Tweed Valley (Glentress)

Standard UK trail-centre colours: green (easy), blue (moderate), red (difficult), black (severe), with an orange/graded skills area and adaptive-MTB provision. Masterplan added Green/Blue/Red/Black network descents plus stand-alone taster loops of each grade.

GROUP SPLIT - Beginners: green loops from Buzzards Nest or Peel and the blue lower loop, with the skills area and taster loops for progression. Advanced: red 18 km or black 29 km, sessioning Masterplan/taster descents. Uplift (Adrenalin Uplift / Uplift Scotland) enables descent-only laps of climbs like Spooky Wood and the skills/bike-park area.

Strong for mixed-ability groups: green and blue trails suit families and beginners, red/black serve experienced riders, and a 2.2 km firm-gravel Multi-User Path plus adaptive-MTB provision improve accessibility. The Peel hub has disabled facilities and Blue Badge parking.

Mostly purpose-built machine- and hand-cut singletrack (gravel, hardpack, rock armour, berms, boardwork/timber features) with fire-road climbs linking sections. Skills area has timber and rock obstacles across green/blue/red zones.

Red and black include rocky singletrack, roots, berms, tabletops, drops and the famous Spooky Wood descent; the black takes in remote, technical terrain and should only be attempted by expert riders. Exposure is generally low (forested, sheltered) but sustained technical sections and jump features carry real crash risk.

Fully waymarked colour-graded routes signed from the Peel/Gateway trailhead; on-site orientation boards and printable/Trailforks maps supplement. Off-piste unsanctioned trails exist and are not signed - stick to graded routes if unsure.

Very popular - the top visitor attraction in the Scottish Borders, drawing 300,000+ visitors a year, so the Peel hub, green/blue trails and skills area get busy on weekends and holidays. The long black and remoter upper sections offer more solitude.

Open all year with no seasonal closure; trails drain quickly and are rarely fully snowbound at these low-to-moderate elevations. Occasional winter snow/ice or storm-damage/forestry closures can affect upper sections.

Rideable year-round; late spring through autumn offers the best conditions and daylight. The purpose-built, well-drained surfaces hold up in most weather.

Hosted the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships XCO/XCM events and earlier Enduro World Series rounds (2014/2015); part of the wider Tweed Valley scene alongside Innerleithen's gravity/enduro venues. Autumn colour in the mixed forest is a highlight.

Glentress Peel/Gateway lies just east of Peebles off the A72, about an hour (roughly 30 miles) south of Edinburgh. ANPR paid car park (free first 30 min, tiered up to about GBP 6/day, GBP 24 minibus/coach, Blue Badge free).

Uplift available via Adrenalin Uplift / Uplift Scotland, with pick-up at the car park and drop-offs for the Spooky Wood climb and skills area. Peebles is reachable by bus from Edinburgh; no rail to the valley.

Standard MTB kit, helmet, spares and water; carry more for the remote black loop. Water/food available at the Peel cafe; mobile coverage is patchy on the upper/remote hillsides.

Glentress Peel visitor hub with a large cafe, Alpine Bikes shop and bike hire (150+ bikes incl. e-MTB), changing rooms, showers, toilets, bike wash and picnic area; Go Ape high ropes and the Wildlife Hub are on site.

Alpine Bikes (Glentress Peel), Ridelines and Dirt School (coaching/guiding), Adrenalin Uplift/Uplift Scotland (uplift), Atlas Ride Co (bike hire). Innerleithen trail/gravity centre and the wider Tweed Valley (incl. the unsanctioned Golfie) are a short drive away.

Fast descents, jumps, drops and technical rock/root sections carry crash risk - ride within your grade and check on-site signage/conditions. Active forestry, shared multi-user paths, unsanctioned off-piste trails, and wet-weather slick surfaces are the main hazards.

None required - fully waymarked and self-guided. Coaching and guided sessions (e.g. Ridelines, Dirt School) are optional; the long black is recommended only for experienced, self-sufficient riders.

Fire roads criss-cross the forest, allowing shortcuts back to the Peel hub from most trails. In emergencies call 999 (Scottish Mountain Rescue / ambulance); note the remoteness and weaker signal on the black route.