Highland Mountain Biking Centre Officially Opens
A new mountain biking centre has been officially launched at Laggan Wolftrax in Strathmashie near Laggan.
The centre has been set up as a social enterprise by Laggan Forest Trust, a charity with a trading arm, at Forestry Commission Scotland’s popular Laggan Wolftrax mountain bike trails.
The new centre includes a bike shop offering hire, retail and repair services, a café and space to offer conference space and courses in orienteering, bike maintenance and first aid to local schools, colleges, community groups and the public. The facility has already created five new local jobs and it is hoped that it will help to attract many more visitors to the area and help raise the profile of mountain biking amongst young people.
Laggan Wolftrax MTB Trails were constructed by Forestry Commission Scotland in 2004 and is regarded as one of the top trail destinations in the UK with 30km of mountain biking trails from gentle green runs to extreme black grade runs for the adventurous mountain biker. Use of the trails is free and attracts more than 14,000 visitors per year.
The new centre was made possible thanks to investment from the Cairngorm National Park Authority (CNPA) who helped to fund the centre and Social Investment Scotland (SIS) who provided investment for the café development. Clad in wood and situated adjacent at the foot of the mountain biking trails, the facility boasts wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.
The centre was officially opened today by Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey. Speaking at the event he said: “I am delighted to officially open this brilliant facility. As well as creating local jobs the centre is a welcome addition to the local tourism industry. It is a great example of what can be accomplished when organisations come together with a shared vision. I look forward to seeing a healthy rise in fun loving people of all ages, not only the young, taking up mountain biking over the coming months.”
Beth Alder, Chair of Laggan Forest Trust, which manages the facility, said: “Today marks a significant milestone for Laggan Wolftrax and we would like to thank our funders the Cairngorm National Park Authority, Forestry Commission Scotland and Social Investment Scotland for their support. This centre will ensure a focus for the Trust, create more local jobs and encourage even more people to get involved in mountain biking, walking and other forest activities.”
Alastair Davis, Chief Executive Social Investment Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see one of the UK’s top mountain bike trail destinations having established itself as a social enterprise so that the success of the sport in Scotland can be translated back into benefit for the community. This new centre will allow the business to generate revenue which can be used to deliver even more social impact. We look forward to seeing the organisation develops in the coming years.”
Duncan Bryden, Convener of the Cairngorm National Park Authority, said: “We are delighted that the Park Authority could provide financial and project management support to the Laggan Forest Trust for their superb new building at Laggan Wolftrax. Wheels and squeals of mountain biking have really taken off in recent years across the park encouraged through our Active Cairngorms programme. Mountain bikers of all abilities can come to the Park and enjoy the Wolftrax trails, with coffee and cakes on offer to boost energy levels between circuits, bikes for hire, repairs and sales we will see more jobs and income to local people and businesses.”