The Burma Road

No, I did not jet off to the steamy jungles of Myanmar nor did I travel back in time to the late 1930s when the real Burma Road was built. Rather I headed north to the exotic climes of Aviemore for a classic long route that has been on my to-do list for some time.

The Burma Road is most commonly known as a classic MTB route, but I have always fancied it as a long run. There is no definitive explanation for the name. Some say built by POWs during the war. Others say it was a difficult construction, hence the parallel with the original Burma Road built by the Chinese in the 1930s during their war with Japan.

I always imagined doing it in summer but changed my mind a few days ago when contemplating how to make best use of the change in weather around Christmas Day. Finally, some anticyclonic days that promised some crisp, sunshiny weather.

The route has a few different permutations, if done as a loop, as the section which comprises the Burma Road is only really the track between Lynwilg and Carrbridge, via the Dulnain valley. The version I downloaded also included a detour up towards Slochd before returning back down to Sluggan Bridge, then Carrbridge. My loop would continue from Carrbridge to Boat of Garten then finally back to Aviemore via the Speyside Way path. In fact, it would be even longer as I decided to park at Inverdruie which would add a couple of miles to the overall distance. In all, around 30 miles.

I also decided to camp, heading up during Christmas Day to the excellent campsite at Dalraddy. It is open all year round and I have stayed there many times. My plan would be to chill (hopefully not too literally!) then get a very early start on Boxing Day morning. The intention would be to cover the first three or four miles, including some of the initial uphill, in darkness with the hope of arriving at the track summit to coincide with sunrise.

I headed up on the late morning of Christmas Day and sure enough, as soon as I hit Drumochter, the clouds disappeared and bright blue skies appeared. As I approached Aviemore, I was surprised at how little snow there was, with only a bare covering right up on the Cairngorm tops.

At Dalraddy, I had the entire tent field to myself, so I pitched in the afternoon sun with a picnic bench adjacent. The ground was semi-frozen but not too solid to get pegs in and I was soon set up. I whiled away the rest of the afternoon. The site is great for a walk, and I took a tour before dark. It was a bit of a long evening, but I was toasty in my sleeping bag, even overnight, despite the temperature plunging well below zero.

I was up fairly early, ate a little in the tent then prepared my kit. In fairness I had done most of that the night before to minimise the amount of arseing about in the freezing cold in the morning. I was off in the car before 0800 and soon found myself in the woodland car park at Inverdruie, which I knew would be free for the day.

Just after 0800, I was off and moving, heading down the road to meet the main Aviemore road where I started the course on my Garmin. The next mile or so was a short road run, down to meet the junction with the A9. The sky was brightening but the headtorch and red rear light were still very much required.

I crossed the A9 at Lynwilg and started up the road until I met the large gate which heralds the start of the Burma Road.

The climb starts very steeply but I was glad of the effort to warm me up as my hands were still frozen, despite gloves. Soon, the gradient eased and I settled into a power hike with the occasional slow jog on the kinder sections. The surface was good and even better as it was largely frozen hard.

The track continued up and soon I was clear of the treeline and again, I could see the first dawn behind the Cairngorm massif. Although there was now enough daylight, it would be a while before I would see actual sun.

Ironically, the temperature had improved as I climbed away from the frigid valley air but as I approached the summit of the road, the faint breeze brought the temperatures right down again. As I reached the summit cairns it was probably about -5c in my estimation.

I stopped briefly to take some pictures and to watch the sun breach the Cairngorm skyline, turning the heather-clad hillsides to my north a flame red. It was too cold to hang about long and I was keen to start the long descent to the Dulnain River. It was fantastic to run down the long track, to enjoy the crisp morning and the solitude.

Before long, I took the final downhill to the Dulnain River bridge crossing.

Across the river, the track was rough ATV track but very icy in sections so care was required and I often took to the verge to avoid the worst. It was only a short section, so nothing to be gained by adding any foot traction which I was carrying as a contingency.

