The Green Routes

The Glentress Green Routes Stats

Grade: Green - Easy
Distance: 3.5K - 4.5Km
Singletrack: 30% - 60%
Estimated Time To Ride The Route: 30 mins - 1 hr

The Glentress Green Route (from the Buzzards Nest car park)

Grade: Green - Easy
Distance: 4.5Km
Singletrack: 60%
Estimated Time To Ride The Route: 30 mins - 1 hr

The Glentress Green Route (from the Buzzards Nest car park) is a fabulous trail. It provides some stunning views of Peebles, the Tweed Valley and the surrounding hills. Although fairly short this route is on purpose-built green grade singletrack trail.

Buzzards Nest

The route starts from the Buzzards Nest Car Park, which is signed from the forest entrance. It’s a fair old pedal up to here from the bottom of the forest (only 2km, but lots of climbing) so driving up is advised unless you’re feeling really fit!

From the car park, the route follows a fairly level forest road, soon passing the entrance to the Skills Loop. Continuing on, looking left gives great views down the Tweed Valley towards Innerleithen.

Narrow Neck

The road gets slightly steeper as you descend towards the Narrow Neck – the narrowest part of the forest, where the boundaries are only a stone's throw apart. Turning right here, a very short climb takes you to the start of the singletrack.

The trail heads into the trees on wide, smooth singletrack and climbs gently with no naughty steep bits (Dad with trailor buggy on the back should get up no probs). Look out for some lovely old beech trees in here amongst the younger conifers. Before you know it you’re at the first viewpoint and the top of the climb!

From here the trail now starts to descend - nothing too tricky or steep just wide, smooth singletrack which meanders and curves its way down through thinned open forest. This is real mountain biking though, as you’ll be whizzing along through tight gaps between trees, through dips and rises and round 180 degree turns.

Along the way there are several more viewpoints that act as useful catch up points or as a place to simply stop, have a breather and take in the views.

The trail finally pops out near the top of Janet’s Brae. Here, the route heads back towards the Buzzards Nest Car Park descending gently to the Narrow Neck (fancy another lap?), then retracing its steps with a gradual climb to finish.

Looking to step up to the next level?

Try the Blue and Red graded features in the Skills Area or have a go at the Blue Route from the trailhead as far up as the Buzzards Nest then back down. This ride will total 8km and includes the best bits of the blue route.

The Glentress Green Route (from Glentress Peel)

Grade: Green - Easy
Distance: 3.5Km
Singletrack: 30%
Estimated Time To Ride The Route: 30 mins - 1 hr

This Route starts and finishes at the Glentress Peel Visitor Centre and provides a great introduction to mountainbiking right from the trailhead where the café and bike hire is located. 

From the Peel the route climbs steadily on forest roads.  After a short, steeper section the road flattens out.  Here, picnic benches overlooking the ponds make a great place to stop and catch a breather. 

Tourist Trap

The route continues on flat forest road into a part of the forest with some of Glentress's oldest, tallest and most magnificant trees. Here, Tourist Trap, the first section of singletrack, swoops down towards the main Glentress Burn.  Cross a boardwalk and onto another around a bend as descent turns into a gentle singletrack climb.  Note: Tourist Trap is shared with riders on the Red/Black Route.

The Admiral

 
A short section of forest road is next and then it's onto The Admiral, 600m of singletrack goodness!  Mellow flowing turns, gentle downhill gradients and a 40m boardwalk crossing await.  A short climb is followed by more descending before the section finishes above the ponds.  From here it's less than 5 minutes back to the Glentress Peel descending on the road that you initially climbed.