The Glentress Masterplan
The Glentress Masterplan
The aim of the Glentress Masterplan is to deliver a future for the forest as a well-integrated, multi-user destination, which specialises in mountain biking and offers a world class visitor experience. It will create new recreation opportunities and holiday accommodation which will benefit the local community, visitors from around the world, local businesses, and support regional tourism.
As part of the Masterplan project, we have created 16km of new trails and expanded car parking capacity to meet future demand on busier days. The project has also enabled our partner Forest Holidays to develop a new environmentally friendly holiday cabin complex within the forest at Glentress.
The next phase of the Masterplan will see the construction of a new mountain bike skills area which will create opportunities for riders at all levels to develop their skills and prepare for exploring the wider trail network at Glentress and beyond.
The ongoing and planned activity will have an impact on visits to Glentress until its completion. Please be sure to check what is new in the forest before you visit and follow any signage on site. The Glentress Forest page will have the latest visitor information.
Glentress Masterplan project details
Forest Holidays and Buzzard’s Nest area
The Buzzard’s Nest is part of the forest being transformed into a site managed by Forest Holidays with a variety of environmentally friendly cabins installed in the woods. The old freeride park has been decommissioned. In its place we have constructed Green, Blue, Red and Black taster trails, and we’re working on a Skills Area opposite the new car parks at the bottom of the hill.
Current status – March 2025
The 56 environmentally friendly cabins at Buzzards Nest opened in November 2024 and have proved very popular with visitors. This key partnership between Forestry and Land Scotland and Forest Holidays has helped bring a new audience to the Tweed Valley and showcase the amazing landscape and exciting holiday opportunities the South of Scotland has to offer.
We would like to remind visitors that the car parking at Buzzards Nest is only for Forest Holiday residents. Day visitors and those looking to enjoy the recreational facilities at Glentress should park in the new car parks located just beyond the entry barriers to the Forest.
Skills Area
The proposed Skills Area design includes features such as a mini-MTB zone, roller zone, cornering zone, drop and tech zones. They will provide riders at all levels the opportunity to practice and develop their skills before exploring further into Glentress forest and its 72km of networked mountain bike trails.
Current status – March 2025
In early March 2025 our revised designs for the new skills area were granted planning permission by Scottish Borders Council. Developed following extensive consultation with local riders and key stakeholders these new facilities are the final milestone and complete delivery of the Glentress Masterplan.
You can find details of the skills area design on the Scottish Borders planning portal.
We are planning to start construction on the skills area in April and anticipate completion before the end of summer 2025. Some barriers and work safe mitigations will be made around the start-finish straight to maintain the trails and multiuser path, however some diversions may be necessary to allow the works to progress. Please look out for the updates on progressive works on the Glentress Forest page.
Multi-user Trail
This trail connects into the existing trail network and provides almost 4km of accessible trails for walkers, cyclists and those with limited mobility to enjoy. The trail is on the east side of the valley. It ties in and crosses with several new sections of mountain bike trails and taster trails.
Current status – September 2024
This trail is now complete and opened to the public on 7 October 2023.
Mountain bike trail construction
- Green, Blue, Red and Black network trails: These trails link into the existing trail network and offer new descents ending just north of the Peel Tower. They can also be sessioned easily by several routes. The trails pass under the Multi-user Trail.
- Green, Blue, Red and Black taster trails: These short stand-alone loops begin and end at the south of the Peel Tower and provide a way to sample each grade before committing to a network trail. The shared climb gradually changes in difficulty from Green to Black grade, before splitting at various points to separate Green, Blue, Red and Black descents. These trails do not directly link into the main trail network but can be reached via the Multi-user Trail and can be completed quickly. These trails also pass under the Multi-user Trail.
Current status – September 2024
The new network trails and taster trails opened to the public on 7 October 2023.
In May and June 2023 we ran a poll to name the new trails with over 1,000 participants voting for names for the new Green, Blue, Red and Black network trails. The chosen names are:
- Apple Peel | Green: With a crisp surface as fresh as any Granny Smith, our new green graded trail runs along to the Peel building and is ideal for a gentle cruise or anyone starting out in mountain biking.
- Turn and Burn | Blue: The new blue trail runs very near the Eshiels Burn and features a considerable number of turns. This one is all about fun with big berms, easy jumps and incredible views. Strap in for take-off.
- Smells Like Tweed Spirit | Red: Our new red trail is a must-ride trail at Glentress, building on the pioneering Spooky Wood style with a mix of features to keep you on your toes and put a smile on your face.
- Castle Black | Black: Most of our new trails run down the west side of Castle Hill, but that’s where the similarity ends. Our new black trail is a beast and like nothing else at Glentress. Enormous jumps and high speeds make this suitable for expert riders who love a bit of air time.
You can get an idea of what the new trails offer by watching the amazing video from Street Pigeon MTB below.
Glentress Masterplan document
The full Masterplan is available on the Scottish Borders Council website.
Keep up to date
You'll find previous updates to the Masterplan on our blog, and on our social media channels.
We also have a Frequently Asked Questions webpage, where we aim to answer the most common questions we receive.
Glentress Masterplan: Frequently Asked Questions
Get in touch
For any queries regarding the Masterplan project please contact Forestry and Land Scotland South Region in the first instance.