wintery!) granite tors - a welcome sight in the limited visibility. The West side of the ridge was rather blustery so we traversed left to gain shelter and continued up the East side out of the wind. At the the top, we spent a few minutes hunting in the clag for the summit cairn - which we soon found a triumphantly climbed to the top. There was a large amount of fresh snow at the top, but no sign of any ice - much to my dismay! We descended back down the ridge and found a sheltered spot for some lunch. As we set, the cloud started to thin and the sun tried hard to make an appearance... but didn't.

Looking West to Stac na h-lolaire after descending Bynack More, Cairngorms

Looking up towards the North ridge of Bynack More, Cairngorms

We headed down the same way we had ascended the ridge. The path builders had long gone, and as we walked down onto the flat once again, the clouds lifted, the sky turned blue and the sun shone down on us. We had stunning views to the West towards the crags of Stac na h-looaire - stunning. The way back down to the footbridge was extremely enjoyable and we were soon preparing to jump on the bikes. It had been tough going on the way in, but now I was reminded why I had insisted we bike into the bridge; the descent was now fast and exhilarating - much to our delight. In what seemed like a matter of moments, we were standing on the banks of An Lochan Uaine. Its turquoise waters were now completely still and we had it all to ourselves. Now we could see what all the fuss was about in the various guides and literature - this is truly a special place indeed. After snapping numerous photos, we sped back down the remainder of the track to Glenmore Lodge.

Looking Northwest towards Meall a' Bhuachaille, Cairngorms

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Before heading back to Nakiska, we stopped at Loch Morlich to enjoy the last of the day's light (and I also wanted to see what the Northern Corries were like!). The loch was lovely and still, as the sun disappeared behind the trees on the faraway bank. Looking up at Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain, I could see that there had been a considerable dump of snow, but it looked like it was all melting and things were looking rather black. Nothing looked like it was in condition, so I was happy that we had made the most of the winter day. Things were now feeling rather mild, and I was pretty sure most of the snow would be gone by tomorrow.

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Sunset over Loch Morlich, Cairngorms

We headed back to the car and reflected on what a great day it had been. It had certainly been a day filled with everything that Scotland in winter has to offer.

Cairngorm and the Northern Corries from Loch Morlich

Pentlands Mountain Biking - Reservoir Cogs

After purchasing a new mountain bike, visiting Glentress a few times and being part of the GWC Cycling Project 2009, I had spent quite a bit of time in the saddle over the past few months. While I really enjoyed touring the northwest of Scotland, I didn't think that road cycling was my thing; I was finding mountain biking far more enjoyable. I had spoken to a few folk about good places to mountain bike around Edinburgh and more often than not, the Pentlands were mentioned. After a bit of online research, I quickly came across the excellent Bike Fax guidebook: Southern Scotland & the 7stanes. Armed with the guide, I set out last weekend to explore the Reservoir Cogs route. It really was great fun and I blasted round it in no time at all.
Later that week, Emily was keen to get out on the bikes and after hearing me going on and on about the route at the weekend, fancied giving it a go. We headed up to the car park at Rangers Centre at Flotterstone straight after work to get the most out of the remaining light. We geared up quickly and were soon heading along up the tarmac road past Glen Cottage and along the north shore of Glencorse Reservoir. We passed over Kirk Bridge and went through the gate on our right and headed up the dusty, rocky track. Just before the end of the forest on our left, the track forked and we headed to the right, straight up the steep grassy slope. This was a tough hill to climb on the bike without getting off and I was glad of the breather at the top of the steep section. We followed the single track around the hill and over Knightfield Rig. Passed between Harbour Hill and Phantom's Cleugh and then joined the enjoyable track that followed the woods above Bonaly Reservoir and went throught the gate on the left just after the break in the trees.

Scald Law ridge from Knightfield Rig, Pentland Hills

It was a lovely evening and there was still plenty of light left in the sky. The tracks were in great condition; very dry as we hadn't had any recent rain. We pushed on down the hill on the wide rocky track, as if riding towards Edinburgh in the distance. We picked up plenty of speed heading down towards Bonaly and took some evasive action to avoid the many dog walkers! Just before the large gate, we took a sharp left to follow the single track into the woods; taking great care on the many exposed tree roots, then down the rough path to the bottom of Torduff Reservoir. Then a steep zig zag back up the road towards Clubbiedean Reservoir. There were plenty of folk out enjoying the summer evening and we hit the crowds as we headed down across the fields to Harlaw. After negotiating the large wall, we stopped for a snack on the north side of Theipmuir Reservoir.

