Monster Mountain Bike skills area opened in Fochabers

A new skills area at the Moray Monster Trails in Fochabers will be officially opened this weekend.

The free event will saw enthusiasts join the main players from Moray’s mountain biking community and Forest Enterprise Scotland staff to help celebrate the completion of the £120,000 upgrade to the Moray Monster trails.

The project, part funded by the Commonwealth legacy fund (administered via sport Scotland) has taken a year to complete and is located at the Winding Walks car park, 1 mile east of Fochabers on the A98.

Calum Murray, the FES Communities Recreation & Tourism Manager who has overseen the works, said;

“Suitable for mountain bikes and for bmx bikes, this is a fantastic new addition to the trails and it’s a real asset for the area.

“The site’s been settling down very well, with thanks to some of the local guys who’ve been ‘test-riding’ it, and we’re ready to throw open the doors and welcome everybody who wants to come and challenge their mountain biking skills.

“Spread across four distinct areas, riders can tailor their visit to suit as time, fitness and experience allow. Visitors will also find it easy to combine different route sections and come up with their own loop preferences so that they can take on a different challenge on every visit.”

Visitors to the trails will now be able to enjoy a range of features to help them boost fitness levels, hone their skills and have fun!

The skills trail features:

The pump track will help novices learn how to use berms and how to move on rises and dips but will also be a good way for giving experienced riders to get a full body workout.

The skills area, which will include elements normally found on ‘upland’ Blue and Red grade trails, will make it easier for instructors to pass on skills that would normally take many hour and many miles of riding to learn.

There is also an off-trail jumps area that are a perfect environment for younger riders to safely practice how to handle jumps without annoying other forest users or building their own jumps somewhere without permission. This area is clearly signed to remind riders to be appropriately dressed and equipped and to respect the jumps and start small before tackling the larger jumps.