The Tarland Trails Pittenderich project is a new mountain bike trail centre in Aberdeenshire. This landmark facility, which has cost £1.1 million, is located on the outskirts of the Deeside village.
The initiative, led by Tarland Development Group, provides a purpose-built range of mountain biking trails catering to riders of all levels.
Investment includes £350,000 from Scottish Enterprise and £300,000 from sportscotland’s Cycling Facilities Fund, as well as £250,000 from Just Transition. The funds were secured as a result of a collaborative approach between the local group, North East Adventure Tourism, Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, Opportunity North East, Aberdeenshire Council and Scottish Enterprise.
The full funding profile has been complemented by fundraising through Tarland Development Group along with generous local business and private donations.
A growing number of businesses are benefitting from Aberdeenshire’s growing MTB and adventure tourism thanks to newly created jobs in the supply chain, such as bike shops, event organisers, accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes.
New trails for all abilities
Leading trail construction specialists CRC and local ecology specialist Envirocentre handled the on-site delivery of the project, which includes blue, red, orange and black graded trails.
The routes are located on the slopes of the Pressendye and Pittenderich hills, looking across the Howe of Cromar,.
There is also a trail head with parking for 90 vehicles and environmentally friendly toilet facilities.
The Macrobert Trust Estate and private landowner Mr and Mrs Dalgarno have provided a lease to secure the project site for years to come.
Credit: Andy McCandlish
Aberdeenshire’s mountain biking scene has steadily risen over the past few years and boasts a natural trail network, an enthusiastic and welcoming riding community, creative and adaptable local bike businesses and a thriving race and event scene.
The development follows the hugely successful phase one project at Tarland Trails – Drummy Woods, which has become a hub of activity for riders. The driving force behind the project has been Tarland Development Group and, in particular, the group’s acting chair and current Scottish Trail Advocate of the Year, Chris Redmond.
He said: “It’s fantastic to realise our ambition of creating a trail centre in Aberdeenshire. Our first phase – Tarland Trails Drummy Woods – was opened in 2015 and has been an amazing success for the area providing locals and visitors, particularly children, young people, and families, with an opportunity to ride safe on fun and accessible trails.
“This new development will help the village sustain its business community, attract young families to the area, retain young people in this rural area and help to improve the physical and mental health of users.
“The trail centre has been realised by the commitment of our volunteer board and I would like to thank my fellow trustees as well as the landowners for their time, energy and expertise to make this happen.
“I would also like to extend my thanks to those who have supported us, particularly, Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland and North East Adventure Tourism, and all the funders of the project.”
See: Tarland Trails.