Anyone on here from Elgin or surrounding area.

I’m moving to Elgin next month and was just wondering if there is any decent riding around the area?

Cheers

Steve

Stay at Rhynie, about 30 miles away. Good riding at Moray Monster Trails by Fochabers, Oakwood by Elgin. Look at Moray Mountain bike club forum.

Mike

Kcal and Devs are from around there -they will keep youright.

One or two wee bits and pieces in and around moray, have a look on moray mountain bike club forum

The club has regular Thurs evening rides all year.

Not from there but got family that way so get out occasionally. Fochabers freeride trails are good and there are some nice (if short) trails at Ben Aigen by the mast. Ben Rinnes near Dufftown is a nice ride too.

Not done it myself but there’s supposed to be a nice ride over the Ben of Cullen.

I lived in Elgin 15years ago. Its brilliant, Moray is brilliant, Scotland is brilliant. I never realised how much riding and space there was till I left.

plenty. all sorts. in fact there’s so much, we hardly see anyone else out as spread so thinly over the various trails (and types of trails) 🙂

some FC trails as above (bit of a sore point, nothing new there), plenty of natural and off piste stuff too. swavis should be along soon to promote the Speyside splitters 🙂

email should be in profile Steve if you want to ask further..

Edit – plenty within easy reach as well, over towards Golspie, down to Caingorms..
Link to Strava Heat Map – I know a lot of that is road stuff but not all, shows the Oakwoods, Fochabers and Monaughty very well as hotspots of MTB rides – http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#11/-3.25359/57.61271/blue/bike

You’re not going to be stuck for decent riding – couple of hours blast around Oakies, Monaughty, Sanquhar Woods (scene of my most disastrous cock-up by far – watch those table tops…) or bigger days out in the big hills.

Are you going to be working in Lossie…? If so there’s a reasonable posse ride out from the gym there too.

Cheers all.

Yep Dave going to be working out of Lossiemouth but living in quarters in Elgin just off the Lossiemouth road. It looks like oakwood is less than a mile from my doorstep!!! 😀

Ideal…easily rideable to work too then.

Yep nice 5 mile ride there and back!

Ideal at 3 o’clock in the morning when I’ve finished a shift

Missus (although that’s another story…) commutes in to Ops Wg by bike most days, although she’s OOA at the moment, SFA on Lossie Road.

Before the green machine decided I was better off way down south, riding from the doorstep in to Oakies was good although there’s some building work going on round the back of Covesea Road now that’s chopped off some of the off-road back home. My favoured option was to drop down passing Bishopmill Primary to Cooper Park, spin along the riverside path to warm up then in to Oakwood behind 8 Acres Hotel, play around for an hour or two then back in by Spynie Hospital through/round the estate to Covesea Road then on the path between the SFA and farmland back in.

Da kidz have been active up there and if you look in the right places there’s some fun to be had on woodwork and hand-cut trails as well as the natural stuff, although I stuck with my hardtail and saved the full susser for the ‘Gorms (for which you’ll have access to Feshiebridge Lodge…).

I used to have a flat by hospital and commute to kinloss Via the little lanes. Lovely on a nice day. My coldest was -12c I think.

I think the Oakwoods are remarkable – they are quite busy (by Elgin standards) and yet you can spin for miles and hardly see a soul. Or Soul. It’s not a huge area all in, but there are easy trails, techy trails, and trails I wouldn’t be going near for love or money 🙂 You could happily spend a morning there and never repeat the same path…

If you’re on the Lossiemouth road you needn’t venture further, for a quick blast, but Lossie Forest yields quite a good workout as well, also to the south there are woods out by Birnie (The Level) and Birkenhill, to the west are trails in Mosstowie, Torrieston and Monaughty. All those within – what – 3-4 miles radius of town centre..

[Edit} hi dave !! the little trail that runs down the back of the houses is still there, I never found anything further in the building site to the W of those new-ish houses.. You have to go through a little gate is all..

How do! Following yours and Duncan’s exploits/explorations with envy…

I’m going to miss Elgin – beautiful coastline, handy for the big hills, skiing in winter, blasts around Oakwoods on bike or foot, into Monaughty after dropping the boy at Mosstowie, Gordon & MacPhail, the Buccaneer…

In the meantime, I’m enjoying 6 months at Her Majesty’s pleasure in Nairobi, looking out at the Ngong Hills with desire.

PS Renton, if you’ve got primary age kids, i’d highly recommend applying to the council to get them in to Mosstowie Primary. Email me if you want any more details about specifics of military life up there.

Cheers for the info. My house is on covesea road so it sounds like the trails are quite close by!!

Schools we are in catchment area for are Seafield and that’s it. We are literally the wrong side of covesea for bishopmill but have applied anyway.

I stay in Bishopmill which is the other side of the road from Covesea Road.

My wee one goes to Seafield. It’s a good enough school.

There is plenty of riding around Elgin, Fochabers, Culbin woods for easy saunter, plus your only 45 mins from Glenlivet.

There is also Durn Hill Farm which is out near Portsoy and does pushing and uplift days but you need to book. They have a Facebook page called DH farm.

swavis should be along soon to promote the Speyside splitters

Oops, just found this thread, although work has been a bit busy 😉

I’m not far from Elgin down in Aberlour and there really is some quality riding. If you like big xc days and a bit of climbing there’s plenty round here. One of my faves was a ride up to the Glenlivet trails, stop for a most delicious burger then head home again.
But my local hills, Ben Aigen, Wee Conval and Ben Rinnes all have some good trails, and there’s loads to explore up and around Glenfiddich. Spoilt for choice really.

Oh and a fat bike would be useful although not necessary 😉

Hi all, just wanted to resurrect this thread as Ive finally got here on friday.

Ive found a car park for “quarry wood” up the hill near spynie hospital, are there any trails off from that?

Is there a similar car park for “oak wood” so that I can take the dog down in the car?

Cheers

Steve

you’re already on the right track with the MBC forum, but for completeness;
oh yes – wide, medium and narrow – network runs in that strip to the N of Hamilton Crescent, bounded by the roads (Duffus on E side, Brumley Brae on W).
yes – two/three. One on Brumley Brae, on LHS as you head N out of town, just as road finally levels out; One – quite large – over on the Rosebrae side – Leggat I think it’s officially called. Doggers’ car park unofficially (!) There’s also a small turn in area on same road, much closer to the A96 at the end of the obvious double track through the woods..

Edit – here’s the link to ‘Quarrelwood’ (never called that in my day..) map: map, car parks, paths

Sweet cheers for replying mate. Might see you in the woods!

I’m the fat duffer on the bright green 5 spot!