Trail names revealed as Scottish Cabinet Minister visits Glentress

Glentress is now able to host part of the UCI Cycling World Championship. Credit: Forestry and Land Scotland

The trail names have been revealed as part of the Glentress Masterplan by Scottish Cabinet Minister Mairi Gougeon.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands visited the site to learn how it will bring a social, economic and tourism boom for the Tweed valley and the wider Scottish Borders area.

The work at Glentress has allowed the site to be able to host part of the UCI Cycling World Championship.

The completed phases include 16km of new mountain bike trails and routes which included a multi-user path, mountain biking taster trails, a new trailhead, new network trails and expanded infrastructure.

Mairi Gougeon was onsite in Glentress on Wednesday. Credit: Forestry and Land Scotland.

It is anticipated that the revamped Glentress will help draw over 350,000 visitors to the area and inject around £1 million into the local economy, every year.

Ms Gougeon, said: “This is a major redesign for Glentress that was intended from the start to broaden the appeal of this amazing destination and increase its value for the local area, businesses and  communities, and for Scotland’s economy.

“In restating its position as a top-flight attraction and with enhanced event capacity, the new Glentress will not only have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of thousands of visitors, tourists and riders but will also positively impact the local economy.

“The local community enthusiasm for this project is fantastic and it’s great that in a public vote to decide the new trail names, we had responses from over 1000 people.

“This has been a phenomenal, high-pressure project that has demanded the very best from everyone involved. FLS has done a fantastic job in marshalling the behind-the-scenes team that has brought this to fruition.”

The public vote to name the new trails settled on ‘Apple Peel’ (graded green), ‘Turn and Burn’ (blue), ‘Smells Like Tweed Spirit’ (red), and Castle Black (black).

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