Any mountain biking at the top of scotland?… and i mean the top

Looks like i will soon be living in the most northern town of Thurso. Does anyone know of any decent trail rides there or thereabouts?

Its quite a flat stretch of land, so am expecting to be able to do some evening rides cross country. Are there any decent trails that are a bit further afield (eg hours drive)?

All pointers gratefully appreciated

Thanks
dj

how far away is Golspie to you? as it is so remote there will be llenty of2f trails around…findinv them all will take time and patience…

Golspie is only 60 miles and Is a great trail

Brilliant!!

Thanks for the heads up, Golspie looks fantastic.

DJ

The big Golspie loop its brilliant. I didnt get round to Bonar bridge when i was up but i’m told thats really good too.

Some ‘alternative ideas’

you can ride (*mainly) on Isle of Hoy from Linksness ferry to Old Man, and back off road.

If you ever explore here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=300685&y=945510&z=120&sv=300685,945510&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=728&ax=300685&ay=945510&lm=0 can you let me know how it goes – as it ‘looks’ good for non tech gf – remote but non techie with station

*you can *theoretically (map paths) get to station from Braemore (just E of Dunbeath on E coast

Op I spent 3 months at Dounreay in the heat wave of 2002. Met a great group and there is some good stuff. Ok stuff along cliff top and an old quarry above Scrabster. Ok stuff in reay and broubster woods. Great remote easy tracks near Forsinard. Great remote tech stuff out west and golspie, black isle trails etc doable in a day or it was known for the odd long evening. Sadly I think they have all moved south now. A great place if you go with an open mind rather than thinking I am being sent to the end of the world.Thurso is crazy at the weekend…………

learn to surf if you don’t already.
it’s no exaggeration to say it’s one of the best right hand point breaks in the northern hemisphere… 😀

Like phatstanley, Thurso to me is synonymous with epic surf! I would say your best chance of sampling this – and it pains me to say this – is to take up bodyboarding. Thurso is not a beginner’s wave. Keep an eye and ear out for a good swell and then go and watch. People travel the world to surf good Thurso.

There are some fantastic beaches along the top north coast places like Durness, Tongue. You could do sme coast riding maybe try a fat bike. Have a look on coastriders blog.

http://coastkid.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/roadtrip-2011-north-into-sutherland.html

Suggest you increase your stock of expletives for headwind riding…. 🙂

I love singletrack advice.

Q – where can I bike?
A – learn to surf.

You know what – you got a good point. I cant surf – so will try to learn. Bodyboarding may be a good laugh too.

Thanks
J

I’ll have to play the STW pedant then…

at the top of scotland?… and i mean the top

Have a look at this map.

sorry – should of said mainland scotland.

Over at Durness there is local trails round the vilage galore. Cant really go wrong if you follow your nose. There is also the strath dionard – Glen Golly run or a circuit from Achfary – Glen Golly – ben Hee – lone – achfary. More runs south of Achfary too, but a lot of constructon going on, so phone the Achfary estate for an update, they are pretty forthcoming on good routes.

Drifting James, if you are working at Dounreay PM me, I know a few people working there who are MTB’ers.

Steve

another vote for Golspie, hell of a way up for anybody else but an excellent trail. Such a pleasure climb and that says a lot coming from me!

Thurso to Golspie is a fair old trek. It may be only
60 miles, but its all A road at best. Not exactly handy for a night time pootle.
Learn to surf!

Suggest you increase your stock of expletives for headwind riding….

I can vouch for the strange phenomenon of being able to freewheel up a hill in Cape Wrath then turn around and have to pedal to get back down again

Have a look at this map.

Thats obviously been shopped. Eny fule no that Shetland is in a box to the east of Aberdeen.

Science fact!

I was staying up at Golspie last week.. A smashing part of the world and a cracking bunch of trails, I really can’t rate them highly enough..
They’re looking at making great efforts to try to attract more riders up that way in the future, and I think it would be well worth getting in touch to see if you can assist in any way, as some of the people involved are simply awesome..

on another note, I expected the landscape to be pretty flat after looking at maps before I set off, highlands flat seems to be a different kind of flat altogether though.. 😉

I never realised the Duke of Sutherland Monument was so lifelike.

Looks more like a bit of a Queen to me

You can ride wherever you like it’s Scotland

maccruiskeen – Member
I never realised the Duke of Sutherland Monument was so lifelike.

That’s obviously an incomplete replacement – still awaiting the token crushed peasant under foot..

Maybe the original has finally eroded away from all us crofters descendants piddling against it.

I did chuckle at the reinforcements around the bottom after the previous attempts to topple it..

yunki – Member
I did chuckle at the reinforcements around the bottom after the previous attempts to topple it..

The statue will fall.

There’s a waymarked mountain bike trail in a forest between Tongue and Reay – I can’t remember where as I rode past it on my LeJog. Unsure if it’s any good though.

Anyone?

Borgie
http://www.cycle-scotland.com/mountain-biking/highlands—islands/borgie/borgie-cycle-route/

Hmm, seems that almost nobody has ridden it.