Bikepacking the Moray Way

 

With Covid restrictions easing and both Vaccine jags done we were happy to finally get away and do some bike packing,  G had been busy prepping  and planning to cycle the Moray Way for several weeks so with a mid afternoon finish at work we were away in the Van and up the A9 to Granton on Spey, Booked into the campsite we had an early night and were up and away in the morning after parking the van at the Museum car park. 

Famous road as always first road to block with snow from Cockbridge to Tomintoul...

Dava Way;

The Dava Way uses the old railway line to Forres and it proved to be a nice scenic route full of history and we enjoyed the easy nature of the slight gradients  as we rode out across moorland...

Family friend Euan Mcilwraith did a feature on the Dava Way for BBC Landward...

Not a family relation, Matheson without the i,  

Into Forres, and some lunch, then across to Findhorn on a minor road to join the Coastal path,

Some nice carvings and a young fox cub for entertainment along the way...

Nimrod gate plane at RAF Kinloss...

It was warm and we stopped for ice cream and refilled water bottles before heading to find a camp spot in the forest...

We soon found an ideal spot to camp...

Nearby was some alloy strips that would be ideal as a wind break for the stoves...

Here is a good idea by G,  Bacofoil bags, heatproof for hot water and have fold out bases so after carrying food you can eat hot food out of them...

And this is great - proper porridge has more energy than those Porridge cartons you buy,  add some honey, raisins, cinnamon and whatever else you want, then just add a little water the evening before and re seal allowing the porridge to soak overnight, add hot water in the morning and ready to eat real porridge!...

Lifes a beach...

Glenmorangie Whisky or Gin...

Next morning we enjoyed sand single track trails through the forest to Burghead,  the coastal path is quite rough to cycle between Burghead and Lossiemouth, or the section we certainly cycled last November was when we were up here a few days, so we took the coast road along to Lossiemouth,

Another ice cream stop and I chatted to the owner of this nice Enfield Bullet...

G said it looked really cool and liked that their not fast with a speed not much more than the Jeep, the owner said it suited me, ha ha she never said she would not like me to own one....

Onto Lossie forest and probably the longest line of remaining WW2 coastal defence anti tank blocks on the east coast stretching approx 5 miles in arrow straight lines...

Once at Kingston we turned inland and started the Speyside Way...

The forest section involved a lot of climbing, tough in places but the view was rewarding...

What goes up must come down and we just caught the end of a heavy shower as we descended back down to rejoin the river...

A detour was in place for a bridge repair but actually was only in place to today's date so was probably open again...

It was now 7.30pm so a brew stop as we had now cycled over 40 miles and would do a bit more before finding a camp spot...

With nearly 50 miles cycled today we would have our last camp at this old platform, leaving under 25 miles to cycle tomorrow..

Up early we were soon packed up after some breakfast and continued on passing Distilleries and old stations, all loveingly maintained and put to new uses... 

.

At Ballindalloch we stopped to have a brew at picnic tables in an area advertised for camping, 

The guide book says the last section from here to Granton on Spey is unsuitable for cycling with steps, styles and kissing gates through the forest so we opted for the long but scenic cycle back along the minor road along the Spey most of the way...

Back into Granton on Spey with just over 100 miles on a great scenic route, made better with the weather playing game...

Here is some film, edited down to 8 minutes, Song is `Dive` by Tycho

More soon...