Bright idea to ride through the darkness in Grantown woodland
Embrace the darkness. At this time of year in the Highlands, we don’t have much of a choice, but there are plenty of ways we can still get out and about after the sun sets.
This great little outing was one I did with a friend in Grantown late on a Saturday afternoon. We were only out for just over an hour, but it was great fun to hit the trails.
With the Strathpuffer coming up next month, it was also a good opportunity to make sure my light set-up was ready to roll.
In the depths of Anagach Woods, it was pitch black by an hour after sundown, so Jim and I jumped on the bikes for a miniature micro-adventure. We’ve had some great biking trips together over the years, but they usually involve an overnight stay at a bothy or under canvas in a remote location.
This was on a much smaller scale, but no less fun – and it’s much easier to find a spare hour or two than a day or two at the moment!
Heading from the Square in Grantown, we turned off the main road towards the golf course, following a couple of residential streets until we came to a gate at the entrance to the woods.
Leaving the streetlights behind, our helmet lights went on to help us navigate below the tall pine trees.
Some of the waymarked paths in the woods here have been upgraded, with good natural surfacing on the most popular routes.
Jim knows these woods like the back of his hand, so I let him take the lead and pick some of the best trails as I just enjoyed the freedom of being out there, with nobody else about.
At a junction, we turned right then left onto a barely noticeable piece of narrow singletrack that made its way through the deep heather over a small rise. The headlight was vital for tracking the twists and turns on this slither of a trail.
I took the lead on this section, nipping around fallen trees where little detour paths had quickly established, then sweeping round wide corners before a sharp left led away from a fenceline.
We were soon deposited on a wider track where we turned left to ride side-by-side for a while and catch up.
Festive lights draped around a house gave a brief distraction from the dark before we cycled alongside the river on this wonderful night, our lights penetrating the blackness and highlighting the trees ahead of us.
Approaching the bridge – unseen – at the Boat of Cromdale, we went through another gate where we paused before taking a sharp left, back on ourselves, on a well-made path that leads up through Crow Wood.
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Turning right at a hairpin bend on a track, the route then bends round to the right as it heads up to meet a minor road, where we turned left to soon reach a T-junction.
Avoiding the road here, we instead went straight over to join a track leading ahead. Jim explained we were heading towards Castle Grant, but in the darkness I would never have known!
Taking a couple of left turns, we made our way through Milton Woods and then along a track – with Jim urging me to look out for a “thin birch tree” that marked the start of another singletrack section.
Somehow, we quickly spotted it and diverted left to wriggle through some very muddy trails as we slid down, with me trying to hang onto Jim’s tail and not fall off at the same time!
At one point I lost sight of his red tail light and was alone in the black of the forest, but rounding a corner I saw the glow as my light hit his reflective jacket.
Hitting the road at the bottom, we turned right to pass the leisure centre and school before going left, then right, to return to the Square.
After a lovely meal back at Jim’s house, and one or two large drams, our talk inevitably turned to adventures past, present and yet to come… We’ve now got a couple of slightly longer plans up our sleeves for next year that may or may not involve a bothy!
But first, I’ll be back out in the darkness to enjoy more of the wonders this winter has to offer.
Route details
Grantown woods
Distance 9.5 miles / 15km
Terrain Forest paths and tracks with some singletrack sections, quiet roads
Start/finish Grantown Square
Map OS Landranger 36; OS Explorer OL61
Lighting up the forest on a mini mountain biking adventure after dark
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
