Worth a vist?

yes.

Is it all very tough?

Any trail it's similar to?

Lower red is great, upper red is not so great but I quite enjoyed bits of it, understand the black is tough.

Is it all very tough?

Not at all. The black is definatley very black but the two red sections are pretty straightforward. It's probably my favourite centre but none of the routes are particularly long so you'll end up doing laps of.

As for whether or not it is worth a vist, like all trail centres, I wouldn't want to drive more than a couple of hours to get there, however later if you wait until later in the year you'll be able to combine it with Fort William which isn't too far away.

Well worth a visit if you are nearby. dunno how much its worth a special visit as its all quite short.

Lower red is good and the black is great. airs rock is a real bottle job and the lower jumpy bit is good. The cafe is good as well..

each section is short tho – you would have time to do it all and maybe some bits twice in a day quite easily

To me it especially the lower red has a much more natural feel – lots of rock features but either using exposed bedrock or for a purpose – not just a lump of rock buried in a otherwise smooth trail. Its narrow and has some good views as well.

As for it being tough – it is but not too tough – this aging jeyboy has made a reasonable stab at the black and taken the tandem round the lower red.

Very black as in technically demanding or just bloody long climbs?

Thinking of coming up and doing the 7staines again and fancy ticking off another trail centre whilst I'm up there.

The latter posts on this old thread may be of interest. Really good course, black is a 'technical' black rather than a 'fitness' one; preferred the lower of the 2 reds personally. Fantastic views,eg.

Definitely go if you've got the chance.

The Southern Yeti – Member

Very black as in technically demanding or just bloody long climbs?

Climbs are short and easy – its rocky and there are no chicken runs. Its steep and technical descending in places.

Sounds like my kind of place! How does it compare with say Kirroughtree enjoyed some of the little tech bits there.

Comparison with Kirroughtree's techy sections isn't far off, Laggans are just 'more'. Much shorter lap than KTree though.

Adding a ride over the Corrieyairack Pass first makes a loop of Laggan adequately long enough.

The black is technique-hard, rather than fitness-hard. One day I will clean it completely, one day!

Reds are fast, flowy and a lot of fun.

Nice cafe, decent shop, beautiful views. Well worth a trip. Great natural riding nearby, Fort Bill and Aviemore easily reached too.

best centre i`ve been to. based purely on the amount of fun i had there. contains technical riding not seen on the south downs!

£1.50 an uplift for when you cant be arsed with the fire road climb means you can really rag the various routes.

how convenient…

i'll be having a poke around the more northerly parts of scotland at the end of April/early May, and had Laggan on my list of things to look at.

Laggan Black; is it 'fall off a rock and land in a hedge' technical? or 'fall off a cliff and get eaten by wolves' technical?

also thought about a potter around loch Muick (near aberdeen), good idea/bad idea?

It's more fall off a rock and smash knee against pointy rock and break wrist in gap in rocks.

Both reds are good in their own way. The black is fantastic – has a couple of very big features, but nothing that will pitch you off a big drop if you get it wrong. No chicken runs, but all just rollable. I am definitely no riding god but did clean it last time by doing it twice back to back. In one longish day did the upper red once, black twice and lower red twice.

If you are coming up specially, a great day would be a morning session at Laggan then 30 mins in the car to Carn Ban Mor which is one of THE classic natural descents

went up to Fort Bill last year and chucked Laggan in as well. Really enjoyed the trails and we covered all of them (so upper & lower reds and black). as someone has mentioned – you end up doing laps. blacks sections are slightly more technical than kirroughtree IMO, but along those lines, although in some places the rocks have been placed there compared to all being natural features. and the uplift is great for winding down the rest of the day…think we got 2 or 3 runs in before they stopped.

The black at Laggan is mainly a series of rocky, technical features with little bits of trail linking them. This contrast with the black at Kirroughtree which is a big long trail that occasionally contains rocky, technical features. So while the technical challenge at Laggan is probably not too far from the level of challenge at Kirroughtree (probably a bit higher), it is definitely a different riding experience.

In my experience the Laggan black can be a great ride but if you're feeling not entirely confident about rocky stuff then there isn't much else to enjoy about it. My first rides on it were pretty dispiriting but the last time I tride it I had a great time.

The courses are fairly short and full of interest. You do laps which is great.

and vaguely related – does anyone have a GPS track of the Big Route round Rothiemurchus estate that's listed in the Trail Guide up there ^^ ?

I'm thinking of doing the route as well as visiting Laggan later in the year with a group.

Cheers people. Normally I ride DH (will the mods censor that combination of letters) but like to mix it up with some trail riding, sounds like Laggan is one not to be missed!

tandem jeremy sounds like a right choco boy, these trails are familily oriented even the black! get over to hebbers for some real hardcore natural trails!!! loads of secret tracks if you know where!

jon rambo, I'm from frickin Oxfordshire your comment is about as useful as a choco tea pot!

He is a poor quality troll thats why – no subtly nor any sense.

Back under your bridge

Southern Yeti – watch all the youtube etc. films you can of The Devils Chessboard; might help in finding the right line…

I love Laggan 🙂

bout as usefull as me riding one of them gay carbon456 bikes off a 10ft drop then eh? 😉 soz hebden bridge in yorkshirebut yeh you really need local knowledge.

I always visit WT when I stop in Fort William, def worth a visit IMO 🙂

Laggan is awesome, my favourite trail center when i go up north. Yes im from the midlands, but also i have visited Laggan 3 times in the last few years, i often stay at Ft.Bill and then drive up. The cafe is basic but worth the cash for some beans on toast etc..

The trails, the orange fun park is great fun, fast and fun, they do an uplift at some times of the year so worth a look. The Upper red is the better of the 2 trails, the newer lower is ok has some great views, worth a one circuit, the black looks superb but ive not been brave enough.

If your heading that way, do try the Nevis Red xc, its the only trail where ive feared for my life, its that good, again the view from the top is immense, and the northshore is challenging in places but well worth the money for the gondola up!

Laggan Black is quite a bit more 'black' than Kirroughtree IMO

Anyone do a Singletrack Arbitrary Difficulty Comparison between the allegedly-red Nevis Red, the bottom bit of the Fort William DH from the end of the Nevis Red, and Laggan black?

Some more photos to give you a taste:

Airs Rock (red):

Back/Sack/Crack Attack (black):

Two Ton Drop (black):

Lots of rocky features like this:

Mud – check.
Puddles – check.
Larch needles – check.
Greasy mica-schist – check.

Devil's Chessboard (black):

Of course, everything is much steeper than it looks in these photos…

Air's Rock is a black option on the red route, isn't it?

Originally the Laggan black was rated double-black, but the FC dropped that grading when the orange grade was introduced. Compared against early black routes like the Glentress black the Laggan one is definitely way more technical, but since then newer black routes have probably brought it closer to the "mean" black difficulty.

Back/Sack/Crack Attack looks like it's the bit I remember having the most trouble with on the black the last time I rode it. Some of the steps are pretty big and awkward. Is it quite near the start of the black? If so it's probably the bit I'm thinking of.

Laggan is definitely more technical than most, it's a cracking trail though.

If you're up there, I'd recommend taking the time to get to Golspie, as it's definitely my favourite trail centre and the descent is phenomenal.