Looks like we’re moving from Englandshire to Penicuik in early December. Looking through previous threads on here, it sounds like there’s plenty of potential for riding straight from the house. I’ve done a fair bit of usual off piste ‘enduro’ stuff in Tweed Valley on my MTBs, but am completely new to Pentlands. I just wondered if anyone on here knows any easy(ish) going gravel/XC type loops starting from Penicuik?
FWIW, we’re having to put some bikes in storage while we get house fixed up, so I’ll probably ‘just’ be able to use my gravel/general purpose drop bar bike or eMTB.
I’m no Strava warrior and although I do occasionally chuck myself down daft steep mtb trails🥴 I also really like to pootle about on quiet lanes or easy off road routes to escape computer screen for a couple of hours, and listen to the birds, enjoy the scenery etc.
If anyone has any route suggestions, that’d be much appreciated.
TIA
Head for Flotterstone, up to Glencorse and take a right to Harlaw and then back you come. Or go up Castlelaw for something more strenuous. Most trails are suitable for a gravel bike, more so in the summer but in the winter a lot of the more interesting stuff is quite sensitive to erosion do best avoided anyway. Can't really get lost in the Pentlands.
There are loads in the Pentlands. Flotterstone is about 10mins from my door.
There are loads of other xc trails round Midlothian that aren't listed on trail forks etc.
Yeah, I meant to say that you have the old railway line which you can use to access trails in Midlothian and even East Lothian. I don't have a gravel bike but I'd be happy to show you round.
There are miles of trails in the pentlands. Most are on the maps
There's a good wee route round Clerks estate, starting at the south Kirk, up Alderbank and south bank wood then up to the big house. You can carry this on up Lowrie's Den through Coates Farm to the Pentlands.
I've been absent from the Pentlands for few years but this is the backbone of a 'classic' gravel loop I think, all doubletrack apart from the fiddly wee bit through Bonaly.
https://www.strava.com/routes/2760183033845134034
It would probably ride a bit better in the opposite direction from what I've shown, the climb from Bonaly to the base of Allermuir is a bit of a brute.
Going further afield, each of the passes running SE-NW (e.g. Eight Mile burn to Balerno via Red Road, Carlops to Listonshiels via Borestane and West Linton to Harperrig via the Thieves Road) are all good outings but I think there is a portion of slower/boggier/techier trail on each. I've only ridden Thieves Road recently and it was a great ride but the descent was mostly grassy or muddy singletrack with boggy stream crossings every so often, a bit stoppy/starty.
Thanks for all the replies - and for the offer to show me around stevenmenmuir. I might well take you upon that once we’ve got the house move sorted.
No bother, just don't expect gravel bike speeds from me.
I'm just along the road in Roslin and go to the Pentlands fairly regularly. Sometimes with @stevenmenmuir , sometimes with a beer. Plenty to do, happy to come out and play on bikes.
Maybe we could even restart the classic TBC Wednesday Knights of Pentlandia evening rides. Again.
The MTB I started riding in the pentlands on 20 years ago was probably less capable than a modern gravel bike.
Unless there are some secret rocky trails I've never found, I recon that you can ride most of the pentlands with a gravel bike.
My bike had 80mm of undamped travel, 1.9 26" wheels that punctured as soon as you looked at them and v brakes
Have fun, the pentland trails are ace 😀
[quote="13thfloorclimbingloony"]the climb from Bonaly to the base of Allermuir is a bit of a brute.
its an utter sod of a climb! There is a lot of climbing to be done in the pentlands some of it steep and long so have a nice low gear. You can ride most of the pentlands on a gravel bike but IMO to make it enjoyable you either need an MTB or accept it being tricky. Maidens descent for example - sure you can ride it on a gravel bike but it would be slow and tricky whereas on my fattie I can get up a fair old speed ( for an old unskilled duffer)
there is a huge variety of riding from well groomed gravel roads to twisty steep rooty stuff to rocky bits to wide open grassy slopes to smooth singletrack to boggy eroded trails. Are the jumps at Nibbler still in existence?
bowglie - shout on on here when you are actually up here and people will show you around. Just watch out for the racing snake skinny climbing idiots amongst us!
