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What a wonderful wee MTB hub! Superb to take folks (e.g. my son) who might not enjoy the long slog of some natural trails.
Superb cafe and shop, lovely atmosphere, helpful bike staff, great looking camping facilities, easy to park etc etc
However, most of all - the trails are fantastic. yes, its a trail centre, but a heck of a lot of the time it doesn't ride like it. Very sympathetic to the local substrate, actual multiple line choices on a lot of the trail, quite relentlessly techy. Even the uphills were great fun further up the hill as there are some genuinely satisfying technical climbs. Even the blue at the end is superb, great pumps and jumps, fast berms and a kind of dual slalom section which was a right laugh.
I haven't ridden a ton of trail centres, but this is an absolute gem. (esp as we rod Mabie the next day, which really was quite dull in comparison)
Topped off by seeing a young man (normal looking) standing outside the newsagent in Comrie chatting to other folks with dogs etc, with his immaculately clean, quaffed and harnessed... sheep on a lead. No one else was batting an eyelid, we almost crashed into a wall. Is that a Perthshire thing? I know we've been out the country for a long time, but, sheesh!
I concur. Great place.
Sheep on lead - likely just a Comrie thing... 😉
Comrie Croft: Glorious!
Correct 🙂
Aye wee gem
I’m an hour or so away and have never been. Now the family are riding more it’s on the list for a day out.
It's awesome, and the cafe is the best I've had at a trail centre by a long way.
Lies in the Tory heartlands, hence the tweerdoes.
Totally agree! Fab place and had the trails to myself one summer evening while staying in a kata. Food at the cafe is the best.
Was the sheep's name Chris?
It's so good. Can be quite confusing to ride sometimes as their trailbuilding goes faster than their signmaking sometimes. Still never camped there but I want to some time
Hoping to revisit next week with my sons. Loved it - to be honest I love anywhere with fixed rock, but they've used it particularly well.
Only negative comment was that they'd signposted a couple of features as 'drop' so you let your speed drop, only to find it's a gap jump and now you've got to properly huck to try and clear it!
It's definitely a place where knowing the trails helps...
Yep, it's a great wee track. 20 minutes drive from home, we are spoilt.
hmmm 4h 40mins for me - ah well
Excellent track. Compact but hard work - rewarding though.
Young man will be a pimp.
Topped off by seeing a young man (normal looking) standing outside the newsagent in Comrie chatting to other folks with dogs etc, with his immaculately clean, quaffed and harnessed… sheep on a lead.
I thought Aberdonians had to stay at home
hmmm 4h 40mins for me – ah well
Closer to 9 for me! Still been.
Best wedding I have ever been to was there. Surreal as we were riding bikes at 11 and watching them get hitched at 1. Cafe and bike shop are as already said, amazing.
AlexSimon
SubscriberOnly negative comment was that they’d signposted a couple of features as ‘drop’ so you let your speed drop, only to find it’s a gap jump and now you’ve got to properly huck to try and clear it!
They're quite bold with the optional features, too- stream gap black option on the blue frinstance. I think they're all intended as "stop and have a look" but that's not really obvious.
Still never camped there but I want to some time
I can heartily recommend it, camped on the upper meadow and the lower field, both had plenty of space. Meadows midweek were quiet (schools were in, was late August IIRC) and we pretty much had it to ourselves. Fires are fine and if it rains there is the communal log house with a fire and suspended grill for your 40 man bbq needs. Firewood is on a trust system, one bag was plenty for us over a couple of nights.
Actually considering a Kata later in the year, they look pretty damn cosy!
The Singlespeed champ's there last year were great fun as was the wee festival, Cream o' the Croft I think it was called back in 2017. Going back in a couple of weeks, it's only about 2 1/2 hours south for us 🙂
Some decent bigger rides in the area too, you can head out of the TC car park and right at Fordie lodge, up to Braefordie, and then take the track that heads off to Turret reservoir. You can return from there a few different ways, or carry on along the east of the water, before heading up and over Choineachainn hill, all 787m of it, then descend back down to dam wall, and down via dry den and a few miles back along the road to CC.
It's lovely.
https://www.strava.com/activities/280460482#8516536560
Just noticed that they don't take campervans over 6m 🙁
I guess I'll have to find somewhere close instead. Shame - it looked idyllic.
Current plan is Whinlatter, Dalbeatie, Glentress, Comrie Croft with a day in between each for non-biking stuff. My teenage sons love trail centres, so there seems little point in hunting out trailforks on this occasion - they are often a bit much for my youngest - and definitely harder in the wet. Smidge at the ready!
What's a Kata- is that like a Finnish Kota but full of felines?
It a type of wigwam but from north Europe I think
Just noticed that they don’t take campervans over 6m 🙁
Might be worth persevering with that one. We tried to book a stay 2years ago and were told they had no space. We arrived for a day jaunt to find a whole huge carpark where we could easily have stayed.
Also, their choice of tiny kids' elbow and knee pads is amazing.
Loads of room in carpark for visiting but the camper van area it pretty tight so that is probably why the max length requirements comes in.
I love Comrie, there has been some real thought put in to the trail building and the whole place has a lovely chilled out vibe.
Cheers for posting that NoBeer, looks great.
swavis - ona. singlespeed?!?!? I can hear my knee tendons snapping just thinking about that!
@TheBrick It's the Swedish word for the same thing. "Kåta" - shortened from "Tältkåta".
I think it might even be pronounced the same. Popularised by Tentipi (who used to be called Moskoselkåtan. The same tent is also called "Lavvu"
Our cats are definitely not allowed anywhere near mine! Can you imagine the carnage if they tried to climb up the walls! Shudder.
@richmtb - agree with the chilled-out vibe thing. Reminds me a lot of the kind of enterprise we saw around New Zealand.
+1 for it being an awesome Singlespeed champs last year. The climbs weren't too bad, I managed n-1 laps as I'd told myself I was going to keep going until I was lapped. But the rockyness, by the final descent I couldn't grip the bars enough to pick them up! Possibly not helped by having ridden 200+ miles to get there, but still......
Reminded me of places like Stainburn, Guisborough, and the Swinley Clubhouse trails. Not a huge network, but focused on trail building and features rather than miles. I'd actually disagree with the the OP, it's very unnatural, but in a different way to the usual "big bmx track" of most trail centers.