Photo Story: Trails on Trial - A Scottish Perspective on Trail Advocacy & Management

Trails on Trial is a film that has been investigating issues that UK trails are facing behind the scenes, in these photo pieces we will add a little more depth to each region featured in the film.

Scotland has a population of 5.5 million people and a land mass of 30,000 sq miles. That is roughly 60% of England's landmass, and 10% of its population. In short, Scotland has space, and quite a lot of it.

Over the years Scotland has led the way on mountain biking "development"; sometimes with deliberate intention, and sometimes as a by-product of the community, social reform, disasters (such as Foot & Mouth), and just keen individuals. The grass roots movements have been helped by political legislation, such as the 2003 Land Reform (Scotland) Act, and through to building organisations such as Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS) that can help create better relationships with government, national agencies including Forestry, and connect riders to the thing that matters most to them: the trails.


By and large, from the bottom to the top, each set of players has done amazing things to make mountain biking an accepted part of Scottish outdoor life.



The Golfie, Innerleithen. Internationally well-known and having grown from a hillside that in the early 2000's was used by downhillers doing sly uplifts on steep and tech trails, to a much more formalised network of trails that are accessed by thousands of riders a month. The Golfie's rise has symbiotically happened as modern day bikes have evolved, and this led to riders building more and more, unofficially, as they could now get to the top of the hill under their own power.

As is reminiscent of stories we heard all over the country, as more trails were built, the landowner, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) could no longer turn a blind eye. A period of tension soon followed, though dialogue remained flowing behind the scenes and eventually, while skipping a few steps for brevity, Tweed Valley Trails Association (TVTA) was formed.



Aneela McKenna is a founding member of the TVTA, though she openly admits "I have no idea how I got involved with it"...Beyond that, Aneela is a driving force in getting more people from all backgrounds, gender, race and socio-economic background out onto the trails.


The FNY Collective showing that the Golfie isn't for anyone, but it is for everyone. Its an amazing resource that has been started by amazing builders, from Tom Ferguson, Steve Deas and through to Neil Carnegie and others. John Ireland from Forestry and Land Scotland has been a huge help in the Golfie's continued contribution to the Borders community.



Even in the promised land of the Tweed Valley, rain is still a thing. The TVTA have now adopted 6 trails in the Tweed Valley, essentially meaning they can officially carry out maintenance on these trails without fear of prosecution, or simply upsetting the apple cart. While many still nibble away at trails quietly, when they get as much as use as the Golfie, it requires a team of volunteers to keep up with the work that needs to be done.




Graeme Mclean - a real un-sung hero




The trail building is world class - and far from "making trails easier" the TVTA have simply responded to demands from modern riders. That, however doesn't mean it has been plain sailing. Signage is still an area of debate, and the TVTA manage 6 trails on the Golfie out of a substantial number.

The big spaces of Scotland


Glen Feshie, Scotland, provides an interesting perspective on mountain biking. The estate is owned by the Danish billionaire Anders Polsven, who is now Scotland's largest private landowner. If you can ignore, for a moment, the implications of one person owning so much land, what Polvsen is undertaking here is an ecological restoration project at landscape scale. In short, he's working over an area that will enhance entire ecosystems and be of a scale to be able to sustain that change.

Why is this interesting?

Because it appears that where riders act with care, as evidence has proved, we have an impact no different to walkers, and are therefore afforded equal access rights, even on states dedicated to ecological restoration. Granted, the Land Reform Act 2003 provides a legal right to access these spaces, but there are areas of Scotland where other levers are used to deter riders, and the general public, from accessing space......



Big days in the hills do require a changed perspective. Shredding and cutties are less welcomed on sensitive areas but that doesn't make the experience any less wholesome. We've only really had the ability to ride in this terrain comfortably for the last 10-15 years, due to improved tech. People have always done it though....We might think our legal rights are permanent, but laws can be changed......


Ruari Watt from DMBinS covers a huge area as part of his "beat" from Torridon in
the west, to the Cairngorms in the east.




Manon leads out Ruari Watt on a well-known upland path in the Cairngorms.







[PCAPTION] How do we perceive upland paths? By and large, paths are designed to protect the wider environment, keeping it free from disturbance. They do come at a cost though, which can be as high as £125 per metre to build. With budgets tight, there are eyes on how and why these paths get damaged. Research from DMBinS suggests that while bikes do have an impact, even when ridden considerately, it is equal to that of other user groups such as walkers. [/PCAPTION]





Lauren MacCallum is a climate and land reform campaigner. Never one to shy away from tricky subjects, Lauren has found her voice strengthened by her love of the Scottish landscapes and her desire to ensure they are in good, long term, health.

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