[Closed] Must do Scottish MTB

Have you been before or is this a first trip? I've been for a week for the last two summers, the first one was 7stanes plus some extras and the second week was venturing a little further north.

For me the best stane was Kiroughtree and the best from the other week was Aviemore, nice area great riding.

Happy to send you other details of the rides we did and places we went if you have an e-mail I can send to.

Will also be interested in other suggestions as we are heading up again this summer, a little further north again, aiming to take in Torridon amongst others.

keppoch

Just to get the ball rolling, I did the Glencoe - devils staircase - leven route for the first time last week - 3 hrs of pouring rain and I still thought it was great. The ride up Glencoe was a bit ordinary but would be nicer in the dry.

You could very easily link onto the Ciaran path descent from the Kinlochleven side of the staircase (I didn't do this). This would be two classic routes in a oner and it wouldn't be too long a day by any means. Ciaran path is meant to be technically hard though.

Of the bits I have done - ~A couple of days in the tweed valley for glentress and innerleithan, laggan is good as well. Beinn a ghlo circuit for the "out in the wilds" feel but with fairly easy riding if a decent long day out Around Dunkeld there is some nice if again not terribly technical riding.

Lots of good stuff in the Avimore area

On my to do list is some stuff in Glen affric and Torridon.

I like a bit of "ambient jeycore lite" riding ( non technical scenic stuff) asa well - so if that appeals I can give you some good routes

Tis a big place with so much to offer - natural and man made.

I'd want to venture into the cairngorms from Aviemore for some natural stuff. I'd also want to go up to Golspie for a very quiet but tough trail centre experience.

Thanks all. TJ, I'm right up for scenery and epicness beyond technicality. Any routes appreciated email is dave@phased.co.uk

I'd steer clear of trail centres and go and find some natural loops. We rode the Beinn a Ghlo loop at the weekend, the conditins were perfect. There is a lot to ride around Pitlochry and Aviemore. Speak to the guys at Escape Route in the former, Bothy Bikes about the latter.

Ullapool / bonar bridge is a goodie too long day if you go out and back

Can Mor Ban is a tremendous descent with a horrendous climb

rothie murcus has some nice riding and there is the north end of the lairig ~Grhu to ride there as well

Some good stuff in Southern Scotland(D&G + Borders) as well
Not done it yet but there is the 3 Bretherens route near Peebles. The Minch Moor/Gypsy Glen route inc bits of the Southern Upland Way

Out of Drumlanrig there is a cracking route in the Lowther hills which can be a proper epic/all day ride if starting in Dumfries, take the train to Sanquhar and ride all the way back.
May not be the Highlands with the big mountains but as good as it gets in our area
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Hey trekster. When you say ride all the way back do you mean to Dumfries???

If so, do you have a route map for that? I knew about the goldrush trail but if u could go all the way to Dumfries mostly or all off road I'd be well up for that!

Good website Daveb...

I am sure the usual suspects will be along soon but if you have 2 weeks and the weather with you:

Skye, Sligachan loop, Quirang classics
Torridon, Coulags/Annat round
Harris
Aviemore/Glen Feshie/Burma Rd/Braemar/Loch Muick/Mt Keen
Golspie/Balblair/Laggan

Guidebooks: (a lot of these repeat similar routes.. the content of folks heads on here is invaluable)
Kenny Wilson Mtb Scotland
Bike Scotland Book 1 and 2 Fergal MacErlan
Scotland MTB Phil McKane

not forgetting Cool Camping Scotland...

HTH

Thanks all for the food for thought there and TJ for the email

One last question, do any of the trail centres have a kids/nervous wife friendly loop?

Glentress does - a green run and a series of blue runs that are great fun

Exactly what MCMoonter said. The trail centres are fine, but not really that much different to what you get in England. Scottish highland riding however can be totally different to anything you will find elsewhere.

Beinn a'Ghlo loop a must
Carn Ban Mor
Loops around Aviemore like Burma road - as MC said talk to the Bothy Bikes guys
Torridon/Achnashellach/Annat is probably the best single day's loop in the UK
If you want to do a day around Aberfeldy I can show you some local stuff or again as MC said, Escape Route for Pitlochry/Dunkeld

CaptainMainwaring

Beinna'Ghlo as described here?

http://www.offroadadventures-online.com/sde.asp

DavidB, yes exactly that. It totally captures the Scottish Highland scenery and the sense of remoteness is stunning. Have now done it both ways and would now recommend doing it clockwise as its more rideable, and you get the best scenery on the second half of the ride rather than the slog down the Glen Tilt LRT.

Definitely save it for a good day, and don't do it immediately after a couple of days of heavy rain or you'll struggle to cross the river beyond the Falls of Tarf.

I would say the other must do is Carn Ban Mor - great scenery and a cracking descent

My favourite mountain biking is multi-day. Day rides can only be so epic. I've you've got the kit, or the means to get the kit, consider loading up (as little as possible) and doing a lightweight bothy or bivvy ride.

Whatever you do, don't focus on trail centres. They may be easy to identify and plan for, but you'll get more rewards from natural trails.

Not much to add to the above. A small (2-3 hr) option if you're in Torridon + heading north, may be to drive to Diabaig at the roads west end, bike round to Red Point while the other half drives round to meet you; first half of the route, to Craig bothy, is bedrock / singletrack heaven (as modelled by Mr. 13thFloorMonk here..)

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After Craig is [u]much[/u] less rideable & pretty frustrating, but worth it on a nice day...

