Loire ride for Esme: training ride along Loch Ericht and over the hills

 The beauty of Loch Ericht looking south westwards 

Today I got in a good, reasonably long training ride (a little over four hours) through the Scottish Highlands in preparation for riding the length of the Loire (starting 17th September) to raise money for two cancer charities. 

I headed out from Newtonmore to Dalwhinnie intending to explore The Old Drovers Road that starts just south of Dalwhinnie at the top of a steep hill and goes through to the Laggan Road. Although for the first mile there is a clear track it soon peters out and becomes barely a footpath, so not ideal even for a mountain bike. 

Heading to Dalwhinnie

 The hills above the A9 to the east on the way to Dalwhinnie

So it was onto Plan B (nothing to do with the Scottish Independence debate..) into Dalwhinnie and out along Loch Ericht to Ben Alder where I took the track up into the moorland and across to Loch Pattack. From there northwards following the River Pattack for much of the way until I met the A86 Spean Bridge road well to the west of Laggan. Then back to Newtonmore. 

Great ride through some really beautiful scenery. Although the Loire will be lovely it will be hard to better parts of this ride.

My Loire ride will be to raise money for two cancer charities – one in France and one in the UK. My donation page on Fondation Gustave Roussy is: https://igr.friendraising.eu/jim.budd. For Teenage Cancer Trust it is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JimBudd 

      

 Loch Ericht (above and below)

 The track away from Loch Ericht towards the hills including Beinn a Chlachair and approaching Loch Pattack

 Hills including Carn Dearg (?)

 Loch Pattack