I rode there about 5 years ago and thought it was ace. I hadn’t been riding that long and for a trail centre it seemed a step up from the likes of Degla. In my head it was very technical and there was feature after feature……….

I have the opportunity to ride there again as I have to head that way with work.

Is it as good as I remember or am I likely to be disappointed?

Plan B would be to do Inners Golfie on the way up and whilst it’s ace I know I’ll get to ride there again in the not too distant future, as Laggan is roughly as far away as the moon it’s not somewhere I may get the chance to ride again.

Thoughts?

Raced there again a few weeks ago. Best trail centre out there that I’ve ridden. Proper technical climbs and descents. Not sure the trail centre stuff on its own is enough to warrant a trip there but combine it with the stuff on the other side of the road and it’s a brilliant day out

Other side stuff

https://www.strava.com/segments/7262293

https://www.strava.com/segments/12898499

https://www.strava.com/segments/10236699

https://www.strava.com/segments/12898520

https://www.strava.com/segments/12920644

Laggan (Red) was always at the limits of my comfort zone and I really enjoyed the challenge. Despite moving to Aviemore 3 years ago I hadn’t been for years and went back a couple of weeks ago. The rocks seemed rockier and I struggled. Went back this week again and it just felt so much better. I’m still not doing the climbs right but descents were more fun.

The boardwalk section on the lower red was destroyed in winter storms and isn’t to be rebuilt. There’s a new section on the upper red, through an area that was felled, that reminds me of the descent off Innerleithens summit.

There are a few chicken runs that didn’t exist before and some off-piste stuff that I’ve not explored.

I know it’s difficult to compare trail centre grading but Laggan definitely feels tougher than the other Scottish reds I’ve visited.

I’m not one for trail centres but I felt that Laggan was/is one of the better ones and quite a bit harder than many. The red is closer in standard to the black at Glentress, or was, it’s five or six years since we went.

Was there on Tuesday after not being for 2 years. Really enjoyed it, very different from any other trail centre. Lower red feels very different before, after all the felling. New sections were really good as well.
Trailhead also much improved with decent cafe and better toilets/showers.

It’s a peach, as is Comrie, similar tech level on the red.

I go there a fair bit these days because of where I end up travelling. And it has taken my kids on leaps and bounds because they feel it to be challenging without being intimidating.

The orange bit is great fun on the berms but as others have said it isn’t that big – if you put your mind to it, you can get round upper red, lower red and orange in an hour(ish). The trails over the other side are worth looking at, but mostly steeper, looser and unwaymarked. Looked like a few more lines being worked on when I was there a couple of weeks ago.

Not been there this year but usually go once or twice a year. I tend to do the upper red, lower red once each and the black twice in about 4 hours including a break. Adding the brown over the road would make a reasonable day out

im glad teh boardwalk is gone - i nearly died on that* ive been on grippier ice…

i really liked laggan. the boardwalk ws fine once i took it a bit more steady i was used to chickenwired wood and this stuff was not…

*this maybe a slight exaggeration

FWIW, the cafe is now on Autumn hours, which means it’s closed Tue/Wed. Toilets and showers will be available though.

If you want to add a bit more riding the offpiste stuff over the road is easy to find. Bit hairy in the wet mind

Love laggan. Toss up between it and comrie for best “trail centre”. The brown stuff is excellent across the road and i still find parts of the black intimating. You could go ride across the road all day i reckon.

FWIW, the cafe is now on Autumn hours, which means it’s closed Tue/Wed. Toilets and showers will be available though.

Is there bike hire available at Laggan? I might stop off there in about a weeks time, but my bike will still be in Canada. I have access to a low end hardtrail but would prefer something a little bouncier….

Bothy Bikes do the bike hire at Laggan. It would be worth contacting them to find out what days they are open now that we’re hitting the quieter days.

Just been looking on trailforks and the stuff over the road is all on there so should be pretty easy to find.

Thanks for the input all – I reckon with a silly o’clock start I should be able to sneak a lap of the black at Laggan and then head over the road to try out some of the off piste stuff.

I love Lagan,

One of my fantail centers in the U K.

Yes, although the new ‘swoopy doopy’ bit on the lower red through the felled section is not as good as the original & the section after that used to run into the boardwalk has ‘gone’ (it’s still there but in the felled area & blocked at the end- sad days). But as above the rest, including the off piste stuff, remains cracking.

Not much to add to the general positivity above. Laggan is great – I know the trail centre well but the brown stuff on the other side less so. Had one of my best days on the bike last year doing all of the trail centre (some twice) and a couple of the brown routes from the fort. Must go back soon….

I went for the first time this summer thought it was great, only had about an hour as with the family did the lower red and the black. Thought the black was great fun with some really interesting features found it quite different to the other centres I have done.

Can you not go a bit further north and ride Bagaduish?

I rode Laggan for the first time in years this summer, with Thump, and thought it a bit, ‘meh’.