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Looking for riders and routes in th falkirk area. I live in Larbert and do a few local routes carron valley, falkirk wheel, torwood, ochils, cambusbarron and some farther afield like Comrie, Perthshire and glentress. On the lookout for some new routes and local knowledge. Just found torwood very recently and was amazed that a good wee set of trails in riding distance from my house had passed me by, Cambusbarron was also a recent find 6 months ago so wondering if there was any other hidden gems out there.
Falkirk wheel
Yeah mate, do a ride from Larbert to wheel then into woods etc behind it, about 17 miles and a wee bit of everything in it. Got to hit the road from Viaduct to wheel but rest varies from ash paths to single-track through the woods.
Some man made trails on the callander estate behind the wheel you don't mention, think you got pretty much everything else covered though as the terrain gets a bit flat around the area. Some trails at croy/Kilsyth about 30mins along the canal. Your best bet in this part of the world is plean/torwood cambusbarron/north third and Stirling uni/mine woods. Check out Stirling bike club for more info and rides
Callander estate is very good - if you can find it! Not marked from town, main roads and even when you call the office, they could not give me directions other than
'turn right on the main road out of Falkirk' -
'errr, which road is that' -
'I don't know'...
Yeh the estate trails not well advertised but worth a spin as part of a ride in the area
Cheers, I incorporate some of the man made trails into the route I've been doing for a while up there, added a bit onto the run and although they are a bit tame any additional trails aren't a bad thing.
Not done Stirling Uni/mine woods or Croy/Kilsyth but will check them out. Thanks for the tip.
Cambusbarron is tremendous/North third is probably my favourite local ride, we do a sort of rough figure of 8 run round it but the last couple of times it's been so wet it been hard work and not nearly as much fun as when it is dry.
My Falkirk Wheel route if anyone fancies it. Incorporates the biggest of the Callander Estate routes.
http://www.sportstracklive.com/track/map#Bluebaws/Cycling/fw/557247/full
Plenty of trails in Plean country park (you can link to Torwood) I am in Cshore and regularly in Torwood albeit with the black lab more often than with the bikes.
Will have a look, normally stick the tracker on when I go to new routes so I can check out alternatives. Only been to Torwood 3 times so far and basically cycled from Larbert through the woods at the back of the hospital till we get to the woods at Torwood then followed a sort of figure of 8 with the round stone ruin as the centre and the car park and quarry at each end. Great downhill at the end but when we were there last week the downhill was treacherous with just too much mud and wet roots.
Off on another Ochils run tomorrow, starting in Dollar and making our way over the back of the ochils up through the windfarm and down into Alva. Think it will be about 4 hours, have done it before and just remember the climb up to the top is a killer!
I live in Larbert we ride most days in the places you mention. North Third, Cambu and Dumyat/Uni/Mine woods are the best local as there is a good mix of riding from XC to gap jumps.
For 'proper' local we ride Torwood, I tend to avoid Plean country park due to all the dog shit, but lots of stuff we've built / cleared in Torwood over the years though. Plus some secret stuff away from the destruction of the dog walkers. 🙂
PM me if you want to head out for spin
Re your Callendar Estate route - have you tried the 'link trail' in from the Wood Chip plant? Comes in from the West half way round the Blue...Short but a better way to link in that Forest Road bash you're doing out to the West.
Also, you can continue East along the farm track (above the top of the Red / along past the Transmitter Aerials) to the mtb trails at Lionthorne (aka Glen Village) these in turn can be linked through to Callendar Park.
You could also bash East along the canal to Muiravonside CP & pick up the Avon Heritage Trail. The AHT from the Aquaduct to Linlithgow Bridge is a peach. There's some R.O.W's that will take you back from there (after a wee bit of road) to the canal @ the old brickworks @ Whitecross.
Alternatively you can come off the Lionthorne stuff and link through a strip of woodland @ Mavisbank (due South) to Shieldhill & California by road then turn East just above Blackbraes. That gives you around 5km off road thro the back of Maddieston to the canal. Beecraigs should be doable for you using that link and the canal as an out and back - but only when it's been bone dry.
Would take too long to give you detailed GR'S for all this - take a map and explore.
there is some ok stuff in muiravonside park too. (too short to justify the trip from Lambert on its own but if you are adding in other stuff then shame to miss it). It's been a mudbath this year so avoid if rained much in last week.you could also bash East along the canal to Muiravonside CP & pick up the Avon Heritage Trail. The AHT from the Aquaduct to Linlithgow Bridge is a peach. There's some R.O.W's that will take you back from there (after a wee bit of road) to the canal @ the old brickworks @ Whitecross.
Biggest route is found by taking the fire road to the right of the main drive (it has barrier at the bottom). Climb to the summit and there are routes down on both the left and right. The right one is badly drained and pointless in the wet, and horses have chewed it up to make it worse. The left one is better and eventually crosses back over the fire road to join the best bit of the other path which is better made, fast and swoopy. There is other stuff in the park is you go looking.
Agreed Poly. Unfortunately the Horse riders have decided to start using part of that side too. Trail maintenance @ MCP is poor to non existent unfortunately...
Cheers for the replies guys, loads of good info in there. TBM, don't get me started on horses! Some of the trails today have been all but destroyed by them, why they think riding a big beast on a grass trail ain't going to ruin it is beyond me, riding some of the paths today was like riding cobbles.
Real hard ride up the ochils today. Very very wet ground for huge sections of the run, at one point I hit a marshy patch, put my foot down and the mud was up to my knee! Thought I was going to lose a shoe. Still it was good fun, weather was great and worked out pretty well.
Link to gps trail
http://www.sportstracklive.com/track/map#Bluebaws/Cycling/dollar-to-Alva-ochil/738465/full
PS 0pt1cal, I would be right up for heading out. Not managing to work out how the hell to send a PM on here but!
There is no PM facility on this forum, find the person's profile and see if they have an email address.
All cracking route suggestions but please, if you are riding the natural stuff, ride what is there, don't straight line everything as not everyone is wanting to ride a motorway...I've been riding in this area for about 25 years now and everything has changed, some good but all the nice techy stuff appears to have been dumbed down by those who can't ride it so it is now very much just a straight line...which is a shame. It can't be entirely prevented, but it is nice to keep it at a very very slow rate...
Saying that, I've not been biking properly for about 18 months due to various bits and pieces so I've no hope in hell of riding the techy stuff anyway!
Out of curiosity I had a spin around Muiravonside last night and most of the trails are now pretty trashed by the Horseriders. Huge shame they seem unable to stay off when its been wet.