Athlete Profile
Ralph Cox•Follow
Ride
August 30, 2022

Corner to Corner, Day 30: Pitlochry to Aviemore

https://www.cycling4charity.org.uk Great route, NCN 7. Much of The track is very good, beautifully smooth. The rest is not. Drumochter Summit was under-whelming - "Is that it?!" Ruthven Barracks made up for that. My main cycling buddy, Johny Jag, would love to cycle today's route. After the summit, we belted the 35 miles to our overnight stop-over. First 90 minutes: food for the day from the Co-op, pumping up tyres at Escape Route, buying and fitting Jubilee clips from Pitlochry's The Hardware Centre to the panniers to keep them together. Anxious 20mins before start: though had spare, could not find bike lock key. Lorraine found it - on the ground outside the shed. Tired, I had dropped it in mud the previous night.
Distance
61.3 mi
Elev Gain
2,766 ft
Time
6h 2m
The low cloud and dew thinner as the morning progresses. Our first stop was the Co-op. We were directed by a hard working Pole who stacked shelves there in support of his loved children - his love was clear. I observed customers whilst Lorraine took her turn getting food, and later in the day talked to one of them with his family at House of Bruar.
One rear stay came loose on Lorraine's pannier on Day 18, the 11th day of using the road bikes. I wanted Jubilee clips on the other 3 sides just in case, and found one on the Reilly had also come apart from its base.
In addition to the clips, Lorraine had also previously applied duck tape, which, if I had followed suit, may have saved one of my stays subsequently sheering before Edinburgh.
Pitlochry's Aladdin's cave: The Hardware Centre. Garry was very helpful. https://www.pitlochryhardware.co.uk
River Garry, 2.5 miles out of Pitlochry. South of here, it joins the River Tummel. With us for many miles as we cycle north, up to Loch Garry just before Drumochter Summit. The bridge where I took this photograph was just before we joined a General Wade military road route, (Dunkeld to Inverness originally built1728-1730), which I have only just now, In November, realised, as I had wanted to experience one of them! About River Garry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Garry%2C_Perthshire About General Wade's military roads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_roads_of_Scotland
By Chestnut Cottage, Kings Island, Aldclune, 7 miles out of Pitlochry, just before Bridge of Tilt and Blair Castle, which in a mile was visible for almost 2 miles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_Castle
Looking north in Glen Garry from Chestnut Cottage
House of Bruar. Americano @£3.25; lemon tart @ £5.95. I had the coffee. It seemed to corner access to the (water) Falls of Bruar. I talked to a Newcastle gentleman, who had been in Pitlochry's Co-op, and his family.
I felt I could have eaten the lot!
12.9 miles into the day's ride, just after Calvine, we turned off a public road onto 17.9 miles of the old A9, consisting of 5.8 traffic-free miles, 0.2 minor road miles, 6.7 traffic-free plus 0.1 and 0.2 minor road to Drumochter Summit then 4.9 traffic-free thereafter. Surfaces were variable.
Waterfall on River Garry, 1.3 miles after joining this traffic-free road.
At mile 18.7, after 5.8 traffic-free, we had a food break, then joined a minor road for 0.2 miles before returning to traffic-free.
At the point of the previous photo.
Track beside new A9
Little cottage in the centre of this photo of beauty. Some sections of the cycle route were better than others, due to recent resurfacing: https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/improvements-to-drumochter-pass-cycle-route-208906/
Edendon Water joining the River Garry
At 22.7 miles, 3.2 from Drumochter Summit, this is best viewed on a large screen: apart from the beauty, River Garry on the left, then rail track, this track, the separated north and south roads of the A9, electricity pylons, low cloud in the distance.
Loch Garry
5 kudos
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