With so many fine Scottish trails to choose from here are the top picks:
 

Tweed Valley mountain biking

 

The Tweed Valley is one of the premium mountain biking destinations in Scotland, with its hills and valleys, groomed surfaces and great cut lines it has hundreds of square kilometres of countryside to explore and trails for all capabilities. And is home to some world-class mountain biking spots.

 

Glentress | 7Stanes Trail - All capabilities

Image credit: Forestry England

 

This original and one of the busiest Scottish trail centres has so much to offer families and is a real mountain biking hub! It offers over 70km of man-made trails and many kilometres of natural trails, so it's a real catch for avid two-wheeled adventurers.

It’s suitable for all abilities too, with green, blue, red and black trail routes, ranging from easy to severe, you can select the ones that most suit your family. And there is even a dedicated skill and practice area and a freeride park with jumps, drops, wallrides and rock gardens for riders with a bit more experience.

At the foot of the trails, you can even find a camping ground and self-catering accommodation, so you can make a break of it.

Facilities:
Places to eat | Bike shop | Car parking | Toilets & showers | Uplift service

Find out more about the Glentress 7StanesTrail here >>

 

Innerleithen | Traquair Forest 7Stanes Trail - More experienced riders

Image credit: Forestry England

 

Just a few miles from Glentress are the wonders of Innerleithen, but whilst its a relatively small area it provided some of the more challenging trails and is definitely suited to the more experienced riders, with red and orange routes available.

The man-made and natural downhill routes scattered through the forest are some of the best in the UK and there are around 200 to choose from, some offering jumps, drop-offs and optional black-grade features. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Even though Innerleithen trails don't have many facilities, Innerleithen village offers everything you'll need within cycling distance.

Facilities:
Car parking | Uplift service | Places to eat in Innerleithen village | 4x bike shops in the village

 

Guided Rides
And, if you don’t feel confident enough to venture out into the trails, local award-winning instructors, Ridelines, offer guided mountain bike rides in the Tweedvalley and courses specifically designed for kids >>

 

The Tweed Valley ride guide
For more information about riding and exploring the Tweedvalley, check out Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland’s comprehensive guide on the best places to ride >>

 

Fort William mountain biking

Mountain biking is part of the long history of the mountains of Fort William and is fondly referred to as the Outdoor Capital of the UK. The UCI world cup has been hosted in Fort William for two decades and is well known for its downhill trail riding.

 

Nevis Range - All capabilities

 

The Nevis Range is renowned for its fast rocky track, which was created by locals in the Leanachan forest back in the early 1990s. It then quickly became the world cup downhill track.

Whilst it offers some rough, steep and technical tracks on rocky terrain, it also has some superb trails for beginners and intermediate riders, with many blue trails and a 9km family-friendly trail down Aonoch Mor to suit all abilities. The new Cats Eyes (Easy) and Blue Adder (moderate) trails of some of the best singletrack descents for those new to mountain biking.

It is a great way to enjoy the panoramic Scottish Highland views and can be enjoyed by the whole family.

 

Facilities:
Car parking | Uplift service | Toilets | Pump track | Skills area | Places to eat | Bike wash + hire

Find out more about the Nevis Range here >>

 

The Witch's Trail - All capabilities

 

The Witch’s trail is the network of trails around the Nevis Range and has something for everyone with its many cross country routes. You can even ride the same routes as world campaigns as the forest below Ben Nevis is famous as the home of the mountain bike World Cup and World Championships.

There is also a skills loop and the Nevis Range gondola up the mountain, and a gentle blue 7km route on ‘Broomstick blue’ for younger riders and more adventurous red, orange and black routes, including the ‘The Witch’s World Champs’ with nearly 600 feet of climb and descent.

Facilities:
Car parking | Uplift service | Toilets | Pump track | Skills area | Places to eat | Visitor Centre

For more information take a look at this comprehensive Witch’s trail guide from Forestry England >>

 

Galloway mountain biking

 

Kirroughtree 7stanes - All capabilities

Recommended by Tim Hall, Frog Bikes Sales Representative

 

Image credit: Forestry England

 

Kirroughtree is one of the world-class 7stanes mountain biking locations, offering a range of green, blue and red graded trails.

