Glentress Mountain Bike Trails

Glentress Mountain Bike Trail Centre

Glentress mountain bike trail centre is part of the 7stanes network in the Scottish Borders, near Peebles. The forest holds waymarked green, blue, red and black trails, a further green-to-black set of Masterplan trails and taster loops, and two dedicated skills areas, with the wider site now also home to Forest Holidays' cabin complex and a Go Ape aerial course.

The Trails

Green routes

• Two green routes, 3.5 to 4.5km long, cater to families and beginners. One starts near the main Falla Brae/Gateway car park area, the other from the Glentress Peel visitors centre.

Blue route

• The blue route is made up of an 8km lower loop and an 8km upper loop, ridden separately or joined for a full 16km. Some of the best swooping and flowing sections are Electric Blue, Betty Blue, Blue Velvet and Berm Baby Berm, with Harry's Blue and Good Game rounding out the flow finish alongside Turn and Burn.

Red route

• The 18km red trail is the most popular at Glentress. Highlights include Pennels Vennel, a quick blast of singletrack, Spooky Wood with kickers and sweeping berms into small jumps and flowing tabletops, the berm-and-jump Super G section, the rooty, twisty Hit Squad, Pie Run and Magic Mushroom. Twitcher links with Smells Like Tweed Spirit for a flow finish, and the 298-metre descent Mild Peril is one to look out for. Like all the trails at Glentress, the network is under continual development.

Black trail

• The 29km black is graded black/severe, taking in some of the remotest parts of Glentress Forest. A long, technical epic that should only be attempted by experienced riders with expert technical skills.

Glentress Masterplan trails

• 16km of new-build trails opened in October 2023, linking into the existing network with fresh descents ending just north of the Peel Tower. They can also be sessioned on their own via the forest roads or the Multi-user Path.
• Apple Peel | Green: Runs along to the Peel building, ideal for a gentle cruise or for anyone starting out.
• Turn and Burn | Blue: Runs near the Eshiels Burn with a considerable number of turns, big berms and easy jumps.
• Smells Like Tweed Spirit | Red: Builds on the pioneering Spooky Wood style with a mix of features.
• Castle Black | Black: Runs down the west side of Castle Hill with large jumps, fast for expert riders.

Masterplan taster trails

• Green (Apple Peel), Blue (Turn and Burn), Red (Smells Like Tweed Spirit) and Black (Castle Black) taster loops begin and end to the south of the Peel Tower, giving riders a way to sample each grade before committing to the full network trail. The shared climb gradually changes in difficulty as it goes, splitting off to separate descents. These loops do not link to the main trail network.

Multi-user Trail

• A 2.2km accessible path connecting the Gateway building to the cafe, bike shop, skills areas, taster trails and the start of all mountain biking and walking routes. Wide, firm gravel surface with gentle slopes, one minor road crossing, and a moderate slope between the Gateway and cafe/bike shop. Suitable for adaptive bikes.

Skills Loop

• The skills loop lets you practice and develop your skills before heading out onto the trails, with timber and rock features and obstacles. It has separate sections graded green, blue and red to aid skill progression across all technical levels.

Skills Area

• A newly built skills area opened to the public on 8 October 2025 as the final piece of the Glentress Masterplan, a £6 million overall investment. It includes a mini MTB zone, roller zone, cornering zone, and drop and technical zones, designed to help young, novice and inexperienced riders develop safely.

Off-Piste

• As with most trail centres in the UK, there is a network of unsanctioned off-piste trails in the wider forest as riders' skills progress and communities mature. These are unofficial. Ride at your own risk.

Local Organisation

• The Tweed Valley Trails Association (TVTA) is a community-led charity that works in partnership with Forestry and Land Scotland to plan and develop the Glentress trail network. TVTA also leads volunteer dig days throughout the year.
• Find out more about the Glentress Trailfairies, the venue's long-running volunteer trail maintenance community.

Beyond the Trails

Glentress is now much more than a trail centre. Forest Holidays opened a 56-cabin complex at Buzzard's Nest in November 2024 as part of an £18m development, with its own reception cafe and bar for guests. Note that the Buzzard's Nest car park itself is reserved for Forest Holidays guests; day visitors riding or walking should use the main car parks beyond the entry barriers instead. Go Ape also runs a treetop aerial adventure course at the Falla Brae car park, and the forest has an extensive network of waymarked walking trails, including the Ponds Trail, alongside the mountain biking. See the Forest Holidays Glentress Forest site for cabin details.

Facilities

• Toilets, including accessible facilities, are available at the Gateway building.
• The cafe is open daily, 10am to 5pm.
• Alpine Bikes run the on-site bike shop and hire, open 9am to 5pm daily.
• Showers are available on site.
• Uplift is run independently by Adrenalin Uplift.

Getting Here

The main car park for day riders is at the Glentress Peel Visitor Centre, reached via postcode EH45 8NB, well signposted on the north side of the A72 between Peebles and Innerleithen. Join the A703 to Peebles just south of the Edinburgh City Bypass (A720). Note that the road becomes the A701 between Penicuik and Leadburn, but reverts to being the A703 from Leadburn to Peebles.

The main car park runs an ANPR system: free for the first 30 minutes, then tiered charges up to £6 for a full day (£24 for minibus/coach). Blue Badge holders park free. Trails at Glentress are subject to periodic closures and diversions for forestry operations, storm damage repair and events. Always check the Forestry and Land Scotland Glentress page for current alerts before travelling.

Share

• If you have ridden any of the mountain bike trails at Glentress, then please share your experience with the community and us by posting pictures, videos, and reviews to the listing.