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My wee boy is 6 and his big sister is 8. I'm wanting to get them more involved in biking and they do enjoy going out on their bikes anyway. What I'm looking for is decent places to take them to help develop their skills and stamina.
We've been to Pollock Park, Mugdock, over to Whitelees on occasion. I've had them at Glentress a few times but that's a bit of a non starter just now with the masterplan under construction and obvious distance. They both last about 60-90 minutes before getting tired I reckon. Looking for undulating terrain. Beecraigs is ok. I don't mind a drive of 30-45 minutes and I'm living on the north side of the city and I've got Trailforks.
Any help is greatly appreciated 👍
The green and blue trails at Canada Woods cafe / Greenrig cycles sounds perfect for them. Situated on the back road between Bonnybridge and Falkirk.
Craig
Aberfoyle? its around 30-45mins from North Glasgow. Ok, its gravel/firetracks, but good to get basic bike skills and stamina up and miles of off road....
Canada Woods is a great option, this there at the weekend with a 6 year old cruising the green, blue and the wee skills area.
1 question in return - where do you take the kids in Mugock? Can think of a few areas, but always find a plan I have in mind (for small people) comes unstuck at some point
Comrie Croft
+1 for Cathkin Braes.
I mean you dont have to horse it down. Kids pottering along will handle most runs.
Pollok estate is easy to get to, and has the cafe in the gallery,or the big house for after ride tea and buns.
Get them to the pump tracks at Cathkin and Knightswood. They will get confidence on the bike and learn braking and body position. Cathkin also has a few wee rough bits that they can ride. Don't forget about general riding about. That gains fitness and confidence on the bike. I got my kids to learn how to ride down stairs and then progress to jumping them. You'll be surprised what you can find.
The pumptrack chat just reminded me - Bellshill is great. Pumptrack, bigger pumptrack and bigger jump line plus some wee trails beside it to play on
Comrie croft is a fun day out too.
Coffee/hot chocolate and cake at the cafe will perk up kids and parents! Great selection of trails from a fun/skills area up to their larger blue, red and black trails..
Just added Bellshill as a potential place to stop on my way back from Fort William!
Just added Bellshill as a potential place to stop on my way back from Fort William!
Not sure Bellshill will know what to do with its first ever tourist (its a bit of a rough town with not much). But its good to know about the pump track there, I had only vaguely heard of it!
Apart from the climb from the start, Comrie Croft would be great - Cookie Monster would be a great laugh for a young rider! A Tow rope for the pair of them could be helpful...
Canada Wood would be good (but I'm biased)...also has the Falkirk Wheel and a Roman fort (now just a load of grass with some interpretation boards plonked around it) very nearby. Oh and a UFO site!
Cathkin Brae has some good stuff that would work for younger riders as well...
What about the canal? I don't really know the history along the way but is there a stretch you could ride and do stuff at? The biking is more a secondary thing as it is getting them to the next wee adventure (which helps encourage fitness and confidence).
Are Glasgow Riderz still going? I did my level one with a few of them about 4 or 5 years ago.
Clydesdale Colts is also near by and a very active club with about 160 junior riders getting coached (not all at once).
Another vote for Canada woods. My kids have also enjoyed the trials at Drumlanrig and Rik at the bike shed there does a family ride at the weekends.
2nd Rik's family ride at Drumlanrig. He's great at making it fun for the kids. The playpark at the castle is cool too.
Comrie is our local. The blue would be good, probably from the tree-line down. The top part could scare/put them off. It's very up-down, so you'll have 40 minutes of moaning, then 10 minutes of shear delight, followed by cake, the rope swing & playing in the woods.
Canada wood, I've only ridden a couple of times, so don't know so well. I think it would be a longer, less interesting ride. I think our 8 yr old would moan it's boring as not all singletrack 😂
IMO, at that age, a good bike ride involves poo-sticks & tree climbing.
Alternatively, just tour some pump tracks, Zetland (Grangemouth) is also worth a visit.
Also, further afield (weekend away), the blue at Glenlivet is great, it's undulating so not just one big climb. It might be quite long for young ones, I think we first did it at 5, and took hours, but it can be shortened in the middle. The new "bazzas berms" track there, IMO, is way better than berm baby berm.
Been a while since I've visited but Carron Valley is probably about right for that age range.
Also second big rides along the canal, catching the train to Barassie and riding to Ayr (or starting at Irvine if the tide is out) the biggest thing is to remember your idea of fun isn't necessarily anything like theirs. Flat distances are easy to cover, as soon as you throw a hill in the mix all bets are off. As for tow ropes - one is hard enough work, I couldn't do two.
Carron Valley is closed until November...
Canada wood was good with my 5 and 2 year olds.
5 year old did 5km 2 yearcold did 1.5km before getting on the yepp mini.
All three of us demolished a lemon drizzle cake afterwards.
Need to try the rest
Canada wood, I’ve only ridden a couple of times, so don’t know so well. I think it would be a longer, less interesting ride. I think our 8 yr old would moan it’s boring as not all singletrack 😂
Not sure if you’re thinking of the right trails. Green, blue and red are almost entirely singletrack. The green has around 150 metres on fire roads, the blue around the same and the red just has the section to the foot of the climb (which is singletrack coming the other) and a short bit at the top. Otherwise it’s all trails
All good info folks, thanks very much. I'll look into those groups as well.
Mashr I just start at drumclog car park and head in the way from there running kind of parallel to the WHW, crossing over it and down over a wee bridge at the river, up past the golf course and maybe a blue loop of the "reservoir woods" segment on Trailforks.
The Cuningar Loop in the southeast of Glasgow has some very easy trails and skills sections - great for learning!
https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/cuningar-loop
Trailcoach hosts a kids club in both the Glasgow and Stirling area too:
https://www.trailcoach.co.uk/kids/weekly-kids-club/