Cairngorm Mysteries: Bikepacking to Discover River Dee's Source -
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 เม.ย. 2023
- Bikepacking for adventure! We head back to Braemar where our previous mission into the Laraig Ghru was halted due to the deep snow. We ride out from Braemar to finish what we started in December! to venture into the infamous Laraig Ghru in search of the source of the River Dee. Two small lochans known as the "Pools of Dee" high up in the glen between 4 of Scotlands tallest mountains.
Our mountain bike ride in to the glen had peat bogs, river fords, some tough hike-a-bike but was rewarded with one of the most epic views we have had on any mountain bike trip. Huge butresses of rock towering high in this central glen of the Cairngorm mountain range created a amphitheatre of stone on a scale so large we just paused to absorb it all, in awe of this wild place. What a place to wildcamp. We tested our new Big Agnes Sleeping mats and a new gadget to help with their significantly larger volume.
On day two we rode our bikepacking rigs further out with Cairn Toul, Ben Macdui, Braeriach and the Cairngorm Plateau on all sides as we continued in search of the source of the Dee, 144km away from where it joins the sea on Scotland's east coast by Aberdeen.
There was still snow on the tops of the mountains feeding the rivers and streams. We reach the snow line made up of more sheltered spots along the way where the snow hadn't melted. Up there it still feels like winter. On the way to the Pools of Dee the mountain biking was tough with some challenging paths and rock features to overcome. But on the way out, with a little help from gravity we had some fantastic alpine style mountain biking opportunities that you wont find outside of these wild glens. It certainly tested us as well as our Pipedream Moxie's and our tyres, gears and bikepacking luggage. Come join us for the adventure!
Here is a link to part one of this adventure series:
• The Bikepacking Trip W...
The wonderful Mar Lodge Estate is by The National Trust for Scotland. It is Britain’s largest National Nature Reserve, find out more here.
www.nts.org.uk/venue-hire/mar...
If looking to know more about bothies in Scotland you can visit the Mountain Bothy Association website here:
www.mountainbothies.org.uk/
For some great information on not only your rights of access but crucially how you can make sure you meet the guidelines for responsible access to the outdoors, for updates on bird flu and information on the deer stalking season check out the Scottish Outdoor Access Code website here:
www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/
Here is the playlist for our 7 part series on riding 700km in 7 days on the west Coast of Scotland:
• ROAM Scotland Rally '22
#bikepacking #mountainbiking #adventurecycling #scotland #laraigghru #cairngorms #braemar #cycletouring #cyclinglife #wildcamping #cyclingvlog #visitscotland
Our Bikepacking equipment choices: (No affiliate links at the time of publishing)
Navigation: @outdooractive_official Outdoor Active
www.outdooractive.com/en/
Bikes we ride: @pipedreamcycles Pipedream Moxie Mk1 - Most similar current model tailored for bikepacking would be the Sirius.
www.pipedreamcycles.com/
Bike Packing Luggage: AcePacbags
www-acepac-bike.translate.goo...
NEW Fork Bags: @TailfinCycling Tailfin Cargo Cages & Cage Packs
www.tailfin.cc/product/cargo-...
Tent: @MSRGear MSR Hubba Hubba
www.msrgear.com/ie/tents/back...
Water filter: @Platyhydration Platapus Gravity Works
www.platy.com/ie/filtration/g...
Energy : Active Root - @activeroot8925 Active Root (Original Ginger)
activeroot.co.uk/
Attributions:
The music in this video is licensed through www.Audiio.com
I highly recommend them, there is a great range of music and effects for making videos. - กีฬา
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Lindsay and I really enjoyed this trip! Any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you for watching! Keith & Lindsay
I think we call that gnarly, wow! Good work, beautiful country you got there.Best from USA.
Wonderful, thank you.
Over 35 five years ago I walked with my wife of the time in glorious weather from Cairngorm car park, through the Alamein Gap, and then via the Sinclair hut (has that been removed now?) up Braeriach round and over Cairn Toul dropping down to Corrour Bothy.
Even back then the mice were notorious so we crossed the river to camp about quarter mile away. No mouse problem.
