[Closed] Where's rideable Central Scotland?

Comrie just posted that almost all trails are clear...

Okay, thanks for that, Comrie is one of my favourites.

Anyone ridden Comrie Croft recently? How is it? I've never been. I'm thinking of driving up from Glasgow on Saturday morning.

Havent ridden Comrie since october of last year but it is one of my favourite places to ride, if a bit challenging at times!

I am not far from Carron Valley so I tend to go up there if it is just a short ride, could be an option for you? Gets a bit samey after a while though.  Cathkin Braes is another option but not sure if it is open yet as they had closed it for a bit to build new trails and a pump track.

I did a wee lap of the red DH, then down the blue last night. There were a few puddles on the rocky bits of the red, but it wasn't muddy and was flowing really well.

I think Comrie is a great place to ride. Very natural and technically challenging compared to most trail centres.

^ what ceept said

Love Comrie.  About a 3 hour round trip for me so we often combine it with a camping trip but a day trip isn't out of the question, do some bits twice to make it worth the trip.  Only ever been when it was sunny though, bet it's tricky in the wet.

We need a STW meet up at Comrie.  I nominate Matt to.organise.

Hmmmm, that takes skills such as organisation, communication and responsibility.

Things I lack..

Great. I'll head up to Comrie on Saturday morning then for a wee solo ride around red and blue. Have done Carron Valley a couple of times. Not had the Hightower at Glentress yet, but that's a bit of a trek! Comrie looks doable so long as I get back in time to go out with the wife and kids in the afternoon.

Just remember the layout at Comrie is a bit confuzzledy - at decision rock take the right path, up the hill on first pass, then take the left fork downhill at second pass.

Upper Red for the win.

Yep, the very top red, (kinda straight on/slightly right at decision rock and climbing a bit more then following the boundary wall along the back) is my fav at the moment. The guys @ the shop have little maps & will point you in the right direction.

We were working on a new red/black route at the trail building day a couple of weeks ago. There is lots of work still to do, but Tom, Bill and the guys are out most days & its going to be awesome!

We've got a really busy few months, but I'd be up for a late summer/autumn meet (probably after schools back) if someone (Matt apparently) wants to organise it.

Cheers. I'll try to find my way to the top!

We need a STW meet up at Comrie.  I nominate Matt to.organise.

https://www.muckmedden.co.uk/our-events/cream-o-the-croft/

I'm marshalling at CoTC, see you all there.

I was at the build on the Saturday, great day and the trail is going to be superb (not got the fitness, skill or baws to ride it yet though!), no building this weekend though...:-(

I am not far from Carron Valley so I tend to go up there if it is just a short ride, could be an option for you? Gets a bit samey after a while though. Cathkin Braes is another option but not sure if it is open yet as they had closed it for a bit to build new trails and a pump track.

CV and the braes? Do you not like the OP?

pretty much anywhere is ridable in central scotland

cathkin hasn't been closed at all but it is shit lol

Probably depends on what you class as rideable, still a lot of wetness about on higher ground and it'll still get chewed and ripped up...it's rideable as there is no snow/ice, but probably sensible to not ride so it can dry a bit more (hahaha, needs several days of nae rain for that!).

So is it old-skool/outdoor access/responsible usage rideable or just somewhere that can be ridden over despite the underlying conditions?

Matt / Ceept

Been looking at the route around Comrie on Trailforks. I think what you are saying is to go up and do the Euans Excuses loop passing the top red descent, then as you start second lap, take the descent? Is the blue worth a lap too? Or just do the red again if I have time?

The blue at the end is wicked fun!. Cracking loop up to loch turret from Comrie too, lovely views.

Thanks nobeer.

Yep, don't miss the blue fun...

local ale rides vary from old skool Turret and summit Ben Chonzie, through to nu school Enduro steeps on Crieff Knock...

Anyone have a gpx for the turret loop please? If I have time.

If you still have time and the legs, pop into Crieff hydro and ride the trails there,Tom has but a phenomenal amount of trails up there,

That was the hardest red I've ridden. I say ridden, but I walked parts of it and bottled the red descent half way down. Seems a lot tougher than Glentress. I'm a big scaredy cat.

