Carron Valley - any good? other suggestions welcome!

mcj78

Hey all,

Looking for somewhere not too far from Glasgow for a couple of hours riding over the weekend (usually head down to Glentress but not sure if i'll get the chance to go that far this w/e) read mixed reviews of Carron valley & wondered if anyone has any knowledge of the trails there & if it's worth a look? Been up the Old Kilpatrick hills & Mugdock a couple of times with mates who know these areas well, however i'm not sure if these places require decent local knowledge instead of just turning up & expecting to find some decent trails laid out in front of you! Any other suggestions welcome, cheers!

john

craigw99

do it if you dont like it dont go again! - i live close and find it good fun

turbo1191

you could try the glen loin loop, just at arrochar.. nice 12 mile loop, mix of fire road and single track..

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/comms/s ... ardinal=10

mcj78

Cheers guys - I was asking re. Carron Valley as i'd heard it's been/being "sanitized" a fair bit & not as good as it used to be, ended up going down to Glentress & just got up earlier!

Still planning on doing more "local" stuff though in future, it's still on the list - prefer singletrack trails over fire-road / forestry stuff, there must be thousands of miles of it in the West of Scotland, it's just finding out where I suppose!

Cheers,
J

woodywmb

There are tracks either side of Darvel, Whitelee Forest to the north (now windfarm but with some tracks at the lower levels away from the turbines) and Lanfine Estate woods to the south. Carrick Forest around Dalmellington has a full range of trails from singletrack to tarred C roads running alongside Loch Doon. Above Largs there's Gogo Glen and up towards Greenock there is Loch Thom with the Greenock Cut and Kelly Cut tracks, also Leapmoor Forest at Wemyss Bay. Fairlie has tracks at the castle and Fairlie Glen. In Irvine, the Beach Park has some easy but enjoyable tracks and there are trails all over the old Bogside racecourse and disued explosives site next to the river off Sandy Road. Kilwinning boasts Eglinton Park while Dundonald offers the Smugglers Trail to Loans with swooping singletrack and various offshoot paths. Kilmarnock has limited trails at Notgnirpac Estate (access now removed) and at a dedicated area within Craufurdland fishery. The River Ayr at Auchincruive has a tiny skills area but a track on one side of the water and the River Ayr Way on the other. Muirshiel Park above Lochwinnoch has some desolate cross country paths on the route of the old Duchal Moor railway. Muirkirk has Dungavel Hill and Kype Muir paths going towards Strathaven or Black Loch Moss forest opposite Dungavel detention centre. Cumnock has tracks at Glenmuir Water heading up to Wardlaw Hill. New Cumnock has a few tracks near Afton Reservoir and more between Corsencon Hill and Glespin (access tricky because of extended opencast). There is also the River Ayr Way from Glenbuck to Ayr through Muirkirk, Sorn, Catrine, Mauchline and Failford. Sanquhar has paths along the Euchan Water to Polskeoch Bothy (Southern Upland Way) and beyond. Barr, Straiton and Dailly all have paths, eventually leading into the Galloway Forest. Sclenteuch Moor tracks between Straiton and Patna are good but difficult at Spallander Loch. Try Drumlanrig for dedicated MTB trails or Ae forest for downhilling. Glentrool , just south of South Ayrshire, has an easy MTB route through the trees and an all-day CTC created route on fire trails and farm lanes. That's BEFORE you start looking. Enjoy.

Check out the relevant OS maps or http://www.walkerscyclingclub.co.uk, which is an Ayrshire mountain biking and road cycling club.