You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Trail fund and parking £3 at Golspie Wildcat Trails.
I've just done a full loop of the black and then winched back up for a run of the red as well.
What. A. Hoot.
The shared red & black climb starts through mature woodland, switchbacking it's way uphill in a pleasant way. It kicks up a gear as you near the top of the woods on a black climb, then really kicks hard with the most technical trail centre climb I've done. Rock slabs, steps and challenges every few metres.
A nice tootle around the hill leads to an ace view that's 400m above the start at sea level.
The black starts on a fast rocky descent, with huge berms, rock bridges and a few drops.
Shortly it traverses the hill and becomes a constant stream of technical drops, all rocky and with different styles each time.
A bridge and board walk between rocks pops you into the darks woods and some trails that test even a black grade...
The red trails are rejoined halfway down the hill, where it becomes a challenge as to how fast you dare hit rock slab berms, whoops and surprise drops.
Eventually there's a jump section of table tops, a funky Shoogle around old skinny's and hectic rocky slabs around someone's garden - directly back opposite the car park.
6km+ maybe of the finest technical climb, a few km of chill then 6-7km of the finest singletack gnar and fun back down.
Really hard earned, up and down, and not your usual trail centre. Think Laggan or Comrie on steroids...
Oh yes.
(Pics uploading on dodgy holiday cottage WiFi)
Despite my best efforts I've never cleaned the Lactic Ladder. Underrated place & thanks for the reminder. I need to get back.
Agreed golspie is brilliant
Does anyone know why the trails have no signs on roads to / in Golspie?
We met a couple of folk who couldn't find the start and another chap at the top who worked on windfarms locally yet had no idea there were trails...? It seems a 'you have to know Golspie had trails' to find the trails...
They are great and totally intense
One of my favourite spots but don't get there very often as it's a long way from Yorkshire!
It is so good. That last climb's a bollocks mind. (not lactic ladder, the fireroad). Bit of everything and some actually pretty challenging stuff. Only thing I don't really like is the jumps high up, they're pretty unsighted but other'n there's hardly a bit of it that isn't ace.
matt_outandabout
SubscriberDoes anyone know why the trails have no signs on roads to / in Golspie?
It's a bit weird eh. I ended up parking in town, found the trails using a map off the internet, and then discovered the car parking at the trailhead
Looks ace.
... it's on Trailforks though so should be easy enough for people to find?
A superb spot, I found Lactic Ladder SO hard too. The climbing beforehand was sweet though. As for the descent- wow! so good, fast, technical and thought-provoking.
It's not the usual trail centre though- just a random carpark start with a cafe/ pub in the village... in this respect it reminds me of Cwmyrhaeadr or Abergorlech; not a bad thing TBH.
Last time I was there I cleaned the lactic ladder.
And then fell on my face on the way down. A handful of stitches in the local minor cuts unit, and a few weeks of drinking soup with a straw.
Been once sbout 8 years ago. Loved it. It is a long way away though!!
Abiding memories of Golspie are the simply gorgeous view from the top, the insects up there with the teeth-filled jaws, nearly coming a cropper getting my front wheel stuck in a drainage channel, and the extremely pleasant person who sold me something or other in the wee shop in the main street after the ride. A good day.
Yup - I also found it hard to find the car park - even having been before (for some type of dusk to dawn race - some time in the 2000s - can anyone remember what that might have been?). Anyway, I ended up parking in a wee lay-by parking area I found on the map, and started the ride part way through. Arrived at the car park and pay machine pretty near the end of the ride, with a climb back to the car. Very good value.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday.
it’s on Trailforks though so should be easy enough for people to find?
Agreed, if you know there's trails there.
For everyone who rides the black or red, there's multiple families driving by the town who would love the blue or green or even just the walk up. The chap we met found them as a dog walker told him - he is a rider (nice Charge Duster, just not the Strava/TrailForks gang).
Just seems a real missed opportunity for more tourists to a town.
It sounds like a great place to ride a bike but - 513 miles from my house! YIKES!
Been twice - Stayed at Sleeperzzz in Rogart.
Ace trails - Blacks a bit much for me now but the view from the top is super.
When we last went the Coffee Bothy cafe was knocking out some good cake.
There was a queue at Coffee Bothy.
Youngest_oab has announced he wants to go again this week, and that it's now his favourite trail centre ride...
Only been there once about 10 years ago but now I've move up full time it's only just over an hour to get there - on my to do list before I start my new job!
It is brilliant though but hardly ever hear it mentioned - I guess being beyond the back of beyond for most folks is probably part of the reason! But very low key when you are there too as you say. Golspie has not got THAT much going for it so you'd have thought they would have made more of it. Also lots of grippy rock that keeps on being grippy in the wet (says the man who has spent the last 20 years flapping around on lethal south downs chalk).
