Description
Fort William is known as the Outdoor Capital of the UK, and the Lochaber Highlands around it pack in one of Scotland's biggest spreads of mountain biking: two major trail centres, a free bike park, a run of big natural mountain descents, and gravel riding straight out of town. This guide rounds up the whole area, from graded green to black at Nevis Range and Glencoe, to ungraded natural riding at Cow Hill, Kinlochleven and Stob Ban, and a free pump track and skills park at Fort William Bike Park.
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The Trails
- Nevis Range: Gondola-accessed downhill and flow trails including the UK's only UCI World Cup downhill track, plus cross country trails through Leanachan Forest below.
- Glencoe Mountain Resort: Chairlift-accessed red and black downhill on the plateau above Rannoch Moor, alongside cross country riding.
- Cow Hill: A blue circuit and two black trails on the hill overlooking Fort William, reachable straight from town.
- Kinlochleven and the Ciaran Path: Big, ungraded natural descents from the hills above Kinlochleven, including a route that combines the Ciaran Path with the Devil's Staircase section of the West Highland Way.
- Stob Ban: A long climb and a rocky, narrow, ungraded descent from a Mamores summit, starting from Glen Nevis. Shared with walkers and unsuited to beginners.
- Fort William Bike Park: A free, purpose-built pump track (including an all-abilities track for adaptive bikes), BMX/skate park and trials area next to Lochaber High School.
- Glencoe Lochan: A gentle, family-friendly loop and orbital cycle route around the lochan near Glencoe village, managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. See the Glencoe Lochan destination page for trail details.
Gravel Riding
The Great Glen Way starts right in Fort William and follows the Caledonian Canal towpath past Neptune's Staircase before heading onto forest gravel tracks towards Gairlochy and on to Inverness, 120km away. It is waymarked throughout and rideable in shorter out-and-back sections from town, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
Local Organisation
The Lochaber Trail Association is the volunteer group behind trail maintenance and landowner liaison across the area, covering Torlundy, Nevis Range, Glen Loy and Glen Nevis. They post trail work and access updates on Facebook and Instagram.
Getting Here
Fort William sits on the A82 between Glasgow and Inverness, with a mainline rail station in the town centre and regular buses. The trail centres, natural trails and bike park covered by this guide are spread across the wider Lochaber area, so check the linked listing above for the specific car park, road and postcode for each one.
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