2023-9 | We're back.......

Join Mo and I for a bothy night, our first mini-adventure since returning from a six week long tour of China.

[@onedogherman2926]

Fantastic as usual & with added blue skies makes it an even better trip too ...

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks, Sandy. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@GOBBYBOY333]

Doesnt good weather make a difference, a lovely wee video bike packing in the sunshine. It's good to have you both back in Blighty. D

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Big Dave, its good to be back in Blighty. We really enjoyed our tour of China, but I was pleased when the plane touched down on home soil. We had planned to use the bothy trip to provide a wee update (on our travels and to mention a few changes that will hopefully improve our outdoor adventures) but the dialogue just wasn't flowing. I'll have another go next week. ATB, Dave

[@mo9981]

You getting wet feet at the beginning was funny.😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

I need a bit more practice at this cycling malarky :)

[@garyb8528]

Dave and Mo, glad to see you back! I never got a notification that you had a new video. I just took a chance and there you guys were. I enjoyed this video. Beautiful scenery and nice bothy. Looking forward to the next adventure, but until then, be well, stay safe and keep the blue side up. Thanks so much

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Gary, great to hear from you. Hope all is well with you guys. It’s good to be back in Scotland and fun to share our wee adventure. We hope to do a wee bit more filming over the summer. Keep the blue side up my friend. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@smoggiewalks578]

Welcome back hope you had a fabulous time, nice that the sun stayed in the Highlands after I left. Stunning local as usual. Take care both ATB Martin

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks, Martin. Great to be back. We’ve enjoyed lots of sunshine so far this summer, with only one thunder shower (lasting about an hour) during our six week stay in China, and pretty much clear skies since we returned home. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@RHJ-29-6]

Welcome home.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks Mr J, it is good to be back. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@karenmacleod6816]

Good to see you back "safe and sound" as my Mom would say.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Karen and Kit, it is good to be home. We had a great time, but nice to be back in bonnie Scotland. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@colinwellman9480]

That looked really warm but lovely. Did you film when in China? Thanks for sharing your trip, I think Mo had the best of it, fat tyres and you being the pack horse.😃

[@mo9981]

Isn’t this the way it’s supposed to be?😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Colin, yes, my bike was quite heavy, especially on the way in. I loaded the tyres to compensate for the weight, but it made for a bumpy ride. We did a wee bit filming in China and I plan to edit a short vid, which I will release at the year end. We didn’t capture much ‘outdoor adventure’ footage, but there is a glimpse or two of the big hills, where I was based during my years working on plant conservation. Hope all is well with you. ATB, Dave

[@robertchappellsnr.5872]

Guid tae see yeez back..!!! Yeve brought the guid weather wi ye.!!!! Peace n luv tae ye both.. 🙏❤️🙏

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Robert, good to hear from you. Its good to be back, and to be blessed with good weather, and great subscribers. Peace and love to you too. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@voicezful]

'Back to auld claes and porridge' they used to say, and a welcoming fireside, cannae beat it. Your channel was certainly missed these past few weeks, for sure.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks Andrew. It is good to be back and I'm looking forward to getting out and about with the cameras. The auld claes and porridge, especially the latter, have been very welcome these past few days. ATB, Dave

[@jacquelinesim9578]

Good to see you both…..and beautiful Scotland too 😍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good to be back, Jacqueline. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@vr_gamers8116]

Welcome back Dave & Mo, such a lovely area, although I prefer the cooler conditions, I'm planning a wee cycle adventure myself in the next week or so, with some camping & fishing too, going over Glen Lyon from Loch Tay to Rannoch then over to Dalwhinnie via Loch Ericht, some Hiker bike involved probably, but it's all part of the fun, will be testing the range of my newly built EMTB. ATB 👌

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good to be back. Your route sounds perfect for a bike adventure, with some hike-a-bike thrown into the mix. There is a chance of some wet weather in the forecast, which will bring out the midges, so best to take some precautions. Our trip was pretty much midge free, but the clegs were out in force. Hope the EMTB performs for you. I'm still working on my Surly, which is now almost trail ready (just waiting for some gravel bags). I might shoot a ten minute vid of the bike and then take it for a wee adventure in the coming weeks. Enjoy your trip. ATB, Dave

