Round Beinn A'Ghlo, from Blair Atholl, Perthshire
By Lloyd Bower
This circular day ride has some great singletrack, many miles of land rover tracks, and includes a mix of a few long climbs with some speedy descents. The scenery deep in the Grampian Mountains is simply superb.
Distance & Time
The total of over 35 miles includes only two miles of tarmac, and that's the initial road climb to Loch Moraig. Time, reckon on between 5 and 7 hours.
Map
Landranger 43: Braemar & Blair Atholl
No great navigational challenges, but this is in remote hill country, so go prepared no chance of a caff stop!
Start\Finsh:- Old Bridge of Tilt carpark - Click for Link to Start Point Map
Route Directions
- Starting from car park at Old Bridge of Tilt (grid ref 876663) head back on the road right, and then left up the road signposted for Monzie. Road climb!
- After passing Loch Moriag and a small forest head straight on through a gate onto a landrover track rather than following the road round leftwards.
- Stay on this landrover track gaining height until 939683, when main track continues to Shinagag, instead go left onto an obvious turnoff.
- This defined track continues until it descends to meet the river - this must be crossed. I was able to cross the with the aid of the bike without getting wet (if there's been plenty of rain you may wish to continue to the Shinagag (there's a bridge marked there, and then head left to meet the singletrack I took).
- On the other side of the river, the track isn't that clear initially, and you'll need to push for a while as its steep until you meet the singletrack. Don't worry if you don't immediately see the singletrack, it is surprisingly quite high up the corner of a hill named Sron na h Innearach on the map.
- This singletrack through heather is great though, all rideable with the only the odd touch down needed near rocky bits.
- Eventually the singletrack descends to meet another rocky landrover track 978708.
- Follow this landrover track for some while as it descends to meet Alt Glen Loch (Don't be tempted to try a short cut on the left via the strangely named Loch Loch) and then undulates until it reaches Daldhu 025705.
- Turn left at Daldhu and follow an initially very smooth land rover track all the way to the Fealar lodge. Lots of height gained here, but it's all rideable, to reach a col on the eastern side of Carn an t-Sionnaich. The side of the hill looks like its recently been quarried to improve the track.
- Then loads of descent before leveling out for some while until Fealar Lodge (pink houses) is reached 009799.
- Turn immediately left in front of Fealar Lodge onto what is little more than a sheep track.
- There's a fair bit of unrideable stuff for a km now, as the gullies are scaringly steep to the left for quite a while! I think you may be better staying high, I lost some ground and did a fair of bit carrying next to the almost vertical gorge before eventually finding some more singletrack.
- Once found the singletrack is again super and is rode with a few obvious technical bits (!) - dismounts and carries for me, its no place to have accident! Finally the singletrack descends to meet Allt Garbh Buidhe just before the Falls of Tarf bridge.
- Its a small stream and should be easily crossable, and ride for a short length to meet the magnificent Falls of Tarf suspension bridge 983797
- Finally follow the landrover track in Glen Tilt. It's nearly all downhill, but there's about 12 miles of it, until you are spat out virtually opposite the starting point's car park.
Stalking
There should be no problems at any time on the latter two tracks, to Fealer Lodge and down Glen Tilt, but its worth checking on the route eastwards of Beinn A'Ghlo with the Blair Atholl Estate (Tel: 01796 481355 ). I tried the number but got an answer phone message and decided to risk it anyway, ignoring the permanent sign on the gate at instruction 2 above. I've since discovered that there's a daily recorded Hill Phone message telephone number that advises of stalking in this area - 01796 481740.
Accommodation and Food
Two camp sites (be warned the one part of the Blair Atholl Estate is not cheap!) and several B&B's. I stayed at the Youth Hostel at Pitlochry 7½ miles south.
Nosh is available at a tea room, the hotel near the station, or supplies from the corner shop or petrol station.
Rail Access
There is a station at Blair Atholl barely a mile from the start.
All pages and content Copyright © 1999 - 2001 James Murnaghan or their respective authors. All rights reserved.
No content of this web-site may be used in whole or in part, without the express permission of The Editor.