I’d noticed the Ride the North event at the back end of last year, and wanted to ride it in 2026 as it covered a part of Scotland I’d never ridden before and was closer to my mum’s part of Scotland. It is a circular route starting and finishing at Glamis Castle and offering a few options of route length – I’d chosen the longer 150k / 93 miles option. I’d taken the train up to Dundee on the Friday and cycled to my campsite at Greenhillock Glamping, ten miles from Glamis, on roads that were rather hillier than I’d been expecting. Arising early on Saturday morning I set off along the track from the campsite, past golden fields of harvested grain with a fabulous morning sunrise, just a few clouds hanging around in the blue sky.
Approaching the road towards the end of the track I saw a roe deer in the field to my left, skipping away as it heard my approaching wheels. I turned right for Glamis and a little further on another roe deer bolted across the road in front of me, heading off into the fields. I turned off at Inverarity and passed the farm that would be the first control point on the ride later in the day, noting the coffee stall that was being set up. Another cyclist pulled alongside me and we chatted for a while, and then I encountered the first riders who had set off at 7am heading towards me. I exchanged “good mornings” with a few, some that passed looked like they were already suffering a little from the rolling nature of the route. At this height I was blessed with some great views of the open countryside with the foothills of the Cairngorms behind. It wasn’t long before I turned right onto the A928 and headed downhill towards Glamis, crossing the A94 and riding through the village and into the castle grounds. The long drive took cars and cyclists to the registration area where I joined a throng of other cyclists waiting to start at their allotted times. I took my position in my group and awaited the off.
After a safety chat from the organisers we were sent on our way, and I headed back down the drive, through the village to the A94 where marshals were waiting to cross us safely. I was retracing my earlier ride and so climbed up the A928 before turning off and rolling back to Inverarity and the first control at Mill of Inverarity farm, where my passport was stamped. This was proof of your route completion and had helpful mileage information so you knew how far it was to the next control. I had coffee and cake, knowing that the distance I was cycling was going to require lots of calories taken on board. Setting off again the long route soon turned south and headed towards the wonderfully named Carrot, where Carrot Hill was waiting to be climbed. There were chalk messages written on the road, presumably from the event the year before, giving encouragement to cyclists grinding up the incline. I found another rider’s passport on the floor on the road, and stopped to pick it up to take to the next control. A few miles further on I got my first glimpse of the North Sea and the Firth of Tay, before continuing on and dropping down into Monikie and the next control at Monikie Memorial Hall, the most southerly extent of the route.
After a brief stop I headed off past Monikie Country Park, then rode through more farmland and past another country park, Crombie, before turning west at East Skichen and rolling on to Whigstreet where the long route rejoined the main route. I found myself among more cyclists at this point, and near Lour we all puffed up a short steep section before turning right to pass through Craichie and Bowriefauld to reach Letham, where the next control was situated at the Village Hall. I had a bacon butty and a coffee, and visited the loo before setting off again, riding through and out of Letham, passing a couple of joggers and exchanging pleasantries. A little further on the route passed Balgavies Loch, and glancing to my left I noticed three highland cows relaxing by the side of the water.
Whilst many cyclists were passing me, and I was passing many too, I was noticing a few that seemed to always be around me, and had a little chat with a couple of them as we passed and repassed. The route passed several woods amongst the farmland, and there were occasional people watching on from the side of the road that were cheering the cyclists as they passed by, making for a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I also noticed three buzzards hovering just off to the side of the route, hopefully not waiting for weary cyclists! The road descended steeply on a rough sketchy surface shortly before coming to Brechin, entering the town across a splendid bridge over the River South Esk. I headed up into town and the next control on the High Street, which was closed to traffic but was thronging with cyclists. After a short stop I continued on to Distillery Road where, rather than turning left to follow the route I headed right on a little detour. In planning for the event I’d noticed a distillery existed in Brechin that I hadn’t heard of, so of course a visit was in order! Turning up at the Glencadam distillery I headed into the shop, where I picked up a magnet, a couple of miniatures and headed to the till. I asked the girl at the counter which was best – the 10 year old or the 15 – as I was planning on buying a bottle. She gave me a little description of each and then asked if I fancied a small taste of each to help decide. Well, I thought, it would be rude not to! I made my choice and left with my purchases in my backpack, wondering if the weight of the bottles would hold me back on the bigger hills to come!
