Ae Forest: 

Ae Forest is one of the world class 7Stanes mountain bike venues found in south-west Scotland. It features many different trails for all ages from green, pram friendly routes to extreme downhill trails. This fantastic forest is commissioned by Forestry Scotland and there is a cafe, toilets and bike hire available. Pay and display car parking is available. Please see the Forestry Scotland website for up to date information on what’s on prior to your arrival.

We love this day out for the incredible facilities and woodland paths on offer. With a cafe, bike trails and woodland sculptures there is something for all ages to enjoy here. For more details please head to the bottom of this page and view our Strava map.

The Route:

The Ae Valley Green Route, that my family and I enjoyed today, is an easy trail perfect for families. We had the older children on their bikes, adults walking and our toddler in the off road pram. We managed perfectly with our pushchair.

The route itself is clearly marked, my children enjoyed looking out for the green markers dotted along the path. This is a great introduction to route planning and map reading too! The Ae Valley Route is a great place to try out mountain biking for the first time, there are sections of easy singletrack and forest road and the majority of the route is flat with no hard climbs. Some of the track runs alongside the Water of Ae providing a great rest point while the little ones throw stones in the water.

There are many other trails on offer at Ae Forest, the blue Larch View Route is another alternative to the green trail for families to enjoy. There are also more challenging walking trails, as well as some extreme downhill mountain biking tracks.

Overall, this is a fantastic day out for the whole family to enjoy. With a cafe on site, toilets, bike hire and plenty of picnic areas this is certainly a wonderful family day out for all ages. Don’t forget to head to the Forestry Scotland website to find out up to date information on all of the trails before you visit.

hiking household