Tarland Trails Pittenderich Mountain Bike Trails

Description

Tarland Trails Pittenderich Mountain Bike Trails in Aberdeenshire is the second of the two Tarland Trails bases (the other is more beginner/intermediate and just a mile away in Drummy Woods). Pittenderich is for intermediate and advanced riders and has blue, red, and black trails, and is the larger of the two sites with a large car park.

Tarland Trails - Pittenderich

• There are 12 sections of trails consisting of sweeping turns, big berms, jumps, and technical riding. There is a large car park on-site and approximately 17km of trails in total. It is possible to mix and match different sections. Access the detailed trail map to see how.

Red Trails

The red trails

1. The first red has four sections and kicks off with 'High Pressure'. This is open and exposed, high up on the hill. This section is 1550m long and has 80m of vertical descent. After taking in the panoramic views of Morven, Mount Keen, and Lochnagar, drop into a fast-flowing track with berms, short rock gardens, and rollable drops.  Watch out for Rim Dinger i.e. the rock drop on High Pressure it can do damage to your bike rim if you don’t have high pressure in those tyres.
   
   This then leads into 'Bermuda' (660m long with 40m of vertical descent). In this section, you find yourself with steep twisting berms before exiting the woods to the next section 'Bon Gripper' (or you can change tack through the 'Bermuda Triangle' for different trail options). There is also a red tech trail called Project Blaeberry described as 'A fast, ‘rake and ride’ trail, with roots, rocks through Blaeberry bushes. Use it as a ‘I’m too tired to get up to Bermuda but want to ride the reds down’.
   
   If you carry on then Bon Gripper (540m long and 50m of vertical descent) comes out the tree line with flowy berms, short rock gardens, and rollable drops before heading into the last section 'Spine'.
   
   'Spine' (540m long with 40m of vertical descent) is steep, with rock gardens and technical descents. After the last section, you can take the fire road back to the top or merge onto the blue trail 'Holy Cow'.
2. The second main red is made up of two sections: 'Call Me Chris' which leads onto 'Chris Cross'.
   
   'Call me Chris' is 760m long with 95m of vertical descent. It is full of berms, with a few short rock gardens.
   
   This then leads into the 'Chris Cross' section which is 805m long with 70m of vertical descent. It is flowier, with berms, short rock gardens, and rollable drops. A call-out feature is the 'Whale Tail' (a log roll with a kicker).
3. The third red is Project Mushroom which can lead on to either the black Fools Gold or the Blue Crowd Surfin' trail. Project Mushroom is a hand-finished, technical trail winding through dense woods, packed with roots, rocks, tight turns, and natural features for skilled riders seeking flow and challenge.

Blue Trails

The main blue trails

The first blue is made up of 5 sections.

• The first of these is 'Scalextric' which is 860m long with 75m of vertical descent. It starts in the high tree line and swoops down onto the open hill then twists and turns into the next section.
• The second section is 'Tomnaverie Turns' (215m long with 25m of vertical descent). There is a flanker stones entrance with fast turns ending at the largest berms at the centre aptly called 'Mega Berm'.
• This then leads onto the 'Holy cows' section (NB you can also enter and use 'Holy Cow' from the end of the first red described above as a final descent). 'Holy cow' is 980m long with 45m of vertical descent. Here, you come into the tree line for fast-flowing berms, some steep sections with optional kickers and drop-offs.
• We move on to the next section 'Party Time' (555m long and 55m of vertical descent) full of fast flowy berms, some steeper sections, a few kickers, and optional drop-offs.
• Finally, into 'Snakes and Ladders' (8m long) where you meet 'The Gatekeeper' a double berm designed to slow you down before crossing 'The Cow Portal' (NB caution as gates may be closed for crossings). Then down the mellow trail to the car park or go back up the 'ladder' and do it again.

The second is made up of two sections: 

• The first is Rip Tide: (Blue +). This Blue + Flow tech trail is Call Me Chris' easier cousin. It was added in August 2024 and starts from the summit of Pittenderich Rip Tide descends the eastern slopes to deliver a trail packed with rock features, tight berms and the odd jump to warm you up before you hit Crowd Surfin in the section of the hill.
• 'Crowd Surfin' is a blue jump trail continuing from Rip Tide. It is full of berms, tabletops, and kickers. It is 815m long with 50m of vertical descent. 

Black Trails

• There is a black jump trail called Fools Gold. 725m long with 70m of vertical descent. Steep with non-optional large berms, tabletops, drop-offs and jumps.
  • Mike's Elevator" is an eBike (or hardy analogue riders) climb in the jump zone. This will allow riders to quickly get back up to the top of the trails, with a bit of technicality thrown in. 

Trail map

View Pittenderich trail map

Other Stuff

• CRC Contracting constructed the trails
• Pittenderich has a large car park and is also riding distance from Tarland town centre.
• On the 17th of April 2023 the second site of Tarland Trails called Pittenderich in Aberdeenshire opened.
• Check out the smaller Tarland Trails Drummy Woods Mountain Bike Trails listing.
• In 2023 they won the iBikeRide TrailBlazer of the Year award for cutting new territory in the UK Trail scene. In 2024, they entered the Top Ten Trails of 2024 to take 9th place.
• The trails at Pittenderich and Drummy Woods are suitable for Adaptive Mountain Bikes with the exception of the red at Drummy Woods. 
• They have a Defibrillator and a bike wash in the car park

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• If you have ridden Tarland Trails Pttenderich Mountain Bike Trails then please share your experiences with the community and post your reviews, pictures, and videos to this listing.