Where do you go on your Mountain Bike

[A9RUNNER]

I went for a cycle around the tracks in Dunnet forest on my mountain bike and fairly enjoyed myself, Looking for suggestions of other places to try. There is a mountain bike trail marked on the map of dunnet forest on the website but I couldnt find it LOL!! I did have fun exploring all the other tracks though. All suggestions will be considered.

[Kathy@watten]

You need to throw your bike in the trailer and head to loch More, or Camster forest trails, or even go a spin to Rumster have done all of these with the bike all good tracks with various distances. good parking and not busy or covered in dog poo like Dunnet!

[christina]

there is a trail that takes you along thurso east right along to the base at murkle with a few bits to test your skills on its a good wee track you can start at farm or outside CLB it should take you no longer than 45 mins there and back. they say you can go all the way to castletown but not seen other track after the base.also there are a few trails up broubster forest near shebster on way to shewry and if you go to the top you get a very fast run on way back down hope this helps i have been out to dunnet forest but cant find mb trail either dunnet forest is great fun especialy at night with the lights on

[A9RUNNER]

I have tried the broubster tracks and they are good, you can get a good lick of speed going on the way back down!!Never thought about along from Thurso East might go for a look sometime soon

[dragonfly]

here's some routes taken off Caithness Cycling Club's mountain bike section
hope this gives you a bit more choice

Mountain Bike routes

[A9RUNNER]

It was nice to cycle out past Thurso East until I hit the smell of the sewage plant. I nearly boked up my breakfast!!! Not pleasant

[Richards Garage]

I couldnt find the MTB trail at Dunnet either!So i just used what ever i could find!
Rumster Forest is ok too, but like Dunnet i find it pretty short. Loch More to Loch Dhu Hotel to Altnabrec back to loch More is a fine run. You can also get off the train from Wick or Thurso at Altnabrec and go to the Glutt and onto Braemore and Dunbeath, I find that area baron but beautiful.
The forest at strathy is ok for a quiet run, ive never met anyone up there! The Wildcat trails at golspie(goes round the duke of sutherland monument that is behind the village) is excellent, we go there as often as possible, brilliant range of diffrent trails for diffrent abiilities. There are also a couple of trails near Carbsdale castle but ive never experianced them.
Learnie Red Rock on the Black Isle(near Rosemarkie) is also very good, not as varied as Golspie though. Loads of diffrent routes around Aviemore which ive used on Several occasions(too many people about at certain times of the year in my opinion) but Wolftrax at Laggan( the other side of Newtonmore) is brilliant, pretty tough, but i like it a lot(there isnt much there if you like the easy stuff). Fort William area is also excellent.The world cup trails are exteme and the witches trails offer everything, like Aviemore area they can sometimes be very busy.
If you go to any of the "proper"mtb trails there are good maps. I usually use a hard tail and on the black rated downhill sections i find a full susser far better(just my observation).

[A9RUNNER]

Thanks for all the tips. I am not sure I am good enough to try proper downhill tracks yet but one day I hope to go and have a go at Golspie.

[slinky]

thurso to the holborn head end nice view at end few gates to lift bike over but good cycle on a sunny day

[slinky]

or the salmon pool need suspension bike for at though high school side i myself have a saracen mantra done up which handles it perfect

[A9RUNNER]

Just did a loop from Thurso out towards dounreay then when you are almost at the top of scrabster hill turn left up a track. A few gates to cross but takes you out at a farm watch out for the barking collie dogs!! Then back into town again on the road. About 5 miles and quite good views today.

[castlehill]

Just did a loop from Thurso out towards dounreay then when you are almost at the top of scrabster hill turn left up a track. A few gates to cross but takes you out at a farm watch out for the barking collie dogs!! Then back into town again on the road. About 5 miles and quite good views today.

