How much parking space is there ? I’m contemplating going there for a couple of days in the motorhome & don’t want the thing to get in the way.

TIA, Dave.

https://www.facebook.com/GlenlivetMountainBikeTrailCentre

Not a lot of space in actual car park behind cafe. There were a few people with T5 camper vans and a biggish motor home there on Sat who had done an over nighter. Plenty of room on forest road parking areas but might not be easy to level van unless near top where trails start. Probably plenty of space on forest access road just as you turn right uphill to the cafe, fairly big area by a gate. Give them a call and see what they say 💡
Any sign of snow or ice and I would be nervous about taking a van all the way up to the cafe 😐

Ta, I’ll do that & see what the scoop is 😀

View from near the back of the car park;

Glenlivet cafe by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Parking is behind the cafe. Cars/vans were parked all over the place and all the way down the hill which could become a problem, creates a single track road!!

Glenlivet the end by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Tomintoul is only 4mls away with a couple of pubs. Loads of parking spots along the roadway as well.

Riding up to the highest point before a 15min descent on a narrow, twisting roller coaster 😆

Glenlivet ladies reach the top1 by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Glenlivet dh2 by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Glenlivet 2nd singletrack by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Dave we are all heading up on Saturday if you fancy it.? Let us know .

Many thanks the very helpful replies 😀 Loadsa room there for me to get the van in.

Stanfree, canny make Saturday 🙁 I’m the Yak’s carer & bike twiddler at the weekends. Ta for the invite though 8) Let me know how it goes please.

D.

…….and how did the trails ride?

edit (doublepost)

back2basics – Member
…….and how did the trails ride?

As you can probably see in the photos they are smooooth, as per new build should be.
Think GT/Inners big climb to top then freewheel/pedal a bit down 😆
Personally missed out a couple of the black bits, being on my own(wife in cafe)and being 200mls from home I decided to wimp out 🙄 ” other potential booby traps on the big dh section. A drop/jump into a hairpin left would seem to have caused a few people to skid off the trail.
There is a blind drop(at speed)on the section before the corner in pic 3 above which may cause an issue and another jump back from that which had seen someone up the banking. Very easy to get “air” for those that want to but obviously for riders like myself some of the “jumps” may catch you out. Some nice “pump” sections. Only a couple of big berms. None of those stupid “doubles/triples” you find at the likes of Ae or Mabie(not been to GT for 3yrs or Inners) 😆 Quite narrow in places and one section is spoiled by the proximity of the trees 😐

Basically the red is classic 7miles up and 7miles down on smooth man made trails 😆 Cafe, parking and other facilities are ace but being just opened requires some tweaking when busy. Saturday was their first day using all the equipment and probably gave a false impression of what it will be like in future. Bike wash may be in wrong place, next to cafe/toilet entrance?

great post Trekster, thanks!

Good post Trekster we are going to be up there for about 12 on Saturday , It sounds like we may do the red then head back to Aviemore for a wee pedal before It gets dark . I’ve heard the red described as a Blue with red features rather than red with Black features.
Still cant knock free trails.

I’ve heard the red described as a Blue with red features rather than red with Black features.

All depends on your definition of blue/red, your experience, your fitness, your skillz level etc 😉 Some have posted that it is an “easy 1hr pootle” which for them I have no doubt it is, I know quite a few people who could manage it. I am not one of them 🙄 Took me 1hr 40min riding time but 2.5hrs total riding time being the social type chatting to people and taking photos 😆
It is still pretty smooth but I can see lots of places that may become skidded out/brake bump horror sections.

1st zigzag climb

Glenlivet 1st climb by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Think this is the 3rd singletrack section, climb after forest road climb

Glenlivet 3rd singletrack climb by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Pic 4 from the top

Glenlivet mbuk2 by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr
PS.. this guy was off walking at one forest road uphill, riding 1×10 I think. Not as easy as some would have you believe 😉

Pedal up for 1 practice run then back up to KOM the **** moar like!

http://www.scotoutdoors.com/features/glenlivet-mtb-trails-open#.UnqDyPkvVj8

Just back from a great weekend in Aviemore where we rode Glenlivet and Laggan. Glenlivet is good and has a nice wee climb to the summit . Davesport I think you would really like It and whilst Laggan made it look like a ride along the Pencaitland railway walk It’s great fun. Some nice wee drops maybe the biggest one being about 2 feet and some good rock features . I really hope they add to the trails as there is great scope up there for some good tracks. We got free cake and water as they haven’t actually got a completion certificate yet so cant sell anything. Go and support the trails If you are in the area folks…

walking at one forest road uphill, riding 1×10 I think. Not as easy as some would have you believe

Perfectly do-able (minus the black bits that I bottled out of) on rigid single speed though, and on CX as well I understand..