The skills area is the perfect place to hone your skills, providing a small selection of trails for warm-up of a taste of the types of trail features to be found at Kirroughtree. Or, why not venture into Bargaly Wood, a relaxing green route ride on the 6km trail perfect for children.

 

Facilities:
Car parking | Toilets | Visitor centre| Play area | Skills area | Places to eat | Bike shop + hire

Tim Hall, Sales Representative for Frog Bikes commented “The Kirroughtree 7stanes trails are extremely popular with all levels of riding and is a great family location”.

For more information on Kirroughtree trails take a look at this guide >>

 

Crieff mountain biking

 

Comrie Croft - All capabilities

Recommended by Muckmedden (Frog Bikes event Partner)

 

Comrie Croft is a hidden gem in the Scottish land of trails, with over 20kms of handcrafted mountain bike trails and hundreds of kilometres of other trails to link to the local area.

Whether it's blue, red or black trails, the bike skills park or the fun park, there is something here for everyone. The trails are located on a private estate and pack some punches for a small area for all the family to enjoy.

There is also onsite accommodation, a tea-garden cafe, and a bike shop offering bike hire and skills coaching.

 

Image credit: Forestry England

Aaron Gray at Muckmedden commented “From the excellent Skills Park near the cafe to fast-flowing Blues, technical Reds, and super gnarly Black trails, The Croft has enough high quality riding to keep every mountain biking family amused for the day.”

Facilities:
Car parking | Toilets | Fun park | Skills area | Places to eat | Bike shop + hire

Find out more about Comrie Croft here >>

 

Falkirk mountain biking

 

Canada Wood - All capabilities

Recommended by Muckmedden (Frog Bikes event Partner)

 

Image credit: Callendar Estate

Canada Wood on the Callendar Estate, has an excellent skills course, a local bike shop and an excellent cyclist and dog-friendly cafe right by the main car park.

Straight from the car park, there are trails to suit every skill level. From smooth green trails with very little in the way of climbing to blue trails packed with berms and rollers, right through to black trails with chunky rock features and sizeable jumps.

Aaron Gray commented Callendar Estate is in the heart of Scotland’s Central Belt and is surrounded by an excellent cycle path network and spectacular tourist attractions The Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel. Highly recommended!

Facilities:
Car parking | Toilets | Skills area | Places to eat | Bike shop

Find out more about Canada Wood here >>

 

Aviemore mountain biking

 

Cairngorms National Park - All capabilities

Recommended by Muckmedden (Frog Bikes event Partner)

 

Image credit: Tarland.org

 

Cairngorms National Park is a great destination for cycling and offers a wealth of paths and trails and four mountain biking centres, Glenlivet, Laggan, the Lecht and Tarland.

Glenlivet - Provides purpose-built mountain biking trails on a flowing single-track trail with amazing views, a pump track, a skills area, and family-friendly trails. Glenlivet’s café is surrounded by fantastic kids' skills trails to keep them lapping.

Laggan Wolftrax - The 20 miles of purpose-built trails at Laggan Wolftrax offer easy-going green trails up to black runs. It is also a popular venue for the Scottish Enduro series. In the bike park, you can ride big berms and tabletop jumps.

The Lecht - From beginners to advanced bikers, there is something for everyone. Take the chairlift to the top and choose from the two specifically designed trails.

Tarland - The Tarland trails consist of a blue family trail, The Spikey Hedgehog, and more technical trails for more experienced riders. There is also a large pump track.

Lee loves the Cairngorms for the range of terrain and linking network of good quality trails helping you get deep into the heart of the mountains.

Facilities:
Car parking | Cafe | Toilets & showers | Chairlift | Pump track

Find out more about Cairngorms National Park here >>

 

We hope these amazing locations in Scotland will inspire you to visit soon.

 

Support the trail fund

 

Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland needs donations to help create new trails, improve existing trails and hill paths, maintain access rights, and train volunteers through trails associations and local groups to maintain and grow the trail network.

You can support the Scottish trail fund here >>