On Sunday, dropping the kids off and collecting about 5 hours later, so got 4 hours to ride somewhere.
Any suggestions?
MTB or cross bike.
Bathgate Alps on the cross bike
not ridden that area before, any pointers?
was considering canal to falkirk wheel, then out to Carron valley on cross bike
Carron Valley is 20 miles away
Highjack:
Colin - what terrain is Bathgate Alps?
[url= http://www.callendarestate.co.uk/things-to-do-in-falkirk/cycling-routes ]Callander estate trails[/url]
Not the fanciest of trails, doable on a CX bike.
Pop down to Muiravonside Park via River Avon Heritage Trail (trail starts just under railway viaduct at Linlithgow Bridge). You can head along to Callendar Estate trails via either canal or PROW from Maddiston to California (although the PROW runs better west to east since it is gradually downhill - if you're looping I'd go canal to Falkirk them back to Linlithgow via the PROW).
Have a wee look here, some ideas for Muiravonside Park, old brickworks next to Haining Woods, to-from Falkirk, and there's some nice little bits of singletrack in Callendar Park too.
http://www.strava.com/activities/82856598
Callendar Estate trails themselves are pretty boring - think motorway through the woods.
Could do a lot on the cross bike taking in Beecraigs country park fire roads, the quiet roads round about(Bathgate Alps) and the paths that run between fields that link to the various villages.
There used to be an official MTB trail and lots of cheeky trails at Beecraigs but i have not been for years so dont know what the current situation is.
zigzag's route looks a good one if you can navigate it, though the route up from Linlithgow bridge might be pretty muddy.
The Callander trails are good for a blast - not technical but still fun - and be linked in to other tracks and singletrack to East and West.
Beecraigs and Muiravonside both have paths as said above - a lot of chatter on Trailscotland re Beecraigs built tracks.
Or you can drive to Tillicoultry (45mins), do Ben Cleuch - up Silver Glen and back to Tilli (2.5 hours) and back to Linlithgow - 4 hours total 😉
ta all,
the idea is to do at least 4 hours on the bike as all my riding is 2hrs or less, and I need to build longer distance stamina.
Best option seems to be cross bike towards Callander trails, then loop back round via Beecraigs, etc.
Trails in beecraigs, muiravonsde, Avon heritage trail, calendar park, calender estates trails and around falkirk wheel and roughmute fort. Understand there is also stuff down by kineil and the coast by bo`ness. Get a map and link all this together, especially f your on a cross.
Bathgate Alps is ace, but I don't know how youd squeeze 4 hours out of it without doing numerous loops. Would be great if you could however, would be interesting in knowing what route to take if its possible.
so I went up the canal towards Falkirk, then onto the roads towards Avonbridge, through Slamanan, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, over to Carron Bridge, Denny, Bonnybridge then back on the canal to Linlithgow.
A nice but very windy 80k