This guidebook describes 21 mountain biking routes in central and southern Scotland. It includes the 7stanes trail centre in Dumfries and Galloway, as well as cross-country routes in the Campsie Fells, Pentland Hills and Lammermuirs, the Galloway Forest, Tweed Valley, Cheviots and Lowther Hills. The routes range from 17 to 66km and are graded from moderate to very hard. Taking between 2 and 7 hours to complete, they are intended for reasonably fit mountain bikers with at least some experience.

Detailed route descriptions are accompanied by 1:50,000 OS mapping, and the selected routes set out from various points across the area, including Greenock, Glentrool, Peebles and Milngavie, with good access from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. The guidebook also gives an overview of what the region's MTB trail centres have to offer, including the famous 7stanes trail centre, along with advice on equipment, maintenance and safety. 

Southern and Central Scotland is renowned for its superlative MTB trail centres, but the region's rolling hill country is also traversed by an extensive network of tracks, paths, forest roads and other trails providing endless possibilities for 'free range' mountain biking.

Emergencies

Map key

Overview map

Route summary table

Introduction

Mountain biking in southern and central Scotland

About the routes in this guide

Centres

Getting there and getting around

Accommodation

When to go

Safety

Equipment

Tools and maintenance

Navigation

Hydration

Food

Rights of way and other users

Maps

How to use this guide

Abbreviations and symbols used in the route descriptions

The 7stanes

Ae Forest

Dalbeattie

Glentress

Innerleithen

Kirroughtree

Newcastleton

Mabie

Glentrool

Other trail centres

Drumlanrig Castle

Carron Valley

Cathkin Braes

Whitelee Wind Farm

Southwest

1          Durisdeer, Daer Reservoir and Wedder Law

2          Lowther Hills loop

3          Shinnel Water and Scaur Water loop

4          Carrick Forest Four Lochs loop

5          Glentrool and the Galloway Hills

6          Windy Standard loop

Southeast

7          Belford to Cocklawfoot: Windy Gyle loop

8          Kirk Yetholm and the Pennine Way

9          Minch Moor and the Three Brethren

10        Stake Law and the Gypsy Glen

11        The Tweedsmuir Hills: Natural Tweed

12        The Lammermuir Hills: Longformacus and Wedder Lairs loop

13        Gifford and the Hope Hills

14        The Pentland Hills: a rollercoaster route around the reservoirs

Central

15        Misty Law

16        Greenock Cut

17        Kilpatrick Hills loop

18        The Campsie Fells: Dumgoyne and Earl’s Seat

19        Mugdock Country Park loop

20        Carbeth – Cameron Muir loop

21        Glasgow waterways loop

Appendices

Appendix A     Bike shops and mechanics

Appendix B     Other useful contacts

Seasons

Dry weather is hard to guarantee in Southern and Central Scotland though summer is the likeliest time for dry trails. However, every season has its charms - so long as rain and mud doesn't scare you - and winter really can be a wonderland.

Centres

Glasgow, Milngavie, Greenock, Lochwinnoch, Glentrool, New Cumnock, Moniaive, Durisdeer, Wanlockhead, Sanquhar, Hownam, Kirk Yetholm, Peebles, Traquair, Innerleithen, Longformacus, Gifford, Balerno.

Difficulty

The routes are intended for mountain bikers with at least some experience and a reasonable degree of fitness. There are no 'easy' routes in this guidebook, hence routes are graded 'moderate', 'hard' and 'very hard' Any 'difficult' or 'technical' sections are indicated. The general lack of signposts and other waymarkers endemic to Scotland makes navigation more of a challenge than in other parts of the UK

Must See

The Campsie Fells, the Pentland Hills and the Lammermuirs, the Galloway Forest, the Tweed Valley, the Cheviots and the Lowther Hills of Dumfriesshire.

June 2017

Update747

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