Back in early October I went for a few wee rides around Aviemore to make the most of the warmth before autumn came. It was good fun filming some of the ace little singletracks around here and putting them in a video, although the results of an afternoon out with the GoPro were a bit hit and miss, as I didn’t have a tripod and … Continue reading Indian Summer
The Tour de Ben Nevis must be the only race of its type in the UK – a 72km marathon circumnavigation of Britain’s highest mountain, with a carry climb, and river crossing thrown in to keep it interesting. If that wasn’t enough, within the timed circuit there are 4 enduro style ‘special stages’ in which you have to turn your race head up to 11 … Continue reading Tour de ben Nevis 2013
At the start of September I was lucky to be able to squeeze in a quick roadtrip to the Alps to visit Sam at Bikevillage, where I guided in 2011. the condition of the 3 of us going was that I finished converting the van into a rustic passion wagon within the 4 days that I had left myself. Many shuttles to B&Q and several … Continue reading Scale and 650b
Sometimes, you get so fixated on finding new, better trails that you forget the quality rides that are sitting right in front of you. That elusive dream trail is still waiting out there somewhere, but in the meantime there are all the old favorites waiting for a chance to show you why you ride your bike again. In August I went with Seb to revisit … Continue reading A classic summer’s day in Lochaber
Last weekend me and Annie parked up on the Laggan road at Ardverikie to take a wander to a classic multi-pitch HS route that hides around the back of Binnean Shuas: Ardverikie Wall. The SMC guide gives it four stars, and seeing as Annie’s been raving about it since she did it last year I was pretty excited to have a look for myself. We … Continue reading Ardverikie Wall
When summertime does things properly around here, it feels almost rude not to make the most of every last minute of sunshine. Scottish summer nights can seem almost endless, and even when sitting inside having a post-ride cup of tea the evening sunlight streaming through the windows tells you to get straight back outside. To make the most of the amazing weather I decided to … Continue reading Tour des Cairngorms
November 2012 saw the first ever round of competition at ‘God’s own trail centre’ of Kinlochleven with the inaugural This is Enduro Now race organised by No Fuss and the Dudes of Hazzard. Given the success of that race it was a surprise to see only around a third as many riders at the Bluegrass International event this weekend – June is typically a more … Continue reading Bluegrass International Enduro Tour, Kinlochleven
It’s more often thought of as a inconvenient outlier to the rest of the ridge, but the dawn-lit ridge walk back from Gars Bheinn was simple enough that it gave us the freedom to stare at the rest of the Cuillin in front of us, and a good warm up for what was to come. Just before we reached the bags we met the first … Continue reading Cuillin Traverse, Part 2
I’m starting to wonder if North West Scotland’s reputation for miserable weather isn’t just a cunning plan to keep the crowds of tourists away – each time I’ve made the journey over the last couple of years I’ve met sunshine. There’s been cold and wind, but never the days of fog and drizzle that we’re told will probably get in the way of the fun. … Continue reading Cuillin Traverse, Part 1
Topofests 