Description

To access the trail you have the option of riding the blue XC access route, riding up the forest road (beware of lorries using this road) or taking the Nevis bike uplift which is available at weekend.

The blue XC ascent is a great way to whet your appetite, get your legs warmed up, and give you a taste of what’s to come on the Witches Trails.

The ascent is mostly wide single track with a gravel surface.

The ascent is ideal for all abilities, as although there are a few narrow and testing features for more experienced riders, those who haven’t ridden as much can easily ride around while sticking with the group.

As you continue up the access route, you’ll reach a short faster section, which acts as a taster of the flowing track that ahead.

After approximately 2km, you’ll exit on to a minor 4X4 track.

From here, the start of the blue and green XC routes are clearly signposted.

To access the start of the Blue Adder, you’ll need to climb slightly higher after passing the start of the Green Cats Eyes.

From the forest road, you drop in to some fast, flowing single-track, where you can pick up the pace really quickly.

The trail has berms a-plenty, allowing you to keep your speed the whole way down.

Be prepared for some small roller jumps, a great way to step it up after you’ve become familiar with the track.

For those on their first descent, these jumps can still be ridden over, without leaving the safety of firm ground.

Further down the blue, the track has some larger rocks protruding, offering riders another obstacle to tackle.

Steeper sections which flow seamlessly in to massive banked turns can be found all along the route, a great test of your skills! There is one boardwalk section which, although wide, has a few banked turns, so you’ll need to make sure you have some speed to flow through it comfortably.

After a final few hairpin bends in quick succession, the track flattens out and joins the Green for the last couple of hundred metres to the finish.

Watch out for bikes merging from your right, and for any traffic on the forest road.