At around 8km long the Blue Doon is the longest Blue grade uplift trail in the UK, accessed from the top Nevis Range Gondola station.

Where: Nevis Range Mountain Experience, Torlundy, Fort William, Inverness-shire PH33 6SQ

Pic: Nevis Range / Facebook

At 650m up on the mountain of Aonach Mor in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the start is accessed using the Nevis Range Mountain Gondola. The top section of the trail is on open hillside with expansive views across Fort William and Loch Linnhe. It then heads into the forest and joins the larger network of trails in the lower forest at Nevis Range, and finishes at the car park.

If this piques your interest but Fort William is a little too far away from you, then check out our Guide to UK mountain bike uplift venues for somewhere closer to your home.

The first mountain bike rider to take on the Nevis Blue Doon Blue graded trail was local Fort William rider, 12 year old Kyler MacLeod, who won a Nevis Range competition to produce a video explaining why entrants love mountain biking at Nevis Range. He was closely followed by Comedian Fred MacAulay and legendary Scottish TV Presenter Dougie Vipond.

John Sutherland, Activities Director at Nevis Range: “Construction of the trail has taken over two years and required a colossal amount of work from our trail team and has seen all hands-on deck! We are extremely proud that 99% of the material has come from our own hill side and really ties into our attitudes as a sustainable business. The team are rightly proud of their achievements and are looking forward to sharing this incredible track with the rest of the world!”

Chris O’Brien, Managing Director of Nevis Range: “Blue Doon is a game changer for the Nevis Range Development Company. The current lift served downhill tracks are awesome including the world-renowned Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill track. However, as they are graded Black and Orange, we really wanted to add a Blue trail to open-up the riding opportunities to a wider audience!”