Does anyone know of interesting places to ride around Falkirk?

Scotland is close to Falkirk. Lots of nice riding there.

HTH

Carron Valley?

Beecraigs? Bathgate Alps?

Stirling! Plean and Torwood. Get out of Falkirk when you are able.

WTF?

I had the worst curry ever falkirk…

carron valley, glentress, or try here
http://sites.google.com/site/mtbtrailtime/

Marky-p not having a go but Glentress is bloody miles from Falkirk.

Carron Valley obviously and in the other direction you have Muiravonside CP and Beecraigs CP. It’s possible to string quite a lot of good stuff together but will require a litle effort on your part as most of the best stuff simply isn’t on the maps.

Ochils also a short hop if you have transport.

Thanks to everyone, I favour Muiravonside but am intrigued by Plean and Torwood as it is 15 years since I was last there and that was on foot.

I designed a school and a hospital there

Scotland is close to Falkirk. Lots of nice riding there.

HTH

FFS.. So which country is Falkirk in then 😯

Best bet is to head to Mugdock park In near Glasgow, miles and miles of trails although knowing someone with local knowledge is really needed to find the best bits although with a bit of exploring you can easily spend a good day up there 🙂

From yesterday at Mugdock, nothing great just a play with new cam
http://vimeo.com/19005802

Ha ha ha to mugdock!!! Falkirk has a few nice spots but they are all small and spread out. Plenty of biking just nothing huge in 1 area. Plean and Torwood are a nice pair to ride. Carron valley has stuff and to the east and south there is plenty stuff. Not all signposted and not all in the same forest but a not bad mix overall.

If by ‘around’ you mean ‘without driving’, it’s either Muiravonside or Beecraigs.

But if ‘around’ includes a car, then no need to head anywhere near Glasgow … you are 20 min drive from Stirling, which’s got some of the best trails in central Scotland both north (e.g., Ochills) and south (Cambusbarron, etc.), the Stirling Bike Club does regular rides around there.

For trail centers Carron Valley is about 20min drive (though IMO much better riding to be had around Stirling for the same drive). There is also Comrie Croft, which is under an hour from Falkirk and is worth an afternoon visit.

I favour Muiravonside

You can string together various routes, and probably fill an hour if you want.

These are the main elements which can be mixed and matched to suit with other little bits. On the main “drive” before the car park at the “farm” turn right up a forest road (with barrier at bottom). When you get to the very top (if you look ahead you’ll just see the edge of the forest and the (A801?) ahead: you have two options for pretty good “singletrackish” descent. If its been dry for a few weeks the path to the right is good, if its rained recently its a mudfest and already badly erroded. The path to the left is better when its been raining (and good anyway). It crosses back over the “climb road” about 1/2 way down and you finish off on the bottom dryer section of the other route anyway. This comes out on the main drive through the park. Turn right at the bottom and then at the farm car park follow the road to the right and round towards the children’s play park turn left immediately after the buildings and then there are various paths which lead you past the small graveyard and back down to river level. For some more tricky stuff, look at going round the back of the Llamas/Alpaccas (we normally ride through the first small car park on the left and follow the path at the back), and for a bit of leg burning climb then when at you get to the bottom of the “graveyard” path at the river – turn right (the other options take you back up to (a) the park (b) the road/canal. Follow this wide path round the riverside for a wee while and then there is a new gravel path which winds its way up through the newly planted trees – ultimately bringing you out about 95% of the way up the “main climb” I described first.

Combine it with bits of the avon gorge path or beecraigs, and pretty much all accessible from the Falkirk via the canal – and you have the option to make it as long or short as you wish.

Some bits and pieces in cally park and bantaskin woods can be joined up easily with not much tarmac

Across the forth by Kincardine you have Devilla forest some nice singletrack in there but it can take a bit of finding. Over by Dunfermline you have Blairadam forest, again the good stuff can take a bit of finding.