Balnain Bike Park is muscle-stretching, lung-bursting fun. It’s the cycling equivalent of a skateboard park, just as testing of your skills and every bit as energetic. Runs and jumps, North Shore, singletrack, skinnies, the fun box, aerial North Shore to test your balance and skills: use them to your limits for a real adrenaline rush! The park also has a skills development area . It's a great way to try out some of the manoeuvres you'll need before putting them to the test. Aside from the skills development area, the park is for experienced mountain bikers and is graded double black.
Runs
A network of twisting, bermy runs leads from the forest road down into the park. The runs are on solid, smooth, predictable surfaces, and have a precise gradient. As you’ll know exactly what to expect from the surface, you can concentrate on line and technique for the obstacles you'll encounter. Low-level run-ups made from forest logs sitting about one step high give you a line in to the obstacles as well as testing balance and skill. Use the runs to build up speed before tackling the gap jump or the fun box.
The fun box
The fun box is a first for the UK. There are two platforms you can get to from ramps after building up some speed from one of the downhill runs. The sides of the fun box are sloping, so it can be used in the same way as a skateboarder would use a half-pipe.
The gap jump
The run down to the gap jump starts at the forest road and is just one of the many features within the park. Mind your head if using the trail that runs through the gap!
North Shore and the seesaw
Following true North Shore principles, most of the materials for the North Shore track are from the forest itself. The expert level trails are of varying heights and widths. There is some red-graded North Shore for less experienced riders and some small portable stretches in the skills development area.
Skills development area
Jump or duck the limbo bars, make a zig-zag snake out of the low skinnies - it's up to you. There are small, portable stretches of North Shore here for complete beginners. You can move these around to suit yourself, to help build confidence and develop skills.
Trials area and skinnies
A dedicated area to practise your skills on narrow beams of wood suspended above the forest floor. There are skinnies that are only 6 cm wide with 90' corners, big rocks, slabs, drop offs, ramps, gaps, an award-winning friendship seat, and the patented, graffitied painted shelter. This one little section of the park has so much stuff in it that you could spend all day here and not see the fun box!
A soft landing
The ground around the bike park structures is soft forest floor. There are few rocks, except for those purposely used as part of the trail. Forest debris, low branches and some trees around the structures have been removed entirely. Others have been left to keep a sense of enclosure and seclusion and some have been left as deliberate obstacles.
How safe are the structures?
All the structures are built to professional standards guided by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). Experienced, professional civil engineers from the Forestry Commission have assessed all the designs for strength, stress, strain and suitability.
Chill out shelters
The chill out shelter resembles a cross between the Tardis and an Edwardian bandstand! Bikers can ride their bikes right into it and enjoy the graffiti art that has deliberately been painted inside the shelter. The shelter was designed by award-winning timber bridge design engineer, Geoff Freedman, and is patented.
Community involvement
The Park has been built entirely by the local community. The log-building skills of Bruce Wilson (Lewiston), the trail building skills of Liam Matheson (Abriachan), and the international bike riding expertise of Adam Lewis (Inverness), have combined to brilliant effect. Two fantastic chainsaw carvings and a friendship bench made from local oak dominate the entrance.
Facilities
Car Parking: Parking is available in the main Glen Urquhart car park. The car park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is suitable for buses and horse boxes.
Toilets: At present there are no toilet facilities on site.
Cafés / food & drink: Local services and shops are available in Drumnadrochit.
Bike hire: The nearest bike hire is Knowles Bed & Breakfast in Drumnadrochit
Balnain Bike Park - please click on this link to take you to the website
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