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Hello. Is this the right place to ask for recommendations on the best places to mountain bike when we visit Scotland? We live in Salt Lake City and my husband rides every day. I am Wendy and Scottish/Canadian and happy that he is asking questions about Scotland. Two weeks would be the max time. I wouldn't be joining him on the ride as the pubs and walking/exploring would be the thrill for both my sister and myself. What do you think? Looking forward to hearing from you.
lots of places. For trail centres see Peebles, Dumfries and Galloway, for natural trails north like Glencoe, Cairngorm etc - latter will be fantastic for walking too.
Have a look here [url= http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_main_page.aspx ]http://www.mtbtrails.info/Trail_main_page.aspx[/url] all types of trails.
Lots of great mountain biking in the Peebles area. The Highlands are great too. Extreme NW is good if you like peace and quiet. If you hire a campervan and tour all over you can't go far wrong. Enjoy!
Ah thank you for the info. Will turn this over to the "expert" and let's see what happens.
Good riding in most corners of Scotland. Ideally know when you intend to come over and what else you want to do as well as biking/walking.
If needing to hire a bike hen he purpose designed trail centres are best bet. If br,inning own bike then there are a multitude o natural trails to explore which may be more interesting and better for tying in with a walking partner.
There are a few companies hat can guide you in some of the natural trails and may be able to sort decent bike hire too.
http://7stanesmountainbiking.com/Home
http://www.visitdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk/
http://www.visitscottishborders.com/
http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/
[url= http://www.alpinebikes.com/shops/glentress-peel/ ]bike hire[/url]
[url= http://www.thebreakpad.com/ ]bikehire2[/url]
[url= http://www.cycle-centre.com/shed.html ]bikehire3[/url]
http://www.ridelines.co.uk/guidedRides.aspx
http://go-where.co.uk/about-go-where/
http://www.bottlegreenbiking.co.uk/
http://www.drumlanrig.com/drumlanrig-outdoor-activities/mountain-biking
http://www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk/
http://www.dumfries-and-galloway.co.uk/walks/index.html
http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks/walk_list/Dumfries_and_Galloway/
All the above or at least most of it is within a 2hr radius of Edinburgh.
I'd maybe think of three or four different locations you could base yourself in, and choose one or two on the basis of the weather. In order of remoteness:
Assynt, north west - I've just had the most stunning 4 days walking in the area (Stac Pollaidh, Suilven, Ben More Coigach) and there are amazing beaches, hostels and campsites in the area.
Torridon, north west (south of Assynt) - brilliant long/short/easy/hard bike ride options, epic hillwalking, remote, quiet, one or two decent pubs nearby. Good road biking in the area too.
Cairngorms, central - easier to get to, maybe more 'dependable' for weather, good riding, trail centre nearby for foul weather riding, great hillwalking and road biking options.
Fort William, west coast - Similar distance to get to, coastal, day trips to Inverie/Skye possible, lots of good local riding both natural and trail centre stuff.
Pitlochry/Dunkeld area, central - Close to Edinburgh/Glasgow, good access to decent hillwalking, decent riding in the area, especially good road riding.
Personally, weather allowing, I'd always head north and west, but I was brought up there.
Dont forget Golspie on the east coast - longest downhill in the UK (for now). As for when to come - April/May is usually settled and the dreaded midge won't have put in an appearance yet. June/August - it can give spectacular days, but some places get busy, so book ahead. Sept onwards can be "interesting" weather wise (see how pre-occupied we are with the weather!),but you can get some of the best days of the year at this time. Winter time in the Highlands though offers great days out, a beer in a warm pub somewhere, and a chance to see a hundred miles in any direction - and its trail centre heaven if you live in the Highlands.
See you out there!!!
Thank you so much for the messages.. as "strangers" from the high desert, by the way, the favor of you all helping us make a decision would be returned if anyone needs help with Utah trails, we appreciate the info. Husband is used to craggy canyon runs or Moab slickrock and I think it's time for an extreme switch to Scottish ancient mountains. Very nice stuff.. have been doing some research of the websites posted. We will be there for sure and hope to miss the midges! Hot as Hades here with 100F so will enjoy a Scottish mist or two.
As others have said - for biking you will be able to get routes of folk here but you have to decide what areas you want to visit then find the riding.
for me Glentress / tweed valley is worth a couple of days and can be combined with Edinburgh and yo want one or two other towns - highlands or wherever. North west if you can / the weather is good. In some ways its best not to be too fixed but to decide according to the weather.
Need to do one of the classic natural rides I guess.
Although I was born in Aberdeen, I remember nothing but love the place through photos. Visited Isle of Islay too way back and think the geology of Scotland is awesome, the ferry rides are beautiful and to be completely honest, the magic of Scotland is everywhere. It will be great to go back and show off the place to someone who sees the bike rides as the magic!