I have to confess - If the 10 year younger, lighter and fitter me did not clean Lactic ladder I have no hope now! That's probably a bit of a self fulfilling attitude isn't it!
As an aside - and a very different prospect - Glenlivet is only 40mins from me in the opposite direction and also on the list. Any good?
Looks for Golspie on google maps.
Is disappoint.
From memory, brown signs cost a bit of money (£1k a sign AND you need to be a member of the local Tourist Board - this is going back about 14 years though, so may be different now), so signage is going to cost a reasonable amount of money.
Again, from vague memory, I don't think tourism was the main purpose of the trails - it was a happy by-product - but that is even more blurry so likely to be total mince.
On Trailforks is great, but your average biker has no idea what that is so won't be aware of it, maybe local community need to get involved a bit more and help point it out?
Along the same lines as @JAG:577 miles from mine. Why are all the really good trails so bleedin' far away?
582 miles away and a 10 hour drive for me. I don’t think I’ll ever make it to that one!
I do have Cwmcarn / FOD only an hour away from me though, and BPW / BMCC / Afan only a bit further. Plus North Wales is also pretty epic so I can’t grumble.
12hr round trip for me 😞
I have to say I wasn't that impressed with Golspie, it was ok but I wouldn't go out of my way to ride there again. The location made up for what I thought were average trails, unless it's been massively improved in the four or so years since I visited.
Things is so hard to find these days
Along the same lines as @JAG:577 miles from mine. Why are all the really good trails so bleedin’ far away?
Well that kind of depends on where your start point is. The trails in Wales are about 500 miles from me but they tend to be considered "Must Dos".
If you're not in the north of Scotland then 7 stanes and torridon are all likely to be closer and are worth visiting first imo before making a trip specifically to Golspie.
@gonefishin It's as much a logistics as a distance issue; little things like having enough holiday and getting permission in the first place 🙂
@dc1988 Cheers for the tip. I think if we ever get to Scotland, it'll have to be for an extended stay by the sounds of it.
I guess for now I'll just have to be content with injuring myself on my local trails. Until October, assuming Wales is still open then.
I rode it with Gordy of Bothy Bikes back in 2017 and it was a scorcher of a day with stunning views, dabbed 3 times on Lactic Ladder but i was riding my scott e-genius so the extra power helped, Was my final proper mtb ride and glad we made the trip from aviemore.
Here's a photo dump for those who havn't been
[img] 
[/img]
Gordy inching his way up
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Its the law to piss on the Duke Of Sutherlands monument
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Gordy showing his disdain for the climb
Unfortunately not got any pics of the descent as it's a high speed blast all the way to the bottom
I remember I made it up all of the hard bits on lactic ladder, somehow, then got distracted on a deer and almost fell off on a completely flat corner.
It's easy to overlook but it's a really lovely location as well as the biking. Great views from the top, beach at the bottom, really diverse woodland in places, and yep the ending basically in someone's garden.
Oh and The Worst Shelter In The World, which has to be experienced. Basically, a bunch of sticks.
Glenlivet - almost the opposite of Golspie. It's a smoother, flowing trail. The 22km red is more towards a blue, with some nice features. Great views and a 'chilled' ride feel.
The new orange jump line is amazing, developed with the owners son who is a WC downhill rider, Jamie Edmondson. Folk were putting in multiple laps as it's maybe 800m in length and behind the cafe/car park.
I really enjoyed it this week, happy to go back. There were more than a free families saying how much they liked the flowing, fun, less gnar feel to blue and red.
Ace cafe as well...
Indeed. An excellent trail, and it is always windy at the top. The first time I saw Lactic Ladder I though "Oh no, what waste to time! Why build a trail like that? It is unrideable.", then cleaned it first time. Now I get anxiety everytime I ride up to it (which isn't often) as I haven't failed to clean it yet, but I know that one day the dab will come...
We went to the cafe today, too wet to ride but at least I know where it starts now. Can't decide whether to do Golspie or Balblair as I've probably only got time to do one.
Rode Golspie this morning, bit greasy after yesterdays rain. The 17 year old member of the family managed to crash three times, because he's a fearless teenager he managed to go faster after every crash. I'll be glad when he's back at diving and I can go for a relaxing bike ride.
Aye, my 15 year old crashed once and has put an immense dent in the rear rim. 🙈
I think we are back for a second play on Friday.
Did Balblair today and it's like nowhere else - trailsy and techy rock and boardwalk, up and down. Loved it.