Next day we ascended Ben Macdui, Cairngorm and back to the car in foul weather which seriously tested my navigation skills. Unable to locate the 'motorway' path from the summit of Ben Macdui we descended on a compass bearing in thick cloud and rain to a point where I really thought I had made a mistake, only to realise I was standing in the water at the edge of the little lochan that feeds into Feith Buidhe. Bit of a relief! (Yes, I have had to look up some of the spellings! Nice trip down memory lane though).
Once again, thank you for your filming, editing etc along with actually going on the adventure!
Humbled to have evoked such memories. It's a place not like many other in its sense of scale. Yet there's so little other noise bar birds and running water, that you can almost make out the conversation of folk who are barely visible to the eye on the other side of the glen. Thank you for sharing your experience. And delighted you enjoyed the video.
Many thanks again to both of you - having watched your Roam Scotland Rally videos I have now managed to catch up with many of the other videos on your channel, and that has been a most enjoyable activity. The most relevant comment to make is ‘ditto’ the comment I made on the final episode of the Roam Scotland Rally videos. Regards Phill
Thanks for taking the time to comment though, it's greatly appreciated, and always helps with motivation! Especially as I just did a 37min talking head recording and the camera had overheated and stopped after 3 minutes!
great video :)
The quality of your content has gotten even more excellent 👌well done! You guys are very lucky to be able to do such adventures, and we are very lucky to be able to virtually join you here.
Thanks for the kind words 😊🙌, we both felt this one was a step up and hope to keep it up! Really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Keith & Lindsay
Great adventure! And you two make a great team! Beautiful place and some very tough cycling terrain! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Ken, appreciated and glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant. This has been on my radar for some years, but kept putting it off due to it supposedly being impossible on a loaded bike. I’m inspired now. Thanks for sharing your experience. ❤
It's a personal taste! We didn't ride far, but we went somewhere wild. It's a different kind of adventure with a different objective. It's no Sunday ride 😂 but it wouldn't be a challenge if it was. Comment back here if you do get out there.
@@TerraVenture aye it’s not about the distance. I managed to ride the Spey from source to sea last year and have also ridden the Dee from Ballater to Aberdeen so getting to the source is an itch that needs to be scratched.
Thank you for posting such excellent content! Thoroughly enjoyed the video!
Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful adventure!
Thank you Marcos 🙌
Great stuff you two 👍🏕️
Cheers Alan, appreciated 👍
Fantastic video. Loving your filming style and music. New subscriber and now watching a few each day 😀
Thank you Ali, lovely comment ☺️
Came to your channel after seeing you on Always another Adventure. Enjoying working my way through your videos. Interested to know which strap Lindsay uses to carry her camera and which camera she uses. Looking forward to seeing more of your bike packing adventures. Thanks.
Thanks! Welcome to the channel and I'll get Lindsay to follow up with your question. K
@@TerraVenture that would be great thanks 🙏
Lovely to hear that you have enjoyed following in some of our adventures. The camera I used on this trip was a Fuji XT2 with a 35mm lens. I use a standard Peak Designs camera strap with a Rille stabiliser strap so that the camera stays in place whilst I'm riding. It works very well and is convenient to use.
@@Lindsay-TerraVenture That’s great - thanks very much. Have a Fujifilm camera and Peak Designs strap so just need the stabiliser 👍 Hope you manage some more bike packing adventures soon despite the current weather.
Great video with some lovely footage. Sounds great fun with some like minded people. Such a shame about the people’s bikes getting stolen at the beginning 🙁
Cheers Leigh, the group breakfasts, just taking over some random wee cafe are the best bits! Great social, plenty of coffee and cooked breakfasts!
were the pools hot springs? BTW, nice cycling skills!
Where can we find the fenders that you use in your bikes.? Thanks a lot and be safe always
Hi there! Our front and rear fenders are made by Mudhugger a UK company but I believe they have foreign shipping possibly aswell. The rear ones are absolutely brilliant, we're always clean and so is the kit at the back of the bike! Such a benefit on muddy and wet trails!
Interesting video, but like so many similar types of video you guys really need to sort out your spelling. It's Lairig (not Laraig) Ghru.
Thanks for the feedback 👍