[Closed] Scottish Mountain Bike Trails

Nice link and collected some good routes together there. Bit of an odd representation of northern Scotland though!

nice one! thanks

interesting that in the laggan survey they're 'enquiring' if we'd like to pay for using trails. wonder how long it'll be before that starts.

where are the trails on the site cant see anything on homepage

swiss01 - Member
interesting that in the laggan survey they're 'enquiring' if we'd like to pay for using trails...

I did their little survey. That question got "This is Scotland not bloody England." (Just in case they were confused)

swiss01 - Member

interesting that in the laggan survey they're 'enquiring' if we'd like to pay for using trails. wonder how long it'll be before that starts.

Probably as soon as they realise how many people will never pay for the parking, I imagine. I answered fine, as long as the money goes into the trails.

epicyclo - Member

That question got "This is Scotland not bloody England." (Just in case they were confused)

Not really sure what this is supposed to mean?

No right or ability to charge for access to the countryside except in a few peculiar cases. Be almost impossible at Laggan

[i]That question got "This is Scotland not bloody England." (Just in case they were confused)[/i]
Nurse! He's off again!

Pretty poor representation of Aberdeenshire if yer asks me. No Pitfichie or Kirkhill let alone Glen Tanar (i.e. the Fungle).

Re paying for Laggan, doesn't Golspie (Wildcat?) have a 'fiver per car' parking or something?

Ah, just to make it clear. I wasn't having a go at the English.

I was having a go at the concept of trying to introduce exclusive access (ie pay to ride) to a country that has inclusive access (freedom to roam) by reminding them of which bloody country they were in.

The Duke of Sutherland's estate at Golspie has a charge for the carpark because they know full well that they can't charge for access to the trails. You don't have to park there...

You don't have to park there...

I'm from Aberdeen, I didn't. Mainly because I didn't know it was there the time I turned up. Don't mind a discretionary contribution though for something of that quality mind. But not a fiver!

Pretty poor representation of Aberdeenshire if yer asks me. No Pitfichie or Kirkhill let alone Glen Tanar (i.e. the Fungle).

From looking at the forum http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/forums I think they are relying on people to post their own local trails. Look's like a good Scottish community they got going.

TandemJeremy - Member

No right or ability to charge for access to the countryside except in a few peculiar cases

Scuse me, but those exceptions include: "visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry."

Course, it'd be impossible to bar entry to nonpayers but just by having a little hut with a granny in it taking fivers, most riders would pay.

[i]No right or ability to charge for access to the countryside except in a few peculiar cases[/i]
Peculiar like golf courses?

This route looks awesome.

http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1100

Anyone done it?

Planning on heading here very soon http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/pitmedden_forest.html

Anyone done these trails?

Pitmedden, yes, good mix of stuff but I would avoid after heavy rain 🙂

Yup, I go there quite a bit.
None of the trails are marked ,so it's easy to end up going in small loops till you get a feel for the place.
There used to be a round of the Scottish XC events run there,so I just tend to use that route (when I can remember it).
I go up to the top car park area (watch the bomb holes in the road,they are a nightmare)and start off from there.
It's great place unless it's been very wet ,then some of the roots get interesting.
Have fun

This is Scotland not bloody England

🙄

anyway

I don't see why one should expect people to build and maintain trails and not contribute a penny towards it. I happily pay for parking at GT and Drumlanrig etc and would pay to ride nice trails.

I hate this take but not give and still complain attitude.

I hate this take but not give and still complain attitude.

...although having visited the Peel centre, how the hell did they manage to spend so much money on something that small, that faces a wall of earth, floods in the rain, and judging by the cars parked on the side of the road, inadequate for the task?!

Northwind - I think ultimatly a court would have to settle it but I very much doubt they could put in a pay to ride. there is nowhere in the country that is pay to ride or pay for access that I am aware of. thats why its pay for carparking at most centres.

Bigjim - its the principle - volutary contribution - yes, pay for car parking - yes. pay to ride - no way

Northwind - Member

Scuse me, but those exceptions include: "visitor attractions or other places which charge for entry."

Course, it'd be impossible to bar entry to nonpayers but just by having a little hut with a granny in it taking fivers, most riders would pay.

Getting such a restriction applied retrospectively would possible be more difficult, but in no way impossible. Quite how it would be policed is another matter. The Alladale Estate proposals are a case in point.

...although having visited the Peel centre, how the hell did they manage to spend so much money on something that small, that faces a wall of earth, floods in the rain, and judging by the cars parked on the side of the road, inadequate for the task?

No idea why so much money has been spent on it. It doesn't look very nice and is in a strange position. Looks like most people are staying away as long as the hub is alive http://tinyurl.com/6ftn6qu

Well on Saturday the Hub was rammed and lively and the Peel had about 6 people in it, it really is in a strange place and position, I can't understand how they firstly designed it like that, and then approved it. Should send it in to that bad british architecture blog.

