TARLAND TRAILS
TRAVEL GUIDE
Welcome to Tarland
With most communities there’s a core group of dedicated individuals behind its success and development. Whether that’s from the underground trail builders who spend hours in the winter with a head torch on sculpting single track for their own desired (sometimes for the joy of others as well) or it’s the big visionaries who dream big we all know someone who we owe for the trails we ride. In Tarland in the North East of Scotland a huge vision was dreamt up over a decade ago and the phrase good things come to those who wait has partial truth. The truth is however that Chris Redmond didn’t wait and a decade ago he put action behind a dream. A lot of blood, sweat and I’m sure tears went behind the trails at Tarland. Firstly the development at Drummy woods opened up to the public in 2015 and provided a proving ground for what would ultimately be developed at Pittenderich - and what a development it is. Created with support from the MacRobert Trust and the local landowners who have given the community project favorable lease terms and magnificent 17km of trails have been developed by CRC over the course of a year. Opening in April 2023 this trail network is exactly what’s needed to help Scotland having any chance of continuing to call itself a leader in Mountain Biking. With fierce competition from other Nations in the UK and Europe for the crown this place has certainly helped in showing what Scottish Mountain biking can offer for all riders.
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Essential info
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Really there isn’t any modern mountain bike that couldn't take on most of the trails at Tarland. With a number of rock gardens littered through the red trails then you’ll no doubt appreciate a few inches of rear travel but it’s definitely no prerequisite.
We rode our 160mm Bird Aeris 9 Enduro bikes but something like the Aether 7 130mm with 150mm up front would be absolutely at home here.
So whether you’re on an enduro, trail, downcountry or XC rig the most bikes will be capable for riding here.
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We were pretty excited to get a first glimpse of some of the facilities installed at Tarland. It’s not often you get excited about a toilet but they’ve taken a conscious and sustainable approach installing compost toilets in the main carpark.
Facilities are limited here but with a huge carpark and some amazing trails what more do you need? Drop some cash (electronic payment available) in the parking meter if you want to help keep the trails maintained and see more in future.
For local amenities then drop into Tarland Village where there’s some local shops fully behind the development. Make sure you let them know why you’re in town! Beyond that you have local villages of Aboye or Torphins.
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We’ll be honest we had the luxury of team rider and builder Calum staying fairly local but both Tarland, Torphins and Aboyne have great accommodation options. Being just off the Royal Deeside there’s plenty of stunning options and lots to do beyond biking.
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Your best and only options to get to Tarland are to drive and if driving from home is out of the question then flights to the closest airports and then a drive will be necessary.
The closest airports are Aberdeen or Inverness
If you’re coming from the East then the scenic B9119 from Banchory through Torphins is likely your best option. Those coming from the South will access via Banchory from the A90 either via Aberdeen or over the Cairn O’Mount road from Fettercairn. This is particularly beautiful on a nice day.
Alternative approach from the South West via Balmoral taking you over Glenshee again are picturesque and enjoyable in their own right.
Your best bet is to drop Tarland Trails into your favourite navigation system and you won’t go too far wrong.
Post Code - AB34 4TB
Coordinates - 57°08'14.6"N 2°50'58.0"W
What Three Words - ///doghouse.froth.bronzer
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https://www.tarland-trails.com/
The Trails
While Tarland trails are really made up between both Drummy Woods and Pittenderich trails to the North our Travel guide focuses on the newer Pittenderich trails. This isn’t because Drummy Woods isn’t worth a visit so do check these out if you’re in the area. You can easily spend a couple of hours enjoying the shorter, more mellow trails here but it’s Pittenderich which has the incredible range of trails that get us most excited. They’re perfect for beginners up to advanced riders and bring a little bit of Whistler or the Alps to Scotland.
Blue Trails
Snakes and Ladders
It’s sort of in the name but a short climb up leads you into the final blue descent which snakes down the hill. Perfect for lapping, building your confidence or letting the kids run free while you enjoy the views with one watchful eyes on the trails.
Scalextric / HOLY COW / PARTY TIME
This blue trail links multiple sections up to be more than 2km long before dropping into the 500m final descent on the snakes and ladders loop.
Dropping 200m in height this is a perfect gradient for a blue (about 10% average) making it effortless from top to bottom. While there’s a short climb in the middle it’s kept interesting with some rollers and you can continue to carry your speed well and take a moment before the final section within the trees.
There’s plenty of excitement for beginners and those more adventurous can try a few of the gaps between rollers. Calum and Christo share a bit on this in our video from Tarland.
Red Trails
Call Me Chris / Chris Cross
It’s only fitting that at least one trail at Tarland is named Chris. In fact there’s two sections which link up.
With so much blood sweat and tears being put into the development here by Chris Redmond over the last decade it’s no surprise that one of the best tracks in the development, starting at Pittenderich and dropping 150m in elevation over its 1.5km length, is one of the best on the hill.
