Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland Podcast Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland

Trails for the Environment - The Trail Feathers Project, Emma Holgate & Douglas Carchrie - Trail Feathers Project

In this podcast we get a fascinating insight into a project where mountain bikers are a leading light in Capercaillie conservation helping to preserve and enhance the rare and vulnerable habitat for the critically endangered Capercaillie. The ‘Trail Feathers Project’, funded by the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, has involved the whole mountain bike community, Badenoch and Strathspey Trail Association, land managers and conservationists.
 With only a few hundred remaining in Scotland, the vast majority of which are in the Badenoch and Strathspey area, and mountain biking increasing in the Cairngorms, a solution was needed to protect the environment for caper to flourish with minimal disturbance, while allowing riders to still venture into the forests with the knowledge that they are minimising their footprint in more sensitive areas.
 Find out more about the depth of this project, the trail mapping of the area, the communities involved and their reaction, the involvement of young trail builders as part of the Trail Academy, the new trails that have been developed and the potential impact of this project as an exemplar in other areas of conservation and across not just Scottish mountain biking, but other outdoor sports too.
 Many thanks to Douglas Carchrie, Badenoch and Strathspey Trail Development Coordinator for Cairngorms National Park Authority and Emma Holgate Chair of Badenoch and Strathspey Trail Association and Senior Instructor at Glenmore Lodge for taking the time to speak to us.

Dr Lesley Ingram-Sills - Edinburgh Napier University - Evidencing the Impact

Fascinating insight into the work of Dr Lesley Ingram-Sills. The podcast covers her journey into the outdoors, her - and the wider team at Napier's - research into e-bikes and trail therapy, along with her excitement into what the new mountain bike innovation centre will deliver for research and industry when opened in 2025.

Enjoy.

Trail  Therapy Evaluation - https://dmbins.com/blog/evaluating-the-impact-of-trail-therapy-programme/

E-bike Research - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/emtbstudy

MTB Innovation Centre - https://dmbins.com/innovation/mtb-innovation-centre-innerleithen/

How did Scotty get into mountain biking? What about those early days racing downhill? What's changed over the years to grow his love of riding at home? We sat down with him to find out all this and more.
 
 In this podcast, our Head of Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland - Graeme McLean, chats with Scotty Laughland on how he got into bikes, his experience as a pro rider, transitioning into the media, and during lockdown rediscovering Scottish mountain biking.
 
 The podcast tells tales of Scotty's experiences of riding across our fabulous land and into his favourite destinations. If you are inspired to ride then please check out our ride guide for both inspiration and practical tips and links to book your next amazing mountain bike holiday - check out - www.DMBinS.com/ride-guide  
 
Don't forget if you book your holiday through our affiliate link with Expedia then 5% will be put back into maintaining and enhancing the trails you will be riding through our networks of trails associations. 
 
Enjoy. 

The Tweed Valley has a huge amount of iconic trails that are well known, well loved, and well ridden. There were very few people involved in the design and creation of these trails, 20 years ago, and here we speak to (he will not like this but we think he really is!) a real local legend, Dik Hamilton. 
 
Dik Hamilton, was responsible for trails such as Berm Baby Berm, which he built entirely single handedly, with his five ton digger, the free ride and skills areas, Blue Velvet, the Mushrooms, Spooky Wood to name a few at Glentress. Caddon Bank, the DH tracks and the Innerleithen XC route at Traquair, with other legends in the craft of trail building, Andy Wardman and Pete Laing.
 
We caught up with him for a walk around some of these trails and a really interesting chat about those early days. A proper insight into how those trails really shaped the Valley as a real destination for mountain biking.
 
It’s 51.25 of pure gold. We urge you to take some time and have a listen the history of these trails and share our appreciation of this very humble man and those like him who have given so many of us our love and enjoyment of the sport by giving us such quality trails to cut our teeth on and progress to.

How does being immersed and active in nature help improve mental health?

Paul MacFarlane, Trail Therapy MTB Leader with Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, chats with Viola Marx the Green Health Partnership Coordinator within Dundee City Council on how green health partnerships operate and her hopes in using mountain biking as part of the process of recovery from periods of mental ill-health.

Viola then turns the questions on Paul where she explores the mountain bike scene including its accessibility in Tayside & Fife and his hopes and ambitions for the Trail Therapy project in Dundee and the wider area.

The Trail Therapy project is supported by NatureScot, Trek and Edinburgh Napier University.

Podcast launched during Green Health Week and Mental Health Awareness week.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many new riders into our sport. In this podcast, representatives from NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland and mountain bike journalist, Aoife Glass, look at how we can keep them riding whilst educating them on responsible access, and also look at our cumulative impact on the environment.

Just what has been the Covid impact on our outdoors? How do we mitigate against any negative impacts to this growth in accessing the outdoors.

The interview was part of the Scottish MTB Gathering 2020.