Funding to help provide new mountain bike trail at Laggan's Wolftrax
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
The Laggan Forest Trust has been awarded £100,000 towards developing a blue grade mountain bike trail from sportscotland’s Cycling Facilities Fund.
The project at Laggan Wolftrax at Strathmashie has been developed in partnership with Forestry and Land Scotland and is expected to cost around £250,000.
The funding confirmation earlier this week puts a foot on the accelerator to raise the remaining funds.
Cristian Pizarro, business development officer for the trust, told the Strathy: “This award will enable us to build a long-awaited blue mountain biking trail for Laggan Wolftrax and its community.
“The provision of such a trail should attract more riders, families, less experienced cyclists and provide not only a platform for progression in the sport but also a facility to aid progression for developing general cycling skills within our community.
“Above all, this trail should be fun to ride and provide a great experience for all.”
Colin Simpson, head of visitors services and active travel at the Cairngorms National Park Authority said: “While the Cairngorms National Park is a popular area for visitors to cycle and mountain bike there are still relatively few formal routes to support families and beginners.
“I’m delighted that we could support this project through our visitor infrastructure improvement programme as it not only adds to the range of easier trails available but it also helps showcase one of the less visited areas of the park and supports the businesses in and around Laggan.
“The Laggan Forest Trust has discussed the project with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is in the process of applying to them for further support.”
The project is expected to start in March, next year. and the new blue trail to be open to the public before the summer holidays by July 2023.
Laggan Wolftrax is a network of mountain biking trails built in 2004 by Forestry and Land Scotland.
The venue is also home to a visitor centre and the headquarters of the Laggan Forest Trust, a community organisation whose aims are directed at conservation, community regeneration and provision of recreation facilities including active travel.
To date, the trails are mainly on the upper level of difficulty within the grading system. There is an easy green trail, two red trails and a black trail, nationally recognised for its technical features and only rideable for very experienced mountain bikers.
Ruari Watt, Highland mountain bike development co-ordinator, said: “Laggan is an amazing cycling facility with some of the best trails in Scotland accessible to locals and visitors.
“Through our recent bike plan for the Highlands, a gap in provision of a blue trail was identified, but also the role Laggan has in providing a place for mountain biking where its impacts on the community and environment can be well managed.
“The project has established strong links with the community to increase its contribution to meeting a range of social objectives. “The design for the blue trail also will includes incorporating it into the existing trails to provide a better experience for all riders.
“We have been working closely with the trust throughout the development of this project, and the sportscotland award takes us closer to completion of this exciting project.”
A blue trail is an off-road cycling track of moderate difficulty designed for cyclists with basic off-road riding skills.
• From August 3-13, 2023, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships will be hosted in Glasgow and across Scotland.
It will be the single biggest cycling event in history, bringing together, for the first time, 13 existing UCI World Championships into one mega event.
The outcome of the fund is to deliver a lasting impact from the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds by inspiring new and existing cyclists to make cycling a sport for life.
Interim chief executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop, said: “This is an important fund which has the potential to make a significant and long-lasting impact on sport and physical activity.
"By investing in accessible and inclusive community facilities in advance of the event, cycling in Scotland will be ready and able to harness the enthusiasm generated by hosting the championships next year.
“The local groups and partners who have applied for funding have demonstrated a real commitment to improving the lives of their local communities and we are proud to support their ambitions.”