Contours Calum McBain certainly thinks so!
Check out our Location video for more on this.
HIGH PRESSURE / BERMUDA / Bon Gripper / SPINE
Once you’ve made it to nearly 550m above sea level you’re in for a long long run to the bottom. With a 400m drop from the highest point at Tarland Two you can take the 6km long run to the bottom car park. On route you’ll ride various sections of red trail, each with their own unique feel. Rugged open heather hill sides sets the tone for the rest of the red trail. Fast and flowing before more features start to come at you fast as you dive into the trees. It’s not long before you’re back out into the open with some rock features and typical trail centre red technical trail features (TTF’s). If you’ve still got more in the tank then continue on the blue for one of the longest trail centre runs in the country.
BLACK Trails
Fools Gold
While graded a black at Tarland Trails we would also categorise this as an Orange style trail with the focus on air time from top to bottom. While more comparable to an Orange Red trail when considering trail centres in Wales this Black brings a fresh style of trail to Aberdeenshire. With big jumps, rollers and plenty of opportunities to throw some shapes you might find yourself sessioning this trail all day.
ORANGE TRAILS
Tarland Trails
While the trail grading is from Blue to Black some of these tracks as noted above have a touch of Orange style thrown in there so if you’re looking for jumps then Tarland certainly has something to offer you.
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Is it worth the trip?
Not only is visiting Tarland Pittenderich trails worth it you’ll be able to tie it into some of Scotlands best modern riding. With trails at Tarland Drummy Wood you can warm up, develop your skills before heading up to the newest trail centre in Scotland for long flowing trails which descent almost 400m in elevation South towards Tarland Village. The black line will satisify those with a love of jumps while those looking for the big miles and adventure can head up high for a 6km run to the bottom finishing on Snakes, a mellow and satisfying blue.
Street Pigeons Take On Tarland Trails
Someone who also shares our passion about riding is Street Pigeon and we were keen to here what he thought of the new trails at Tarland. It’s clear from his video he was blow away by what Chris and the team at CRC have created.
“Tarland 2 is an incredibly exciting Scottish mountain biking venue. The focus is very much on inclusive flow trails. You will find fast tracks with well-built, bermed corners. There are a large number of well-designed jumps and sporadic technical sections throughout the graded trails. For me, the trails are about as inclusive as they can get. They are designed in a way that will leave every rider, from beginner to pro, smiling from ear to ear. I can honestly say that every descent made me smile. It was the one of the flowiest and fastest days I’ve had on the bike in Scotland. And even better, it is fully-family friendly. I absolutely loved it!”
What the locals say
There is no doubt that every Km of trail was built with love and extreme amounts of attention to detail that went into the building process. This feeds directly back to rider to create some of the flowiest trails in Scotland.
“Pittenderich trails also commonly know as Tarland trails two is one giant jump from it’s predecessor, Tarland trails in both it’s level of difficulty and exposure on the hill. Situated less than one mile from the town centre, means grabbing a coffee and a “fine piece”to start an epic ride is super convienent. ”
— Calum McBain, local rider, bugpuss lover and rapid racer!
“A day out riding the Pittenderich trails allows for all abilties to go out and experience some epic bike park corners and jumps. Residing from the North East Scotland my self, I would say these trails are a warm welcome to everyone here as there is no shortage of technical single track. I had the privilege of working for CRC Trails whilst they undertook on the huge project of building 17km of purpose built trail.
With fourteen trails to choose from, the highlights for us ranged in all difficulty levels. The super cruisey blue of Scalextric’s flows discreetly down a heathery ridge line. On a sunny evening, combined with its breathtaking views - how could you resit.
Onto one of our favourite red’s, Call me Chris has the perfect combination of flow and technical riding. The steep berms are what all mountain bikers dream of, along with a mix of some optional technical gaps. Lapping this trail via one of the many purpose built climbs will have you hooked for more.
For the more advanced rider looking to clock up your air miles or just get plain steezy for an insta banger, Fool’s Gold undoubtly will deliver. It is now personally my favourite trail in Scotland to do just that.”
In Summary
There was a lot of anticipation around Tarland 2, the second phase of the Tarland Trails project and what they’ve created at Pittenderich is a huge addition to the current trail centres in Scotland in this particular region of Scotland. With the addition of Tarlands new trails, which are exceptional, the options of heading to Aberdeenshire for a riding holiday just got even more accessible. Before you’d needed to be a little adventurous and willing to either self guide or find a local guide but now with Tarland, Glenlivet just up the road, Pitfichie and even DH Farm you’ve got plenty of official riding spots to enjoy.
We loved Call Me Chris and Fools Gold but equally enjoyable was Scalextric being a playful blue with some of the best views you’ll experience on the hill.
You could easily spend a couple of day here enjoying the trails and we can’t wait to see what else they build in the coming years - I know their plans aren’t stopping there.