クレイゲンダロックでののおすすめライド

There's nothing more to see here than a gate. Hidden behind it, of course, is Balmoral Castle, the famous summer residence of the British royal family. With a ticket, we were able to visit it with our bikes in hand, which was really nice.

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During our cycling trip through the Cairngorms, we slept in a bothy every night, but we didn't find it anywhere else as comfortable as this one ;-) Delicious coffee and food. Plenty of room for everyone, and with an outdoor shop next door, it's also the perfect place to stock up on rations.

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Full history of the bridge on the plaque

Beautiful spot for a quick dip.

Tackling The Lecht south from Cock Bridge (A939) confronts you immediately with its infamous wall: prepare for a brutal initial ramp reaching around 20% right after the bridge, demanding your lowest gears and maximum effort. Experience the shock of this savage start, but uniquely, the climb then undulates – feel brief descents interrupting the ascent before further steep pitches rise towards the Lecht Ski Centre. The challenge shifts from pure gradient to battling the elements on the extremely exposed, high-altitude road (always check snow gate status before riding). Embrace the wild Cairngorms scenery and the unique rhythm of this truly demanding Scottish climb.

Gates and steps make crossing this bridge unsuitable for electric bikes or for anyone with any kind of disability

A historic bridge with a good viewpoint along the River Dee

A great stop for lunch or coffee in Aboyne. Lovely cake selection.

Scenic bridge and views but mostly a notable waypoint being one of few places to cross the river.

Fairly big tourist town with plenty of cafes and large supermarket.

Tea rooms and adjacent to one of the two bike shops in Ballater.

A beautiful dreamy prt

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A great destination/waypoint. Plenty of refreshments in the immediate area.

An interesting architectural bridge, that said, this bridge has gates at both ends that are not bike-friendly and are a nightmare for a heavily loaded bike.

Well, obviously, there are not many bridges across the river Dee so that arguably makes it a default highlight and a route milestone. That said, it's a photo opportunity.

Great coffee and scones....and a woodburning stove too!

Top of the mountain pass and then a long and fun descent

Lecht, is where lead was mined between 1730 and 1738 when the York Mining Company established workings here on land forfeited to the government following the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. . The ore, both ironstone and manganese ore was taken on packhorses over the hills to Culnakyle, near Nethy Bridge where there was timber for smelting. Later in the 1840s, it became a Manganese Ore mine reopened by the Duke of Richmond with the ore sent to Newcastle for use in the bleach trade. When production reached its peak during the 1840s, 63 people were employed at the mine. By 1847, however, cheap imports of manganese from Russia made it unprofitable and the mine closed. It probably has the largest manganese deposit in Scotland. The rocks exposed around the mine are now a mix of ore deposits and spoil heaps left over from the old workings. They are predominantly dense weathered blocks of ores of iron (weathered yellowish and brown), and manganese (black). The manganese ores include some rare ore-minerals containing zinc and lithium. As well as its large size and rare minerals, the Lecht mine is also important for the process which formed the ore minerals. The most prominent feature of the mining landscape at Lecht is a two-storeyed, rubble-built building with a large arched doorway, which was restored and re-roofed with local slate in the 1980s. It dates from a second, post-1841 phase of activity at the mine, and probably served as a crushing mill, powered by a water wheel measuring almost 8m in diameter which was set at one of its gable walls. Other remains include a mill lade, dumps of waste material, and mine workings which consist of vertical shafts and adits which have been driven at a shallow angle into the hillside.

Great food and a warm welcome.

There are several of these white bridges constructed along the Dee, this being the most accessible to visit. There is a parking area just of the road, or it would be hard to miss if you were walking the Deeside way towards Ballater. The bridge was damaged in storms but has since been repaired. Usually the far side gate is locked, meaning it is not usable for planning a walk where this would be used as a crossing.