Take the eBike and do the 5 Peaks: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/five-peaks/
You can actually cycle on and add the last two hills to the east of the park (above the dry ski slope).
Some nice steep downhill stuff but not actually too difficult, just fun
I wouldn't do the 5 peaks outwith a nice summers evening. I imagine they'll be mobbed just now.
The wardens do ( did?) ask that MTBers keep off the peaks paths ( erosion on the steep descents and amount of people). It does not have legal force but is it responsible to ride those paths under the LRA? For me would be a lot of hikabike as well.
The Five Peaks is probably the best MTB ride in the Pentlands but some of the climbs are savage. All rideable if you have very strong legs.
As you're moving up in winter, you're unlikely to be allowed to leave the local authority and can only have one bike I'd stick with the gravel bike- most of the best MTB routes are starting to turn into soup. There's plenty of good stuff in the Pentlands from flatter longer riders to some absolute gruellers (the climb up Red Road from Penicuik being a good example on a gravel bike) but it will also give you the option to explore some of the gravel to the east and south towards Glencorse Reservoir, Peebles, Musselburgh and Gullane depending on how far you want to go.
Best to ask when you're up and I'm sure between us we can give you some gpx routes to follow.
just don’t expect gravel bike speeds from me.
Ah, I don’t think you need to worry about that😁 I’ve been living in the flatlands for the past 4 years and my twig legs look like a couple of bits of string dangling out of my shorts. I think I’m going have to invest in a smaller chainring!
My wife mentioned something about the wardens asking people not to ride the popular churned up routes. I’m ok with that. (Am currently in a trail advocacy group down here that has some sensitive multi-user routes, so I can appreciate where the wardens are coming from).
Thanks again for all the offers to show me around, GPX files etc., I’ll give you a shout when we’re settled in.
I have a lovely 40 mile gravel loop out into east lothian. Mainly old railways with some woodsy singletrack
I struggle on the climbs mentioned with an equivalent bottom gear of 22 chainring 36 rear! the dreghorn climb I have never made it up
I struggle on the climbs mentioned with an equivalent bottom gear of 22 chainring 36 rear! the dreghorn climb I have never made it up
Yikes! I’ve got a bodged SRAM/Shimano 1x11 on my drop bar/gravel bike - I knew I should have kept my old 2x9 stuff. I think I might be on the ebike until I build my legs up again.........mind you, at 58, I’m not expecting miracles there (all my testosterone just seems to contribute to hair growth these days).
you’re unlikely to be allowed to leave the local authority
That's allowed for exercise, no?
While I have some Penlandites in one place. You’ll note there’s a fair amount more traffic on the trails (foot, bike, horse). I’m working with the Friends of the Pentlands and the Ranger service to try and organise a few things:
1) Some education and ‘please’ signage at some choke points onto soft, fragile trails that we would like to protect a bit more
2) Trail maintainance digs to fix issues on some of the higher traffic trails
3) a couple of proposals to build specific uphill and downhill trails in high conflict areas - this is more future but there some appetite.
Basically it’s being hammered at the moment and I’m super keen we fix some of the damage, whether it’s bike foot or horse who cares. Once I’m further along we’ll likely need to engage formally so I’ll be back to ask for support !
I've been known (only to myself) to be off the bike shouting swear words at the wind while coming up the Bonaly to Allermuir climb. It's so steep and sustained that the brutal head wind was making progress impossible.
@NZCol up for some maintenance sessions when ready.
Howden Burn , that climb, is vicious and makes Puke Hill look like a walk in the park.
NZ col - good on you. I tried this a good few years ago and found it like swimming thru treacle so gave up - over 2 years we were allowed to organise 3 trail repair sessions and had a good turnout. they would not let us do any without supervision and could not provide anyone to supervise us after those 2 years efforts. I gave up
NZCol IIRC there is a landowners forum of some sort - if I was going to try again I would be bypassing the rangers and going direct to landowners. I found the ranger service talked the talk really well but actually were not helpful at all in the end
They’ve actually already linked me into two of the landowners so things generally seem to be a bit more positive. I’ll see where we get to really but good to have some of the history
I also changed jobs so had less time to be fair and I believe the ranger service has been reorganised since then.
