Got a weekend in Scotland coming up...and the weather's not looking too friendly so we may have to change our higher altitude plans for something a bit more sheltered. Heard there's some half-decent trails in Mugdock, but everyone's saying that local knowledge is key.
Does anyone have a gpx route which takes in the best trails in the park? Or if they can be highlighted on a map?? Would be very good to have as a backup.
Thanks in advance.
You'd struggle to follow a map as most good stuff is properly hidden. I'm sure either one of our mob ( http://www.meetup.com/mountainbikeglasgow ) or Glasgow Mountain Bike Club ( http://www.gmbc.org.uk/ ) can show you round
Mugdock is good (well, handy more than good) if you're local, certainly not worth travelling any distance for.
If the weather's really bad just have some fun at Glentress, Kirroughtree, etc
Local knowledge is key, or you'll do what I did the first time I went up there myself - pootled around the main paths thinking, "this is crap"
I will say, it has chucked it down with rain for the last 40 days and 40 nights up here. Muddy doesn't begin to cover it.
Trails at Mugdock are in a bit of state at the minute due the weather but as Boardinbob says contact either one of the groups above, pretty sure someone will be going for a ride, especially at the weekend..
As said - as a bad weather option the trail centres might be a good idea
cheers for the advice - thought as much with regards to mugdock being difficult to navigate. hopefully someone will come up with some gpx goodness though - have a sizeable group so wouldn't want to put the onus on someone guiding us!
trail centres are on the cards, but not ideal really. we're staying at Rowardennan as well, so would end up doing a lot of driving if we went to kirroughtree etc...
any other ideas for low level rides in the area for plan B?? been doing a bit of digging today and found a couple of routes around Glen Ample, Glen Finglas. both relatively short & don't particularly look like amazing riding so anything better?
praying for the weather to play the game so we can get up the mountains, but outlook isn't looking too good.
glen ample is ok. there is also a route thru the menteith hills. Everything will be soggy a easily damaged given the weather we have had.
peachos - there are some cracking trails there, although as others have said, they are taking a bit of a battering at the moment, combination of a wet period and a hell of a lot of use. With my GMBC hat on we'd be happy to show people around, but it wouldn't be good for the trails to post up routes on t'interweb....
bets bet if a biggish group and poor weather would be to stick to the West Highland Way, which is fairly well waymarked and not busy with walkers in poor weather. you could go out from Milngavie, pick up the track behind Dumgoyne Distillery that runs back to Strathblane
is that on the rob roy way TJ?? have that one marked as well - think it's in the kenny wilson book. yep last thing i want to do is end up spending 3 days pushing bikes through bogs!!!
cheers iain - the whw is a good option actually. from rowardennan, is the section running north to say, bridge of orchy worth an out and back? or is it better heading south?
peachos - given conditions I think you will find it hard to find interesting trails without bogs.
edit - a possible option - aberfoyle - north east thru the menteith hills to loch venachar weat along the south shore of the loch / loch achray back to abefoyle over the forest drive - think its all fairly hard surfaced but will not be that exciting
the section north of Rowardennan is very hikey bikey, so better coming down the way
peachos - given conditions I think you will find it hard to find interesting trails without bogs.
+1
Mugdock trails are my local trails and I expect to be going to a Trail Centre on Sunday given the forcast 
Can you cycle right round loch katrine?
TJ - not really, the west side is hit and miss - can be done with some hikey bikey on a dry day :-). Better done as an out and back to the Tearoom, but not much fun on a mtb
Hmmmmmmmm
scratching my head trying to think of decent all weather rides round there
Peachos, check your emails
Peachos, check your emails
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the WHW section up to Inversnaid is a(mostly)very nice techy trail, you can also head up the side of ben lomond from cailness (big climb/downhill) over to loch chon near aberfoyle and all the trails over there. all pretty weather proof landy track.
cyclocross is on at mugdock this sunday i think
There's Carron Valley, it's quite fun but very short.
Ben Lomond path is all rocky - at least the bad weather will scare off some of the walkers. 
Glen Ogle ( north from lochearnhead) is a very pleasant bit of old rialway, remains of an old route in the valley bottom as apossibel return but very wet and rough
Brig o turk to balquidder is I believe possible - and return on the sutrans / old railway
As said, rowardennan to inversnaid is really good mtb-ing.
Also some good options between them.
the brig o turk to balquidder path looks a bit faint
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/128275
geograph is very useful for checking out paths
peachos, sent you some .gpx of mugdock.
I was up round Mugdock on Saturday (walking the dog rather than riding) and it looks very chopped up and muddy. There's been another heavy fall of rain since then on Monday, and more forecast for the weekend, so I'd imagine you'd only like a day out there if you really like bog trotting.
I've just come back from working with a group up at Carron Valley, which is understandably in much better nick as the trails are surfaced. As others have said, it's pretty short, but quite good fun and fairly sheltered amongst the trees.
From Rowardennan there is also the option of heading South to Balmaha (7miles) and then up and down Conic Hill.
Going North to Inversnaid is perhaps the more ejoyable option though.
And if you do that there's this route that I've had in my favourites for years [Loch Chon - Loch Lomond] I've never ridden it though so can't vouch for quality/conditions.
TJ, the path you suggested was literally a river last night I'm afraid 
The trail from Finglas up to where you turn off to Balquidder is soggy as hell and ATM, a real leg sapper for about 3 miles or so but I've never actually ridden the trail from it to Balquidder. all in all the Finglas ride is a bit of a disappointment. Carron is riding well but as mentioned earlier, tramp on the pedals and you'll be round it in 30 mins or less. North third reservoir is good but don't know what that will be like with all the rain recently.
Has anyone ridden the Comrie croft trails, they aren't far away?
Allyharp's Loch Chon route posted above is quite rideable most of the time but can be seasonally soggy. I've done a variation from Aberfoyle but Rowardennan is probably a better start point. You can head up the WHW to Inversnaid, which is quite lumpy and 'hike a bike' in places. Then it's a tarmac climb up past Loch Arklet to just west of Loch Chon. The road is quiet and scenery pretty good. If it is very wet, stay on the tarmac, if not, you can turn right before Loch Chon and take the forest road to the south of the Loch to join up with Allyharp's route at the east side of Loch Chon. This swings west up a decent LRT climb past the farm to the zig zags above the east shore of Loch Lomond. Cracking views before a fast switchback descent to the loch shore then TL and head back down the WHW to Rowardennan for a pint and a seat by the fire.
I have ridden comrie croft - its OK - enough to keep you entertained for few hours
cheers allyharp - that's a tidy wee route. and downshep too for shedding some light on it.
Comrie Croft looks alright as well.
starting to relax about the weekend a bit more now i have all these routes to play with.
still want to go up big hills though
Reckon I'd need to be snowed in to change my 'high altitude plans' to Mugdock Lot can happen in 72 hrs - Blair Atholl / Pitclochry can be good this time of year - plenty of options...
yep i know - don't get me wrong, a bit of snow & rain ain't gonna stop us getting high, but the gale force winds...
we'll see. got some good options off this thread, so thanks all!
the loch chon route gets quite "puddly" as it approaches lomond after the gomer estate but it doesnt get that muddy. WHW to inversnaid, road round to loch chon then back over the hill and WHW back to rowardennan sounds like a good option with no cars involved.
Heather, are there any maps/route guides for Blair Atholl?
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