The Witch's Trails
Legend has it that the Witch of Leanachan (“lee-nach-an”) fled to the hills of Aonach Mor in the 1800s. Keeping her spooky spirit alive, the world-famous Witch’s Trails continue to bewitch mountain bikers. There are 45km of trail to tackle. Leanachan Forest also has plenty of unwaymarked forest road for you to explore. All the forest roads are indicated on the trail map. Maps can also be collected from the Forestry Commission Scotland district office, the tourist information centre in Fort William, Off Beat bikes, Nevis cycles and Nevis Range. See facilities and contacts, below. The trailsThe Skills LoopsThere are green, blue, red and black-graded skills loops here with terrain similar to what you will find on the trails. Each loop is only a couple of hundred meters long, but packed with features. If you're not sure which level of trail is right for you, the skills loops will help you decide. See the trail grades page for full explanations of the trail grades. The waymarked trailsThere are four different trails for you to try. Small World
This is a 1km blue-graded loop that gives aspiring champions a taste of world-class mountain biking, giving a quick trip round the start of the World Championship trail and back along the old World Cup circuit. Cour Loop
Offering a mix of singletrack and forest road, the 19km, blue-graded Cour Loop follows the route of the old puggyline (narrow gage railway) out to the Cour river near Spean Bridge, then tracks the river for a while before returning to the car park via forest road. World Champs trail
Specially devised for the 2007 World Championships held here, this 8.5km, world-class singletrack loop features 270m of climb and descent. It's red-graded, but has black-graded options along the way. Technical features, hard climbs and fast descents on exhilarating singletrack. 10 Under The Ben,
Red-graded with black options, 10 Under the Ben is used for the big event of the same title each year in June. This 16.5km loop trail is a mix of dedicated singletrack and forest road. Watch out for Nessie - a real monster of a descent! For more information on the 10 Under the Ben event, see www.nofussevents.co.uk. Aside from the trails, there's plenty of forest road to be explored in Leanachan Forest. The trail map (PDF 2.2Mb) has all the ridable forest roads marked. Where do the trails start?All the trails start from the Forestry Commission Car Park. You are directed to the car park by green Forestry Commission signs along the Aonach Mor access road. The Aonach Mor access road is signposted off the A82 with brown tourist signs for cable car / Nevis Range gondola. The Forestry Commission car park is to the east of the Nevis Range car park. OS Grid Ref: NN174775. See How to get to the Witch's Trails for full details. Parking
You can park at the Forestry Commission car park beside the Nevis Range. Follow green signposts. Toilets
Public toilets are available at the Nevis Range during opening hours. There are also public toilets at Spean Bridge near the shops. Cafes / food & drink
There is a cafe at the Nevis Range base station (see the Nevis Range website for opening hours). Local services and shops are available at Spean Bridge. Bike and equipment hire For any Witch's Trails or Leanachan Forest queries, please contact Lochaber Forest District: Email: lochaber.district@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 01397 702184 Forestry Commission Scotland
Lochaber Forest District
Torlundy,
By Fort William
PH33 6SW Back to top
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