Off up north for our holiday in a month or so, can anyone recommend me some routes or where a good source is for Perthshire?

Cheers.

Guess it depends whereabouts you'll be, but Kenny Wilson's book has two good routes from Dunkeld. Glas Tulaichean is a rideable munro just inside Perthshire on the Braemar road.
The singletrack trail guide thing has a good one starting from Pitlochry – check their Northern Scotland section.

Guess it depends whereabouts you'll be, but Kenny Wilson's book has two good routes from Dunkeld, plus the excellent Glen Tilt circuit from Blair Atholl. Glas Tulaichean is a rideable munro just inside Perthshire on the Braemar road.
The singletrack trail guide thing has a good one starting from Pitlochry – check their Northern Scotland section.

Don't know how I managed a double post! Sorry about that.

We're staying in Auchterarder if that's any clearer.

Did this on sunday. Some cracking singletrack on the decsents and along the river around kiliecrankie.

You're right next to the Ochils!

Auchterarder is just a couple of miles from Blackford.
There's a distillery in Blackford and the route below goes there!
http://www.stirlingbikeclub.org.uk/ride/mtb/glendevon_300504.shtml

Or, you can do this route:
http://www.crispinbennett.freedomnames.co.uk/AndrewGannel.htm

and return on road via Sherrifmuir, or via Dollar and Glen Quay and down to Gleneagles. There are then farm tracks etc west of the the main road.
(I think this is the one in Kenny's book – he starts at Gleneagles railway station)

You've also got Glen Borland – which runs from GlenDevon (starting right behind the old youth hostel).

Comrie Croft is 15 miles away and has some lovely trails built there – will keep you occupied for a couple of hours.
Crispin

I'm in north Perthshire, near Aberfeldy. Loads of routes in the area. One classic is the Beinn a'Ghlo circuit, called Glen Tilt in the Kenny Wilson book. Email me if you want some suggestions

All good recommendations, the BG circuit is good, so long as you do it the right way round.

The KW book has a good few rides around where you will be. Loch Ordie is good too for an easier day out. Although the KW book doesn't take you on the "best" route round IMO. You can up the single track content by 75-80% if you take the right trails, if you want a slightly more challenging ride. Take a look if you want a map/way points let me know.

On Saturday I rode up and down Ben Chonzie (munro) from Comrie then spent a bit of time on the twisty trails at Comrie Croft, great afternoon's riding.

The climb up Ben Chonzie's rideable pretty much all the way, most of the height is gained on a rough landy track with big loose stones. Hard to get traction in some places. Not the most technical, but a fun fast descent.

j_me, you based in these parts? Profile just says Scotland. If you are, may be worth hooking up for a ride at some point. My email is in my profile if you want to ping me off the forum

Is the Kenny Wilson book still available?

Is the Kenny Wilson book still available?

Dont know to be honest. I just tried to find my copy, if you promise to mail it back to me (and I manage to find it) you can borrow mine if you want.

anynoe know if there's a riverside path up the Earn from Crieff to Comrie?

Rode the Beinn A'Ghlo circuit recently in the anti-clockwise manner favoured by the forum. Wasn't convinced I hadn't ridden up the best bit of single track on the route rather than down even though the bit after the Fhealer(?) Lodge was good in places.

The first edition of Kenny's book is now out-of-print.
Copies can occasionally be found on second hand websites (Abebooks etc).

The second edition is being written at the moment and there's more info here
http://www.mountainbikescotland.com/Aboutthenebook.html

Feel drop me an email if you want GPS tracks for any of the routes I've mentioned.

Kinoul Hill just outside Perth?

Balfa – do you have gps tracks for your route? where do you start / stop?

capt'n m. i'm just down the road from you if you're looking for folk to ride with. knee's a bit wrecked at the moment but not unrideably so!

swiss01 – sorry to hear about the knee. Give me a ping – mail in profile

Balfa – do you have gps tracks for your route? where do you start / stop?

No GPS I'm afraid. I'm not that technologically advanced yet. I actually parked in Pitlochry Theatre which is just south of the map. I reckon its probably the best place to finish at as you finish on a high with the best of the singletrack from above tenachry all the way back to the bridge over loch Faskally.

Balfa – I've tried to plot your route out online – would you mind taking a look and letting me know if its right?

Gpsies.com

thanks

Dumyat and Andrew Gannel Hills (Ochils). Both are really good but be prepared for a couple of steep techy bits especially before the steps descending Andrew Gannel 8O.

Balfa – I've tried to plot your route out online – would you mind taking a look and letting me know if its right?

Pretty much. A few notes though.

