Video & Photo Story: Exploring the Tweed Valley Where There's Something for Everyone
In the final episode of Scotty’s Scotland Showcase, we’re in Scotland’s MTB epicentre, the Tweed Valley where we’ll be exploring the trails around Glentress and Innerleithen.
Glentress was one of the first ever MTB trail centres I visited. It’s got something for everyone, from the rider starting out on a balance bike right up to the seasoned pro. To showcase the variation on offer, we explored the full range of Glentress’ offerings of machine made trail centre and hand cut trails through Berm Baby Berm, 5 Year Plan, Deliverance and Thunderstruck. I’ll admit it was super fun just having a session in the Freeride park!
Next we headed to the Golfy, made famous by the EWS. All the trails here are entirely natural and hand built and maintained. Watching the scene develop here has been mind blowing. It started out with one trail and has grown to trails being everywhere in the forest. The passionate locals and trail association have vigorously worked to make it as good as it is. I rode 3 trails here. Avalanche is steep, technical and loose, New York New York is fast and flowing before diving in the trees where it gets tight and 2nd Base has huge hand built berms that flow incredibly well. If you love natural trails then this is the place for you.
Traquair Forest is the home of Downhill in the Tweed Valley. I first came here in 2002 and some of those very trails are still there, it's hosted numerous, regional, national and international events. The Road Gap is a classic feature and we had a real fun session on this before dropping into the Gold Run! The Gold takes you through the tight plantation trees all the way down to the Arena where in my first ever MTB race, I crashed and DNF'd!
Riding here brought back a lot of memories and I can’t wait to see how the Tweed Valley continues to develop as a destination for MTB’ers. You could even say it’s the perfect model for other locations to follow in adopting MTB within their communities!
The infamous Glentress Freeride Park, this little area has so much history and is in some ways responsible for shaping some of the best Scottish MTB'ers.
It's still as much fun to roll through the jumps as it was when I was just discovering MTB'ing as a sport.
On a weekly basis, we'd head to Glentress and spend time sessioning and honing those core MTB skills in the Freeride Park.
Glentress really has something for everyone, this is Berm Baby Berm, it's a flowy blue trails and it's just as much fun for any level of rider, a simple trail that flows from start to finish.
Ripping round one of the many berms.
5 Year Plan was raced in the EWS back in 2015 and is one of the more rugged, steeper and technical trails in Glentress.
It's tight in the trees and you're dropping in to tight, technical and steep turns.
From it, you can drop straight in to Deliverance which is part of the original black trail and is long, challenging and takes you out to one of the furthest points within Glentress.
The trails are machine built and feature some really fun turns.
Glentress is your quintessential Scottish Trail Centre, lovely views and endless areas of forest plantations.
Then there's Thunderstruck, huge hand built berms that flow so incredibly well.
It really blur the lines between trail centre and natural trail but it is amazing having the variation on offer all in one forest.
Not entirely sure I thought wearing tinted glasses was a good idea!
The Golfy has become one of the destinations within the UK to ride at and it's easy to understand why, thanks to it plethora of trails.
First up we hit Avalanche, one of the steepest trails within the valley.
And just incase you were wondering how it got its name.
It's steep, really shaley and on the bike, it almost feels like you're surfing.
Get it right and it's one of the best trails in the valley.
This year the Tweed Valley Trail Association managed to put in this awesome climbing trail making the Golfy accessible to a wider range of riders, the previous climb was challenging and this small changes makes a huge difference.
The infamous reservoir.
Climbing up to towards the Golfy's summit.
The top of New York New York is so flowing.
The big man made berms are really supportive and you can really push in them.
The views from the summit are exceptional and then once you dive in to the trees, things tighten up and get pretty technical.
Next up we hit. 2nd Base for some more big hand built turns, this one really reminds me of riding in a big park.
The bottom of Repeat Offender.
In the almost 20 years I've been coming to Innerleithen, the High Street has changed so much, there's now multiple bike shops and coffee shops which all welcome MTB'ers.
Dropping into the Road Gap at Innerleithen's lift accessed trails in Traquair Forest.
The Road Gap.
The Gold Run and an Innerleithen Classic, tight in the trees and root scattered everywhere to catch you out.
Speeding through the greenery.
Did I already say it was tight in the trees and rooty?
That's a wrap on shooting, thanks to everyone who watched the series and made it possible!
The sustainability focus of this episode was maintaining and looking after your bike. It sounds simple but regular maintenance can help you be a better MTB’er.
The entire series was created carbon neutral. All our journey emissions were offset and the advertising revenue generated from viewership of the series will be split between planting more native trees in Scotland and the local trail associations.
Produced by Scotty Laughland
Cinematography by Glen Thomson
Edit by Glen Thomson and Max Rendall
Photography by Jonny Cook
Archive images by Ian Linton
Graphics by Scott Muirhead
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Now live in Norway (we met randomly and rode with your mate in Hardanger if you remember) and every time I'm back in the UK we go for a trip up to Tweed Valley!
I've now moved to another part of Norway, Nesbyen in Hallingdal Valley, which feels very much like Innerleithen in Tweed Valley 20 years ago. I've been taking a lot of inspiration from Innerleithen as it is a great model of how to create a fantastic riding destination!
I think Steve was up again with you this summer? He was stoked on the trails he rode and we're planning another trip over there so hopefully we'll get the chance to explore your new grounds.