The Nevis Blue Doon mountain bike trail is now open

The Nevis Blue Doon, the longest Blue grade uplift mountain bike trail in the UK, has been opened at Nevis Range Mountain Experience near Fort William.

The Nevis Blue Doon, the new Blue graded downhill cross country mountain bike trail has been officially opened by Scottish celebrities and keen cyclists, Fred MacAulay and Dougie Vipond today (03-09-21) and will welcome hundreds of new riders to Nevis Range Mountain Experience every day!

The Nevis Blue Doon is the longest Blue grade uplift trail in the UK.  At 650m up on the mountain of Aonach Mor in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the start is accessed using the Nevis Range Mountain Gondola. The top section of the trail is on open hill side with fantastic views across Fort William and Loch Linnhe. It then heads into the forest and joins the huge network of trails in the lower forest at Nevis Range, and finishing at the car park.

John Sutherland, Activities Director at Nevis Range, said: “Construction of the trail has taken over two years and required a colossal amount of work from our trail team and has seen all hands-on deck!
 
“We are extremely proud that 99% of the material has come from our own hill side and really ties into our attitudes as a sustainable business. The team are rightly proud of their achievements and are looking forward to sharing this incredible track with the rest of the world!”
 
Chris O’Brien, Managing Director of Nevis Range, said: “Blue Doon is a game changer for the Nevis Range Development Company. The current lift served downhill tracks are awesome including the world-renowned Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill track.  However, as they are graded Black and Orange, we really wanted to add a Blue trail to open-up the riding opportunities to a wider audience!
 
“SportScotland and HIE have supported this project, not just for the commercial benefits, but because at Nevis Range we have a commitment to both expanding the sport and helping create national and international champions of tomorrow!”

The first mountain bike rider to take on the Nevis Blue Doon Blue graded trail on Friday 03 September was local Fort William rider, 12 year old Kyler MacLeod, who won a Nevis Range competition to produce a video explaining why entrants love mountain biking at Nevis Range.  He was closely followed by Comedian Fred MacAulay and TV Presenter Dougie Vipond.

In partnership with Nevis Range’s commercial partners, Trek, Endura and Muc-Off there will be more announcements over the coming months including Bike Apprenticeships, races and special events!