North East Fife MTB Routes: March 2012

Route Points: Tarfside, Invermark, Glen Tanar

Route Type: Big Day Out

Access Type: Rights of Way

Route Access:
Tarfside: At the bridge there is a ScotWays sign pointing up the Fungle and Firmounth (Anti-Clockwise)

Invermark: At the Invermark Car Park the estate access is over the bridge, floow the ScotWays signs to Mount Keen (Clockwise)

Glen Tanar:
Clockwise: Descend the glen and pick up any of the routes onto the Fungle, if you climb to the viewpoint on the Firmounth you can then cut over to the guard rather than use the public road.

Anti-Clockwise: Climb the Glen on the estate road and when you get to the footbridge over the river (rather than the road bridges) cross this and start the climb of mount keen

Description:

I've done this route both clockwise (Late Summer 2011) and anti-clockwise (March 012)

This route is detailed in many MTB guidebooks for Scotland, so I'm not going to describe it in detail.

Tarside to Fungle/Firmounth junction:
This is a stiff climb on recently upgraded (early 2012) estate road, when I did the route anti-clockwise it was smooth road, when I did it clockwise it was a fast rough rocky descent. I reckon it wil lbe an even faster descent now!

Fungle/Firmounth junction to Birse Castle:
This section is reasonably smooth road but gets bumpy and bouldery in places, a fairly stiff climb going cw and an rapid descent going acw, watch out for the burn fords and dips though.
At Birse castle the route is a grass track roudn the curtilage, it gets a bit boggy but is mostly rideable in both directions.

Birse Castle to The Guard:
Going cw you get a bit of single track climbing from the guard onto the estate road before climbing to a low summit and descending to birse castle.
Going acw you get to descend this single track, you can get a fair bit of speed up despite the ruts and walkers!

The Guard to Glen Tanar House:
There is various options here, either use the public road or cut across to the hill to the Firmounth.
Going cw I used the public road the access is signed by Scotway and is a stiff climb but there is a wee resting area with views over the forest.
Going acw I cut across to the firmounth for a fast steep rocky descent to the house in glen tanar.

Glen Tanar House to Mount Keen Base:
This is "easy" forest/estate trail.

Mount Keen Base to the Col:
Going acw this is Hike a bike, you gain height quick, you would need to be a hardcore climber to manage a reasonable distance of this on the bike an it's very rocky, you have to pick a good route even on foot, eventually you will get to the junction with the summit and by-pass paths.

Going cw this is a mostly bikeable descent, very rocky though, I struggled on my hardtail and I'm not a great descender, Al managed to descend all of it on an XC full sus.

Bypass route:
Intended doing this going cw but missed the junction so here is a warning.
The 50k maps show the route splitting after the Knowe of Crippley, yes it splits but it's a route not on this map (it's on the 25k) stay on the red made trail and you will find the junction!!!! THe other grey trail takes you towards P&K!

acw: You shouldn't be able to miss it, it's just this nice trai lleading off the rocky hell of mount keens north west climb.

Summit:

Did this going acw, it's rocky as hell on the north side and still hike a bike, there is youtube videso of someone descending it, just liek the lower section I think it should be mostly rideable provided you're picking your route well and have decent brakes.

The South side has a made path up it, the culverts are big and not in favour of descenders there are also various rocky sections.
This is probably the preffered option for climbing, but on descent if I had had strength left to lift over the culverts and to do the rocky sections I would have to say it's a bit like a trail centre at 700m up..., Just remember if you fall off and knacker yourself someone's going to have to call mountain resuce...

Mount Keen Junction to Invermark:
This section takes you over the Knowe of Crippley, if you look at it on the 50k map there is a lot of countour lines, more than you've seen all day.
It's a tough climb on a good path, and this means it's also a very fast descent on a good path.

Between invermark and the foot of the climb is a good estate trail with a few fords and an interesting metal grate bridge. The queens well is in this glen (Glen Mark) I wouldn't drink out of it though, it's rather manky!

Map:

To Come

Photos:

Clockwise September 2011