[Closed] Trails near Golspie

It's not answering your question - but remember to look up Balblair if you're up at Golspie.

As for accommodation - if you're looking for camping, I've stayed at the campsite in Dornoch and it was pretty good- everything you'd expect re: showers and other facilities and right down on the beach.

I saw the Balblair stuff. Never ridden it. Any good?

Balblair is awesome. I prefer it to Golspie.

Loads of slickrock, a really cool climb on little rocky step-ups. It's tip top.

There must be a way to link Balblair to Golspie, as you can see the landrover track from the top.

Balblair is ace- I love Golspie too mind but Balblair has more of its own character. You need to be happy riding up, over, and along things as well as just down though.

I started this thread on the subject a while back, not all of the responses seemed totally useful 😉

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/tempt-me-out-of-the-trail-centres-anyone-north-east-scotland-black-isle-etc

I stay here when up at Golspie www.sleeperzzz.com its a great place to stay, pub with food just a crawling distance away and central for Golspie and Balblair and you can't go wrong for £16 a night.
Both trails are worth the visit and if you fancy a detour on the way up Learnie red rock is worth going to.
Try www.trailscotland.co.uk/forums for more suggestions as a few of the members are local to there.

Saw Sleeperzzz. Interesting concept!

There are some wonderful woodsy trails in Evanton Wood and Novar Estate, just down the road from Golspie and Balblair. You'd need GPS data or a guide to find them tho. The Blackrock caravan/campsite in Evanton has a bunkhouse.

Strathpeffer/Contin has the excellent old XC course and of course the Puffer course. I prefer Balblair too, but Golspie is addictive and flattering. Learnie Black should be avoided in the wet.

There are couple of good Orrin Reservoir routes. You can do a coast to coast to coast with a chippie and a pint in Ullapool halfway. Torridon and Tollie Path loops are within an hour's drive. So much stuff you could do if you knew where to go.

Give me a shout nearer the time if you want more detail. I live in Evanton.

Cheers Swayndo. Done the c2c before. Epic tale of thunderstorms, howling gales and the amazing self disassembling bike. Kind of put me off that. I'd be interested in some gpx files of the other stuff you mentioned.

I wouldn't regard either Golspie or Balblair as natural trails (as you requested). Golspie is great DH fun with a suspension bike and Balblair is just an overgrown playground trail with loaded with berms and wooden tracks.

There's plenty first class natural stuff in the area.

Swayndo's recommendations are spot on.

epicyclo - Member

Balblair is just an overgrown playground trail with loaded with berms and wooden tracks.

You must be thinking of somewhere else, Balblair's mostly about its bedrock- not much woodwork at all, and what's there is just to connect rock features and cross an occasional bog. Not many berms either for that matter. Still not natural mind.

Someone mentioned Learnie... Not sure I'd go back, it lost a black section to forestry and the skills loops were abandoned and falling apart when I last rode there. Still some really good riding but not a huge amount, and it seems to be missing a load of signage too (at one point there was a 5-way junction with no indication at all which way to go, frinstance). Shame.

Anyone know any trails up around Fyrish?

Northwind - Aye, I wouldn't go to Learnie again. Not brilliant in the first place and was really on its downers the last time I rode round there.

Swayndo's recommendations look promising.

Fyrish was supposed to host a round of the SXC this year so there must be trails there.
Was cancelled, as I understand due to the roadworks on the Kessok bridge, meaning it was very difficult to get to.

Northwind - Member
You must be thinking of somewhere else, Balblair's mostly about its bedrock- not much woodwork at all, and what's there is just to connect rock features and cross an occasional bog. Not many berms either for that matter. Still not natural mind.

Definitely Balblair. Maybe the disappointment has seared my memory and I only remember and over emphasise the bad bits. 🙂

I was expecting more natural tracks.

I'd sooner hike a bike through a bog than set a wheel on wooden tracks so I never knowingly go to places that have that sort of feature.

I've only been to Balblair once but I don't recall lots of wooden bits. As Northwind says, there are a couple of short sections to help connect up the rock features in places. Fantastic place for a fatbike mind, with all that traction. I'd fit a dropper post before returning though.

epicyclo - Member

I'd sooner hike a bike through a bog than set a wheel on wooden tracks

Do you swim across rivers rather than use bridges?

I had a wee google, and it turns out it's changed a bit- old pics have a lot more woodwork, some of it rather bizarrely just sat on top of bedrock. Basically, almost everywhere there was a plank on top of a rock before, you now ride on the rock instead. There's maybe 40 feet of wood left and some of that's optional.

Still no idea about the berms though, perhaps another change?

What it's mostly like:

[img] [/img]

Never ridden anywhere that's not so defined by its rocks, except mcmoab and nevis.

Northwind - Member
"epicyclo - Member
I'd sooner hike a bike through a bog than set a wheel on wooden tracks"
Do you swim across rivers rather than use bridges?

Ah, I knew there would be a response like that. Don't forget I'm responding to the OP about natural trails.

Do what you like in trail parks but I really dislike woodwork in the mountains - we may as well tarmac the trails.

I think natural trails are better if we only use the materials to hand, and if that means soggy feet, too bad.

I'll happily use a bridge if there is one where I'm going, but I'm also just as happy to wade across if there isn't.

It looks like I'm condemned to going back to Balblair to see how much my impression of the place matches what's on the ground. 🙁

Was up north over the last week, got a few good rides in.
Bikepacking trip into Sandwood bay was very good.
More recently, rode up to Fyrish monument from Evanton. Nice easy stuff up black rock gorge then up a new fire road for wind turbines. Then cut up a track through some forest and up onto the back of Fyrish. Picked up some cracking single track coming back down through Evanton woods.(Following bike tyre tracks and some yellow painted arrows!) Someone has been very busy up there. 😀

Great day out.

Some older pics of Balblair.

Balblair

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Ugh - thank goodness all that wood is gone! The rocks are great so it was unnecessary