Burma Road South Trail, Cairngorms National Park

The origin of this trail's name is contentious, but many sources state that it was built by prisoners of war during WW2. This stretch of the trail, though, is a brutally relentless climb , becoming rocker towards the summit, which then turns into a non-technical (although rocky in places) descent. The views, predictably, are exquisite.

This is perfectly do-able on a gravel bike but I'd argue more enjoyable on an MTB. The absence of a dropper seat post made getting started after stopping on steep sections of the climb tricky and the gearing was also challenging. Finally check you have plenty of meat on your brake pads before you set out, the descent destroyed mine front and rear!

Absolutely spectacular with a real feeling of being "out-there". Definitely recommend.