Ae is only 20 minutes from the M74 motorway, but ride its trails and you’ll think you’re in another world.
- Please note that harvesting operations will be affecting the red graded 'Ae line - Scottish Power Renewables Trail' in Ae Forest until late Summer 2008. For safety reasons, sections of the route will be diverted during this period. For full details and diversion maps please see the trail conditions page.
The trails
Ae's green-graded trail is ideal for entry level riders and families, while its red-graded and downhill routes are for the more experienced rider. The blue-graded trail is now ready to ride but there's been a short delay in waymarking the route, which will be sorted in January 08.
An entry level Mountain bike trail, the Green Route is aimed mainly at families with young children. It’s a 9km loop which runs up the Ae valley to a lovely viewpoint overlooking the Water of Ae. A beautiful place to stop and picnic with lots of rocks around the river.
The Blue Route is a 4.5km forest road section added on the the Green route, giving a trail length of 13.5km in all. It's suitable for those families looking to take in a little bit more of the forest than just the short green-graded valley route.
The red-graded Ae Line – Scottish Power Renewables Trail is a challenging, high quality ride through quiet coniferous forest. This route has an aggressive freeride style to it with some large and sometimes intimidating trail features in addition to very steep climbs and descents.
Ridden at speed, things get very exciting, but if you are more cautious you can keep your wheels on the ground all the way round. For many, the highlight of the route is the final descent of Omega Man, with its multiplicity of jumps.
The 1.6km Ae Downhill route provides a bigger challenge. Graded ‘Bike Park/ Extreme’, its seriously gnarly rocky sections, slippery roots and huge drops will satisfy the most demanding of riders. An uplift service is sometimes available (pre-booking required) See facilities details, below.
Facilities
Parking
Car parking is available at the trail head. See details of how to get to Ae by car.
Toilets
A toilet is available on site.
Cafe / food and drink
A cafe is due to open on site by end of May 08 and nearby Dumfries has plenty of options.
Uplift service
For details of the uplift service, contact Tally on 07709 144 299, via email at: tally@uplift.scotland.com or see www.upliftscotland.com. Pre-booking is essential.
Bike hire
G&G cycles in Dumfries provides mountain bike hire. Contact www.cycle-centre.com or phone 01387 270275 for details.
Other facilities
The town of Dumfries is around 15 minutes drive away, and has a great range of facilities available.
The Ae stane
See what are the 7stanes? for details of the Ae sculpted stane.