What killed it was when i tried to get another repair day organised and was told that to do it without supervision ( and they had none available apart from occasional weekdays) I would have to "build trust" I asked what on earth I had been doing over two years and told them to get back to me when they were serious. We were putting out a dozen or more folk each day we had
I found the ranger service talked the talk really well but actually were not helpful at all in the end
they were very helpful we had several trail repair days and they provided tools and we achieved some good work. they are immensely under resourced and have more than they can deal with especially now. if mountain bikers can't be bothered organising themselves to represent themselves at the consultative forum and make things happen with a positive constructive approach like the other stakeholders or align with existing groups like FoP then that's the mountain bikers fault
BIgjim - fair enough from the other side but I really tried very hard and found every avenue blocked
Wot TJ said. I tried and tried to sort out trail maintenance over the course of a couple of years. It was a complete ballache. Inevitably, most folk are only available at weekends and that's exactly when the Park Rangers are too busy. I got better responses from a couple of the farmers going direct.
It'll be good if things have changed.
NZ col - I did get a really good response for helpers from on here tho
Well let’s see where I get to and I’ll be back to ask for help !
@NZCol - do keep us all posted on here about trail maintenance, things we can do to help, etc. and good on you.
@bowglie - if you're bringing the gravel bike also consider heading south over to the Cloich hills and then on to the Tweed valley and surrounds, some excellent riding out that way.
That’s allowed for exercise, no?
@cynic-al - the guidance was clarified on Monday to say stay within 5 miles of your LA (so, for someone in Edinburgh or Penicuik, that means Glentress is out the running).
I'd be interested in some trail maintenance NZCol. While I've always been of the opinion that it's the landowner's responsibility some of them aren't ever going to do anything about it in the Pentlands.
I don't like the sound of one way trails though, I think most trails I ride two ways and so that would automatically half the options. Given how few people you meet in the Pentlands I don't think it's necessary.
^ No, what was discussed was perhaps building specific up down trails to segregate walkers and bikers I'm not that keen either frankly but it's all part of the discussions in the round and at least they are engaged. It's maintainance though as the trails are the most battered I have ever seen them and the amount of traffic is not subsiding.
@NZCol - Howden Burn. ooof. Only ever managed that *once*, when I had a summer off and was fit (so, 15+ years ago).. I still nearly puked at the top (see also, Puke Hill, (c) Gary McGill). I v much doubt I could repeat the feat. Short but sweet, see also little track up the south side of Capelaw Hill (also, for that matter, north side).
There's an online consultation for Access and Camping in the Pentland Hills Regional Park:
https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/pentland_hills_regional_park
@NZCol – Howden Burn. ooof. Only ever managed that *once*, when I had a summer off and was fit (so, 15+ years ago).. I still nearly puked at the top (see also, Puke Hill, (c) Gary McGill). I v much doubt I could repeat the feat. Short but sweet, see also little track up the south side of Capelaw Hill (also, for that matter, north side).
@Kcal Recollect that track got re-surfaced around ten years back when I was leaving Edinburgh, so was pretty smooth, don't know what it looks like now - was still a lung-buster, but nothing there to really 'clean' when I last saw it.
So you get eternal bragging rights for cleaning it back in the day, as it was rough AF on the steep part.
It’s maintainance though as the trails are the most battered I have ever seen them and the amount of traffic is not subsiding.
True, and the council's ridiculous plan to increase the size of the car parks is only going to make things worse.
I’m not actually sure that will make much difference if I am honest. Most people who drive and park do a loop and go home. People who ride up tend to use the lesser trafficked trails. The parking issue is to minimise the carnage caused by parking obstructing emergency services and farmers/landowners. Loads of problems with dogs off leads worrying stock as well. No wonder the cows are revolting 😂
I’ve agreed an outline plan so am meeting about that next week and will report back