Also, if you're in Perthshire, there's a nice campsite with great wee trail centre attached here -
[url= http://www.comriecroft.com/ ]Comrie Croft[/url]

o any of the trail centres have a kids/nervous wife friendly loop?

I would pick 2 or 3 locations and try not to travel around too much or you will spend half your holiday driving.

If you have never been to Torridon then even wihotut MTbing I would say its a must

Tj, I've been to Torridon..oh yes! But I had red socks on then

Update. Wife has booked us into a site that is right next door to Newcastleton for the first few nights. Looks like the trails here should be kid friendly, any epics nearby?

There are some excellent trail centres here but if I lived south of the border and came up here I would certainly prefer to ride the natural trails almost the whole time. Maybe take in a trail centre if I felt the need for it.

DavidB

We did the Beinn a Ghlo loop at the weekend. I read the directions from the Offroad Adventures link you posted. The section quoted below is misleading because the author failed to find the obvious trail.

There's a fair bit of unrideable stuff for a km now, as the gullies are scaringly steep to the left for quite a while! I think you may be better staying high, I lost some ground and did a fair of bit carrying next to the almost vertical gorge before eventually finding some more singletrack.

You have to climb a little once through the gate at Fealar Lodge to pick up the trail through the field. It sounds as though the author stayed on the gorge side of the fence.

As Captain Mainwairing said above, the route has more flow clockwise, the opposite to your link. The only part that's tricky that you need to look out for is above Shinegag where you leave the double track onto the singletrack. There should be tyre tracks to direct you. That singletrack contours down and climbs a little towards the end. You then need to be vigilant to spot the track up from the river on the far side of the valley. It allows you a visible rideable though feint descent to the river and a lot less climbing should you descend all the way down to Shinegag.

It's a cracking loop.

Next stop should be Aviemore for a few days. Plenty for the family, Highland Wildlife Park, Landmark Centre, Folk Museum, Inshriach Nursery (cake and squirrels)etc and Laggan is a great trail centre, superior to any I've ridden in England or Wales. And lots of great natural riding. If you are camping, the big campsite at Gairloch is also great for kids, got everything you need and you can camp right next to the beach in the dunes hidden from the other tents. Lochcarron has a cheap and cheerful campsite and a few places to eat/drink and is just along the road from Coulags.

DavidB - Member
Update. Wife has booked us into a site that is right next door to Newcastleton for the first few nights. Looks like the trails here should be kid friendly, any epics nearby?

Take plenty midge repellant, Avon skinsosoft 🙄

It's a long drive up, but Torridon is well worth a visit.

[i]As Captain Mainwairing said above, the route has more flow clockwise[/i]

I know everyone has their own opinion, but I reckon it's better done anti-clockwise. That way you get some great riding between Fealar and Glen Tilt. Agreed that going higher up after Fealar is best though.

I have done beinn a ghlo anti clockwise twice - next time I shall do it clockwise for the bit down to shinegag

The Aviemore/Rothiemurcas area is very good. Brilliant trails and scenery. Bothy Bikes will help with routes but plenty on the web anyway.

If you fancy a big hill then Ben Lomond is a classic. Lots of pushing on the way up and super technical on the way down. Lovely views over Loch Lomond too. Don't consider it on a bank holiday though !!

You could do the Ben as a wee detour on the way up to Glencoe/Ft William/West coast area.

Aviemore's great and fantastic for the family too. However, the riding around Stirling doesn't fail to astonish me. Went on a local ride on Sunday, which was new to me. There's tons and it truly is amazing. I'll show you about if you wish.

Flyingfox, what all stuff nr Stirling would you recommend?

Carn Ban Mor, Glenfeshie is a must do. So much other stuff in the Cairngorm, just search on here.

I'll show you if you want - give us a shout through email or on our website. I'm not going to give away all the secrets here as I would probably get lynched! (It's all a bit secret squirrel round here). However, for proper big riding then Cambusbarron over to North Third, Dumyat, Ben Cleuch (some of the route in Kenny Wilson's book is good but don't agree with half of it, sorry Kenny!).

Seriously, give us a shout and I'll show you about. I love showing folk the trails and I've had folk who have been all over the world say the trails are some of the best they've ever ridden. I've even had people move to the area!

[i]Update. Wife has booked us into a site that is right next door to Newcastleton for the first few nights. Looks like the trails here should be kid friendly, any epics nearby? [/i]

tbh This is probably one of the last places I would go, and especially for more than a day trip..., and thats just Newcastleton (have you looked on a map of where it actually is?).

For a more family friendly centre, cancel this and aim for Glentress.

b r Actually we had a great week and I would really recommend Newcastleton. The family enjoyed the trails and walks, and the road biking round there is sublime.

[url= http://www.phased.co.uk/index.php/blatherings/54-writing-the-book-week-sixteen.html ][blog entry][/url]

Why are you coming up? Is it for a general family holiday and you want to squeeze in a couple of days MTB or is it for 14 days of uninterrupted MTB mania? What are the family doing when you are riding?

Whilst there are some great trail centres - if you just ride them you'll have missed most of what makes Scotland special. Trail centres are great if the weather is / has been horrendous and you are facing bog-fest and massive erosion everywhere else; they are also good if you like your riding predictable and uninterrupted. However most of the time you are riding in a forest and so could be at any trail centre in the UK. If you can get out and do some real trails the combination of riding, wilderness and scenery is what makes it worth you sitting for hours in a tin box travelling up the A1.