Glentress skills area to open next week

The final piece of the Glentress Masterplan will be in place next week (8 Oct) when Forestry & Land Scotland (FLS) formally opens the new skills area to the public.

The Skills area is made up of features and trails that are designed to encourage and assist young, novice and inexperienced riders to develop their skills safely.

As well as a mini mountain biking zone, roller zone, cornering zone, novice riders can also benefit from the drop and technical zones and begin to learn the sorts of skills they’ll need on the wider network to handle changes to surface, levels and conditions.

FLS' South Region Manager, John Dougan, said;

“This £6 million investment in Glentress has involved a huge effort from the team and has at times been challenging, so I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped make the Masterplan a reality.

“Having already accommodated UCI world Championship events, Glentress’ importance for the area has been amply demonstrated.

“But we have worked hard to make this an inclusive destination with something for families, young people, new and novice riders, adaptive riders and, of course, the wider mountain biking community.

“With something for everyone, and Forest Holidays lodges that have been very successful in attracting visitors to the area, Glentress will fit very well with future tourism plans for the area, which we’re sure will go from strength to strength.”

From the outset, the Masterplan project set out to reinvigorate Glentress as an attraction, broadening its appeal and significantly improving the offering for all visitors.

Growing visitor numbers – which include staycationers, overseas tourist and mountain bikers - both attest to its success and demonstrate that Glentress is a world-class visitor destination, as as well and one of the UK’s leading destinations for mountain biking. 

Paul Andrews-Garth, FLS Project Manager, added;

“This latest milestone marks the end of the Glentress Masterplan but also marks the beginning of the next chapter for this fantastic, multi-use destination.”  

Expanding on the 72km of networked mountain biking trails that we manage here, the Masterplan has delivered over 16 kilometres of new dedicated mountain bike trails for all abilities, created accessible multi-user pathways and new routes into the forest for walkers, wheelchair users, horse riders, pony trekkers and cyclists.

Notes to Editors

1. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) manages forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers in their stewardship of Scotland's national forests and land.
2. Home - Forestry and Land Scotland | twitter.com/ForestryLS