Stirling – Biking & Living?

Another potential relocation related question 🙄

Wife and I have been thinking of relocating for a while, and various locations are being considered. One of the ‘safer’ options being considered is Stirling (potential employment possibilities are v.good & family close by up there yada yada).

I like the sound of the Scottish access arrangements, but just wondered what the mtn biking is like in the area. At the mo., we live right on the Eastern edge of the Dark Peak, so there’s some great natural riding to be had from the house – or within up to 30-40mins drive.

Also wondered about property locations & prices in Stirling – we’d prefer a detatched (pref period) property in a decent area, but we’re not sure what various areas are like.

Any sensible advice/feedback most welcome.

TIA 🙂

WOW! I moved to Stirling ages ago and now live in the Hillfoots (Menstrie but my shop is next village in Alva). I LOVE it.

House prices are a mess but not as bad round here – it’s superslow but it’s happening and it’s more stable price-wise than even just down the road.

Riding is phenomenal. A total hidden gem which is why I’m now doing holidays and MTB guiding. You can get onto serious trails within ten minutes in almost any direction from most areas around Stirling.

Did I say it’s good yet?

Some folk are gonna hate me for this (as they think the trails are theirs). You can go anywhere but recommended is the following:

Ben Cleuch, Dumyat, Menstrie Glen, Silver Glen, Dollar Glen. Uni Woods, Mine Woods (and loads more round this area). North Third – technical and scary, great times. Cambusbarron Woods. If you prefer riding on smooth motorways, try Carron Valley a few miles away, go to 7Stanes, Laggan and even a day trip to Aviemore is not so tricky. The Ochil hills get my vote all day long though.

Some of my fav riding is out Stirling way. Dumyat being my fav of the lot!

Depending on budget – try King’s Park area for houses. A friend is selling his beautiful house right in the centre of town too, which fulfills your description of desired house.

Otherwise, there are a few nice places in Riverside or obviously Bridge of Allan or Cambusbarron. If you’re looking for cheaper then try the villages nearby as I have but mostly they’ll be smaller houses or new houses such as mine.

i spent 2 months living with friends in stirling last summer – riding wise its fantastic. flyingfox has mentioned most of the good places, so i guess i’m adding a +1 to living there! stirling bike club were also a nice set of people. only managed to get out with them once, before being offered a job in france, otherwise i’d have been riding more with them!

stirling itslf is nice enough, some rough areas, some less (as with anywhere…). good train links to glasgow and edinburgh, and close enough to proper mountains too. i’d be quite happy to live there!

Thanks for the feedback 🙂 Crikey, it sounds rather good. We’re not really into hacking around trail centres ticking off routes that much, so it’s very good to hear that about the potential of the local riding. House buying budget-wise (if I pull my finger out and get the decorating finished on our current house..ahem), we could be looking at the £300k mark – IF we can sell our current house. Nothing wrong with the house or location at all, but the market is as flat as pancake at the mo.

Location wise, I wouldn’t mind being in a village, but I think my wife prefers facilities like school, local convenience stores, green grocers & library etc within walking distance (like where we are now) – so I guess we’d be better off looking in the suburbs or larger villages(?)

I’m no estate agent but I think you’ll get a nice house in the likes of Causewayhead, which is between Stirling and the Wallace Monument. Nice area and great houses. You should also consider Torbrex and King’s Park if you want walking distance. Lots of options.

You’ll be surprised how much riding there is – I hate it when folk round here drive to places to go biking when the trails on their doorstep are so much better. More room for me I suppose. Give us a shout at http://www.flyingfoxbikes.com if you need any more info – just use contact form and I’m happy to help.

Thanks for the info Flyingfox. Just had a very quick scan through some of the properties in Causewayhead – yeah, looks good. Might even be able to convince the wife to get a cheaper house to reduce the mortgage 😉 (releasing more dosh for bikes and holidays 😀 )

There definately sounds like more scope for natural riding up there. My bro-in-law in Falkirk does a bit of biking and I think he was surprised by the relative lack of legal trails down here. Can appreciate what you mean about people getting drawn into the trail centres. I find it a bit strange, but like you say, more room for those of us willing to get a map out!

Ta for the offer of further advice too – might take yer up on that.

All the best.

It was a great place to live, kind of miss it in many ways – mainly the riding and many friends (esp. those in Stirling Bike Club). I lived down at Cambuskenneth and I would be very, very jittery about living on the flood plain of the Forth now. It got pretty close to flooding one year (when they were rescuing folk over the river in dingys!), so try and get up off the very low ground.

Good place to live though with some great folk around. There are a couple of good pubs too, though probably fewer than you are used to in the Dark Peak (I am over in the south Lakes now and can’t get over how many decent pubs there are in a small town after getting used to Stirling!). There is a great variety of riding too from woods to open hills to the technical singletrack that is North Third.

But it’s the craic I think I miss the most. 2 years living down here and I haven’t got anywhere near replacing that yet!

Enjoy!

