ACTIVE OUTDOORS: Cairngorms pine forests are backdrop to short mountain bike journey

Published: 14:00, 08 September 2024

The gable end of a ruin at Baileguish with Carn Ban Beag in the background.

Autumn is here already, although I think I may have blinked and missed that popular season known as summer.

There’s still plenty of time – and daylight – left yet for some great adventures, but sometimes a shorter outing is called for at this time of year.

This mountain bike route is a good example; it touches the edge of the more remote parts of the Cairngorms but is easily accessible on fantastic trails.

I began at the forestry car park at Uath Lochans, heading out the back of the parking area beside the information boards. They explain more about the glacial past of the area which created these beautiful water features that nestle in the pine woods of Inshriach Forest.

A track winds around and up behind the impressive Farleitire Crag, staying on the main route the whole way – a low gear is highly recommended!

One of the lochans seen through the trees from the trail.

We are following the Speyside Way, whose gradient soon eases and then the path drops, following a sharp left bend to reach a T-junction at an improved track.

Take a left turn to follow the Speyside Way still, round a right-hand bend and head downhill to a massive cleared area of forest. The large vehicle track continues straight down, eventually bending right then left to a junction, where you drop right towards Kingussie following the sign tucked on the inside corner.

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Just before you reach the B road at the bottom, take a sharp left onto a narrow path that leads through a nice tunnel of birch trees and then heads in a straight line behind the scattered houses at Insh.

After a bend, there’s a nice little picnic table here at the start of some small community walks, so I took a seat and enjoyed a break on this rare warm summer’s day.

Continuing along the path through Inveruglas – where a few gates need to be opened and closed behind you – there’s an open stretch with views out to the Monadhliath mountains to the north-west.

The well-made path then climbs a little to a bench (with a book swap box below it) then sweeps down before heading into the quiet hamlet of Drumguish, a beautiful spot where many a right of way meets.

The word “guish” crops up in a number of place names around here, and is a variation of the Gaelic “guithas” meaning pine tree – for fairly obvious reasons!

The Allt Chomhraig looking towards the Feshie hills.

At the little crossroads, take the left turn to follow the green sign pointing towards Glen Feshie. After a short stretch of road, the right of way goes through a gate and along the track through a croft – where cattle are sometimes present – to reach another gate into the forest.

Keep straight on through the crossroads then climb the steep hill that is all-too-visible beyond. It keeps climbing round the corner before eventually easing and passing through another crossroads.

The views to the Cairngorms really open up now, and a descent on the track leads to some sharp S-bends. I knew there was a little singletrack shortcut here that I wanted to ride – as long as nobody was walking up the other way it would be okay! It’s not much, but it added a bit of excitement to the route after a good few miles of forestry track.

I now needed to cross the burn to reach Baileguish. There is a ford but a good bridge just downstream is the much better option here, so I headed over and followed the narrow path on the far side to rejoin the track.

The ruins at Baileguish always look impressive, with the track winding upwards behind them and the high hills beyond as a spectacular backdrop. Today their tops were in the clouds, but the setting was no less inspiring.

I continued to a second footbridge – this one over the Allt Mor – then followed the track as it winds up into the forest again.

At a large crossroads in the trees, take a left turn and enjoy the easy ride north to reach the end of the public road on this side of Glen Feshie at Tolvah. Cross over the wooden bridge then follow the tarmac back to the Uath Lochans to complete the circuit.