Probably not that much of a scared cat, glentress isn't known for the challenges of the graded routes, so they can 'suggest' that the same grade elsewhere should be as 'easy'...I'd say glentress grades are on the easier side of the grades (says me who struggles to ride the red at glentress as I'm so out of shape and practice!). If the red was challenging you then it was a successful ride as next time you have a gauge to better yourself against.

Comrie is bloody awesome, they're always building too (one of the reasons the signage is confusing is they dig faster than they signpost). But it's harder than some other places- not just because of the individual features but because they're quite packed in, Comrie doesn't do the thing where it's like feature- 50 metres of vaguely wiggly trail- feature, they don't have time for all that so it's sometimes THING! THING! THING! with no recovery time. So even stuff that you'd just steam down at Glentress, can be a bit pricklier because it's got something else to do at the end.

Which is awesome! But less easy. Also probably the only blue in the world with a big stream gap option.

Perfect summary Northwind. 👌🏻

I think part of the problem was my fork which was setup great for the West Highland Way. I've stuck another token in now to make it less wallowy. Also I think my XL Hightower is too big for me so as an experiment post ride I've now whacked on my son's spare 40mm Hussefelt stem in place of my 50mm Renthal. Looks ugly but maybe livens the front end and makes moving around the bike easier. Will need to wait until next weekend to try it.

I stopped off at Carron Valley on the way home. Rude not to.

My biggest issue with Comrie was the regular steep rocky sections. Especially the one near the start of the top red descent. One thing I'm not confident with is large drops or steeps.

Maybe they should call the Blue route a qualifier?  It's pretty rocky for a blue but I'm thinking once you've done that you might be a bit better prepared for what to expect on the red.  The red is full on for its length, as he said, there's no let up between the features and if you're having a bad day there's no way of easing yourself back in.  We were supposed to be there this weekend, doh.

Yeah, I finished up on the blue. That was a blast.

I was at Comrie today and I had a flipping brilliant time, twice round the red finishing with the black decent down to the croft(brilliant that bit) and some blue after my legs were ruined...i even manage to do some jumps that weren''t shit.

It's been a while for me and yes it is more challenging than most trail center grades...the exposed bedrock has lots of places to catch your wheel if you mess up your line choice. You definitely have to be switched on.

I actually met a father & son halfway up the red climb on rental bikes clearly out of their depth(they were attending the wedding later ), I tried to direct them back onto the fireroad and down the blue, sure enough back at the Croft later the young lad had come a cropper and done his wrist in, it looked painfully swollen. Maybe the shop and/or signage could be a bit clearer, because it can bite back.

I'm still working up the courage to do the black from the top of decision rock

I do like a bit of comrie but could do without the climb, that ****s my lungs up 🙁

I enjoyed the climb the most. 🙂 I was totally out of my depth everywhere else. I think I need some mid-life-skills-lessons. 😀

I think I saw that same father and son and just assumed they knew what they were doing.

I don't mind the climb, you can go at it at a decent pace and it's not really long enough to hurt too bad, 4 or 5 times up it though, it hurts a bit more!. The descents are a bit similar in nature to how I feel about Kirro black, you really need to keep your speed up to get the best out of them, great wee set up, need to get back soon.

It's funny you say that - I met a couple of riders on the way up who said the same - keep your speed up on the descent. By the time I reached the second ragged drop into a tight landing that I really wanted to roll instead, I was off and walking. 🙂 So much for keeping my speed up.

if I can mince down it anyone can

Top mincing!

Comrie in the sun = ace.

I love how intense and challenging it is. Upper Red demands you keep momentum up in many places, black takes reactions and predict gears.

Blue is just FUN!

(Ace mincing!)

Top mincing!

I don't think anyone does it better or louder ha ha ha ha

That's it folks, last weekend the trails were perfect the weather was sublime. So now hunker down and grin and bare it, and wait till next year for it to happen again.

Got Ten under the Ben this weekend, forecast is for rain all week at the Fort.

Been up to Cathkin twice this week (the benefits of paternity leave!) and I am impressed with the new trails, skills area and pump track - a complete transformation.  I didnt really enjoy the trails prior to this and tended to avoid The Braes as I didnt fancy pedalling up huge rocks and over dog shit!

The area has lots of potential to be even better and hopefully they keep everything maintained as this is one of the things that let them down previously.