Dumfries & Galloway – Mountain Biking Hotspot

With all the outdoor activities available in Dumfries and Galloway, mountain biking is one of the most exhilarating. With a range of different forests and tracks for all abilities. From beginners, families and experts, it’s something that everyone should definitely look into whilst on your visit to Dumfries and Galloway.

Where to go

Mabie Forest – The perfect place to start out, Mabie features a superb variety of green, blue and red tracks. So no matter your skills level you won’t be disappointed. There is even a skills area for honing your technique so you can push onto some of the harder tracks.

Ae Forest – A hub for locals and visitors alike, Ae forest has some amazing technical forest tracks and more open smoother rides for those looking for the speed factor that you can achieve with downhill mountain biking. With a dedicated team that live and breathe mountain biking, the owners of the Ae bike shop are always creating new sections and you can always find new trails no matter how many times you visit here.

Kirroughtree – Here you will find some of the best forest trails for working on your technical skills. There is also a visitor centre located here so you can get a much-required refreshment after a hard days biking.

Dalbeattie Forest – With its coastal location and lack of big hills this forest has a much more relaxed feel when it comes to biking. But this makes it far from dull. Renowned amongst the 7stanes trail centre for its technical stages, granite features and outstanding views. It’s perfect for anyone of any age to get a feel for what you can do on a mountain bike.

Glentrool – Perfect for families and beginners, Glentrool offers an easy green and moderate blue route as well as a long forest road-based ride. All with stunning scenery it’s the perfect place to start out and see what Galloway is all about.

Competitions

Ae forest is host to a number of series stages throughout the year. The first being the Northern Downhill Race held on the 10th of February 2019. Up to 200 bikers descend and take to the tracks and battle it out for the fastest time. Open to everyone, it’s a great competition to get involved in if you think you have what it takes to compete.

Ae forest is also going to be part of 2 stages for the Scottish Downhill Series. The first stage held in May and the last stage in September. This series sees some of the best riders in the country compete to come out on top. And is a great event if you want to go and watch the action involved with downhill mountain biking.

Safety

It’s important to say that although mountain biking is a great outdoor sport it isn’t without its dangers. Make sure that you are equipped with a full face helmet and knee pads for the extreme tracks and take care to watch out for others that may be using the forests as well. If you take the correct safety measures and are aware of your surroundings at all times, then you will be sure to have an exhilarating experience here in Dumfries and Galloway’s forests.