Great for a wee day out (or longer) in Central Scotland

 

If you live in the central belt of Scotland and fancy a spot of mountain biking but don’t have a whole day to spare then think about heading to Carron Valley Mountain Bike Trails. Carron Valley MBT sits next to the Carron Valley Reservoir and can be accessed from the B818 via Denny from the East or via Fintry from the West. It is only about 20-30mins drive from the M80 but, once there, it does feel like you are in a remote location.

In terms of MTB grading it is Red (difficult) and it is approx 5 miles long. However, there are options to just stick to the forest roads if the trails through the forest are too much for you and your fellow riders. The Runway section, in particular, is a fast technical descent which brings you back down to the car park and is perhaps best taken slowly first time down unless you are confident with berms, jumps and drop-offs.

Carron Valley MBT is well maintained by Forestry Commission Scotland and the car park area includes toilet facilities, picnic tables and most weekends there is a trailer selling coffee & cake (check out their fb page to confirm thebunnycoffeehutch). For non-riders there is the option to use the walking trails which are also available from the car park while the rest of your group tackle the bike trails.

Carron Valley sits on the challenging Crow Road/Tak Ma Doon  circuit (approx 26.5 miles) which is a well known route for road cyclists. If you are really keen then there is scope to turn your visit into a very full day by combining the Crow Road/Tak Ma Doon circuit with the Carry Valley MBT although you have to be prepared to tackle the long climbs and descents on the road circuit on a mountain bike. Alternatively cycle to it from your home and let SLM Cycle Transport bring you back (or vice versa)!

Here is a condensed 2 minute ‘bike trailer view’ of the road coming up to Carron Valley MBT from the Denny side, then heading west alongside the Carron Valley Reservoir before descending the Crow Road towards Lennoxtown…..

However, just a little warning, if you don’t like travelling backwards on a bus or a train this video may not be for you….. 

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