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Orkney MTB Trails

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Orkney MTB Trails
  • Information:
  • Type: MTB Base Bike Park
  • Grades: Green Blue Red Adaptive MTB
  • Riding: Bike Park Pump Track Cross Country
  • Facilities: Cafe Car Park Showers Toilets
  • Season: Reduced in winter
  • Season detail:Winter opening is daylight hours only, with no trail lighting; summer hours follow the wider Pickaquoy Centre timetable (Mon-Fri 06:30-22:00, Sat-Sun 08:45-20:00).
  • Surface: Surfaced
  • Adaptive: Partial
  • Adaptive access:Green trail stated suitable for adaptive cycles in the venue's own published copy; no adaptive hire or wider provision detail published.
  • Run by: Pickaquoy Centre (Landowner)
  • Distance(s):Under 5km
  • Number:01856 879 900
  • Country:🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland
  • County:Orkney
  • Website:Orkney MTB Trails β†—
  • Socials:

Trail grades, descriptions and other details on this page are provided for general guidance only and may be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. Always check on-site signage and current conditions before riding. See our trail safety disclaimer.

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Description

Orkney MTB Trails is a purpose-built mountain bike venue beside the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall, delivered as part of the Orkney 2025 Island Games legacy. The compact, fenced, car-free site packs 4,650 metres of green, blue and red graded trail alongside a pump track and a flyover section, built to UCI cross-country standard. The trails are expected to open to the public through autumn 2026, with open days planned to mark the launch, so check the Pickaquoy Centre's own channels for the latest on access before you travel.

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The Trails

  • 4,650 metres of purpose-built trail across three grades
  • Green: suitable for beginners and adaptive cycles
  • Blue: intermediate level
  • Red: advanced riders seeking greater technical challenges
  • Features include jumps, drop-offs, rock gardens, a pump track and a flyover section
  • Trails are 1.0 to 1.5 metres wide, built from compacted hardcore with a dust topping, with bumps, berms and dedicated surface water drainage
  • Built to UCI standards for international cross-country mountain bike events
  • Off-road, car-free trail environment designed for recreational riding, coaching sessions and guided rides
  • Operating hours match the Pickaquoy Centre: summer, Monday to Friday 0630 to 2200, Saturday and Sunday 0845 to 2000; winter, daylight hours only, with no lighting on the trails
  • The trail network is built and is expected to open to the public through autumn 2026, with open days planned to mark the launch

Beyond the Trails

  • Trail access is through the Pickaquoy Centre, a full leisure complex with a swimming pool, gym, climbing wall and bouldering cave, athletics track, squash courts and the Picky Cafe (pickaquoy.co.uk), so there is plenty to combine a ride with on the same visit
  • Orkney Caravan Park sits within the Pickaquoy Centre grounds, useful for anyone travelling to the islands by ferry and looking to stay close to the trailhead

Local Organisation

  • Orkney Cycling Club led the project from proposal through to delivery. Find them at facebook.com/OrkneyCC for club rides and local updates

General

  • Sits within a green recreation corridor linking the Pickaquoy Centre to Orkney Golf Course, on land previously allocated for housing
  • Environmental works include planting 1,000 native trees, new ponds to support wildlife and reduce flooding, and reuse of felled timber as habitat, delivered in partnership with the Woodland Trust
  • Designed by trail builder Clive Forth and Daria Zandomeneghi, working with Bracewell Architectural Practice
  • Construction carried out by Eoin Muir Plant Hire
  • Originally proposed to The Picky Trust in 2020 by Dan Brazier of Orkney Cycling Club
  • Funded through sportscotland, the Scottish Government's Scottish Islands Programme, Orkney Islands Council Crown Estate Fund and Orkney Islands Council Community Development Funds, following earlier design phase funding from The National Lottery Awards for All, Pickaquoy Centre Trust and Orkney Cycling Club

Getting Here

  • The Pickaquoy Centre, Muddisdale Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LR
  • 24 car parking spaces are provided at the Pickaquoy Centre specifically for cycle track users, reached via the existing pedestrian and cycle track to the trailhead
  • All access to the trails is through the Pickaquoy Centre; there is no separate access point from Muddisdale Road
  • Trail site borders Orkney Golf Course

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  • If you have ridden Orkney MTB Trails, please share your reviews, photos, and videos to this listing.
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