Jeremy wouldn't you pay a couple of quid to ride if it went to maintaining the trails?

Never jim - its totally bang out of order. You cannot have pay for access I'd pay a "voluntary contribution"

I thought the reason for not paying to ride the trails but paying for parking, was about a greater liabilty if someone pays to use your facilities. So if you don't charge for riding the trails you have less liabilty if they injure themselves.

Very simply - if you do not have the right to roam, you are not a free man.

Pawl - its because they cannot charge to ride or walk on the land. Charging or not your liability remains the same

Those of you that are for charging to ride bike trails -= where do you draw the line?

Suppose the Duke of Athol decides he wants to charge to ride the paths he maintains? Lots of good riding on his land and he does pay to maintain the paths. Or the Ben Alder estate - they have put a lot of money into rebuilding the stalkers paths should they be able to charge?

druidh - I thought the alladale proposals had been knocked back because they are incompatible with right to roam.

i would hope the MTB community would challenge any attempt to pay for access - the mountaineering community are fierce opponents of any attempts to reduce access

Peel cost so much due to all the other surrounding land and property bought so that no-one else could set up there...

There maybe should be a tax on Mountain Bike's for environmental impact. It is controlled/repaired at trail centres, but what about in all other locations. There are places where trails are ruined with the amount of traffic they get, also some people like to "enhance" certain features, and dig up great mounds of earth, no wonder walkers get the hump. Done responsibly it is fine, its just that not all are.

Pay to ride trail centres? Why not?
Pay to ride natural stuff - nope.

Drumlanrig castle used to charge £5 per car their now charging that per person so most people are parking outside and cycling in

Drumlanrig has always been an individual charge for use of the facilities. If you park outside all you are doing is jeopardising the development of the trail network.

Drumlanrig is as far as I know the only trail centre in the UK which is completely stand alone and sustainable, having not benefitted from massive public funding or grants funded from the tax paying public.

[i]None[/i] of the trails would exist without the charge at the gate so if you want to ride there pay up or go somewhere else please.

Those that park at the bridge are always noted and when the ranger service that I work with in partnership on the trails try to justify new trails to the powers that be, it's the free loading cheapskates that get brought up time and time again.

Seriously if you don't want to pay a fiver for a whole days riding on great natural feeling (but totally manmade) trail: then either buy a season ticket, join the Drumlanrig/Rik's Bike Shed club and do some trail maintenance days or p1ss off somewhere else where you're not spoiling all my hard work thank you very much.

Seriously if you don't want to pay a fiver for a whole days riding on great natural feeling (but totally manmade) trail: then either buy a season ticket, join the Drumlanrig/Rik's Bike Shed club and do some trail maintenance days or p1ss off somewhere else where you're not spoiling all my hard work thank you very much.

Indeed

drumlanrig is different because it was charging before the LRA so can continue to charge for riding on its trails. its a differnt situation from someone trying to charge to use an existing facility

Bangin on save ur sob story i will ride where i want and theirs nothing u can do about it so u piss off

thegman67 - Member

Bangin on save ur sob story i will ride where i want and theirs nothing u can do about it so u piss off

You are wrong - he does actually have the right to charge for Drumlanrig

Making people pay for trail centres is only going to put new people off taking up mountain biking. Most be live at least an hour away from the Trail Centres so the price of petrol plus having to pay to go on your bike would suck big time. I don't think it will ever happen though.

I actually don't think that paying for the use of trail centres will put off newbies. They're generally coming from a mindset where you pay for stuff you use.

It's the folks who have an expectation that someone else will provide, at significant capital cost and then maintain at significant revenue cost a brilliant facility for everyone to use for free that are the problem.

I just don't think that the current model is terribly sustainable.

As for thegman67 - sorry mate your a nob; and a selfish nob at that! You obviuosly like the trail, so just have a wee think about who does all the work to put it there; and who keeps it rideable all year round before you tell 'them' to piss off. Mate I hope you never get anything but puntures and bent mechs when you ride at Drum without paying. Seriously it's £20 for a season ticket you tightwad..

TandemJeremy - Member
drumlanrig is different because it was charging before the LRA so can continue to charge for riding on its trails.

So if a trail centre had been open before the LRA it could have charged for using the trails?

Making people pay for trail centres is only going to put new people off taking up mountain biking

Not totally convinced by that, plenty of people take up sports where there is a need to pay to do them, even at huge cost like snowsports (hundreds of quid for 1 week once a year), and if you've splurged at least a few hundred quid on a bike, paying a couple of quid to ride it isn't a biggy.