Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire
Tarland Trails has two distinct riding areas around the Aberdeenshire village: the original Drummy Woods, often called Tarland 1, and Pittenderich, known as Tarland 2. Choose the venue before choosing the colour. Drummy Woods makes sense for repeatable skills practice, younger riders and a compact session. Pittenderich asks you to pedal farther uphill before linking hillside descents. A group can have a good day at either, but treating the two as interchangeable risks giving beginners a much bigger outing than they expected.
The community project sits within Tarland Development Group. Drummy Woods opened in 2015; Pittenderich followed in 2023 on the slopes of Pittenderich and Pressendye. The newer centre combines flowing turns with jumps and technical riding, while the original woods retain three short runs and a pump track. Progression here means choosing terrain as carefully as grade: a smooth blue with jumps and a blue with rock features ask different questions of your technique. Read the named line before committing to it.
Blue · 890 m
A compact flowing run for practising berms and controlling momentum. Repetition is the useful part: learn one line thoroughly rather than moving straight to the harder neighbouring tracks.
Official route information →Red · 585 m
Rock gardens and drops make this a technical step above the blue. Walk unfamiliar features before riding them and use the separate climb to return to the start.
Official route information →Orange · 615 m
A jump-focused line with berms and drops. Its orange designation describes specialist riding; experience on ordinary red singletrack does not automatically prepare you for this session.
Official route information →Pump track
Use the continuous loop to work on carrying speed through rollers and berms. Leave enough room for other riders to join and practise one skill at a time.
Official route information →Blue · 555 m
A lower-hill choice for a shorter outing, with flowing berms and alternatives around some features. A sensible introduction when you want hillside riding without immediately chasing the upper start points.
Official route information →Red · 760 m
The descent from the Pittenderich cairn combines twisting berms with short rocky interruptions. Save concentration for those changes of surface, especially after the effort of climbing.
Official route information →Red · 555 m
A hand-finished woodland line involving roots, rocks and tight turns. Wet ground changes the challenge substantially; choose it for technical practice rather than expecting a smooth machine-built descent.
Official route information →Black · 725 m
A committed jump line with compulsory features. Approach as a specialist objective after inspecting the line and confirming your jumping skills, rather than adding it casually to a red-trail circuit.
Official route information →The PDF maps Pittenderich’s larger hill network and purpose-built climbs. Drummy Woods has a separate shorter-loop leaflet and separate parking.
For a first visit with developing riders, start at Drummy Woods and spend time on the Puddock before trying Spikey Hedgehog. The short uphill return lets you compare attempts while everyone stays close together. At Pittenderich, build a modest first circuit around the lower blue choices instead of using the hilltop as your default starting goal. Study the map at junctions: it distinguishes blue-plus technical riding from the ordinary blue network.
Experienced riders can use Pittenderich for a longer climbing-and-descending day, alternating the flowing reds with a more natural woodland line. The map gives cumulative climb information from the car park to marked points, so plan the uphill investment alongside the descent selection. Follow designated up tracks; riding downhill on them creates a predictable conflict. Shared hill tracks also serve walkers and horse riders, so slow down and make your presence clear before passing.
Use the operator’s separate directions for Drummy Woods and Pittenderich. The former has a small car park; the latter has the larger parking area. Official directions →
Use the operator’s separate directions for Drummy Woods and Pittenderich. The former has a small car park; the latter has the larger parking area. Published parking charges are £3 for a half day and £5 for a full day, with proceeds supporting the trails. Both sites prohibit overnight parking and camping under their leases. Arrange a campsite or accommodation separately rather than turning a riding car park into your overnight base.
Find the planning area on a map →Pittenderich provides toilets, a shelter and picnic benches; Drummy Woods has picnic benches but a much smaller provision. Carry lunch and drinking water for a hillside session, or leave time for the village. There is no scheduled uplift at either site, and Tarland Trails does not currently offer on-site bike hire. The pump track gives Drummy Woods a useful practice area that does not require another hillside climb.
Tarland’s operator says there is no on-site hire and names Bike Station Ballater and Banchory Cycles as nearby providers; arrange equipment directly.
Both car parks are normally open 24/7 except emergency or severe-weather closures. Parking is £3 half-day or £5 full-day; overnight parking and camping are prohibited.
Pittenderich’s upper riding includes open, exposed ground, while Project Mushroom runs through dense woodland. That contrast matters when choosing a session: wind on the hill and damp roots below can demand different adjustments on the same day. In wet conditions favour a route you already understand and leave extra braking space before rock features. Short Drummy Woods laps are a practical alternative when daylight or weather makes a bigger hill circuit unattractive.
Tarland village is the natural food stop. The Commercial Hotel in the Square offers meals in its bar, lounge and restaurant, with a beer garden for suitable weather. It recommends booking ahead. Plan a proper stop after the ride rather than assuming food is available beside the trails, especially when a group has spent longer climbing than expected. The operator also points riders towards Tarland Tearooms and the Aberdeen Arms.
Tomnaverie Stone Circle provides a distinctive non-riding visit near Tarland. Historic Environment Scotland describes it as a recumbent stone circle, a monument type particular to north-east Scotland, with views towards Lochnagar. Take a separate walking break and allow time to look at the setting rather than treating it as another cycling feature. It gives companions a local destination that connects the surrounding landscape with a much older history.
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Displayed distances are straight-line estimates using OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), not road journeys. Ask the property about secure bike storage and wet-kit arrangements before booking.
RIDE PREPARATION
Consider what suits the route, forecast and your own experience.
Drummy Woods offers short runs and the Puddock pump track, with an easier uphill return. Pittenderich is aimed at intermediate and experienced riders and involves a larger hill. Start with the setting that suits the least confident person.
The current operator maps show blue, red and orange riding at Drummy Woods and blue, blue-plus, red and black at Pittenderich. Do not choose a green loop based on an older directory summary; use the actual named routes.
The current Pittenderich map identifies it as black extreme, with obligatory jumping ability. Keep that published grade and its specialist jump description together. A generic pro label is not a reason to invent a different colour grade.
No. The Pittenderich map explicitly directs riders not to descend the up tracks. Use the mapped downhill choices and preserve the uphill routes for their intended traffic.
There is no on-site café. Tarland village supplies food and drinks, including the Commercial Hotel. Bring enough for the riding session and plan the village stop as part of the day.
Monymusk, Aberdeenshire
Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Develop braking, cornering, climbing and technical riding through deliberate practice, with sensible progression for roots, rocks, steeps, wheel lifts and jumps.
Set up mountain-bike fit, pedals, gearing, suspension and dropper controls using the right manuals, then test changes safely on familiar terrain.
Share mountain-bike trails safely, protect wildlife and soil, report hazards clearly, volunteer with permission and photograph riding considerately.
Trail conditions change — check the official page before you travel.
Open official site →