Our daughter loves going out on her bike and as the two boys are scared of fresh air I’d like to take her to the downhill in the summer.
I was looking to get tickets for Saturday as there’s more going on and since she won’t know the difference between qualifying and finals thought this would be best. Also after reading a bit about it taking the gondola up to the top of the hill and walking back down would be the way to go.

If anybody has any tips on going or what to do when we get there it would be appreciated.

Gondola is a good idea but you can walk up to a good spot and watch the riders, and plenty Midge cream is a must,it can be pretty steep and muddy in parts walking back down,so if shes quite young it can be a bit hard getting through the middle section,

My two love it. Age 10 and 7. We do the whole weekend. Most of the tickets seem to come with Gondola access and it’s definitely worth it.

Saturday is a lot less intense. No/few queues for the gondola so we normally head up and wander down watching whoever is practising/qualifying at the time. Then we head over to the 4X and watch that (I think that’s Saturday, it was all messed up last year). The kids love that for some reason (well, I think it’s cool but they just can’t get enough of it).

Sunday – much busier but the atmosphere is awesome. Queues to get up vary a lot through the day – if you time it right you can pretty much step onto the gondola and head up to watch the start. You can hike up a bit and get a good viewpoint if you like. Last couple of years we’ve waited until the bigger finals are on – and there seem to be no queues to go up then. We’ve headed up and then walked down watching the women’s and then men’s finals – arriving back at the arena for the last 4 or 5 riders.

There’s a pretty good cafe at the top of the gondola. We will normally lunch there at least once. I’d definitely recommend them – last time my youngest dropped his full plate on the floor and they were really nice about it and gave him a replacement for no charge :). Great customer service!

Normally there’s some stunt / trials shows on. Danny Macaskill and crew last year. Also, on the Sunday, there’s some aerobatics etc. All adding to the atmosphere.

We camp at Lochy Campsite. It’s an easy walk to one of the P&R pickups – but also on the right side of Fort William to cycle up. It’s a pretty easy cycle up to the venue – and a very easy one back again. It took a couple of sweetie stops to get ours up there last time – but made the whole experience more fun.

Other things – Glenfinnan Viaduct is not far from Fort William – if she’s a Harry Potter fan, she’ll recognise that. We’ve got that pencilled in for a distraction next year. Highland Wildlife Park and Highland Folk Museum are good for a visit on the way out or back if you can make a long weekend of it (may be on the way if you’re passing near Aviemore).

Cheers, she’s soon to be 8 but is tiny and would blow away in a gentle breeze. Will probably just get the gondola tickets and see what it’s like on the day.

It’s a great weekend.

Probably best to park in one of the car parks in/around town and getting the shuttle bus in – or cycle out on the cycle path – depending on how old your daughter is.

It is really noisy and busy at the finish line on race days which can freak out wee kids

It’s also usually quite busy trackside on race day which makes walking up or down a bit trickier with a wee one. Having said that my 5 year old nephew loved walking up and down the trackside last year as it’s a fun path 🙂

I quite enjoy Friday actually. It’s a chilled out atmosphere and lots of practice action on track (if the weather is good).

You don’t really need to buy tickets in advance but it saves a bit of time on the day and sometimes gondola ride tickets sell out. The queue for the gondola on race day can be very long but usually ok on the Saturday.

The pits are worth a walk around too especially for kids who can see their heros and role models 🙂

Don’t forget the kids Mini downhill final is also on the Saturday. Always fun to watch!

The atmosphere on Sunday is amazing and the highlight of the weekend, otherwise the sat is great, you can get to meet the riders etc and understand your way around. Track walk is a must, just take some good shoes! I have taken my lad age 10 and 11 for the last 2 years and he has loved it. If you only attend the Saturday it’s a bit like going to a concert and walking out after the warm up act…would recommend staying Sunday.

Again thanks for the answers!
The kids downhill is a must so I can do the parent thing and point out that no matter how young/little she is she can do anything with a bit of practice!
Although I’d love to see Sunday I don’t think she’d manage two full days.
Pits will also get a look at so I can drool over the bikes

A top tip, we think, is to stay on the gondola for a couple of laps. Particularly if the weather is a bit… Our 2 boys – toddlers – love it. Obviously this only a reasonable thing to do at a quieter time.

Good shout prototype! A couple of laps when it’s quieter is a great idea.
Sitting down with her tonight to get it all booked and discuss what we’re doing.

Not sure who’s more excited!