The track continues east along the river valley, undulating gently but mostly runnable with some very picturesque sections across open meadow, white and crisp with frost.

It is a very enjoyable few miles and if anything, I was running too fast. I kind of knew I should slow things down but it was difficult when the running was as good as it was.

Eventually, I reached the track junction and I turned off north on the slow incline up in the direction of Slochd. The views opened up again and I was out in the sun, really enjoying the route.

I hit the turn at the keeper’s house, with the dogs going nuts in their kennels as I passed. There was some gentle climbing after this then a very nice section through woods which were heavy with frost and with a real wintery feel.

By now, the temperature was dropping again as I hit the valley floor and arrived at the Sluggan Bridge. I got a great photo of the bridge but unfortunately the file size was too big, even when compressed, to include.

After the bridge and a short climb, a minor road is reached and this continues for about a mile and a half, eventually under the A9 and into Carrbridge village.

Carrbridge was the coldest point of the run as I could feel my hands freezing again inside my gloves. I found the village shop open and went in to buy some water and bananas. In the shop, I also bumped into an old work colleague, also now retired. We caught up for a short while. To be honest, I was enjoying the heating too!

I refilled my flasks, scoffed the bananas and headed off, trying to warm up again.

After about a mile to the outskirts of the village, I hit the forest track. If anything, this was the biggest surprise of the day as I expected the section from Carrbridge to Boat of Garten to be a bit of a flat slog.

Before long, I was on narrow forest single track and at the start of a decent climb up through the trees. My legs were feeling it but I powered up to the top then enjoyed the windy path down through the trees on the other side. It was warmer in the trees and I hit some patches of sun, eventually exiting the trees onto farm track which would take me downhill to the crossing of the main Grantown road.

The last mile and a bit into Boat of Garten was dull footpath alongside the road. I was starting to take short walking breaks by this stage as my legs were feeling the distance. I made sure that I kept the calories going in and this certainly made a difference in the last section.

From Boat of Garten, the remainder of the route is on the Speyside Way and I have done this section several times. It begins along Kinchurdy Road, past some fairly impressive houses which line the entire road until the houses peter out and the road continues as forest track. I was taking short walking breaks, trying to keep my average pace around 11 minutes/mile.

After a quick downhill under the Speyside Railway line, the track becomes well-groomed path and this is fairly much the theme for the last three miles or so to Aviemore. Although only about 1400, the sun was already starting to settle in the west and daylight was fading.

I got a bit of a second wind in the last three miles or so and I was running quite strongly as I hit the outskirts of Aviemore.

I tried to continue this on the soul-destroying and seemingly never-ending trek down Grampian Road into the centre of Aviemore. Soon enough though, I was weaving around the tourists and past the outdoor shops before ducking down onto Dalfaber road for the final stretch to the footbridge where I stopped my watch, bang on 28 miles.

I walked the last part up the road to Inverdruie and was very happy to collapse into the car and crank up the heating!

The remainder of the day consisted of warm clothing, Chinese takeaway, chocolate and toasty sleeping bag. As is often the case after a long effort, I didn’t sleep that well and my legs were uncomfortable and restless. Although I had always intended an early departure, I didn’t expect myself to be packing up in light snowfall before driving away at 0430!

That said, I was back home and drinking hot coffee at 0630 with an entire day ahead of me. Could be worse.

In review then, a great trip albeit only a couple of days. There are only so many days you can happily camp in that cold and darkness but fun once in a while. The running was great and the route something of a one-day epic.

The section from Aviemore to Carrbridge is about 18 miles and that alone would make a fantastic run in itself. I am glad I did the full loop this time but a shorter version with the bus back to Aviemore would be an alternative.

Although there is limited climbing, it is not an easy day but with some really varied trails and scenery to keep it interesting. I am glad I did it as a winter run as I think it brought another dimension to the experience. I have no doubt that it is also a fantastic route in good summer weather, and I think I would wait for that if I was to do it again.

Most certainly, that will be the last long run for 2025 but I could not have wished for better to finish the year.