I do The thurso east run once a week when I can and once a week I try Thurso to scrabster, cycle up the path past the community center and do the Holborn head loop. Exit at lighthouse and continue back up towards thurso, then turn right to scrabster village and left at Holts, take the track on the right by the houses just after holts and follow this up across scrabster brae. You come out on the dounreay road just below the barriers corner and continue on the track across the road eventually passing the mental collie the OP posted about, from there you can find a track that takes you out by the golf club and head back to thurso. It's a good 10 mile run, not overly taxing and takes about 1 1/2 hours. I tend to alternate the direction each time.

Can thouroughly recommend the Golspie track too, it can be a hard climb if your new to MTB but the run back is heaven.

[A9RUNNER]

Do you just follow the coast around holburn head or is there a path/track, I cannot see anything marked on the ordnance survey map

[castlehill]

Yep just go up to scrabster community center and follow the road to the dissused quarry then hop over a wire fence and follow the coast, a route then becomes pretty obvious. I have some A4 plasticised maps of 3 routes if you want copies.

[A9RUNNER]

Thanks for the offer of maps but I have memory map (www.memorymap.co.uk) and a laminator can print out my own, its a great program (bit expensive). I am pretty sure I will be able to scout a route out from your directions, just wanted to make sure so I didnt end up falling into the sea !!!!!!

[the second coming]

excellent thread, i moved up a few years back from the west coast and had been spoilt by many local trails. Have been struggling to find much here without a lot of driving first and after. I think i've been a bitty lazy. Need to get the bike out the shed and get going.

[A9RUNNER]

Not manged to get round Holburn head yet but have had some fun bombing around some of the old quarry works around Weydale.

[BAND1T]

If you go out towards Loch More, you can actually cycle along the forest tracks and over the railway at Altnabreac and this will eventually take you out on the road from Melvich - Helmsdale, at Forsnain Farm

Or you could get on the train at Thurso with your bike and get off at Atlnabreac and cycle the route.

Here are some markers from multimap

http://www.multimap.com/s/grG1Otpr
http://www.multimap.com/s/hqH1QnjL
http://www.multimap.com/s/hqH0QnqL
http://www.multimap.com/s/jwD7WplR

There are lots of other tracks out there, like around Lochdhu.

Hope the links work, but otherwise have a look on multimap.

Cheers.....Gav

[daviddd]

There's a nice steep climb up Dorrery Hill - about 1 in 3 or 4 in parts, but it's probably too rough and bendy for a fast descent unless you're very brave. Great view from the top of most of Caithness.

If you turn right at the bottom when coming down from Dorrery Hill there's a 6 mile run along bridle path to Loch Caluim, with only one deer gate which opens easily. Beware both the above rides in freezing weather as there's lots of ice - or get well padded up!

I belive you can get all the way through to Dunbeath from Altnabreac / Loch More, but I've not tried this yet.

[tomacomen]

The Mtb trail at dunnet is pretty hard to find! Its very short, no rock sections or many roots, no "built" jumps (but if your going fast enough you can pump the track and get a little air) and no real hardcore stuff. Would rate it definately a blue difficulty. Good fun though just to bomb down a few times and try and get flat out through the corners. Watch out for walkers and dogs as they seem to like this trail just as much as the actual walking paths.

When at dunnet I mostly just link together a few of the walking trails with more roots and that and tan it aboot on them! good fun when you cant be bothered driving down to golspie!

Golspie red is most definately recommended! wasnt too keen on the top black sections (only have a hardtail/4x bike) but the red downhill is brilliant, smooth and flowy enough to build up your confidence until your fully foot out and off the brakes! no double jumps either so no chance of beginners coming a cropper on them!

Rumster used to have a "secret" downhill track about 5 or 6 years ago, havent been out since then. Was in the process of being built and had some good potential, havent heard anything on the radar since then though.

There are some places on the Wick side of the county, like the run out past the iron bridge at the riverside (walkers gravel trail out to the bridge then follow the single track once your over it, not much gradient but good for trying to keep a constant speed while not getting overly boring).

Although its a really simple (if not hard!) long climb and all fireroad, the climb up Blingery hill is good for getting the legs working and probs the best climb around wick. Some cracking views from the top in summer too!