The area around Aviemore and Strathspey offers some wonderful mountain biking trails in beautiful surroundings. Let me show you some of my favourite circuits. Most of these routes can be achieved by all, novices to experienced. They range from easy to medium difficulty/distance.

Here is a small selection of the many possibilities:

Ryvoan Pass

This classic route starts and finishes from Aviemore. Virtually all of the ride is on good forest tracks with very little single-track riding. It goes through the beautiful Caledonian Pine Forests of Rothiemurchus and Abernethy.

The Pass of Ryvoan runs between Glen More near Aviemore, and Nethybridge. It climbs to 380m, passing through natural Caledonian pine woods. There are good views of the Cairngorm Mountains and Abernethy Forest. It is possible to do this route all the year round provided it is not snow covered Abernethy Forest, like Rothiemurchus further south, is a remnant of the native Scots pine forest that once covered the highlands; habitat of red squirrel, wildcat, pine marten and red deer. One of the delights of this route is 2 cafes and 1 hotel for refreshment's!

Bridge over the Burma Road, Aviemore

Burma Road

A tougher ride with a steep ascent over the classic Burma Road. Stunning views of the Northern Cairngorm Mountains from the 700m summit of this steep but steady track. Most of the days hard work is over when we reach the top of the pass. You can reward yourself with terrific views looking back toward the Northern Cairngorms. A steep descent follows down to the Beautiful River Dulnain which has a real feel of remoteness. From here some single track, easy riding brings us out near the village of Carrbridge (café!). We return via the Speyside Way and back to Aviemore.

This is a tough and strenuous route and a good choice for those with plenty of biking experience and good fitness levels who want to see more of the area. There are no technically steep single-track sections.

In the Rothiemurchus forests, Aviemore

Lochs and Trails of Rothiemurchus

A beautiful ride around the Pine Forests near to Aviemore. Good tracks with only very short, easy angled ascents and descents. Mostly on wide tracks with a little single-track riding. The trails link up some of our most beautiful lochs in the area. Lots of time to stop and admire the beauty, or even a paddle on hot days! Highlights include Loch an Eilein, Loch Morlich, Lochn Deo and Lochan Mor. Reasonable level of fitness. This is a great introduction to mountain biking for all the family

New to biking?

If you have never ridden a bike off road then no problem. Let me introduce you to the delights of off-road cycling. Mountain Bike Hire is available in Aviemore.

We will have an hour or so of getting used to riding your bike and the controls. We’ll then head out on a short, very easy ride all on wide tracks to get you confident. In the afternoon we shall go for a longer ride and a visit to a café and some beautiful views along the way.

BIKE AND HIKE

Some of the more remote mountains in The Cairngorms can be quite a long ‘walk-in’. Having the use of a mountain bike greatly reduces the time to get to the foot of the climbing. Mountains such as Braeriach are a classic example. Braeriach is the third highest mountain in the UK and a popular objective. Using a mountain bike makes the day much easier and shorter. The approach tracks are very easy, mostly wide and of course some lovely scenery along the way. Many other hills and mountains can be enjoyed with a bike approach. Contact me for more details or if you have specific objectives.

I have many other wonderful itineraries on offer to suit everyone. If you want to explore the area more and get into some wilder terrain or multi day biking then please contact us for details and ideas.

We also offer road cycling itineraries with many miles of often quiet roads in the Aviemore area.

All our bike rides are led by qualified Mountain Bike Leaders who will have extensive knowledge of the area. Many of these will also be Mountain Leaders with plenty of experience of the Cairngorms area.