[@vr_gamers8116]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 Thanks for the reply and advice Dave, I don't mind the rain at all , in fact I welcome it most times, I have a full proof midge system that I've developed & perfected over the years, works like a charm for all biting beasties too. The midge and the rain means less chance of tourists, so that suits me perfectly,. With regards to your Surly build, I look forward to seeing your new bike, I myself initially wanted to build a bike around a Surly frameset, but the prices were too crazy right now, so I opted for a Titanium custom built frame instead, which is stunningly beautiful and decently strong & lightweight, although the motor and battery make it a lot heavier, I've had to make some compromises, which is par for the course these days when building any new bike. I just love building them, it's more rewarding to know you built it yourself. ATB. 👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@vr_gamers8116 Your titanium bike sounds awesome. David, from Bothy Bikes in Kingussie, built up a titanium framed Jones bike for a customer. I able to inspect it close up. Wow, what a machine. Well out of my price range though. My Surly is a Krampus, running as a 29er, geared 1x12 (mid range Sram). I remember you spotted and commented on the limited gear range on my Genesis fattie. I think I said to you that I wasn't really prepared to invest more money in that bike. But your comment was spot on and really got me thinking. So, I kept it as a 1x10 but changed the chain and rear cassette to give me a wider range, especially for climbing. I managed to keep the original derailleur and had a suitable chain in my gear room, so I just had to fork out for a cassette. Best £60 I ever spent. The bike is so much more pleasurable to use now. Everyday is a school day. If you hadn't commented on the issue, I would probably still be struggling on the climbs.

[@vr_gamers8116]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 That's nice to hear Dave, glad you upgraded to more suitable ratios for what you do, Yeah Titanium is expensive, luckily I know a few folk in the industry, so I grabbed the opportunity and cashed in a few IOU's 🙂 it's a Plus bike, not quite a fat bike, although it will accept 29's x 3.0 with the option of using a Rohloff geared hub, I'll maybe do that this winter as the belt drive system and Rohloff are super expensive too, one step at a time as they say, plus I've got to justify it to the better half 😏 although it will be completed early next year, as I plan to do a month long European bike tour and cross the Alps. Keep the adventures coming Dave, nice to chat to you about our hobby. 👍

[@Jennifer.4]

Good to see you back. Was that Gorton Bothy, and does that track go through to Rannoch station? it’s an area I’m thinking of exploring in the near future.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi Jennifer, yes, exactly right, it was Gorton Bothy. I've only hiked through to Rannoch Station once on that 'track'. The Land Rover track ends a wee bit beyond Gorton, a few hundred metres further on from a bridge over the river. There are traces of an Argo track that variously follow the railway/river to eventually lead into the forest. There are burns and bogs to cross, so not easy after wet weather. The forest has been felled in places and there are some new haul roads, which I'm not familiar with, but will, I guess, lead to the Right of Way, which emerges onto the road at Bridge of Guar. My memory of the crossing is of a fairly rough few km's between the marked tracks on the map. Walk Highlands might be able to provide more up-to-date info'. ATB, Dave

[@Jennifer.4]

@@daveoutdoorsscotland2854 Thanks for the information, I will have a look at walk highlands. I was thinking of having my husband drop me off there and walking through to the Kingshouse while he is climbing on the Buichille, I expect it would be about 24miles. A few weeks ago I did the Graham above loch laidon from the Kingshouse while he was climbing ,some pathless terrain but very enjoyable.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@Jennifer.4 Rannoch Station to Kingshouse (through the forest above Laidon and out onto the Black Corries track) is a much easier walk, but you have already explored a fair bit of it when you did the Graham. The Gorton route is certainly doable (I did it with a heavy winter pack) but you need to do a bit of navigation to get through the trees and locate the bridges and track.

[@Jennifer.4]

Thanks very much for the information.