I’ve always been fond of bikes but have been quite conservative in how I enjoyed them. I was never one to cycle on the main road when I was younger, instead, taking my bicycle to national parks or around my street. This all changed when Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games, and I saw mountain biking for the first time. This was my entry to the hobby, which occupies a considerable amount of my time today.
The track that I first saw mountain biking on, which was purpose-built for the Commonwealth Games, is the Cathkin Braes. The ‘Braes’ as it’s known in short, is around a 25-minute drive from Glasgow City Centre. It is quite an interesting track, even though it is clearly built for mountain biking, it feels rugged. It doesn’t have the manicured look some biking tracks do, instead wild shrubs and trees grow alongside.
One of the fantastic elements of the Cathkin Braes track is the magnificent view. From the far edge of the track, you are on the cusp of Castlemilk and can see the whole of the city. Including Glasgow monument, the Armadillo (if your eyesight permits!).
Not too far from here, in East Kilbride, there is a Motocross track called Hyper-trax. The indoor biking track is set in the College Milton industrial estate and sits alongside other units that are now being used for recreational activities. Including Ninja Warrior style assault course Tag Active.
Hyper-trax is Scotland’s first e-bike arena and boasts an impressive large track that suits a variety of experience levels. On certain Sundays, the venue runs a “Bikes, Cars, Coffee and Cake” day. Where people bring their bikes and cars to show off, with stunt events and live music. If you’re looking for a real biking community in Scotland, this is a great place to start.
There is a whole host of other biking locations in Scotland, especially if you’re willing to venture outside of the city centre. The highlands are particularly good for finding rough tracks and this is detailed in the Scottish Mountain Bike Trails Interactive Map. A foolproof resource for finding everything mountain biking in Scotland. The app was designed by Geomatics University of Glasgow graduate, who has a strong interest in mountain biking herself.
Despite being such a good place to go mountain biking, the country doesn’t actually have many off-road biking shops. When looking for a new bike I tend to look online or I have had success with Paul’s Cycles in Norfolk. As all bikers will know, when you have a great bike it makes all the difference. So, traveling to find the best one or paying delivery premium is worth the extra.
With the government incentivizing people to get outdoors and healthy, hopefully, we will see some more investment in hobbies like mountain biking. In the coming years, with the uniquely rough terrain, we could see Scotland really becoming a destination for biking enthusiasts all over the world.