I rejoined the official route just as a couple of cyclists arrived, and I rode along for a few miles with them. One of these was an American woman, who was wondering why I had come to the route from a different direction to everyone else. I explained my distillery diversion and we had a chat about whisky and cycling for a while before I eventually left them. Soon I was riding into Edzell along the High Street and on to the next control at Edzell Muir. A piper was playing a few tunes while I snacked on a small quiche, vegetable muffin and can of Irn Bru. This was the northerly limit of the route, and leaving here I rode past Edzell Castle and on to a serious climb up the Caterthuns. Managing my effort I was soon cresting the summit and continued along the rolling roads, looking left across to where I’d been riding earlier in the day. Approaching Bridgend I looked left and spotted a road that appeared to be going straight up the side of a steep hill, and thought to myself “hope we’re not riding up that”. Shortly afterwards, a sign at the side of the road warning of Max Grade 17% gave the awful truth that we were indeed going upwards again. This one was even tougher than the first, but with determination and measured effort I ground my way up to the top.
What goes up must come down of course, and after a nice bit of flying downhill I found myself turning right where the next control at Menmuir was only a short distance away. A cup of tea, banana and a trip to the portaloos and I set off again, passing an interesting windmill tandem structure by the roadside. The next control at Memus was only 8 miles further on along rolling but not too steep roads, and for the last mile I found myself chatting to another cyclist about cycling in Scotland. I didn’t stay long at Memus as I knew the next control was just 5 miles further on at Kirriemuir, and it wasn’t long before I was riding past Kirriemuir Golf Club and on into town. Kirriemuir was the last control before the second extra loop for the long route, and I needed to make a decision here about whether to continue on the long route or take the short, or standard, option. The route had been a bit more challenging than I’d expected with all the climbing, and my legs were feeling a little heavy when the road went upwards, this coupled with the fact that there was a time limit for finishing meant a bit of thought was needed. I bought a couple of cakes and a cup of tea and went to sit down and consider the options while I refuelled.
Eventually, after a bit of discussion with one of the local volunteers who gave me positive vibes and encouragement, I decided to continue with the long route, and after a visit to a portaloo I set off again. It was a couple of miles to the point where the shorter route turned off, and as I rode past the turn off I knew I’d committed to another hilly section. A couple of miles of rolling road passed and then it was onto another couple of miles of climbing up to Balintore, the high point of the route. The whisky bottle in my backpack kept shifting and settling and making gurgling noises as I rode on. After Balloch where the road became more rolling before the big climb I stopped to take a photo of the beautiful glen with the road dropping away in front of me.
Remounting I enjoyed the brief respite of descending fast before the road reared up again steeply into Balintore. As before I settled into a rhythm I could manage and ground up the incline to the top. Just before Balintore I came across the grand sight of Balintore Castle, a Victorian Category A listed building which is undergoing restoration. After Balintore the road began dropping again, allowing me time to catch my breath back. Just before crossing the B951 by the Loch of Lintrathen a house on the right was offering drinks, flapjacks and free toilets to Ride the North riders, just another example of the wonderful supportive community that I’d seen all day. A few more miles down the road I came to a right turn for Peel, and Isla School where the penultimate control was situated. Here I used the toilet, bought a can of drink and an energy bar and sat on the soft and welcoming grass to eat them. I lay back for a while to get a bit of rest, then set off for the last 16 miles to the finish at Glamis Castle. Leaving Peel I passed alongside the Loch of Lintrathen where a fisherman was trying his luck from a boat.
At Bridgend of Lintrathen the route turned away from the loch and descended to the B951 where a left took me heading back towards Kirriemuir. In a couple of miles the shorter route rejoined from the left and then a right turn before the Loch of Kinnordy sent me past Westmuir to cross the A926. By this time I was flying along, the tiredness in my legs had disappeared and I felt really good and strong. After the A926 I turned right to Moberty, then left to Hatton of Eassie and left again to head towards Glamis, passing a group of cyclists on the road, some of whom had Not So Hairy Bikers jerseys on. In a few more miles I came to the A94, where marshals were on hand to make sure I crossed the busy road safely. Once over I rode on, and came across another group of Not So Hairy Bikers in a layby who collared me and asked if I’d seen any other riders with the jerseys on. I told them of the group I’d passed just before and continued on my way. Soon I had reached Glamis and the entrance to the castle. I rode through the portal, and down the drive towards the castle where I was cheered through to the finish by the event volunteers, making my way to the registration tent where I got my final passport stamp and picked up a finishers goody bag.
It had been a hard but brilliant ride, with fantastic support from the communities I’d ridden through. I’d been lucky with the weather, having expected an afternoon of showers but only seeing a couple of short light spells of refreshing drizzle as I rode round. All that was left was some fish and chips and the ride back to the campsite, and so for the second time that day I left Glamis Castle, rode through the town and crossed the A94. As I started the climb up the A928 I spotted another roe deer in the field to my right. I continued climbing and retraced my morning ride back into and out of Inverarity and from there direct to the campsite. Shortly before the turn for the campsite I spotted another roe deer in the fields, as well as being shadowed by a buzzard flying along the fields on my right. And so, 13 hours, 115 miles and almost 8,000 feet of climbing later I headed back to my tent for a well deserved shower and rest. It had been an amazing day out.