The small section of trail North west of coronation bridge till you meet the double track at the couple of buildings is a bit wet and not great riding but only short. When I do it again I think after crossing the bridge I might go south east and take in the singletrack along that way before going north to the road.

You got the bit at Fincastle right. They don't like you taking the East option through the house.

At junction in the trail that starts in the church carpark at 915628. It looks like you've taken the uphill left option. I just continued straight on. I don't think you could go wrong with your trail choice in here all of them were sublime. I'd be interested to hear what the high one was like. I was also tempted to head back along the west side of the river on the lower path once I reached the house. Not sure how passable this trail is though as the trail has been blocked at the bridge to the south with a small fence. Might just be the landowner being fussy though.

I didn't go through the caravan park at 914606. There is nice singletrack along the riverside all the way round towards the jetty. Its just not on the map. Similarily you also missed out a little bit of singletrack at 919596. There is a trail along the waterside all the way the to clunie bridge from here.

Its probably been my favorite route so far this year. Lovely descents. Quite alpine in feel. The descent to Blair Athol has an old drovers track which is worn into the ground and zizags back and forward. This has formed lovely natural grassy berms to fly down. There is an other more direct path but you'd be missing out if you took it.

Hope that made sense.

Thanks for the ideas folks – looks like the Mrs will be on her own worse than if we went to Croyde for a fortnights surfing. 😀

Thanks for the offers of GPS routes, unfortunately technology hasn't hit the J household yet.

The Beinn a'Ghlo route is a classic, as umpteen folk have said. And the Queen's Rd route north of Dunkeld is good fun, for a few hours.

Balfa – much appreciated – many thanks.

Hi. My first post but I live in Perth…..

You could get in the car and go up to Laggan, Wolftrax mountain bike centre…..about an hour and half from Auchterarder but well worth the journey! There is a good bike shop and cafe there and you can pay to get an uplift with a landrover if you want. Love it and there are graded runs including a wicked black.

Pitmedden forest which is about a 10 min drive from Perth on the St. Andrews road is great. Park your car in the little car park at the bottom of the landrover track. Ride up and then explore all the lovely singletrack up there.

You can find some lovely jumps and shortish rides up at Deuchny Wood up past Kinnoul hill in Perth itself. Ride up the road or take your car park at deuchny woods.

Moncreiffe hill is ok as well It's high up and lets you have a good look around the Perthshire area although fairly short and more of a walking path.

There are nice rides around Pitlochry including the LONG Glen Tilt loop which has been mentioned in an earlier post. If you want something a little shorter pop into the bike shop in Pitlochry(escape route) at the bottom end of town and speak to Kevin in there and he will provide you with some maps.

Dunkeld has lovely routes. Hermitage car park off the A9.

Pop into Perth City Cycles and Richards bike shop in Perth and speak to the guys in there as well. Good guys in both shops.

Comrie Croft trails
Red quite technical, black steep and technical. Very natural and don't feel built at all. Great trails. Maybe 1hr and a half – 2hrs.

Dumyat- Bridge of Allan Woods
I park at Blairlogie Kirk theb up the v steep road and thru the gate then singletrack rode and push. Then off the back at the summit, down along past the reservoir and thru the woods keeping the golf course on your right then back thru Bridge of Allan (back roads) to Stirling Uni, going behind the Uni wall on the RofW.

Ben Chonize is sweet singletrack from about half way up once on the ridge/summit plateau. Sweet trail.

Pitmedden – was ruined a bit by forrestry cutting but it's nearby too. could be combined with Blairadam.

Nick

Balfa: Did your route shown above yesterday; with the addition of the Ben Y Vrackie loop. What a cracking ride especially the descent off of Craig Fonvuick. Only, are you sure you rode the Tenandry to Killiecrankie section: We found it un-walkable, let alone ride-able…didn't look loke anyone had gone that way in the last 10 years!!

chickenman – I think you must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. It was very much ridable. Infact it was the best bit of the route! Did you find the trail starting in the church carpark by the stream? The trail went a little vague after 50-100m or so and I initially went the wrong way ( I think veering to the right) but retraced my tracks quickly and found the proper trail. The trail was very well defined. It appeared to be old man made stalking track leading to the big house. Didn’t look like it gets much use and was covered in a nice layer of leaves.

Balfa:-First of all appologies for making my question sound rude.
We did indeed bear right, lost the path, hiked downhill to the path above the river which is not ridable at all in its present condition. After a km we turned tail back to Tummel Bridge (this bit not rideable either).

No problem. Had forgotten that first little bit being vague. Its good to know that the riverside isn’t ridable on that side. Saves a hikeabike the next time I try it.