Alternative AI Title – E-Bike Delight: 120km of Scottish Sights with a Tent by Night!
And you think that one was bad, look at these:
“Zoom to the Moon: E-Biking Pitlochry to Aviemore with a Camping Swoon”
“Cycle and Snuggle: A 120km E-Bike Journey with a Tent Tuggle”
“Wheeling Through Reeling: Pitlochry to Aviemore’s 2-Day E-Bike Feeling”
“E-Bike Blitz: 120km of Scottish Spritz with a Camping Twist”
As for the tour:
Another bike tour, but this time with e-bikes—what a game-changer! We covered roughly 110–120 kilometers over two days, riding from Pitlochry to a campsite just north of Dalwhinnie, where we pitched our tent, before continuing to the bustling village of Aviemore. I’ve never been a huge fan of Aviemore, to be honest, and we were mostly there to catch the train back to Pitlochry.
Wasted Degrees brewery, an hour north of Pitlochry
This was our first time using e-bikes, and I recently bought a secondhand one—hope that’s not an oxymoron! It needed a few repairs, and I quickly learned it doesn’t have a kickstand, which can be a hassle. I usually stick to power assist levels one or two out of five, occasionally three. The bike’s pretty heavy, and like most e-bike newbies, I thought I could overload it.
Spoiler: I did, and it’s damn heavy when you’re pushing it without power.
The village (closed) of Dalwhinnie
We rode about 75 kilometers on day one, sticking to Sustrans National Cycle Route 7, a long-distance path stretching from Sunderland, England, to Inverness, Scotland.
We were on the upper half, north of Perth, where the route is well-marked but varies wildly. Sometimes you’re dodging traffic; other times, you’re blissfully alone. After Perth, there aren’t many cars or cyclists, which is great, but it makes planning crucial—especially for food.
Case in point: we cycled into Dalwhinnie, a tiny village, around 6 p.m., starving. The one café? Closed. The hotel restaurant? Closed. The village shop and petrol station? Also closed. Lesson learned: plan your meals! Luckily, we had sandwiches to tide us over.
We made it to the campsite near Etteridge with 10 minutes to spare before it closed. About 15–20 minutes away, there’s the Ralia Café, a quirky old-school stop that’s part tourist point, part café. Their breakfast the next morning was fantastic, getting us ready for the final 40–50 kilometers to Aviemore.
E-bikes make you think you can carry the world, but our loaded tents and gear got difficult’ish, especially in the last half hour when I was pedalling without power. Another hiccup: the campsite charged £33 for two people, including electricity, but the plugs were incompatible with standard household chargers. By some miracle, a fellow camper overheard us panicking and lent us an adapter. By morning, our bikes were fully charged, and the campsite’s showers? Absolutely superb.
Day two’s 40–50 kilometers felt easier, especially with a full stomach from Ralia Café, about 5 kilometers north of the campsite. We passed through charming Newtonmore and Kingussie, where there are plenty of cafés and facilities if you need them.
Highland Folk Museum (below) –
We also stopped at a heritage museum, which was a highlight. It showcased a Highland village from 300–400 years ago, with recreated buildings and some from a century ago that were used until about 50 years back. It was fascinating, free, and we happily donated £10 each.
Aviemore / Rothiemurchus
From there, it was about 20 kilometres to Aviemore, entering from the south via Rothiemurchus, a lively spot. With temperatures hitting 24–25°C, the town was buzzing. We caught the train back to Pitlochry, arriving late afternoon. But here’s point number three: ScotRail was a disaster.
No room at the Inn (for bikes)
Despite booking bike spaces, there was no way to fit our bikes in the designated area. The conductor couldn’t care less, so we stood for the 55-minute ride back to Pitlochry, never reaching our seats.
Come on, ScotRail, you can do better.
CB
Curious Bystander 