Highland Council’s South Planning Applications Committee has agreed to grant planning permission for the Ride Ness mountain bike trail centre proposal at Glendoe Estate, near Fort Augustus on Loch Ness.

What we know

• The committee report describes a mountain bike trail centre and visitor hub known as Ride Ness.
• The proposal describes around 24km of graded MTB trails (blue to black), including longer 2 to 5km descents and a downhill racetrack, all starting from one main trailhead and intended to be served by a dedicated year round uplift.
• The proposal also includes 7km of multi-use trails / paths available to walkers.
• Buildings and facilities listed in the report include an 846 sqm hub building, a bike store and bike wash building, equipment storage, a maintenance storage building, a skills park for coaching, an outdoor children’s play area, parking, and a small solar array.
• Overnight elements listed in the report include up to 40 motorhome / campervan pitches and 8 shepherd’s huts.
• The report describes vehicular access via an existing access point from the B862, plus foot or bike access via an existing path alongside the B862 and an extended multi-use path.
• Location: Land 1200m East of Ardach House, Fort Augustus (Glendoe Estate, Highlands).

What we don’t know

• A confirmed construction start date and a confirmed completion or opening date.
• Final public trail names and the full trail-by-trail breakdown beyond the headline 24km total.
• Whether Ride Ness will open in phases, or open in one go once the full site is complete.

What happens next

Highland Council's decision notice, dated 11 February 2026, sets out what has to be approved before work can start on site. Around 35 of its conditions must be signed off by the council before any construction begins, including:

• final surface water and foul drainage designs, and the design of every watercourse crossing
• a road safety audit of the new B862 access and crossing
• a scheme to widen the South Loch Ness Trail path to 3m between Tarff Bridge and the site
• a travel plan and details of the pick-up and drop-off bus service to Fort Augustus
• a construction method statement and a construction traffic management plan

Preparing and approving submissions like these takes time, so a quiet spell after planning approval is normal for a project of this size. The permission lapses if work has not started by 11 February 2029, and the developer must notify the council before work begins. We'll update this article when there is news of a start on site.

The conditions also limit lighting on the uplift track to between 7am and 6pm.

What this means for riders

Ride Ness is being planned as a graded trail centre format, with an uplift-led riding model described in the planning report and a hub-style base area that includes hire, wash and coaching facilities.

We will keep the iBikeRide trail listing updated as more confirmed details are published:

https://ibikeride.com/scotland/ride-ness-bike-park

Quick questions for riders

If you live locally:

• What are the riding opportunities like today in your area?
• Will you use the trail centre, and what would you most like to see incorporated?

If you live further afield:

• Is this trail centre somewhere you’d put on your destination or bucket list?
• What would make you more likely to visit?