The problem with mountainboarding in Scotland...

is choice, there's just not enough time to ride everything. Allan and myself regularly drive up through some incredible scenery with a frankly obscene number of trails visible from the road, yet never stop and ride them. Until today.

For years, one track snaking up the side of Meall Breac has caught our eye in particular and today it was finally ridden. One problem with many of these trails is that while they tease from a distance, it can be bloody tricky to actually get to them. Take our planned bothy trail- its a four mile walk from the car to the start, with a choice of routes involving either cold mountain stream crossings and bogs, or full on river crossings.

Today's obstacles were the main railway line to Inverness and the River Garry lying between the road and the trail. Not only that, but the parking at the side of the A9 dual carriageway is more than a bad idea...

As it happens google maps suggested that there was a potential parking spot hidden off the road, near a bridge over the river, the only potential issue being that if we missed the turn its a 10 mile round trip to try again.

We got lucky.

Then there is the question of whether the track is actually rideable or not, once you get there. That snaking switchback could in fact be nothing more than a boulderfield once you get there- or worse. The walkers path up Schiehallion is great on paper; smooth surface, winding, nice gradient. But the reality is the worst part about these paths- stone water bars, essential to prevent erosion. Its fine to ollie the odd one or two, but on Schiehallion they were so close together it was impossible to generate enough speed to clear them, and if you did, the next one was waiting.

Again, today we got lucky.

I'll let the video speak for itself...