Ae Forest MTB Guide: 7stanes Trails, Downhill & Uplift

Ae is the 7stanes venue with a real gravity streak: a proper downhill track, a red downhill run built to ease you into the discipline, and a cross-country red that finishes with a long run of jumps.

Where is Ae Forest?

Ae Forest sits north of Dumfries, around Ae village. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) calls it one of the UK's largest forests: it covers roughly the area of 10,000 football pitches, and Ae village itself was built by the then Forestry Commission in 1947 to house forest workers.

It's one of the 7stanes, the chain of mountain bike trail centres that runs across the south of Scotland from the Borders to Dumfries & Galloway. Each of the original 7stanes has a stone sculpture (a "stane"). Ae's is the Talking Head stane, a 1.5-ton glacial granite boulder with a carved mouth, ears and eyes that looks south towards Ae village and the Solway.

On Gravity Addiction: Ae Forest place page · Mountain biking in Scotland · Find it on the map

Ae Forest trails and grades

FLS lists five bike trails at Ae, all starting from the Naze car park. Distances, singletrack share and timings come from the official 7stanes route card.

*Source: FLS Ae bike page and route card, checked 1 Oct 2026. Add those up and you get 49.1 km of waymarked riding.*

Ae Valley Green Route (green)

FLS pitches this as a great first mountain bike ride and a good one for families. It mixes easy singletrack and forest road, has only one brief sharp climb, and takes you to a viewpoint over the Water of Ae. It's on a diversion at the moment.

Craigshiels Blue Route (blue)

This is a step up into the forest on a mix of forest road and singletrack, with views of the Water of Ae. At 13.5 km with 20% singletrack it's more of a rolling explore than a technical blue. It's also diverted for now.

Ae Line Red Route (red)

This is Ae's big cross-country loop. FLS describes it as a rocky ride "peppered with jumps, drop-offs and tabletops", and the highlight is the final descent with its run of jumps. You can take it steady, or go looking for the bigger air if you're experienced. The route card map also marks an optional black section on the network. Right now, felling at Green Hill South means parts of the Ae Line (Rab's Slippy One and Gub Hill) are diverted, so follow the signs and any banksperson instructions.

The downhill and freeride side of Ae

This is where Ae is different from most trail centres. FLS describes "an extreme downhill section for the serious experts" alongside the trail network.

The Shredder (red, 1 km)

FLS grades The Shredder red and calls it "a great ice breaker for newcomers" to downhill. It's packed with technical features, and every obstacle has an easier alternative, so you can choose your line to suit your experience.

Adrenalin Uplift, which runs the uplift, describes The Shredder as "graded orange bike park" and says most riders pick it as their first run. It lists berms, tabletops, a newly surfaced road gap and off-camber sections, and The Shredder leads straight onto the Omega Man. The two descriptions use different grades, so treat The Shredder as a proper downhill run with rollable options, not a cruisy red. The orange grade is a bike-park grade, not a step up from black. Our trail grades guide explains the difference.

Omega Man (1.9 km)

Adrenalin Uplift lists the Omega Man as an uplift-served trail: a fast, rocky run into jumps and a bomb hole, with a red or black line choice partway down, finishing on a boardwalk or skinny log rides.

Ae Downhill (double-black, 1.6 km)

FLS grades the Ae Downhill double-black. It has a steep, rocky start, then a highly testing off-camber descent "designed to challenge even the most seasoned biker". FLS defines double-black as very fast, steep descents with large drop-offs, jumps and unavoidable obstacles, and an extreme level of exposure or risk.

Adrenalin Uplift describes two top sections that merge in the woods, then rock gardens, a stream gap, a gap double and the "infamous coffin jump", with a network of old SDA and national race lines lower down. It also says tree clearance has opened up new sight lines and faster flow. This one is for building up to, not for a first visit. See double-black trails.

Ae Forest uplift: days, times and price

• Operator: Adrenalin Uplift (buses and custom trailers).
• Days: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, summer and winter.
• Times: 9am to 3.30pm, with a 30-minute lunch break. Check in with the QR code from your booking email from 8.45am.
• Price: day pass from £46 (checked 1 Oct 2026). Private hire for 16 people is also listed.

There's no uplift on weekdays, and FLS doesn't list one, so midweek it's pedal or push up.

Getting to Ae Forest

• By car: turn off the A701 at Ae Bridgend and follow the signs to Forest of Ae. Ae village is about 2 miles (3 km) along. Turn right at the Forest of Ae sign at the crossroads just beyond the village.
• Where the bike trails start: the Naze car park. Go past the main car park entrance, carry on for about ½ mile (1 km), then take the next left signposted "Ae Valley car park". There's parking for horse boxes there too.
• Sat nav: the nearest postcode is DG1 1QB.
• Public transport: the nearest station is Dumfries. Buses between Dumfries and Moffat stop at Ae Bridgend and Parkgate, both about 2 miles (3 km) from Ae village.

Facilities at Ae Forest

What FLS lists: charged parking, Blue Badge parking, toilets and accessible toilets, a picnic area, a viewpoint and waymarked trails.

Parking (checked 1 Oct 2026): £2 for up to an hour, £3 for up to three hours, £4 all day and £14 for a minibus or coach. Blue Badge holders park free, and you can pay by coins, card or RingGo.

Campervans: FLS runs its "Stay the Night" scheme here. It costs £10 a night, there are eight motorhome spaces, and it's only at the Naze car park. It isn't suitable for large vehicles or caravans.

Café and bike shop — change to note: the Ae Bike Association says the café at Ae Forest has closed after 13 years, leaving no permanent indoor facility on site and only basic temporary toilets. FLS's visitor page still mentions "the car park by the bike shop and cafe" as a landmark.

Busy times: there's a regular parkrun at Ae on Saturday mornings at 9am, so expect more traffic and a fuller car park then.

Ticks: FLS has a tick warning in place, so check yourself after riding.

Who is Ae Forest for?

• Beginners and families: the green route and skills area are the place to start. Remember the green is on a diversion right now.
• Cross-country riders: the Ae Line red is the main event, with 24 km and a jump-packed finish.
• Riders getting into downhill: The Shredder's rollable alternatives make it a sensible first downhill run, and the weekend uplift means you can do lots of laps.
• Experienced DH riders: the double-black Ae Downhill and its race-line network.

Ae is also home to the Ae Bike Association, a British Cycling-affiliated club, whose activities include collaborations with events like the Scottish Enduro Series. For races, check the events calendar.

Make a weekend of it: other 7stanes and Scottish gravity venues

FLS runs the other 7stanes centres in the south of Scotland. On Gravity Addiction:

• Mabie Forest
• Dalbeattie Forest
• Kirroughtree
• Glentrool
• Glentress and Newcastleton in the Borders
• Innerleithen, which FLS says is known for its four downhill trails

For more uplift venues across the UK, see our best bike parks in the UK round-up.

*Last checked: 1 October 2026. Trails, diversions, uplift times and prices change, so check the FLS page and the uplift operator before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Use "Report outdated info" on the Ae Forest page.*