Firmounth-Fungle Route

Another excellent route borrowed from the Ecurie Neeps. See their website for a better route description and marked up 1:50 000 map.

It was a bright breezy late summer day when David and I made our second attempt at this route. Our previous effort hand ended prematurely when we took a wrong turn and ended up back at Aboyne rather earlier than planned.

Having correctly selected the Firmounth road out of Glen Tanar we were presented with a stiff head wind to make an already tough climb a push.

Once out of the trees and on top of Craigmahandle the wind was even stronger, so much so that we had to pedal down hill - in the granny ring.

We followed the Firmounth road over Tampie and descended quickly to the junction with the Fungle road where we turned North and started our return. The early sections of the Fungle were a bit sketchy and the track eventually disappeared and seemed to continue some 50 metres below us. After a bit of scrambling through the heather we were back on the track which soon rapidly improved. [NB. This path has recently been improved and is now all rideable]. Before long we were barrelling along a smooth grassy path with the wind at our backs.

Some more route finding problems around Birse Castle saw us paddling through the Burn of Auldmad. Again the tail wind came to our assistance as we dragged our tired legs up the last climb of the day past the castle.

The much vaunted Fungle singletrack followed. I'm not sure if it was our fatigue after a long ride, the slightly wet conditions or our technical incompetence but we were slightly unimpressed.

Subsequent visits have confirmed that this is indeed the longest, best singletrack in the area. Recommended.

All that was left was the fast, steep section down from the Guard and to scoff cakes in Aboyne.