No trails like home — Stirling MTB Rides
Mountain Biking Collection by Scotty Laughland
9
Tours
15:41 h
141 mi
23,025 ft
I've lived in Stirling for almost all of my life, and grew up developing my mountain biking skills on the trails here. This Collection includes my favourite local rides from a lifetime of enjoying these beautiful hills and valleys by bike.
These Tours are primarily MTB routes, but you might manage some of the easier cross country ones on a gravel bike if you're feeling brave! You'll also find some really tough loops with really technical riding in here that I used to train on, as well as skills parks with jumps that I use to warm up with.
Besides brilliant trails, riding around here gives you some of the most incredible views of Central Scotland, including the Trossachs, the Ochil Hills and Loch Lomond, as well as views down to Stirling itself and the castle. Just remember that when you're slogging up a climb!
On The Map
Tours & Highlights
- 00:529.32 mi10.7 mph1,150 ft1,075 ft
North Third is a classic Stirling ride. It's simply stunning, riding along the cliff tops above the reservoir with views to the Trossachs, Stirling and the castle.
The terrain here is mixed, as some sections are flat especially along the cliff tops, but to either side it's steep so makes for technical…
- 01:5719.4 mi10.0 mph4,450 ft4,450 ft
This Tour was an epic summer evening, and while a lot of this is relatively rideable, I took an E-bike. The ground is soft and often not well surfaced, so the extra power really helped here.
The descent off of Ben Cleuch was just epic. It's fast and is steep in places, a true test of your brake control…
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- 02:0728.9 mi13.7 mph2,300 ft2,300 ft
The Windmill Loop makes for a perfect cross country MTB or gravel ride.
There's a 'gentle' consistent climb up no matter which way you do ride it; I rode this anti-clockwise from Doune.
It's great fun, and really impressive seeing the wind turbines so close, and then there's a fast descent back down with…
- 02:0812.0 mi5.6 mph3,075 ft3,075 ft
This Tour was planned as a film shoot but unfortunately as we neared the top, the weather came in.
This is a round trip version of Ben Ledi up via Stand Glen and back down through Stank Glen.
It extends the descent by quite a bit, and is more 'raw' than the tourist trail of going directly up and down…
- 00:313.04 mi5.9 mph375 ft325 ft
This circular Tour is great first thing in the morning or later in the evening as a skills session.
I usually warm up on the jumps and then head out into the woods for a proper ride of the trails, on the tracks and berms that locals have built over the years in the woods there.
- 01:185.18 mi4.0 mph2,425 ft2,350 ft
This was a straight up and down ride to catch sunset, we left the carpark at 6am and after around 90 minutes were at the top. It was 100% worth it to see the whole of Stirling in beautiful light. 10 - 15 minute descent back down and it was time for coffee.
The descent down can be challenging especially…
- 01:057.77 mi7.2 mph2,300 ft2,200 ft
This is my 'everyday' ride, up to the top of Dumyat, down through Witches Craig, up to the University Woods and finishing through the Mine Woods via some steep singletrack.
I used to ride this loop to train for Enduro World Series events and have ridden in the area pretty much all of my life. The Mine…
- 01:278.48 mi5.8 mph1,950 ft2,000 ft
Aberfoyle is fairly close to home for me and has a selection of mainly technical trails. It's a great place to go practice on rooty, rocky and steep terrain.
The riding here is fairly natural and in a short amount of time you get some great riding done.
The waterfall as you reach the Go Ape centre is stunning…
- 04:1547.1 mi11.1 mph4,975 ft4,950 ft
This was the first proper ride of my SCOTT Scale XC Hardtail and the route just developed as we rode, which ended up being this beastie!
It was a true great first test for the Scale, taking in some of the best pieces of trail I think Stirling has to offer for Cross Country riding. You can see the ride…
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Collection Stats
- Tours9
- Distance141 mi
- Duration15:41 h
- Elevation23,025 ft
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