Good morning all. I’ve got a week in Plockton with the family starting next Saturday. As a family we ride a lot in the Lakes – usual Kentmere / Grizdale / Claife Heights stuff as well as trail centre reds – so what suggestions have you got within shooting distance of Plockton? Many thanks.

torridon, being damh, bealach na ba, glen slighchan are all short drive away. loads of options as well as random exploring up glens, tracks and paths.

look at a map and check the weather forecast. loads!

look out the HT550 route. dip in and dip out 🙂

Was going to say look at Applecross as well, but that’s a bit of a drive away TBH.

If you are staying in Plockton proper there’s a bit locally to ride. My mates folks once owned the Station Cottage so we spent many a week up there with the bikes (many moons back, remember fondly trashing a trek Y bike there and bombing around on a Proflex with Pace forks)

This is maybe a bit out of date butr the trail we regularly used to ride was this….
Head along the coast path under the cottage (had a green electrical box dumped in front of it last time I visited)towards Duncraig castle, used to be a nice singletrack path under the rail way then up through the rhodedendrums. The up the fire rds and climb the hill with the mast overlooking the village, amazing view from the top (Carn A Bhealaich Mhoir)

Back down the hill passed Achahinach Farm and Loch Achaidh na h-Inich and on through the fire rds and singletrack coming out at a fence above Balmacara, through the fence past the wee monument and down onto the road to Kyle.

Nice way to spent a few hours (assuming its still there and all ridable)

Slightly confused by the original request – are you looking for trails to ride on your own or ones suitable for the family?

Hard: Circuit around Ben Attow/ Beinn Fadha, anti-clockwise. A proper committed big day out, passing Camban bothy and the SYHA at the head of Glen Affric.
Medium/hard: Out and back from Sligachan to Camasunary on Skye. Simply stunning ride out. It’s great as a low commitment ride, as turning back before the end remains an option throughout. Harder technically than any trail centre red, but not mad by any means and flows well for anyone who can keep momentum. Do-able for a group if you have all day and fancy a picnic on the beach at the far end. Not much climbing, but still a very constant workout.
Medium, with history/geography lessons: Boreraig loop, near Broadford on Skye. The abandoned village is quite poignant; go clockwise on the loop from Suardal, and I’d suggest starting in Broadford where there are cafes. There’s a puggy-line (old narrow gauge railway route) through the glen, parallel to the tarred road, well signposted at 1km south along the B8083.
Easy: With thanks to dahedd above, the trail through from the W corner of Loch Achaidh na h-Inich now climbs over Carn Tollaidh and over to Balmacara. This has been upgraded to very nice singletrack; it’s short as an out and back, but will give you an hour of fun on its own. Rode this last October and it was in fine fettle but would be challenging for most kids. Add it to his starting point above in the village and loop back again for an interesting couple of hours. Check the opening hours of the community café in Balmacara. Enjoy…

Whitestone – with the kids

Thanks all for suggestions

Good to know that trails still there Highlandman. It’s been a long time since I’ve been over.

I fondly remember a group of us drinking the Plockton Hotel out of the spirit’s needed for several types of shot over a few evenings & a mate who didn’t ride getting extremely annoyed that his girlfriend & I kept disappearing out on the bikes

Thanks for suggestions. In Plockton at the moment and ridden all the trails recommended. Mrs. Kendal and Kendal juniors 1 and 2 thoroughly enjoying it. My personal favourite is the single track over to Balmacara.