Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route
There is no doubt about it, the Fungle Road rates as one of the Scottish classics. Taking the rider over everything from tight woodland singletrack right through to open
mountain tracks, it just oozes Scottish mountain biking from every pore. We describe it here as a long, circular outing, taking you up 1,600m of ascent over some serious ground. Not one to be tackled lightly, and don’t let the tame-sounding 34 miles fool you! This is serious stuff.
The first sections of the Fungle are nothing short of superb; rocky and rooty, with plenty of twists and hop-ups to keep your brain fizzing in overtime. From there, open tracks carry you over Birse Castle and on over a high pass where the trail peters out for about 500m. Shoulder the bike and follow your nose, sticking to the west side, and you will soon find the way down. A short road blast brings you to the foot of Mount Keen; a full-on Munro, and the mother of all climbs. Once over, though, it’s plain sailing down Glen Tanar and back into Aboyne.