Sounds good 🙂 Ta for the heads up on the flood plain, that’s well worth knowing. Well, the wife reckons it’ll be September before we can get a week or two up there for a good look round (maybe able to bung a weekend visit in between) – so it’ll give me some time to get the current house tidied up! Wife’s sister works in Stirling Hospital, so we’re gonna see if she can check out any properties we see online (I just hope the payback isn’t weeks of babysitting her little monsters 😀 )

Give us a shout so we can show you some trails when you’re up.

flyingfox: Have you considered moonlighting as Tourism Officer for Stirling and Clackmannanshire? You may need to dial the enthusiasm up a bit and sit on the fence less, but I think you’re pretty much a shoe-in for the job.

Got to agree about the quality of riding out there though. I live in Edinburgh and I’ve cycled the 37 miles to Menstrie so I can head off out into the Ochils more often than I’ve been to either Glentress or the Pentlands.

flyingfox, along with all sorts of good re your shop i was getting much enthusiasm re the trails round your way just recently. i’ll need to drop in sometime soon so that you can give me some pointers.

>I live in Edinburgh and I’ve cycled the 37 miles to Menstrie so I can head off out into the Ochils<

74mile round trip to ride the Ochils? Respect.

Mmmmm

Stirling is ok, but the centre is one hell of a dump.
Folk like it because it is easy to get to Edinburgh and Glasgow from there, but as a result, it can feel a little bit like any other soulless commuter town.

Having said that, there are some nice spots round about – Dunblane and Bridge of Earn immediately spring to mind.

Sorry to be the party pooper.

stirling town centre isn’t perhaps the best geoff, but who in their right head would want to spend any time there. and even if they did, it isn’t falkirk.

dunblane, i agree, is a pretty enough place but bridge of earn!!? a soul-less void if ever there was one! even coming back in from a long ride i cycle faster to get out of that place. those locals at that chinese cum pub thing staring at me with their dead eyes….

Having said that, there are some nice spots round about – Dunblane and Bridge of Earn immediately spring to mind.

I suspect that should read Bridge of Allan!

I suspect that should read Bridge of Allan!

Sorry, yes it should – although I’m intrigued by chinese cum pub thing now 8)

stirling town centre isn’t perhaps the best geoff, but who in their right head would want to spend any time there.

Well you might if you are considering moving there 🙄

and even if they did, it isn’t falkirk.

That’s a fair point well made!

Bridge of Allan is nice and you are on the right side of Stirling to escape North to the big hills i.e you can hit Blair Atholl in circa 45 mins

££££ tho

74mile round trip to ride the Ochils? Respect.

I’ve not done there and back in one day yet. I generally stay over at a buddy’s house, get ratted and talk about girls.

i write as someone who has spent quite a lot of time in stirling town centre and to be honest, it’s fine for what it is i.e. you can get things there but i wouldn’t want to hang out there for any longer than i needed to. that said i have fond memories of the place unlike falkirk, which i don’t.

bridge of allan is much nicer than bridge of earn tho. even allowing for the students. and even if it isn’t, it still isn’t falkirk!

for the op tho, i’d get up and have a scope along the hillfoots. the likes of dollar should tick all the boxes for your oh (not sure about the library but if you’re coming up from englandshire you’ll probably have forgotten what those are :wink:)

(not sure about the library but if you’re coming up from englandshire you’ll probably have forgotten what those are :wink:)

Yep!, we’re in a non-Tory votes area, so basically it’s a re-run of the 1980’s to early 90’s again – Midlands and North of England, last one out turn off the lights job!

Mind you having said we live in a non-Tory vote area, our MP is ‘bend over’ Clegg, so I guess we do actually live in a Tory MP’s area (fair few locals want him done under trade descriptions act 😆 )

Thanks Ox. We’re out again tonight by the way.

I have noticed Stirling town centre to be a little “downgraded” thanks to some of the ***** walking around but that happens everywhere. Stirling has a couple of theatres for your culture, including the uni and MacRobert, a few good pubs (although not as many with real ales etc. as there should be) and some great restaurants – Wilawan Thai, Khushi’s Indian, Smiling Jacks Mexican etc. etc. I’ve never had any problems in Stirling at night and it’s fine during the night although the Raploch side of the town always appears to have more job dodgers than elsewhere.

I do need a job that pays so maybe I should apply to be a tourism officer. Good suggestion. Or maybe I have an ulterior motive and I’m so far ahead of myself that I’m hoping folk will move up and buy all my stock…! It’s nice to be surrounded by Whytes, Yetis, Morewoods, Lapierres etc. until you realise they’re costing you money!

Ox – just occurred to me – I’d be rubbish as a Tourism Officer – I’ve been trying to persuade you to move up for years with no luck.

Maybe it’s a dump after all and we’re trying to lure you, fat.

if you’re after a big 4 bedroomed period house in stirling on a quiet st in the middle of stirling, with bike storage and workshop – my house is for sale! check out SlaterHogg.co.uk

There’s a lot of pish being talked about stirling above…

flyingfox above mentions some of the duller less exciting trails. just google “Ten Man Train” or “Horse Cock” for more information.