‘ The Third Wheel ’ - Bikepacking the Cairngorms

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be writing up another bikepacking blog, its been too long! Why you ask?! Well, riding is one of my greatest priorities…forget jobs, a comfortable pension, house or any other form of security…I just want to shred my bike on as many trails as humanely possible. Thus, five years back I decided to live in my van to free up as much time/revenue as possible for two wheeled adventures. Life on the road is incredible, but it also means formulating structures to support such an alternative lifestyle. Consequently, I decided that in order to make my dreams a reality I had to put in the work and backed off longer rides in the short term to support epic rides for the rest of my life…figured that was a worthwhile trade!

  Me and Bartoz ( Instagram: Places Nature Trails & founder of PNT Magazine ) and his partner Michelina  ( Instagram: mjulovesu & incredible tattooist { Insta: mjutattoo }) had been trying to organise a ride together for the past few years but until May 2018 it hadn’t be possible. Thus, with a narrow seven-day window between finishing work on Skye and starting my next assignment in Kent I reached out to the guys and by some miracle they were also able to squeeze in a ride. The route was the brainchild of Bartoz who is somewhat famous for his route mastery ( …Michelina often rolls her eyes as he recounts numerous stories of taking them on brutal DIY hike-a-bike routes all over the world ). In my opinion Bart should be considered one of the great bikepacking route planners as his passion for finding unique trails is truly inspiring and his Cairngorms extravaganza did not disappoint. I can honestly say I was a little overwhelmed by my time with Bart & Michelina. I think it’s important to point out that before our ride we’d spoken a handful of times online and organised a few Skype chats. However, I can honestly say that after the ride I consider them two of my closest friends. I live for three things: Family. Friends. Adventure. It was such a pleasure to ride with people who genuinely live by these core values. So what makes the Cairngorms itself so special?

This Scottish National park is not simply one of the best areas in Scotland for adventure cycling, it is arguably one of the best bikepacking locations in the world. The Cairngorms offers an intricate selection of forestry paths, singletrack and gravel roads that traverse mountains, lochs, valleys and dense forests. Moreover, this national park has a tremendous amount of charming and unique bothies ( a mountain hut maintained by the ‘ Mountain Bothy Association ’ ) that provides wonderful free accommodation in the wilderness. Summer in Scotland is beautiful but I would personally recommend riding in Spring/Autumn to avoid the worst of the midges ( winter is also epic ).  Bart took care of the route and I photographed/filmed the adventure so if you’d like more information on the specific trails we followed drop him a DM on Instagram ( it’s worth noting that he rides in the Cairngorms most weekends so if you have any questions about riding there I’d highly recommend dropping him a message ). So what bike’s best?!

  The great thing about the Cairngorms is you have so many route options that you can almost exclusively ride on gravel, forestry trails, singletrack or combine the lot depending on what suits you. Thus, there really is no right/wrong bike for this particular location. I always carry a bike on the van and my favourite all rounder is the Surly Instigator. It always surprises me that the Instigator doesn’t have the same popularity as other models in the range. The company have pioneered some of the most iconic adventure bikes in the world and I truly feel the Instigator falls into this category. The Instigator is just so damn versatile. I’m 6’3 and have the biggest frame, but it still packs down far smaller than my other bikes thanks to the frame geometry and 26” wheels ( perfect for storing inside the van or taking on planes/other transport ). Furthermore, the Fox Float 32 ( 140mm/5.5inch travel ) are great and offer superb comfort during all day riding, excellent cushion when shredding technical singletrack and once locked out turn the Instigator into a real mile muncher.  I think one area in particular that this bike is overlooked is its ability as a bikepacking rig. Sure, it doesn’t have the braze ons and touring specific features found on other Surly models, but with so many ingenious bikepacking hacks on the market you’re still spoilt for choice. I didn’t have much gear with me as I’d been largely focused on technical trails in Skye and had left a lot of equipment in Kent, which is why you’ll notice I’m not running my Wildcat Gear frame bag ( seen below in Skye – 35mm film  ).  I was also missing my Surly rear rack so made do with my emergency lightweight Carradice Bagman rack ( which is great on the tarmac and when you’re loaded light, but can’t handle heavy loads on the rough stuff so every day I’d need to give it a tighten – n.b. I noticed they do offer additional supports for the Bagman that I’m sure will make it a lot more sturdy). I utilised a small backpack for the first time on this trip ( The GoPro Seeker ) to carry extra gear that I’d usually have stowed away on my bike, which was an interesting change ( I think ideally it’s best to keep your gear on the bike if you can, rucksacks will keep your back sweaty and if heavy will strain your neck on multi day trips – that said, it was by far the most convenient way to store my camera gear for easy access and it’s great for storing valuables when away from the bike ). The Instigator….as usual…didn’t disappoint on this ride and whilst I missed my additional bikepacking bags it was really fun riding super light ( something I want to apply to future rides ). There’s just something about Surly bikes that brings out the kid in you and as soon as I get on one I want to build sketchy ramps, stay up late and worship Satan. The Instigator is no different; it’s rugged, comfortable, capable, beautifully designed and most importantly its just got that Surly magic. The only way I can describe it is you can play Hendrix note for note, but it’ll never sound the same. There’s a lot of technically great bikes out there but there’s nothing quite like a Surly.

At this point, I’ll stop being such an unbearable fanboy and let my photos document a ride that cements the Cairngorms as one of the greatest bikepacking playgrounds in the UK, perhaps even in the world. In October 2019 me, Bart & Michelina will be reunited in Spain for dirt trails, late nights and good company, but this time I won’t be the third wheel…