Emily tackling the first steep section at Knightfield Rig

After a short break, we pushed on along the single track through Redford Woods; appearing back on the road leading up to Bavelaw Castle. The steep road up to the Castle was lung-busting to say the least, but it was the last climb of the day - great news! After pausing to catch our breath and to take in the historical building, we set off over the grassy fields and joined the sweeping single track running nicely down to The Howe. This is a great descent and you can really get some speed and let the bends flow - just watch out for anyone coming up the other way!

Glencourse Reservoir from Knightfield Rig

After a great run down to The Howe at the top of Loganlea Reservoir, all that remained was a gentle cycle along the minor road to The Flotterstone Inn for a well deserved steak and chips.

New Mountain Bike - Genesis IO ID

As I'll be going on the GWC Cycling Project this year in May, I've been cycling a lot more and taking the training pretty seriously. As I've already got a pretty descent hybrid bike, I've been thinking about getting myself a new mountain bike. Then, as if I'd ordered it personally, an email came around GWC with details of the bike to work scheme. It seemed a very attractive way to buy an expensive bike. I didn't waste much time and headed to Edinburgh Bicycle at lunch for a quick browse.
I hadn't been looking around the shop for long, when I spotted the Genesis IO ID; the same bike I had ridden in Glentress only a few weeks ago. I was very impressed with it that day and it was the perfect test ride. I made enquiries there and then and a couple of days later, I got my voucher from work. A couple more days later, I picked it up from the shop and it was mine! Awesome!
So far, I'm mighty pleased with it and can't wait to test it properly in the Pentlands or down in Glentress.

Review here.

GWC Outdoor Ed Visit to Glentress

Once again, Richard asked me if I would help him with his Outdoor Ed course and, once again, I was very happy to oblige! The plan today was to head down to Glentress and introduce the  group to a bit of single track action. I was really looking forward to the afternoon; mainly because it had been a good few years since I had been to Glentress. The last time I was there was quite a few years ago with Outdoor Ed when I was at Edinburgh Uni. I had read lots of good things about all the work they had put into developing the trails down there, so I was keen to check it out.

We headed off in the mini bus at midday and munched our butties en route. We parked up and popped into The Hub to collect our pre-booked rides. After getting the group sorted, I finally got my hands on my own transportation for the afternoon. To my surprise, it was a very new looking Genesis IO ID - awesome news for me... I knew the day was going to be a hoot! I was most impressed by the bike and I was intrigued by the internal hub gear mechanism. The quality of all the hire bikes was excellent and I would certainly recommend the hire option / service to anyone, even if you're an experienced biker. We briefed the kids about the dangers, hazards and the 'dos and don'ts' of mountain biking.

Then it was time to suck it up, get our heads down and start the climb through the forest. We had told the kids to set their saddle correctly for the climb to get the most out of their legs. However, as I was bringing up the rear and looking up the line, it was clear who had listened and who hadn't! Another word in their ear soon set them straight and we continued up the switchback single track. I have to say that the quality of the track was excellent - nothing like I remember it from years ago.
We soon reached the Buzzard's Nest Car Park and took a breather. Richard planned to descend via a bit of a mixture of the Blue and Red runs. After a quick chat, we spoke to the kids and headed on up towards Pennels Vennel. Another chat with the group and this time we made sure that everyone took our advice about lowering their saddle for the downhill! We zipped back down the wide run to the top car park again, just to give the kids a 'feel' for it, as many of the group had never mountain biked before. The conditions were great; not too muddy but not too firm either. We practiced the drill of the staggered start and leaving at least a few seconds gap between each rider. The group quickly figured out the preferred order, with the more confident riders going towards the front of the line. Adrenalin now well and truly flowing, we started down the 'whoop-de-doos' of Electric Blue. The kids loved this run... and so did I! It was great fun on the flowing single track with the option of a few jumps. Thankfully, everyone made it down in one piece and Richard and I grinned as we listened to the group laughing about what had just happened.
As time was getting on, we headed on down Falla Brae. The kids were a lot more confident now and that was plain to see. This particular run had optional jumps and I found it interesting to see which individuals chose to go over them or around them. Back at the bus to conclude a brilliant afternoon. I was so impressed by the facilities and the quality of the runs. It was a world away from how I remember it when I last visited. Years ago you really had to know your way around the place, as there were no signs or organisation and you really needed a guide for the first visit. Today, that is not so; a great facility that I would recommend to all abilities and experience.

Glentress Trails Map.