Backpacking by bike...
The loaded Surly at Ruthven
IT felt more like late winter than early spring as I set off from home in Newtonmore for a short overnight bikepacking trip.
Everything I required for an overnight camp fitted into various Revelate bags that fixed to the bike – tent, sleeping bag, insulation mat, stove, fuel pot and food. I carried a small Gregory day pack which held my waterproofs, my kindle, my camera and some food.
Base weight of the gear (everything except food and fuel – I don’t carry water, we have plenty of it in Scotland) was about 4K.
Essentially this was a shake-down bikepacking trip on my new Surly Disc Trucker. It wasn’t an epic ride, it wasn’t even all off-road. I just wanted to travel a familiar route, get in a range of under-wheel surfaces and see how well the bike carried my overnight camping gear.
From Newtonmore I took the Sustrans bike route into Kingussie, turned right and followed the minor road past Ruthven and up the steep hill beyond, then on through Insh village, past Feshiebridge and on to Inverdruie.
Well signposted trails in Rothiemurchus
From there I would be off-road for much the rest of the ride. Up the Old Logging Way (which parallels the ski road to Cairngorm) to Glenmore, round the south shore of Loch Morlich to the Rothiemurchus Lodge road. I followed this road for a couple of kilometres before turning right onto a narrower path to Picaddilly (a junction of footpaths, one of which climbs south through the Caledonian Pines to the Lairig Ghu) and then straight on to the Am Beanaidh which flows down through the forest from Gleann Einich.
I had decided previously this would be my camping spot for the night and it was a good choice.
Camp for the night
A stand of ancient pines, gnarled and deeply rooted, offered shelter and beyond the lively river I could just glimpse the crags of Creag an Leth-Coin above the Lairig Ghru.
Once inside the tent with a brew in hand I had a chance to contemplate the ride so far and the truth was I was pretty delighted with it, particularly the way the Surly handled the extra luggage. I hadn’t ridden any difficult terrain but the bike felt stable and lively and any concerns I had about the various Revelate bags shaking loose were unfounded. Everything was as tight as when I left home.
On the handlebars, between the drops, the Revelate Harness carried a dry bag with my sleeping bag in it. As I expected the night temperature to fall to below zero I had packed a winter bag, an old French Valendre LaFayette bag that weighs just over 2 lbs. I had to compress it pretty tightly to make it fit between the handlebar drops but that tight fit actually helped to hold it secure, while allowing me plenty of clearance to use the brake levers thanks to the molded rubber spacer blocks that provide offset from the handlebars. Fibreglass cross bars provide lateral stiffness to the outward straps, top and bottom.
The Harness has optional straps for a front pocket attachment, and I was using one of Revelate’s own large pockets. Inside it I carried a head torch, some snacks, some bike tools and two water bladders.
At the other end of the bike, slung on behind my saddle, I used a Revelate Viscacha. This straps on securely to your seat post while auxiliary straps secure it to the saddle rails. This is quite a big bag and I carried my tent, an MSR Hubba (2lb 7oz/1.12k) a Thermarest NeoAir (12oz/350g) insulation pad and a MSR Titan pot/kettle (4.2oz/118g) I also squeezed in my beloved Sierra Cup. (Great for drinking whisky from.)
I was surprised how little the bags had moved. I had thought that if any bag was going to loosened from repeated bumping it would be the saddle bag but the Vischacha hadn’t shifted in the slightest.
The roll down opening allows the bag to easily expand or compress in volume. A removable internal compression strap helps packing and closure. High density foam stiffens up the front and a flexible plastic bottom sheet gives support along the bags length.
The third main bag I used was a Tangle frame bag. This is a rectangular-shaped half frame bag with a compartment on either side. On one side is a zipped flat pocket in which I managed to squeeze in a bottle of meths and some little bits and pieces and on the other side a much more spacious pocket which carried my cooking kit (a meths burner and a titanium Caldera Cone) and a mug with eating utensils.
I like the half-frame bag rather than a full frame bag, which tends to catch cross-winds like a sail. There is some interference with my water bottle cage but I resolved that problem by using a side entry cage – there’s an ultralight solution to every problem!
Finally, Revelate’s Gas Tank sat on the top tube just behind the handlebar stem. This carried a spare inner tube, and a puncture outfit and a small set of tools. I like the double-sided zip access and the fact you can easily open it with either hand when riding.
Initially I had a slight problem with where to fit the tent poles but ended up placing them along the top tube above the Tangle half frame bag. They fitted perfectly.
Everything else (waterproofs, food, camera and Kindle) was carried in my Gregory day pack, a light load on my bag which I barely noticed.
It was dark by sevenish but I find the hours go by quick quickly in a tent. I had supper to prepare, a read of my Kindle and a listen to some music from my iPhone. A couple of drams of malt accompanied the music, and then it was time to sleep. I can’t quite understand people who refer to this kind of camping as “roughing it.”
I was away by nine with quite an easy day ahead. A mere 20 miles would see me home and I was looking forward to the ride, a lovely route along the trails and byways of Rothiemurchus, Inshriach, Feshie and Drumguish.
I noticed fresh snow on Braeriach and the Sgurans as I rode through Rothiemurchus and pushed the bike over the Cairngorm Club footbridge. I didn’t meet a soul, not even as I skirted the ever popular Loch an Eilen trail.
Beyond it Loch Ghamna reflected the white clouds and blue sky and then I had to concentrate solely on the narrow, rocky track ahead of me. I wouldn’t pretend to be an experienced singletrack mountain biker and I had to get off the bike and push it along a fairly lengthy section of this trail, but after crossing a burn it was good to get on the bike again and freewheel down to Inshriach Bothy.
Inshriach Bothy
I couldn’t resist a little break here, sitting on an old pine log listening to the chaffinches, blue tots and great tits. A buzzard mewed from somewhere above and there was a genuine warmth from the sun that made me think it was the beginning of spring and not just the fag end of winter.
On the bike again and good tracks into Inshriach forest, down past Feshie Bridge and along a lovely track beside the River Feshie to Ballintean and the Glen Feshie road.
Back on tarmac for a short section it was good to get some speed up before turning off onto another track at Coranstillbeg and over the hill to Drumguish. A few miles on the road took me past Ruthven and back to Kingussie before hitting the inevitable headwind on the Sustrans path back to Newtonmore.
Revelate bags are distributed in the UK by www.backcountrybiking.co.uk