Perfectly do-able (minus the black bits that I bottled out of) on rigid single speed though, and on CX as well I understand..

True, I followed a rigid ss for a bit. Fat Bikes are also popular I believe, one ground it`s way to the top of Carn as I hobbled up, limping on foot 🙄
My bike looked a bit odd being `05 vintage and a Kona 😉

Just back from a great weekend in Aviemore where we rode Glenlivet and Laggan. Glenlivet is good and has a nice wee climb to the summit . Davesport I think you would really like It and whilst Laggan made it look like a ride along the Pencaitland railway walk It’s great fun. Some nice wee drops maybe the biggest one being about 2 feet and some good rock features . I really hope they add to the trails as there is great scope up there for some good tracks. We got free cake and water as they haven’t actually got a completion certificate yet so cant sell anything. Go and support the trails If you are in the area folks…

Thank you Paul. I tried to PM you from your profile but my mail was returned. I’m heading up there tis week I’ll let you know how it goes. YodaTwat knows where I am !

D.

4th fastest time on Strava for “Glenlivet Long Climb” was set on a fatbike 😆

True, I followed a rigid ss for a bit.

Trekster, if was last (opening) Saturday that might have been me, green Kona Kilaeua..

Had the fastest time for the shorter main climb section tip yesterday when I assume some pesky kid beat me 🙂

did these …err “trails” at the weekend,
Its all blue apart from 4 drops on the “red” route that are about a foot down, and a tiny rockgarden section thats not a worry for anyone really.
as above people have said, “red” can be fixed/cx, done blindfold.
the “black” are just next to the red and are a tiny bit harder, although you could get some air on a few of them.
other than that, the rest is just pure manufactured hard-bedded soil through cut down forest or landy tracks.

oh and the cafe didnt sell me anything or provide anything because the water wasnt on.

in truth, i found it boring. the land tracks in the surrounding countryside provide better views, excitement and big days out…
they will need to add something to the red routes or a harder red trail for this to keep any interest for anyone with any MTB experience of other trail centers.

i’d be very dissapointed if i had made a special journey for it.

ps. ive ridden 7 stanes and most other sites around wales and England and some in Europe on an XC bike, just so you know what i am comparing it with.

I have to agree with back2basics on his assessment of Glenlivet.
If you have more than 120mm upfront then you are over biked for these trails. My impression was there is quite a bit of climbing but you never actually felt like you were going downhill, it was all climbing or traversing. What pushed me over the edge was the cycle back to the car park from the “6km of downhill singletrack” it was a very normal uphill single track through the woods which I almost found boring and just wanted to be back at the car asap.

The trails have been built very well and I think will stand the test of time but overall the designer of these trails has really dropped the ball on this one. In the most mountainous part of the UK he has managed to make it feel like its just one big uphill climb with a bit of traversing to pay you back. Overall disappointing considering the effort that has gone into it.

I would maybe contemplate doing this trail again if I was on my way to Laggan or up to Nevis Range but never on its own and I live in Aberdeen (1.5hrs away).

What I would say though though is if I was a family guy with kids then I would love to take the family up here and let them learn the basics and have a fun day out in the hills.

Looks ideal for my kind of riding…..bit of effort on the up, decent views and nothing too technically demanding on the way down.

How inadequate I now feel in comparison to some of the folks on here. 😳

Those folks I know who have visited have said that it is crying out for further trail development to provide alternatives. Perhaps that may come with revenue and time.

yep, mostly traveresing, a good XC workout but zero technicality and not a lot of free speed. at least its a weatherproof trail and there’s a nice cafe with good coffee and cake.

It is a trail centre built for the visiting masses not stw elite trail gods who I would say on my visit were in the minority 😉 if it had been built to an stw full of techy feature spec how many visitors would it attract ❓

Met a load of mums/dads/kids on the last section near the car park. Thought to myself that it would be ideal for them, until that is we ran into some rather big rollers. Not much fun if you were the wee man in the baby seat on the back of dads bike. Otherwise the course is a great intro for bikers new to the sport.