Innerleithen — World-class 7Stanes MTB in the Tweed Valley

Innerleithen is a small town in the heart of the Tweed Valley that’s known worldwide for its incredible mountain biking trail network. With two 7Stanes mountain biking trail centres at Glentress Forest and Innerleithen, plus many more trails at Golfie, Cademuir, Yair and Thornielee, it’s not hard to see why.

Unlike nearby Glentress Forest, which has a huge selection of routes for all abilities, the trails surrounding Innerleithen are suited to more experienced riders.

From the town, the main hub of trails are to the south in Traquair Forest, which makes up the Innerleithen 7Stanes site, also known as ‘Inners’. Here you’ll find red and black-rated trails as well as multiple downhill runs that’ll test even the most skilled riders. There’s also a longer XC loop that extends up over the moorland onto old drovers’ tracks for more natural riding. To the north of the town, there are also fantastic and challenging options at Caberston, which is more commonly known as ‘Golfie’, as the trails are in the woods above the golf course.

You’ll find five Tours proposed here, which include a red-rated trail ride, the Innerleithen XC loop, downhill runs, some more natural trails on Golfie and a longer XC ride over Minch Moor to the well-known Three Brethren. With so many ace trails so close to the town, there’s no wonder this part of the Tweed Valley has become a mountain biker’s paradise.

The Tweed Valley is a cracking destination for a MTB weekender or holiday, with many campsites, guesthouses and hotels that cater well for mountain bikers, not to mention the great cafes and pubs! There’s also some great bike shops, as well as guiding and coaching companies located in the valley if you want to skill up while you’re visiting too.

Unlike many other trail centres, you won’t find a central hub with a cafe, bike hire and bike shop at Inners, but there are plenty of facilities in the nearby town for bike guiding, rental, cafes and corner shops.

There’s plenty of parking at the base of Traquair Forest, and the Adrenaline Uplift shuttle bus service is an option if you want to minimise pedalling and maximise downhill time! You’ll need to book this in advance, and the service runs between 9am and 3pm (extended hours available on summer Wednesdays) with buses every 15 minutes.

Unfortunately this part of Scotland is not served by trains, so you’ll either need to reach Innerleithen by car, or take the X62 Borders Bus which has a rack on for a couple of bikes.

For a greater range of trail options in nearby Glentress Forest, check out: komoot.com/collection/1055564/glentress-forest-7stanes-mountain-biking-in-the-tweed-valley