 |
|
Our next big idea is centred on the big problem - transport. Only one of
the regulars has a car, so getting out to the hill is a bit of a hassle, requiring
all of us to be available at the same time. So we're looking at other ways
of approaching the problem.
One trick that has been tried on several occasions in the past is to take
a bus ride out to the vicinity of the hills, with a push-bike in the boot
of the bus. Lights on, start pushing pedals. Nice and simple. Of course, it
is prone to different problems. My first bike trip we'd not even got out of
the village with the bus stop before I'd snapped the chain on my bike. These
problems are manageable.
So, what's the plan?
| Location | Grid.Reference | Leg distance | Time (hrs:mins) on foot/ on bike |
Cumulative time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braemar |
NO 149 916 (map) |
- |
2:30 on the bus from Aberdeen |
2:30 |
| Victoria Bridge |
NO 102 895 |
6 km |
1:15 / 0:30 |
3:45 / 3:00 |
| Foot of Lui water |
NO 068 898 |
3.5 km |
0:45 / 0:20 |
4:30 / 3:20 |
| Derry Lodge |
NO 041 934 |
4.5 km |
1:15 / 0:30 |
5:45 / 3:50 |
| Glen Derry road end |
NO 036 972 |
5 km |
1:30 / 0:20 (ditch bikes near road end) |
7:15 / 4:10 |
| Hutchison Hut |
NO 023 997 |
3.5 km |
1:15 / 1:15 |
8:30 / 5:25 |
| Derry Cairngorm |
NO 017 980 |
4 km |
1:45 / 1:45 |
10:15 / 7:10 |
| Glen Derry road end (via Carn Crom
& foot-bridge) |
NO 036 972 (NO 023 953)
(NO 040 958) |
6.5 km |
2:00 / 2:00 (regain bikes, some back-tracking which could be optimised) |
12:15 / 9:10 |
| Derry Lodge | NO 041 934 | 5 km |
1:20 / 0:15 | 13:35 / 9:25 |
| Foot of Lui water | NO 068 898 | 4.5 km |
1:10 / 0:25 | 14:45 / 9:50 |
| Victoria Bridge | NO 102 895 | 3.5 km |
0:45 / 0:20 | 15:30 / 10:10 |
| Braemar | NO 149 916 | 6 km |
1:15 / 0:30 | 16:45 / 10:40 |
| Aberdeen |
2:30 + waiting time |
19:15 / 13:10 |
||
Totals |
52 km (ex-bus) |
14:15 on foot (no breaks) 8:10 with the bikes |
Actually, I'm quite impressed with that - last night in the pub I estimated
that we'd save ~6 hours on trips in the 'Gorms from Braemar by using the bikes.
If we're taking the car to Braemar we still get a good part of that saving
because the car park is at the foot of the Lui Water. But if we were actually
to try it from Aberdeen on the bus ... the first bus arrives in Braemar at
~10:00 and the last one back leaves ~19:00. So to try this trip on the bus
you're comitting to a night in a bothy on the hill or a hotel/ B+B in Braemar.
Some of us don't have a problem with that, but others (and their S.O.s) would
have a job to justify that.