Scotland’s acclaimed mountain biking centre, Glentress Forest, near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, is the focus of a new event called Light Up The Trails. On the evening of March 1, Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS) is partnering with Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Arts and Creative Industries to stage a special night riding experience including mystical sounds, twinkling lights and ethereal visuals.
The event is aimed at families, as well as people who are keen to ride the trails at night, perhaps for the first time, with friends.
The journey will take small groups of riders along some of the forest’s best-loved trails. Interactive lighting will highlight parts of the forest as never seen before and there will be sound effects that mimic and exaggerate those naturally heard in the woods, alongside ambient music and sounds.
Graeme McLean, Head of Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland reveals the vision of the event. He says: “We want to encourage riders, new and established, out into the forest during a quiet time of the year, celebrating the darkness and inspiring more people on to their bikes.
We hope the event will also attract new visitors to the Tweed Valley to experience a warm welcome from the fabulous local businesses, stay for the weekend and discover more of what the valley has to offer.”
Zack Moir, the professor of Learning and Teaching in Music at Edinburgh Napier University adds: “We are really excited to be working on this unique cycling event.
“To have the opportunity to turn Glentress into a multimedia installation for the night is incredible. We’re delighted to be able to add some special artistic elements to create more wonder to the already magical setting of the dark forest.”
The event is funded by the Communities Cycling Fund delivered by Scottish Borders Council.
While free to attend, riders will be asked for donations based on a pay-as-much-as-you-can ticketing structure, with all profits going to the Scottish MTB Health Fund.