Anyone know any good Pentland Hill trails?

counterculture

usually just go out and wing it, but would be good to see if anyone else has any good routes, worth a crack!

Northwind

What bits do you usually ride? And what sort of riding? The woods around Harlaw reservoir are endlessly amusing for me, there's loads of barely rideable paths and not-even-paths all around the shore in a big web, and usually not too muddy. I could just do laps of the reservoir all afternoon I think! But that's slow nadgery stuff...

55.869922,-3.309889 (google maps)

Also 55.877118, -3.294740

There's a lovely wee bit of woods that runs down beside the farm track here... Nice visible trailheads too. I don't think most people know it's there as it's off the main loops. Very muddy just now unfortunately, I spent some time up there yesterday knocking out an alternative route to avoid the worst drained part but it's still barely passable, needs quite a bit of work. Top bit is rooty, second bit is, well, muddy. 2 nice streams to cross. Kind of classic XC stuff. I love this wee patch, I think I'll be up there with a shovel a few times through the spring. Make more use of the stony stream bed maybe.

You'll probably already know the long downhill stretch down to Glencorse reservoir from Harlaw? I love that bit, but you do need to look for the challenge otherwise it's basically just a twisty fire road for some of its length. I find myself riding the drainage ditches sometimes

counterculture

i know those places well, but like you say when the weathers crap, they tend to suffer.

im after routes for fitness and farting about really, i like going up and over to glencorse down to flotterstone (inn) and back across, i do that route more than others.

Northwind

Yeah, that's my regular too, up the big hill from Currie then over and back, or around the back of the hills pas Loganlea then back over to Balerno if I want to stretch my legs a bit more (I haven't got much range) Good fitness loops but they do lack challenge really, I just find myself hitting the downhills too fast to try and make them more interesting.

Hmm. One I've not ridden is to do the same route, Harlaw up the hill then down to Glencorse, then around the reservoir and do the five hills, Turnhouse, Carnethy, Scald Law and the Kips... Then either the same route back, or up to Bavelaw. Lots of climbing in there, I doubt I could do it as yet but once my leg's stronger I'll give it a crack.

counterculture

you talkin about that beast of a hill thats on the road, it splits up the top to glencorse on the left and i think nine mile burn(not sure if thats right) on the right thats a beast, not the best way to start your Pentlands trip.

counterculture

you talkin about that beast of a hill thats on the road, it splits up the top to glencorse on the left and i think nine mile burn(not sure if thats right) on the right thats a beast, not the best way to start your Pentlands trip.

Northwind

Aye, that's the one. It'd be hard for me to start anywhere else since I live just on the other side of the river But yeah, it's an absolute sod.

counterculture

thats where i usually start too..... its character bulding

Northwind

If you ever ride up that road, then up the farm track, and find a complete human wreckage sat on the big rock at the foot of the first bit of singletrack by the woods, say hello- that's where I always collapse

I did find a bit of an interesting diversion on sunday night, I got a bit enthusiastic on the loop past Loganlea and started off up what looked like a nicely benchcut path that leads away from one of the stiles. It started out fine, bit steep but rideable, then it got tricky, then I started pushing, then I ended up carrying, but the view from the top is pretty interesting, there's 3 routes back down and I reckon either one of the westerly ones would be rideable downwards. I doubt I could get up either but maybe a better rider could, it'd be tough. The third went off out of sight in a big traverse. I didn't have the nerve to try it at night though.

Erm, round about here:

848594, -3.312716

leading up to here:

55.850268,-3.311579

You can see the trails pretty clearly... There's a footpath that leads right over to glencorse from there, skirting around Black Hill, but I couldn't see where it leads, too dark. Over the top of the big scree slope that you pass on the main trail.

I still can't decide what way to ride that 4-reservoirs loop, the western section from Bavelaw to Loganlea is nice to climb but it'd be lovely downhill I reckon. But it'd be a crying shame to lose out on the big descent to Glencorse, that's definately the sweetest bit of riding I've found in the pentlands.

counterculture

aye i know the one that skirts round black hill, i hit it during the summer, was much fun.

its been too long since ive been up that way, will have to remedy that soon.

Northwind

Yeah, it was really slippy when I was up there, decent sized stones on mud but the stones were slipping and squashing underfoot. I fancy a go once it dries out but there's a bit of a drop if you fall off the wrong side

Northwind

You know the big deadly climb up from Currie, from the river/kirk up to the farm track? Don't ever ride that again You might already know this track but I suspect not since you'd probably use it if you did.

Instead of going up there, start up the hill but turn left at the first junction (Blinkbonny Road). RIde along there for a couple of hundred metres til you find an S bend going downhill, and a house called Braeburn House (I think). just before the S bend and to your right is a manmade trail that runs up beside the old Glenburn Hotel then through a wall (the trail forks here, go through the wall not along it) and up, you get a lovely rolling singletrack with some minor technical features, much better climb than the road- it's like a Glentress blue climb really. It comes out on Harlaw Road, which is the road that goes off to the left just as you carry on up the farm track.

Or, better still, ride down it I've hated that so much of the height I gain at the start of my rides gets wasted coming down on tarmac, never again! You can link the downhill to a short flight of wood-and-earth steps that leads down to the water of leith, and directly into the abandoned mill site there which has some fun riding in it, if you don't mind the increased chance of impaling yourself on a steel post and never being found...

Funny, apparently we used to go walking there when I was a kid but I could never find it til yesterday, I got driven into the woods for shelter by the wind and there it was, signposted and everything.

counterculture

i know the mill site, but i dont know the track, so ill have a look for it next time.hills.

Northwind

It's quite well signposted from the mill... But the first stretch is almost all steps. Actually much easier to find from the top though.