Taking the girlfriend on a camping holiday in Scotland next week. Starting at glentress on mon/tues.
Here's the hard bit. She's new to biking and not very good on a bike - she fell off on her first ride on the whinlatter red 6 weeks ago and badly bruised her ribs and it's properly dented her confidence.
Obviously Scotland has a mass of places to ride but what trail centres have a nice easy blue like the on at gt or a nice easy red? I don't want to be travelling miles around Scotland to centres that have 5km of blue but I don't want to turn up to places that are steep and rocky coz the lass won't like it.
Any help would be great
Mabie
Glenlivet
Cathkin Braes
Newcastleton
Kirroughtree
Good suggestions above. From distant memory - Drumlanrig might fit the bill as well.
Caveat to that is - in the dry. I remember it being quite rooty so the trails were pretty tame in the dry and treacherous in the wet.
If you head further north round the Callander way there's nice routes around places like Loch Venachar and The Queen Eliz Forest Park at Aberfoyle. Not designated trail centres as such so a distinct lack of Gnarnobs!
http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/visiting/cycling/menu-id-101.html
Maybe a more scenery focused route will help with the confidence building. Have a good time.
Dalbeattie 7 stanes is good for a beginner, lots of bits of fun, non technical singletrack to play on. There's also the skills look at the car park which is beginner friendly.
Not designated trail centres as such so a distinct lack of Gnarnobs!
Some of those fire roads up at aberfoyle can be tricky, my wife came off and broke her collarbone on one, but like the trooper she is she completed the ride on a couple of paracetamol then drove home to glasgow.
Plenty more to Scotland than trail centres.
There is enough interesting but not too technical riding in Aviemore to keep you busy for days.
Though if you are up that way then Glenlivet is probably worth a try
Kirroughtree does have a lovely blue though. Drumlanrig is also nice.
Wouldn't waste me time going to Cathkin Braes though, its alright for a spin if you live 10 minute away - like me - but not worth a trip just to ride it
Glentress also has green trails, which are very pleasant - one recommendation there would be to drive to the upper/Buzzards car parks, to save the long (non/new bikers will say its long) climb.
+1 to the Aviemore area: Rothiemurchas Forest and round Loch Morlich, Glen Eanaich, Glen Feshie (as far as the bothy). Nothing technical at all in the STW sense but not just boring fire roads either.
Glen Eanaich is an out and back to a loch (it's actually the one by Carn Ban Mor) on a mixture of estate tracks and a bit of singletrack.
Glen Feshie: Park at the end of the road on the east side of the river, up to the bothy, retrace tracks to the "last bridge over the Feshie" then go towards the big house before looping through the woods towards Baileguish
Nice days varied riding could be the Blue at Ae - Lunch - then 15 min drive to ride Blue at Drumlanrig in the afternoon.
If your south west and she's new to it try glentrool Blue, there is only green and blue there so you don't get the full Endro lot blatting past, its very scenic n the cafe is brilliant.
its a nice place to wander and your near places like kirrkudbright and port William
Glenlivet is too far/remote for the riding there. If you can put it into other riding, or a driveby on your way somewhere else, it's worth a look (and it's a lovely area of course, so diverting off the main road is less of a chore)
This may be the only time I ever recommend this, but the pentlands could be ideal... Lots and lots of pleasant, low-tech riding, mostly fairly easy to navigate, gentle hills... It's very classic XC. Mind you, you can easily spend a day riding nothing but rubbish doubletrack and wide walker's paths but there's lovely singletrack as long as you find it.
You are in the Tweed valley, the tonic she requires is something as good as the Gypsy glen, very long moderate swoopy descent, in a great setting, this is hard to beat for smiles.
+1 for Glenlivet - the red is basically a blue grade trail with some small unavoidable drops and well signposted avoidable black options.
Agree with Northwind though, its not worth the drive from the borders unless you have other plans in the area.
Definite lack of decent quality blue grade trails, they tend to be too short and too low % singletrack. GT is by far the best.
Nice days varied riding could be the Blue at Ae
Except the blue at Ae is bloody awful.
Sticking with the tweed valley theme:
The Southern Upland way from Traquir (or you could start at Innerliethen and just do the trail centre climb as well) to Selkirk is lovely without being very technical.
Thanks for all the help fellas. I'll research some of the areas mentioned and see where we end up. The ae followed by drumlandrig sounds good.
Barry
I think some people need to re-read the OPs post before recommending or dissing trails 💡
Here's the hard bit. She's new to biking and not very good on a bike - she fell off on her first ride
I know many people who enjoy the blue at Ae. Speaking to a visitor recently who loved it and was going out for another shot at it whilst his mates went round the red because he was`nt fit enough for a 2nd attempt.There is no doubt it can be improved, if only there was the will & resources 😕
Just did the East Lothian offroad audax. That would be a good ride for a newish mtber.
[url= http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/16-969/ ]Route here.[/url] May also be worth [url= http://www.rsf.org.uk ]a browse on the RSF site.[/url]
The red and blue at Drumlanrig intertwine giving you the option to pick and choose, and ride separately but together !?!
pop into Rik's Bike Shed onsite for a blether and map.