Pride and joy at Moray Trails biking and camping weekend

Published: 17:30, 21 April 2025

Challenge accepted. Not even a new cat at home could keep Matthew away from a weekend of bike riding and camping in and around the Cairngorms.

At just seven years old, this two-day social expedition would be a bit of an uphill struggle for the boy, but he was up to it.

Matthew leads the way along the Dava Way out of Grantown.

The outing has become an annual trip since 2020 when the ride was envisaged by Jim Sutherland, an outdoor instructor and retired maths teacher from Grantown.

That first year was a celebration of Covid restrictions ending, and we rode the full 95 miles of the Moray Way in two days – but thankfully things have calmed down a bit in recent years!

The “Moray Trails Twenty-20” has morphed into a more accessible social cycling event for a group of friends and connections who all share a passion for the outdoors.

Jim sums up what it’s all about when he says: “It was just really to celebrate how lucky we are to be able to go and do things like this and think about folk who’ve inspired us or think about people who would maybe like to do it but can’t.”

This year’s ride was approximately 20 miles each way, mostly following the Dava Way but with one or two optional detours thrown in for good measure.

The Moray Trails Twenty-20 group regroups during the ride.

Meeting at Jim’s house on the Saturday morning, we spent some time getting our gear packed up and ready to ride. I had the cargo trailer with me to lug mine and Matthew’s kit to the campsite, but thankfully Angus Grant, a local artist who was joining part of the ride with his children later, transported some of the overnight kit for us so the weight wasn’t as bad as initially planned.

The social aspect of the Moray Trails Twenty-20 is set early on with a short spin to KJ’s Bakery in Grantown for a quick coffee. Then it was onto Grantown Square, where a mini cycling festival was going on – and Matthew and I ended up having a Scalextric race powered by exercise bikes!

Soon, though, we were on our way to the start of the Dava Way, a route that follows a former railway line between Grantown and Forres and is cared for by a fantastic group of dedicated volunteers under auspices of the Dava Way Association.

After passing under the railway bridge on the road, the route goes right to climb a steep path up to the old railway bed. Like so many former railways converted into active travel paths, the gradient of any climb is gentle, so the going was good from here, although the Dava Way can be a bumpy ride in places so is best on a gravel or mountain bike, though a hybrid would cope well enough.

Soon we passed Lady Catherine’s Halt, beside the East Lodge of Castle Grant, where a platform was built to allow access to the trains for the Laird of Grant.

A little way beyond here the path diverts off the railway line to follow an upgraded path through woodland before rejoining the route at Lynmore. From there it’s straightforward route-finding as you cycle through a deep cutting at Huntly’s Cave then out onto the moor.

Along the way, there are various information panels and points of interest, and Matthew was keen to read all about the skeleton that was found on the moors in the 1920s.

We paused for a group lunch at a track junction, where Jim offered an alternative to the main Dava Way route that would climb over a couple of nearby hills before dropping back down to Dava itself.

A group of us stayed on the lower-level route and continued across the moor, passing the summit sign marking the 1052ft height, until we reached a gate beside the Dava sign. The route here diverts off the railway line as it is now blocked by a private home, so we followed the track downhill to the left.

We all met back up on the far side where you rejoin the old track, where we were joined by Angus and his kids, who Matthew enjoyed playing with for the rest of the way.

Jim Sutherland organises the annual friends and family ride.

The children raced along to the Halfway Hut, a former workmen’s hut which has been refurbished as a shelter and picnic spot, with some displays about the route and the history of the railway inside.

With the wind at our backs and a long downhill stretch, it was an easy ride towards the Divie Viaduct now. At a crossroads of paths just before the viaduct, we turned left to follow the route to our campsite at Ace Adventures in Auchnagairn.

After a long ride, Matthew was offered a lift for the last few miles of road riding, which included at least one steep hill, but he was determined to complete the whole ride himself. We followed forest tracks to meet the A940, where we turned left for half a kilometre then turned right on a minor road over the Dorback Burn.

Matthew pedalled his way up the other side, and we rolled our way to the campsite, with tired legs making the cycle up – and it really was up – the long driveway tough. He’d cycled 21 miles mostly offroad, his longest ride to date, and had done a fantastic job to earn all the praise he got from our fellow Moray Trails riders!

Somehow, he still had energy to run about and play with his new friends in the evening, as we all cooked, ate and drank together around the excellent outdoor kitchen at the woodland campsite. Each camping spot has its own firepit and we enjoyed marshmallows over the fire late into the evening before a well-earned sleep.

John and Matthew at the summit of the old railway route.

The experience was perfect as a social gathering of like-minded folk who appreciate the outdoors life and coming together to share this wonderful weekend, so thanks must go to Jim for organising it once again.

The return ride was a little more direct, returning to Dava Way via a rough bit of forest rather than the road route. With little in the way of any path to follow it was certainly a challenge for me to drag the trailer through, but Matthew relished the experience and made it all the way back to Grantown under his own steam again.

He completed 38 miles in total over the weekend, and I was really proud of his efforts and positive attitude throughout the vast majority of the journey – and he received a deserved round of applause from his fellow riders as we got back to Jim’s house for juice and hot chocolate.