Mill Cottage, 21 – 22 March, 2025
It was a select group that convened at Mountaineering Scotland’s Mill Cottage. The Northern Irish
and Highland contingents were already ensconced in the hut by the time the WestCoast party arrived. We were sharing with a couple from Bristol, a trio of cavers (always a genial group but slightly off the scale) and a man with but a few teeth. The forecast was somewhat underwhelming and all signs of winter had gone. The Bristol couple were up for a winter skills course which was a pity and our own, parallel CIC meet was abandoned due to the early cessation of winter. Such are the conditions we now find ourselves having to endure.
As is often the case, the forecast did not live up to its expectations. It was dull but dry, not that cold
and with cloud well down on the tops. More importantly, it wasn’t raining. We had our bikes with us
so a decision was made to cycle over the Burma Road, a track I’d walked several times but always
thought would provide a good bike ride into an area I’d never explored before.
We started at the road end just beyond the Kinrara Distillery at Lynwilg and were immediately
confronted by a brutally steep pull up. The bold had the sense to push while I took the challenge – a
mistake. We were soon both pushing. I believe this is what they now call hike-a-bike, the connotations associated with pushing being considered far too shameful. The two miles or so to the bealach below Geal Charm Mor were dispatched by a combination of pushing and cycling (mostly pushing – I’ve no shame). Our efforts were rewarded by a magnificent run down to the bridge over the River Dulnain near Caggan and then a really pleasant section of easy single track/land across rolling meadows and through forests of birch and Scots pine, eventually picking up General Wade’s Military Road. The picturesque Sluggan Bridge made for a nice lunch stop before heading into Carr Bridge and picking up the Speyside Way back to Aviemore. We decided to cut a corner at Boat of Garten by taking some of the forestry tracks near the village.
This decision led to a close encounter that led to a high point of the day. At a crossroads we were waved down by a couple of twitchers who told us that the track was blocked by a rather aggressive male capercaillie. In fact one of the twitchers was convinced that the caper was trying to kill him!
True enough, a big caper was strutting his stuff at the junction and barring the way ahead. This was
probably the rogue bird that we were warned about a few months earlier when we came across
warning notices when cycling from Forrest Lodge to Ryvoan. It looked as if it had upped sticks and
moved to Boat of Garten.
Undeterred, we made a dash for it and got across the junction. It seemed to have calmed down a bit
so I decided to get some pictures. An encounter with a Caper is a rare event which needs to be
recorded. I’d only ever seen one about 40 years ago near Derry Lodge and that was just a fleeting
glimpse as it scurried off into the woods. What I hadn’t counted on was the bird being camera shy
and not keen on being photographed. It performed some sort of war dance (in retrospect this was a
warning that I misread) and then made a dash for me, pecking furiously at my pannier as I made a
hasty retreat. We escaped unpecked but slightly ruffled by this encounter and made our way back to
the car along the rolling paths through birch forest of the Speyside Way.
I would not hesitate to recommend this route – 28 miles and some 300m of ascent, it takes you into
a fairly remote corner and you could easily tick off a Corbett on the way if you were so inclined.
Sunday was not a great hill day and we opted for an easy stroll up to the Wellington Monument and
the Duke of Gordon Memorial near Dalraddy.
Niel Craig.