Our relocation plans are trundling along and we are toying with different areas to locate ourselves in once the re bit happens.

Pitlochry has been cropping up in conversation quite a bit as it fits quite a few of our requirements, and since it has a decent bike shop I was wondering if there are any groups of folk there whom I may be able to fall in with (on the proviso that they can cope with my incredible levels of fitness, or lack thereof… I kinda resemble a corpse with a pulse… and a weight problem).

It is still very much in the possibilities column, but as soon as we get an offer on the house in the Lake District we are going to have to come up with a plan!

I would email the shop – there are local riders, but likely a small group. The shop will know.

Yeah, I was meaning to pop in when we were up in October but never made it past the cake 😀

Facebook messages have not worked so may try email, or just wait until we are up again (we may have an interest in the house but not sure yet – so if things develop we may be rushing up house hunting at any moment!)

Cathro lives in Pitlochry. Been up a couple of times plus dunkeld is just down the road.

Fair bit of good riding around Pitlochry. I imagine some good kayaking too!
Nice wee town too.

I haven’t been kayaking in years… may be a good chance to try again! Or an open canoe could be nice…

I love Pitlochry but leaving the Lake District for it? I have to ask why? The riding around Pitlochry and Dunkeld are excellent but given the choice, I wouldn’t choose to leave the Lakes for them without a fairly compelling non-bike reason. Sorry to seem a bit negative but the riding in the Lakes is so good in my view and offers far greater variety and choice of trails.

Tbf the OP never rode in the lakes, as he mentioned a few times, if ye don’t ride there, ye won’t ride anywhere.

Stirling isn’t far from there so make that your bottom and work up to Pitlochry and there is plenty (same as going north), depends on how wide a net you cast.

Mr Barton – I used to ride with you in Stirling, left 10 years ago and heading back now 🤣

The Lakes just never did it for me – which is odd as I used to enjoy heading down for weekends to do just that. Living here had been different though, not fallen in with any like minded souls on the one hand (former riding buddy down this way left for Australia before I got this far). Throw in work and life stresses and riding has been a rare event. Grabbing an hour or two down here is pointless! Plus it is just too bloody busy!

The idea of moving is driven by my job evaporating at the end of the financial year plus too many work related injuries to stay in that industry anyway, so back to Scotland for a fresh start.

The plan for a new business requires a steady stream of tourists, being close enough to the main urban centres for family and friends to get to us/us to them and being as close to stunningly beautiful landscapes as possible. Pitlochry seems to fulfil most the briefs and being pretty much geographically central means I can get anywhere with relative ease. We have (probably) ruled out crossing the Drumochter Pass on the A9 or Arbroath on the east coast. West we would go as far as Fort William/Oban if the right opportunity presented itself. Callander has been looked at quite a bit, as has Aberfeldy. Then I kinda hit a blank on ideas without going far north which I am barred from unless we get really stuck!

I grew up in Aberfeldy, Pitlochry has far far more tourists, and better shops.

The riding in the area is top notch, Dunkeld has an ever expanding network of trails where you can ride pretty much new trails all day for 5 or 6 days.

Kayaking wise you have the lower tummel on your doorstep – dam release that runs at weekends in summer, grade 3/4, and Loch Faskally for open boating.

Perthshire is also a beautiful area, i always visit in October/November and it is a beautiful time of year as all the trees change colour.

And as mentioned there is a good bike shop and cafe in Escape Route.

Definitely worth places to live…

CK

You might be better off rummaging around on Facebook.

That’s where the bulk of social rides are organised these days –  in Stirling this is cetainly the case.

Scotland MTB Routes is a good starting place to enquire.

I grew up in Aberfeldy, Pitlochry has far far more tourists, and better shops.

This.

Some of it is just the geography – Pitlochry being *on* the A9 and railway, rather than a few miles off as Aberfeldy or Callander is.

I grew up in Perth and used to head up that way a lot, loved the Dunkeld area, didn’t tend to go as far as Pitlochry too often, but remember back then a few DH/tracks were being put in up there, funnily enough i’m going on a holiday in Tummel Valley in March so will be hunting round to find some enduro style tracks, failing finding anything around there i’ll just nip down to Perth and Kinoull Hill/Deuchny Woods area, Perth might be a good place to find groups as the bike shops there and locals used to do a lot of that stuff, there’s also the likes of Laggan is just up the road as well from Pitlochry.

Awesome, cheers Crispin. Jen noticed you were heading in a Perthshire/Cairngorms type direction the other day and suggested O would be able to catch up with you lot again for the odd ride too 🤣

Shall go and join that group!

Trailforks is showing a lot of local activity in Pitlochry and Dunkeld which is promising and there are many tracks on the OS maps to explore too.

I would say there’s as much  variety of riding around Pitlochry and in say a one hour driving radius of the town, as in the Lakes. Enduro style winch and plummet nearby, plus big hill rides around Blair Atholl and Aviemore. <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Decent road riding too, if that’s your thing, quieter roads than the Lakes.</span>

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>The busy nature of the Lakes would do my head in, living there permanently, but I love visiting for a weekend, superb riding.</span>

Yup…I’m aware of that, which is why I suggested it as you’ll know some of the stuff in Stirling and just a case of filling in the blank space…

Lol I thought you had forgotten me for a moment there 🤣

I am fully intending to come down and visit Stirling for riding too 😃.

There does seem to be a good amount between Stirling and… well “The North” so as fitness improves I have a lot of exploring to do 🙂

Problem I have had here has been a physical job, short amounts of free time and a stack of work related injuries. Be good to get myself back on track again 🤣

Aren’t property prices in Pitlochry pretty high?

And choice can be limited…

Yeah, but I think location wise it is going to work. We are looking at the immediate area too, but ideally want to be close enough not to have to drive the kids into school.