Learning the basics of bicycle maintenance and equipping yourself with elementary bike tools is a good idea. You should carry a small tool kit and pump with you while out riding and, at the very least, be able to repair a puncture, fix a broken chain and adjust your brakes and gears when necessary. A basic tool kit – including puncture repair kit, spare inner tubes, tyre levers, allen key set, spoke key and chain link extractor – can be carried in a saddle pack or back pack.
For details of bike shops and mechanics in south and central Scotland, see Appendix A.
Navigation
Descending Glenaggart in the Lowther Hills (Route 1)
Many walkers and cyclists now use GPS for navigation, and there are a number of biking-specific GPS systems on the market. GPS systems can make navigation easy and accurate. On the down side, they’re not cheap and they’re not infallible. For those without a GPS, a map and compass are just as useful for mountain bikers in unfamiliar territory as they are for walkers, although very few of the former seem to carry compasses. For many of the routes in this guidebook – outside of trail centres – there is little or no waymarking and it can be very easy to lose your way, especially in wooded areas. A compass can help prevent you heading miles off course.
Hydration
Always make sure you have plenty of water with you, especially during the summer and on longer rides. Many mountain bikers use hydration packs – a water reservoir with a drinking tube, usually with two or three litres capacity, carried in a purpose-designed, small backpack. Hydration packs allow you to carry more water than water bottles carried in frame-mounted bottle cages – which are more popular with road cyclists – that can easily be dislodged when riding off-road. Be sure to be adequately hydrated before setting off on your ride.
MTB-specific back packs, which are designed to carry water reservoirs, come in various capacities and are usually able to carry the essentials in internal pockets: tools, pump, waterproofs, snacks, mobile phone, first-aid kit, map etc. They are also designed for a comfortable and stable fit for cycling. If you’re thinking about acquiring one, consider how much capacity you’ll need for the kind of riding you do.
National Cycle Route and John Muir Way signs at Gartness near Loch Lomond
Food
Carry enough food and/or make certain you can buy some food en route. If your energy levels dip when cycling it’s difficult to maintain output on an empty tank. When walking, hunger can be ignored to a certain extent, but cyclists are prey to the phenomenon of gnawing pangs that won’t go away, which is known in some parts as ‘bonking’. It makes sense to carry lightweight, high-energy foods such as flapjack, trail mix, ‘hi-energy’ bars and bananas – but try not to take a tumble if carrying the latter.
Rights of way and other users
Since the establishment of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act of 2003, mountain bikers, walkers and horse riders have had unrestricted access to vast tracts of Scotland’s magnificent landscape. Unlike England and Wales, however, there are no dedicated bridleways and relatively few way-marked footpaths; indeed, path signposts and waymarkers are generally thin on the ground in Scotland. Because there is no parable system of footpaths, bridleways and byways marked on OS maps covering Scotland, it’s difficult to plan MTB routes in a given area merely by studying the relevant maps. Outside of the trail centres, popular mountain biking routes tend to be established through word of mouth and internet forums by mountain bikers living locally. For people travelling from different parts of the country or from outside of Scotland, the whole prospect of seeking out viable, quality mountain biking routes provides something of a challenge, which is where this guidebook comes in.
Mountain bikers should always give way to walkers and horse riders. Don’t approach walkers or horse riders at speed from behind or in front. When approaching from behind, slow right down and announce your presence with a ‘hello’ so as not to startle man or beast. When approaching from the front, slow down and give a wide berth or stop and make way for them to pass you (some riders use a bell, but experience suggests that some walkers and horse riders find bell-tinkling mountain bikers irksome in the extreme!).
This is more than a matter of politeness; if you approach walkers or horse riders at speed and/or fail to warn of your presence then you might cause a serious accident. There are already far too many walkers and horse riders with a low opinion of mountain bikers as it is, and poor behaviour could lead to some paths and tracks being closed to mountain bikers in future. We’re all ambassadors for our sport and for each other when we’re out on the trails.
Forestry plantation on the Three Brethren, Ettrick Forest (Route 9)
Maps
Ordnance Survey provide map coverage of central and southern Scotland in 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales (www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure).
ORDNANCE SURVEY 1:25,000 EXPLORER SERIES
342 Glasgow, Paisley, Rutherglen & Kirkintilloch
341 Greenock, Largs & Millport
348 Campsie Fells, Kilsyth, Strathblane & Fintry
OL 38 Loch Lomond South, Dumbarton & Helensburgh, Drymen & Cove
328 Sanquhar & New Cumnock, Muirkirk & Moniaive
329 Lowther Hills, Sanquhar & Leadhills, Wanlockhead & Crawford
318 Galloway Forest Park North, Glentrool, Loch Doon & St John’s Town of Dalry
345 Lammermuir Hills, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg & Gifford
344 Pentland Hills, Penicuick & West Linton
337 Peebles and Innerleithen, Eddleston & Ettrickbridge, Traquair & Yarrow
336 Biggar & Broughton, Culter Fell & Dollar Law
338 Galashiels, Selkirk & Melrose, St Boswells & Lauder
OL 16 The Cheviot Hills, Jedburgh & Wooler
ORDNANCE SURVEY 1:50,000 LANDRANGER SERIES
64 Glasgow
63 Firth of Clyde, Greenock & Rothesay
57 Stirling & The Trossachs
77 Dalmellington & New Galloway, Galloway Forest Park
71 Lanark & Upper Nithsdale
78 Nithsdale & Annandale
66 Edinburgh, Penicuick & North Berwick
67 Duns, Dunbar & Eyemouth
73 Peebles, Galashiels & Selkirk, Tweed Valley
80 Cheviot Hills
