Aberdeenshire is the rising star of Scotland’s riding destinations, with trails such as Heartbreak Ridge in Ballater, and a multitude of bicycle friendly hills, like Drumtochty and Pitfichy just to name a few.
After carrying our bikes over the Cambus O’May Bridge turnstile, we rode along the river for a few kilometres, and then rode up the Pannanich Trail to get to the top of the Heartbreak Ridge. The uphill was ridiculously steep and in a completely straight line. With the Ebikes it didn’t take us long. Especially as my preferred mode is always turbo.
At the top it was quite windy but the view was amazing. Because it was all open you could see the track far ahead and so we didn’t have to touch the breaks too often. The trail is a continuous rock slab, the whole way down the hill. Offering flow in some places and challenging technical parts in others as well as multiple line choices.
The trail is also an amazing scenic ride, surrounded by heather bushes, very few trees and unbelievable views of the mountains and loch nearby.
