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Please note: The Wallride on the Essentials Free Ride Trail is closed until further notice - sorry for any inconvenience.

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Glentress and Innerleithen in the Tweed Valley have a massive reputation for some of the best mountain biking in the UK and beyond. 

Glentress is probably the best biking centre in Britain, winning several awards.  It has brilliant trails of all grades, a top-notch café, a bike shop with bike hire, changing and showering facilities, and a great atmosphere. 

Innerleithen, situated just a few miles south east of Glentress, is home to some of the UK's finest downhill and freeride trails, as well as a cracking red-graded XC route.

You'll find details of the trails and facilities on offer at both sites below.

Glentress - the trails

For the beginner, the Skills Area has differently graded sections to help you get started.  If you’re looking to go a little further, the Green Route offers real mountain biking, but with none of the scary stuff found on the harder trails.

With cracking sections of singletrack, the Blue Route is a great trail for riders with some previous experience and a bit more fitness – the hidden gem of Glentress?

The Red Route boasts some fine singletrack climbs as well as massive, fast, fun, flowing descents, with jumps and berms in good measure.  Home to the infamous Spooky Wood descent.

The Black Route at 30km long and with over 800m of vertical climbing is a truly epic ride.  Long, challenging singletrack climbs combine with equally long and testing singletrack descents that take riders into remote parts of the forest.

Packed full of advanced level features, the Freeride Park is an ideal spot for riders looking to push their skill levels, style it up, learn new tricks or just hang out and ride with friends.  There are four main trails, all graded 'Orange - Bike Park'.

Glentress trail profiles

The Glentress trail profiles (PDF 553k) show where climbs and descents occur on the routes at Glentress.

Glentress - facilities

Parking
Glentress has several parking options and you can choose where to park depending on where you want to start and finish your ride.  The trail head is at the Osprey car park (see the trail map for details).  See details of how to get to Glentress by car. 

Glentress parking charges:  Day rates are £3 for a car/motorbike and £6 for a van/minibus.  Short stays (up to 1hr) to visit the café/bikeshop etc. are now £1. 

Annual parking permits are also available. These cost £50/year for cars and motor bikes and £90/year for large vans and minibuses.  The pass covers all Forestry Commission car parks in the  the Tweed Valley Forest, including 7stanes Glentress and Innerleithen.  Download the 2009 car park permit application (PDF 52k). 

Toilets, shower and changing facilities
There are showers, toilets and changing facilities by the Osprey car park.  Showers cost £1 for 5 minutes.

Cafe / food and drink
The popular Hub cafe is right beside the trail head.

Bike shop and bike hire
On-site bike hire is available from the Hub bike shop by the trailhead.  Note that advanced booking is essential.  Bike hire is also available in Peebles and in Innerleithen.

Innerleithen - the trails

Innerleithen is renowned for its downhill routes.  Four main waymarked routes offer a great range of riding, from super-steep, tight natural trails that weave tightly down through the trees, to wide open, fast, jumpy, bermy freeride-type trails. All are graded 'Orange - Bike Park'.

The red-graded Innerleithen XC route is a cracking trail and provides a great alternative to its busier sister at Glentress, the Red Route.  There is plenty of climbing involved but it's well worth it, as the descents are stunning and varied - fast flowing singletrack packed full of jumps, rock features and berms, followed by tighter more technical riding, then a fantastic freeride finish at Cadon Bank.

Trail profile

The Innerleithen trail profile (PDF 366k) shows where climbs and descents occur on the Innerleithen XC route.

Innerleithen - facilities

Parking
Car parking is available at the trail head.  Day rates are £2 for a car/motorbike and £5 for a van/minibus. See details of how to get to Innerleithen by car.

Bike hire
Alpine Bikes in Innerleithen hires bikes.

Uplift
Uplift services are run regularly at Innerleithen by 'Uplift Scotland'.  Booking essential. Contact David 'Tally' Tallontine on 07709 144 299 or see www.upliftscotland.com for more details and booking. Uplift dates are also published with the Innerleithen details on the trail conditions page.

Other facilities
Nearby Innerleithen has a range of facilities for before and after your ride.

The Tweed Valley Bike Patrol

Looking to give something back to mountain biking?  The Tweed Valley Bike Patrol is an exciting volunteering opportunity at Britain’s favourite mountain biking venue, providing visitors to Glentress forest with the advantages of local knowledge, bike repair skills and emergency assistance from a team of skilled riders.

Find out more about the Tweed Valley Bike Patrol and how to volunteer.

Glentress Trailfairies

If you've ever fancied trying your hand at trailbuilding, or want to help maintain the trails you ride at Glentress as well as buyild new ones, check out details of the Glentress Trailfairies, the volunteer trailbuilding group at Glentress.

The Glentress stane

See what are the 7stanes? for details of the Glentress sculpted stane.