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A planning application has now been submitted for 2.9km of "family friendly" MTB trails at the Cairngorm Mountain ski centre. I imagine that most users of this forum will find them a bit tame but they might be interested on behalf of family and friends. The trails have been specifically designed not to be in competition with other trail centres in the Highlands.
Lots more detail here.
https://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=R5YY2NIHHOY00
Good. Doesn't really sound like it'll be for me but every trail is good news.
I think what the wales parks have really shown is that it doesn't matter how good a single location is, what makes it really work is having multiple venues. So this'll boost nevis and glencoe, and probably innerleithen, since everyone just goes "scotland".
Good. Doesn’t really sound like it’ll be for me but every trail is good news.
+1
More trails, more kids on bikes, more reasons for tourists = good.
Cool.
I fedback on that survey (a couple of years ago) about usage of Cairngorm mountain. I feedback, and would love to see, a network of lift assisted, natural (as much as possible), flow single trails. Imagine how far you could ride from the top of the funicular. It would be epic.
Not bike park or trail centre, but awesome single trail.
Modeled on experience in CH, graubunden is rammed with trails like this, would love to see it on Cairngorm.
Great see something starting!
I was in the Glenshee area back in October, I see that at certain times you could get the chairlift up and ride the "Landrover track" back down ie stoney wide path and that they had a DH race there shortly before with a course mostly twisting down the grass slope with a few bits dug in.
Got me wondering why they haven't put in some "proper" MTB trails seeing as they have the whole infrastructure in place and already allow the odd bit of mtb as mentioned above. No money? Not allowed/desired due to competition as mentioned above? Surely the place has massive potentential.
Can't wait for the YouTube reviews.
😂
Thats good news , when you think of the amount of people than have staycationed in Aviemore during the pandemic and taken there bikes. Have often wondered how glenshee and the Lecht have went half arsed with there trails when it could be a great money winner. Im presuming they have never had the money in the first place to develop decent trails then maintain them . Looks like Glenlivet are getting their act together and slowly building a good little network of trails and you would imagine with the hotel and camping coming to Nevis range they will find build another trail to plug the hole between ble doon and Top Cheif.
would love to see, a network of lift assisted, natural (as much as possible), flow single trails
I'd rather not see bike access (or walking access for that matter) to the Cairngorm plateau made easier. I think there are other places in Scotland where such a set up could work but it could be problematic on Cairngorm due to the nature of the land surrounding the ski centre and there would likely be a lot of opposition.
The single biggest factor in making bike access to the plateau easier is e-bikes.
dlr
Free MemberGot me wondering why they haven’t put in some “proper” MTB trails seeing as they have the whole infrastructure in place and already allow the odd bit of mtb as mentioned above. No money? Not allowed/desired due to competition as mentioned above? Surely the place has massive potentential.
This might be unfair, but it seemed to me that Glenshee made a half-assed attempt that nobody liked, and then went "well I guess nobody wants to ride bikes here".
The single biggest factor in making bike access to the plateau easier is e-bikes.
That might be true but it's not an argument for making access easier in other ways!
Great news it’s a start. May lead to more trails in the future to rival the Gondola trails in the west. All good for me moving to the area soon.
Great news, though it often amazes me how long these things can take to come to fruition; I was sat at a table with the guys from Cairngorm discussing MTB potential 10 years ago!
find them a bit tame but they might be interested on behalf of family and friends.
As an annual visitor this would have been ideal when my boys were both much younger. So hopefully this will be a real boost in the future. Good news I'd say, as a visitor, and if locals are supportive then that must be a good thing.
One question, maybe someone here can answer: I know parts of Cairngorm itself are protected areas. Is that just Cairngorm/plateau or does that restricted status extend much further? (embarrassed to ask given how bloody often I've been to the region)
Much further, especially to the West and North. The ski area is basically surrounded.
I know parts of Cairngorm itself are protected areas. Is that just Cairngorm/plateau or does that restricted status extend much further?
Pretty much the whole of the Cairngorms is an SSSI or some other designation. What that actually means for developments is a bit of a movable feast, somethings go ahead, others don't or get heavily amended/altered in light of the specific characteristics of the area.
I don't know how much you know about it but there's a long history of developments at Cairngorm being rejected, amended or having conditions placed upon them and opposition to developments there in the past has come from a number of different groups.
If you're interested this map shows all the various different designations in Scotland with details of the type, reason and status. Selecting all the layers gives an interesting result!
Great news a out the trails. Some progress at least. If they’re good for families that’s the main thing I reckon.
Thanks @scotroutes and @Spin.
If you’re interested this map
was there a link missing from the post @Spin or is it me missing the bleeding obvious? 🙄