Mountain biking in Central Scotland & Perthshire

Central Scotland and Perthshire brings together three different reasons to ride: Comrie Croft’s hillside progression, Cathkin Braes’ Glasgow cross-country setting and Carron Valley’s forest-and-reservoir outing. Treat them as choices within a touring region rather than adjacent entrances to one network. A two-day visit can concentrate on the Croft, or pair a Glasgow-based session with Carron Valley. Adding a third venue should reflect the group’s interests and onward journey, with enough time to settle into each place instead of turning every day into a transfer.

Comrie Croft makes a strong first choice for a mixed group. Slow Worm is a 430-metre front-field trail, useful for a visible short session before deciding whether to climb farther. Dual of the Earn is a 688-metre blue section and Cookie Monster a 969-metre blue. Those are section lengths, not complete outings including access and connecting trails. Riders ready for harder terrain can work towards the 730-metre red Rock Lobster or 699-metre black Natural Gold, while leaving the climbing and unfamiliar features enough time.

The Croft also gives a trip practical structure beyond riding. Its own accommodation can place a stay close to the trails, with Comrie providing a village base. Flow School coaching makes a specific skills objective possible, and Nowhere Sauna offers a separately bookable activity beside the mill pond. A group can build a day around those different interests without expecting everybody to ride the upper network. Choose the riding first, then fit food and a booked companion activity around a comfortable return.

Cathkin Braes suits a Glasgow-based visit with competition heritage and opportunities for focused practice. The green start/finish loop provides an easier introduction, while the blue linking loop connects towards the Commonwealth Games cross-country circuit. The wider facility includes blue, red and black riding, so a connection onto the race terrain is a deliberate difficulty decision. A technical red descent and separate practice areas let established riders work on particular skills without needing a whole holiday built around long forest mileage.

Carron Valley changes the day to forest riding beside a reservoir. Its Red Route is an eight-kilometre outing, with Eas Dubh, Cannonball Run and Runway belonging to that network rather than additional full circuits. Runway’s jumps, berms and stone features deserve independent assessment. The 4.5-kilometre Loch Shore Trail provides a shared walking-and-cycling alternative, with gravel, short slopes and boardwalk. For a three-day programme, use it as a different pace after the Croft or Cathkin, rather than assuming every rider needs three consecutive technical sessions. Consult the current official notices for your chosen venues before finalising the trip.

Perthshire’s estate tracks give a Central Scotland trip wooded climbs, loch views and longer natural circuits from Dunkeld. Atholl Estates publishes the 9-mile Raor and Rotmell route past Mill Dam, Rotmell and Dowally Lochs. Loch Ordie and Tulliemet extends the outing to 16 miles, while the 21-mile Ordie Oisinneach Grand Tour crosses rougher, often wet tracks. Start with Raor and Rotmell, then choose a longer circuit when conditions and group fitness suit it.