Looking to go up to Comrie to check out the trails for our kids club and would like make them part of a bigger route, maybe something to the north. Anybody able to help?

steven, there are two tracks on the Heritage Paths website that might make a decent loop?

http://www.heritagepaths.co.uk/pathdetails.php?path=351
http://www.heritagepaths.co.uk/pathdetails.php?path=352

Looking at the OS map, there’s a loop that you can do on landy tracks from just west of the croft, up to Glen Turret, and back down to just east of the croft.
(last time we were there we bumped into some guys trying to link into this loop from the red route , but it looked like a tussocky carry)

for the kids or you? you could think about going from dalginross down to callander via ari then back up via glen ample, then a road cycle back to comrie

No kids, we’ll take them at a later date if we think they can get enough out of the trails at Comrie. The lad in the shop described a route to me last year when I was there. It took in some trails near Crieff as well.

For a sensible extension to the Croft Trails make your way about 1k along the road and follow tracks from Fordie up towards Braefordie (shown as some ST on the 50k map tho it is a mix of old tracks). Just past the lochans before Braefordie (not on the map) you will see a grass track climbing to the W. Follow that for a fantastic descent back down to Balmuick.(also shown as ST on the 50k map tho it is also a mix of old tracks). You can then pick up quad tracks to Laggan Wood and Twenty Shilling which do have single track paths though very busy with walkers. Ask the guys at the Croft to highlight the best options on the map. (25k will be useful)

For a more strenuous option you can head over to Lednock and do the Coineachean Circuit – tho the ascent will only be done by the strongest – all on rough landy track. As Crispin points out there are a load of other low level tracks in there.

Ben Chonzie is also an option either by the main tourist route – or if you really like hike a bike- straight up from Lednock. I’ve been looking at the possibility of a circuit off Chonzie and over to Carn Chois – but googling to date suggests it is mostly heather and bog trotting.

Scotroutes option is doable (go C/W) but it is nearly all tarmac to reach the N of Lednock and requires at least an hour hike a bike on each leg (and some serious navigation) so is a committed day. I did it 8 years ago and haven’t been tempted to have another go. (My son was on a Bullet built for downhill so was well knackered on the carry a bike bits)

SwissO1’s route through Callander is a good outing tho a lot of tarmac and also a big day NB Glen Ample is now a motorway (tho this does mean you do the main valley in about 10mins!) There are ST options through Glenartney and under (or over) Callander Crags (to cut out the town)

Lots of possibilities beyond the excellent Comrie Croft trails. Depends on your navigaion skills.
A relatively easy route is to head across towards Crieff and then head up past the distillery to the Turret Dam. You can then follow the trails West which go above CC and across to Lednock. The trails towards Lednock are the more interesting. There are lots of trails either side of CC but there is no one good route that links up with the main trail to the north.

Mountain bike orienteering event planned for this area on May 26th if anybody is interested. Some great trails all around. Around Turleum to the South and across the The Ruchil water. Also alongside the River Earn itself over Laggan Hill. Then trails to the North of the A85.

Found a lovely loop north out of Comrie Croft ….

IMG_6852 by Simon_R, on Flickr

IMG_6862 by Simon_R, on Flickr

IMG_6864 by Simon_R, on Flickr

IMG_6867 by Simon_R, on Flickr

IMG_6876 by Simon_R, on Flickr

Route is as follows (sorry it’s back to front!).

It’s based on a route that was marked up on a map in the cafe at Comrie Croft.

8 Finish:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=278560&Y=722550&A=Y&Z=120

7
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279603&Y=723663&A=Y&Z=120

6
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279706&Y=725536&A=Y&Z=120

5
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=281744&Y=726519&A=Y&Z=120

4
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=280842&Y=727032&A=Y&Z=120

3
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279465&Y=727305&A=Y&Z=120

2
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279698&Y=725548&A=Y&Z=120

1
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=278071&Y=723686&A=Y&Z=120

0 Start:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=278579&Y=722554&A=Y&Z=120

Cheers folks, plenty to be going on with there.

Hi
If you don’t mind doing the odd bit of tarmac for a few hundred yards, There are several good loops leaving from Comrie Croft. Theres a loop that goes around Torleum Hill on the south side of the valley, Glen Leddnock via Laggan Wood has an excellent, if a little hard to find, singletrack descent incorporated in a good 2 hour loop, The Laggan Hill/Knock loop from the croft is always worth a go.
The Strathearn Mountain Biking Club are working on doing some GPS for these routes over the next few months, and the routes should have links on the clubs website, or try the Comrie Croft Bikes page, or email.
Colin

A bit of a late comer to this thread I’m afraid but I was up at Comrie at the weekend and saw that they seemed to be in the process of building a downhill track. Anyone know when this is due to open?

Sections are already open.

It’s actually a blue grade trail, but kinda on steroids..

So if it’s blue grade I take it I’d still be better off taking my hardtail rather than an Orange Patriot so that I can enjoy the other trails there too?

Also some good black options on the new blue, sounds good a black and blue trail :lol:, good fun.