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In the "Turning Golfie into a Bike park" thread I mentioned that Hillend just outside Edinburgh would be a good place for a bike park. Turns out there are plans to put some trails there (I'd forgotten about these). The trails are planned to be on the former Lothianburn Golf course.
From my local councillors' Facebook page:
Hillend Leisure Limited have been in touch to say they plan to submit a planning application to develop land at Swanston Farm (111 Swanston Road, Edinburgh, EH10 7DS - Former Lothianburn Golf Course) in to an "outdoor mountain bike leisure development with associated hub building complex, located on land at Swanston Farm".
This will include a mountain bike trail centre, indoor and outdoor leisure, food and beverage, professional services suites, offices, retailing, short stay visitor accommodation and associated site access, parking, landscaping and other works.
A consultation event will be held at Swanston Golf Club, 111 Swanston Road, Edinburgh, EH10 7DS, between the hours of 2pm and 7pm on the 5th March 2019.
This is separate from the plan to redevelop the Dry Ski Slope.
https://swanston.co.uk/lothianburn-adventure-centre/
I think they're missing a trick here. This is separate to the proposed developments for the dry ski slope. If the 2 collaborated then there is the potential to use the ski lifts for uplift, plus other shared infrastructure, e.g. car parking, bus/coach stop and cycle lanes providing access.
Cycle path access would be the ideal, but difficult. There's the Lothianburn junction to navigate and the cycle network up to that point is non-existent.
Sounds good...always good to hear of more development. Most good, some daft, but development is good.
What Dick says, can only be good.
Cycle path access would be the ideal, but difficult. There’s the Lothianburn junction to navigate and the cycle network up to that point is non-existent.
It's easy to get to Swanston by bike without having to navigate the Lothianburn junction.
I regularly cycle in the Pentlands and would love to have a few more trails to cycle at the end of a loop. Can also see it would be great to take the kids to.
It’s easy to get to Swanston by bike without having to navigate the Lothianburn junction.
Yes, I know..... if you know the route. The "best" route for biking is Oxgangs Road then Swanston Road. But people ride their bike as if they're driving a car* as that's the route they know, and depending on where you're coming from the "best" route is not the shortest. Also to get to Oxgangs Road you still have to navigate some busy roads and junctions, e.g. Fairmilehead junction
Looking at the terrain within the proposed development area, I think the trails are likely to appeal to parents with kids, or kids on their own. The current routes of approach are not conducive to those users safely cycling there from town. This is mainly down to the complete lack of cycling infrastructure in the south of the city, therefore coherent approach would make a lot of sense.
The proposed (and failed) trails in the Braid Hills would have been better for access via bike
*E.g the number of people I see cycling down the twisty, hazardous section of the A71 approaching Hermiston Gait, when a much quieter and safer national cycle route exists in parallel half a mile away.
Best route is up the not sigposted path from Oxgangs to Swanston.
the not sigposted path
I recall a few rides out that way from the shop where we managed to avoid tarmac for most of it, but I think you've hit the nail on the head there.