Bikepacking with mum in the Cairngorms

By Lucy Allen 19 Jun 2025

A Mum and Daughter, 4-Day MTB Adventure in the Cairngorms

The Cairngorms Outer Loop is a 200km off-road adventure around the rugged heart of Scotland’s National Park - a stunning, soul-stirring ride across some of the most dramatic and remote landscapes in the UK. I had ridden it 3 years ago, thanks to the legend that is Mr Phil Robinson, who invited me to assist him and Mr Laurie Dickinson on a school trip with The Lakes School, in Windermere. They were four unforgettable days that left us all grinning and exhausted, having taken a very capable group of students!

This time, I came back with a very different riding partner: my mum.

Now, my mum isn’t new to cycling - but she was new to mountain biking in the Highlands. I had to convince her that The Cairngorms would be “hilly enough” for her. She thought it would be a walk in the park if a bunch of teenagers could do it. How wrong she was!

Although If I am honest, the real challenge still was not the distance or the fitness (though our legs might argue otherwise). It was the daunting challenge that we would be tackling this mission without our usual pit crew of supportive, mechanically minded men. Yep, just us, our bikes, and a whole lot of remote landscape. Sometimes over 30km from the nearest civilisation, there was no possibility for breakdowns. So, we prepared meticulously, we packed carefully, we checked everything... and then we set off.

Here’s how it went down...

Day 1: Wind, Rain, and Sweetcorn

Dalnacardoch to Glenmore – 66km / 823m climbing

I woke to the soundtrack of yoga breathing (thanks mum) and howling wind. We kitted up in Pitlochry YHA with some breakfast and wishful thinking for better weather.

At 9am, we rolled into the storm. Ten minutes later? Full wardrobe change. Torrential rain and freezing winds reminded us of who’s boss out there. Luckily, it was on and off weather and by late morning, we were skimming past the beautiful Loch an Duin, momentarily sun-kissed and awestruck. Before being hit again with another rainstorm not long after!

The route begins on a gradually ascending gravel track with steep sided mountains looming up either side, which leads you into a quite tricky rocky section alongside the loch, before getting back onto the gravel paths on the other side. Where we had our packed lunch of tuna and sweetcorn - bikepacking fine dining!

In the afternoon we were pleased to enter the shelter of the forests that wind their way across to Glenmore lodge.

It had been a tough day for us due to the length and changeable weather conditions. One minute we were in t-shirts, then the next we were fully wrapped up in waterproofs and buffs. By 5pm, we arrived at Glenmore YHA and leaped straight into Loch Morlich. It felt tropically warm, but freezing wind for changing on the beach meant we needed gallons of tea to warm us up again. The drying room and teapot were our new best friend. There are not that many shops in Glenmore for stocking up supplies, so we bought dinner at the YHA which was hearty goodness and they provided breakfast too, ready for Day 2.

Day 2: The Green Loch & Sonder Encounters

Glenmore to Tomintoul – 31km / 609m climbing

After Mum’s morning yoga (this time in the lounge, as she was kicked out of our bedroom whilst I slept), we hit the trail towards An Lochan Uaine. AKA - the Green Loch. It shimmered like a tropical lagoon in the pine forest.

The descent to the River Nethy was straight out of the Alps, flowing down lovely singletrack, ending in a chilly river wade. At midday, we crossed paths with some Sonder bike riders, Janice and Andy, out training for the Great Divide on their Broken Roads. It was a joy to see other adventurous people - proof that the route brings kindred spirits together.

We stumbled on through multiple river crossings (a navigational comedy). Tip: Watch out for the right turn when following the river after the wooden Tomintoul sign, it’s easy to miss! 

Eventually we found our way to a dreamlike lunch spot beneath the Bridge of Avon, before rolling down the one main road into the Smugglers Hostel in Tomintoul. It was great to have a shorter day after the length of yesterday’s riding, but still it felt like a decent day of riding and we were pleased we hadn’t combined day 2 and 3, like we had debated. This day consisted of the best single tracks through the forests and past many more beautiful lochs.

Dinner? Another peas-and-everything feast. No regrets.

Day 3: Climbs, Co-ops & Cairngorm Legends

Tomintoul to Braemar – 38km / 813m climbing

Best sleep of the trip so far. The Smugglers Hostel had peace, quiet, and no snorers - bliss.

The day started gently along the River Avon, then climbed steadily to the majestic Loch Builg. There, we met a crew from Belgium riding a similar route in reverse. They were the first people we had seen on the route all morning. 

The real kicker of the day was the big climb near Tom na h-Eilrig. Legs wobbly, we reached the top and flew down into Braemar on a flowy descent, with views in every direction, that made every uphill metre worthwhile.

Top tip: take the Lions Face Trail into Braemar - it’s an off-road gem that sneaks you into town away from the tarmac.

We made it to the YHA early; explored the village; devoured a Ben Nevis size mountain of peas; and got excited for our final day. Feeling proud of how far we’d come and trying not to jinx the final day by saying “we’ve had no mechanicals yet!” 

Day 4: The Grand Finale

Braemar to Dalnacardoch – 65km / One sore bum

The final day started with sunshine, bunny rabbits, and bird song - idyllic, really. We added another cheeky detour to avoid the main road out of Braemar, which gave the legs a morning awakening as it was a climb. It then went a bit flat for our liking for the next 5km as you head out of Braemar on the road...but beyond the Lin of Dee, the trail got gloriously remote again. We’d worried the river crossings would be too deep from recent rain, but they were gentle and passable. No wet feet even! I had been keeping an eye on the forecast and weather warnings too, there is an emergency bothy shelter here and our back up plan would have also been a long pedal back around on the road.

One of the most memorable moments of the entire trip, was the next approx. 15km of singletrack traversing the valley. It was steep-sided, dramatic, and wild. Followed by the magical Falls of Tarf. One word – “Wow!”. We didn’t see a single other person on this ride, until we reached the track into Blair Atholl.

Then we’d hit the home straight! But the final road kilometres from Blair Atholl to the car draggeddddddd. We were flagging hard by the time we hit the last 15km. It. Went. On. Forever. But eventually, the sight of the car appeared, and the feeling was like winning a gold medal in a competition. We threw ourselves into a massive hug and then threw ourselves into the river for one last dunk. Legs wobbly, bums tender, spirits sky-high! 

Final Thoughts

My mum rode the Sonder Cortex and I rode my Sonder Evol. A mountain bike in our view was a good choice for this trip, in our opinion it would be a bit painfully bumpy on a gravel bike. ‘The Cairngorms Outer MTB Loop’ is tough, remote, and utterly stunning. It is full of singletrack to lose yourself on, lochs to swim in, and a variety of terrain and views that stick with you long after your legs stop aching. It has enough smooth tracks to help cover the distance, combined with the great MTB trails, make it a perfect combination. In bad weather I think this would be extremely tough because of the exposure and lack of shelter.

Doing it with my mum? That made it unforgettable. We prepared well, we laughed hard, we suffered somewhat, and we ate our bodyweight in peas – AND WE LOVED IT.

We are already planning our next biking overnight adventure...

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