so im bored of driving to trail centres and bought the campsie fells 1:25 000 map to look for forests with potential apart from mugdock. can anyone point me in a good direction.

i was thinking that craigend looked close and looked like it had potential but cant find any info on the web?

also i didnt realise carron valley forest was so big until i looked at the map. is it worth exploring or is it all just fireroads apart from the constructed trails? i was looking at the CVDG plans for extended trails and they looked pretty detailed. are they based on natural singletrack or was it just a case of hacking through the forest looking for good possibilities but without any natural trails undefoot.

any help much appreciated

i was looking at the CVDG plans for extended trails and they looked pretty detailed

I was also looking at these on their website and realising what might have been …

As far as I am aware there is no natural s/t in there – it is dense forestry and the riding is on firetrack with a a couple of breakouts – you can get onto Meikle Bin for instance.
This was a ride pre built trails were someone persuaded me there was singletrack !

The Touch Hills is accessible from Carron and gives a mix of built landy tracks and quad tracks – and plenty of nightmare boggy bits for the unwary.

There is some stuff south of Carron which Glasgow MTB club ride but I havent tried If you go a bit further east and join Stirling Bike Club for a ride you will find enough to keep anyone happy

I’d explore the woods all around Craigallian loch. There’s a few good bits of Singletrack there to be found, nothing terribly long but you can join them all up for a ride. Just wander round and take a look down all the paths you see.

There used to be some great trails in Carbeth Wood but the trees got chopped recently and the area is a bit of a mess.

Right.

Campsies. Follow waterboard trail to just outside Killearn then can head up a Land Rover track which takes you all the way up to Earls Seat. You can also cut off it and it will bring you out part way up Dumgoyne.

It’s possible to follow quad bike paths to Fintry with only ten minutes of indistinct trail at the end before a steep but over too quick into Fintry. Alternatively, cut east at the stone cairn above Dumgoyne and you can head across onto Slack Dhu. Mostly quad bike tracks then singletrack. You can descend down to Cantywheerys on a belter of a grass track or follow the cliffs along and drop into Blanefield though I’ve still to get a trail that doesn’t involve a hike at the base the hills to get through the houses in Blanefield.

Mugdock has loads. Just follow your nose or come out with GMBC.

There is also the beast of a climb behind Wheelcraft up then back down the Knockie Buckle. Again, a very fast descent and really stiff but 100% doable climb if you have the legs for it.

Another good wee loop is to follow the Allander and Kelvin into Maryhill and return via the woods parallel with switchback road.

Others include the Whangie, the Kilpatrick Hills and Windy Hill.

Cheers

Sanny

You don’t say where you are coming from but on the other side of the Campsies it’s worth checking the area around the old quarry at Croy for a good few nice but shortish sections, the harder you look the more you should find. Also down the back of Bar hill into Twechar there is a quite nice descent, couple of diff routes up/down Bar hill each side of the hill so worth exploring also for the easy up fast down options.

Enough for a couple hours biking, mix of singletrack/grass/landrover track.
The Boathouse bar G67 9SG would be a good starting(and end)point.

Check http://www.multimap.com/s/PS9G3GmU in OS.

cheers for all your replies guys

If you’re in Carron Valley you should definitely wander up Meikle Bin.

clicky

Photos and map