Ride up to Scotland's highest bar!

Cycling Lecht Road

Ride 2.6 miles gaining 904’ at 5.5% average grade (8.4% climb only).

The climb ends at Lecht Ski Resort which boasts the highest roadside bar in Scotland.

Climb start.

This Aberdeenshire County climb starts out with a bang -- soon you hit 18.5% for a brief 50 meter stretch.  The start is  13.3% for the first 1.1 kilometers.  That steep start is followed by a 460m 4.6% descent.  We roll through this climb in fits and starts -- 1.4 kilometers is next at a healthy 8% followed by the second descent of the climb at -3.3% for 700m, ending with a slight 4.5% pitch for 300m to the top of the climb.  

Lecht road begins on the Cockbridge adjacent to the historic Corgarff Castle. Riding up the steep slopes from the bridge takes you through dense forest, but only for a short few-hundred meters. Then the skyline opens up to give you views of the endless rolling hill of the Cairngorm National Park. There is a viewpoint about halfway up the climb with the words: ‘Take a moment to behold, As still skies Or storms unfold, in the rain sleet or snow, warm your soul before you go’ witten on a tall stone. Gradients ease off momentarily in the last mile before a tough steep wall brings you to the summit point. The road is a two way highway and a main route through the National Park, although I did not encounter much traffic on the day that I rode in late July.

“A MOMENT IN TIME” STONES

This stone is called “A Moment in Time” and was created to provide a telescopic view of Corgarff Castle.

CORGARFF CASTLE

Climb begins near the road to Corgarff Castle

Corgarff Castle is located by Lecht Road in Aberdeenshire, northeast Scotland.  The castle was built in the mid sixteenth century by the Forbes of Towie, and was shortly thereafter burned by Adam Gordon of Auchindoun, killing Lady Forbes, along with her children and numerous others.  The castle was rebuilt after the Jacobite risings, at which point a “detachment of government troops were stationed there, on the military road from Braemar Castle to Fort George, Inverness.”  The castle continued to be used for military purposes as late as the early 1830s, after which time the tower was used as a distillery and living space for members of the local workforce.  In 1961 ownership of the castle was given to the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, and is now in the care of the Historic Environment of Scotland, who keeps the castle open to the public.  It is now designated as an ancient monument. You can read more about the history of the Corgarff Castle here.

FINISH

Climb finishes adjacent to the Lecht Ski Centre, and Scotland’s highest roadside bar.

Moray is one of the 32 Local Government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.  

The climb is entirely within Cairngorms National Park, a 453,000 hectares (1,119,387 acres) park that was established in 2003.  Cairngorms NP is one of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament (the other being Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, est. 2002).  Cairngorms NP covers the Cairngorms mountains and surrounding hills, and is the largest national park in Britain:

“The Cairngorm Mountains are a spectacular landscape, similar in appearance to the Hardangervidda National Park of Norway in having a large upland plateau. While the Hardangervidda National Park is recognised as a Category 2 national park under the IUCN categories (no activity that has a lasting impact on the natural environment is permitted) the Cairngorm National Park is a Category 5 protected landscape (sustainable development area) that has farmed and managed landscapes in which tourism is encouraged. Aviemore is a busy and popular holiday destination. The Highland Wildlife Park and Dalwhinnie distillery also lie within the National Park. In 2015, 53 km (33 mi) of the 132 kV power line in the middle of the park was taken down, while another section along the edge of the park was upgraded to 400 kV” (Cairngorms National Park).

A skiing and winter sports industry is concentrated in the Cairngorms, with three of Scotland's five resorts situated here. They are the Cairn Gorm Ski Centre, Glenshee Ski Centre and The Lecht Ski Centre.

The Frank Bruce Sculpture Trail is located near Feshiebridge. This short trail through the woods features a sculptures created by Frank Bruce between 1965 and 2009.

Before the national park was established in 2003, Scottish Natural Heritage conducted a consultation exercise, considering the boundary and the powers and structure of the new park authority.  One option presented for the area included Tomatin, Blair Atholl, Aboyne and Glen Shee, making the park twice as big as the Lake District National Park.[citation needed] The area finally chosen was smaller than expected, but still the largest in Britain. It involved the boundary areas of Carrbridge, Laggan, Dalwhinnie, Grantown-on-Spey and Ballater. Many groups and local communities felt that a large area of highland Perth and Kinross should form part of the park and carried out a sustained campaign.[citation needed]

On 13 March 2008 Michael Russell announced that the National Park would be extended to take in Blair Atholl and Spittal of Glenshee. There was also controversy surrounding the construction of the funicular Cairngorm Mountain Railway on Cairn Gorm, a scheme supported by the new National Park Authority. Supporters of the scheme claimed that it would bring in valuable tourist income, whilst opponents argued that such a development was unsuitable for a protected area. To reduce erosion, the railway operates a "closed scheme" and only allows skiers (in season) out of the upper Ptarmigan station.[citation needed]

On 4 October 2010 the Park extended into Highland Perthshire and Glenshee” (Cairngorms National Park).

That’s a wrap!!