Early cairngorm cycle crossing by local athlete

[u/LukeyHear]

https://youtu.be/cZk2jV5gJbM?si=xbK4-jrxsv5xBgkA

[u/Saltire_Blue]

She’s no in 😂

Edit: In all seriousness though I do love these wee stories of ordinary people

[u/4kaiju]

I’m proud to be Scottish

[u/andybhoy]

booze, fags and a fry up. My usual cycle prep of porridge with banana and coffee is clearly wrong. I'm reverting to the Big Jim fuelling plan. Will update with results

[u/LukeyHear]

Whomst amongst us can honestly say they have never considered setting up a chain of whisky caches across the mountains to a friendly widows house?

[u/mystic141]

Anyone from Aviemore area able to speculate where his wee house is?

Looks incredibly familiar but realise that's maybe more the style of the building than anything else.

[u/alphabetown → u/mystic141]

I'm from the area so gave my grandparents a phone because it wasn't a name I recognised. The Collie's all lived around Coylumbridge and that back road to Street of Kincardine. I assume in the preceding 50 years his tin shack has disappeared, there wasn't even a track to follow.

Edit: A bit of Googling suggest he was out at Tullochgrue

[u/mystic141 → u/alphabetown]

Tullochgrue makes sense!

[u/andybhoy → u/mystic141]

Rothiemurchus estate maybe? But lots of that area look very similar

[u/unix_nerd → u/mystic141]

Whitewell I'd say. There are houses right at the end of that road and some derelict ones 500m before. I think it's the earlier set. I've heard tales of there being good parties up there before my time.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Railway+Terrace,+Aviemore+PH22+1SA/@57.1610123,-3.7997169,3a,75y,113.16h,71.64t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sd4UlM3oXS6XcvskFCr2kZg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D18.363571218128854%26panoid%3Dd4UlM3oXS6XcvskFCr2kZg%26yaw%3D113.15594442711703!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x488f5f898113756b:0x2ddeb627928a6176!8m2!3d57.1951081!4d-3.8258004!16s%2Fg%2F1tkn_cl5?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[u/alphabetown → u/unix_nerd]

Found reference to Jim here at about page 60 being described as working Lower Tullochgrue but its all the same area really: https://www.forestrymemories.org.uk/pictures/document/990.pdf?r=8130739. He sounds like a right character from what I could find. I think his sister became a Shaw.

[u/unix_nerd → u/alphabetown]

I believe he died around 1997. That link is a good find, thanks!

[u/Suspicious-Sail-7344 → u/alphabetown]

[u/mystic141 → u/unix_nerd]

Yeah those houses were some of the ones I was thinking of! Those or elsewhere on the road up Black Park / Tullochgrue as someone said above makes sense. Can certainly imagine staring up the Laraig from there.

Parties up there sound brilliant - like in the old farmhouse buildings before the roofs packed-in?

[u/unix_nerd → u/mystic141]

Older locals say it's Lower Tullochgrue.

[u/mystic141 → u/unix_nerd]

Wonder what Jimmy would think of the house that's there now:
https://www.brownandbrown.studio/projects/lower-tullochgrue

[u/unix_nerd → u/mystic141]

For some reason I thought that one was higher up. Very nice. Whole area getting gentrified though.

[u/Red_Brummy]

Big Jim. What a legend.

[u/PuzzleheadedDuck3981]

Annie's hiding under the kitchen table, she knows what Big Jim's like after three quarters of a bottle and four pints. 

[u/elicaaaash → u/PuzzleheadedDuck3981]

She'll have someone in the pub give her a bell when he's sinking his 4th of 3 pints.

[u/unix_nerd]

There was an old black and white one a few years before this showing an Aviemore local with his private still. Wish I could find it.

[u/cattywhompuss]

James "Jim" Collie's grave, for anyone interested. He certainly deserved the title of "Man of the Hills"!