New mountain bike trails for Glenlivet Estate

Work has started on some new mountain bike trails and skills area on the Glenlivet Estate in Moray, north west Scotland.

Trails in and around the Glenlivet Estate have attracted around 50,000 visitors since they opened in 2013.

The Crown Estate, however, hopes new and more challenging routes will bring a fresh wave of cycling enthusiasts to the area.

It intends the fresh attractions, being created within woods on the estate, to complement existing trails and support local businesses, such as the Coffee Still café at Tomintoul.

Construction teams are currently on site and mountain bikers should be able to begin using the trails later in the summer.

One of the two new routes will be designated as a training area.

The Crown Estate has promised that rocks and other landscaping will be used to make the route appear a part of the natural environment.

An earlier report submitted by the developers explained why the expansion is needed.

It said: “The Glenlivet mountain bike centre has a good range of cross-country graded trails for users but it lacks a specific ‘jump’ trail.

“These types of trail are very popular with the youth market as well as more expert riders who have previously ignored Glenlivet as being too cross-country and not ‘jumpy’ enough.

“The new trail would be designed to appeal to as wide a range of riders as possible while retaining the fun element of a ‘jumpy’ trail.”

The bike centre reopened in March this year after closure over winter for essential tree felling works by managers.

Scotland’s landscape has long been recognised as one of the world’s best destination for mountain biking.

The national tourism agency, VisitScotland, believes that despite its successes there remains significant opportunity for growth.

Alongside cycling, other activities available in the area around the Glenlivet mountain bike centre include walking, running and wildlife watching as well as whisky-tasting at local distilleries.