I’ll be visiting family next Thursday/Friday. Can anyone recommend some local riding or even fancy guiding me? Anything steep, techy, rocky and rooty would be grand.

Have a look here

http://www.ecurieneep.co.uk/routes.asp?routeid=1

About as close as i can think. Above my skill and fitness level at present but other guys at the club seem to rave about it.

Bennachie is just outside your front door! It has all you ask for and more. Pitfichie is next door and has dedicated DH tracks. I can’t guide you unfortunately and don’t know it very well but really enjoyed riding there despite leaving some of my left shoulder on the hill 🙁

I’m in Westhill, so not far away.

Bennachie is great. As much gnar as you can shake a stick at.

The Pitfichie XC loop is great fun (and you can tie it in with the DH track that has previously been used in SDA rounds).

Thursday night is bike night for me, so we may go out for a ride after work.
Drop me a line closer to the time.

I’ll be at the Rowan Tree Car Park at about 15:00 and again at 17:00 on Thursday if any of you folks fae Garioch fancy showing a soft Edinburgh boy how to ride Bennachie.