Great views over the city and the hills beyond from here. I don't know much about mountain biking,…read morebut they've put in a lot of new trails for the Commonwealth Games, so I imagine it's going to be pretty popular once the Games are over. My only other experience of Cathkin Braes was driving past it very late one night and noticing that there seemed to be rather a lot of cars in the car park... which might give you a clue about the other popular recreational sport that goes on there. ;-)

I had heard about Cathkin Braes getting a MTB trail for a while. Then heard that it was going to be…read morethe place for the 2014 commonwealth MTB race. A good couple of months ago when it was unofficially opened. I decided to go for a visit and see what the fuss was about, and maybe get a view as to how my skills would fare against a commonwealth rated trail. When you find the place and get in to the car park. It doesn't seem like much and I couldn't see such a big event being held here. Then again you hear all the rumours of what they are going to put in here and it clicks together. There is a big billboard that faces you as you are parked which advertises the place and gives you a little inclination as which was to go. So we begin. As you face the billboard head right. Follow the path and to your left you have the Green route, a little bit of a waste. Gives you no indication of what you are about to experience. If you miss that out and carry straight on you will come to the good stuff. You will also find yourself at the top of a big drop with a wind turbine just on the left. Pretty cool. I chickened out the big drop. After this you are in for more white knuckle stuff. Twists, turns, bearms, drops, rocks and steep climbs. Everything you would want. At this time I got there everything was still a little new. Needed time to bed in. Think there will still be work done on it. Signs need to be a little clearer. Got lost half way round but eventually found my way. If they get all the rumoured additions and maybe add a couple of finishing touches this place will be really good and close enough to Glasgow city centre. Distance wise not like a Glentress more akin to Carron Valley. Definitely will be back here, mostly to improve on my last visit. It was scary and left its mark on me but I will have the last laugh.

What a wonderful canoeing experience. Very nice staff and a reasonably priced activity. They…read moreprovide the life jackets with the boats. The views are great and the rowing is not too difficult. This was one of my favorite activities in Edinburgh.

Is it a Bike?  Is it a Raft?  Is it Boat?  No, it's Akwakat!…read more It's early on a Friday morning; we wake up and anxiously check the weather.  Our planned outing on the canal will be so much better if the weather holds out. But what are we up to? Akwakat!  When I spotted a deal online for a chance to cycle a floating bike ON the canal - how could I refuse? I found the website and facebook page a bit vague for booking and directions and had to rely on emails and texts for the full story on bookings, location etc.  We didn't have a full address but  set the GPS for Calder Crescent and hoped for the best.  The map did show that this was near the canal so we put our faith in Google Maps and headed out.  As we approached our 'Final Destination', we saw a group of guys digging away near a few shipping containers.  We drove around the bend to where we could see access to the canal.  A friendly dog walker pointed us back to the shipping containers - yep - that's Bridge 8!  We pulled in alongside the containers where there was parking for a few cars. One of the guys put down his spade and bounded over to great us. He looked surprised to see us, even though we had email confirmation from our date change (a weeks prior).  No worry - they said it would only take a few minutes to set up our Akwakats. Mark opened up a container - well it was more like a T.A.R.D.I.S. , holding dozens of Akwakats, Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards sea kayaks, lifejackets and bikes.  All these are available for the public to hire but the main goal of Bridge 8 hub, is to provide activities for schools and youth groups.  Bridge 8 is actually a social enterprise.  They use the hire business to fund the youth activities both at Bridge 8 (the bridges along the Union are numbered and the centre is located near Bridge 8 - clever!) and abroad.  In fact, the Akwakat proceeds are reinvested into their youth sea kayaking expedition to British Columbia next year.  So not only were we getting a fun day out at the canal, but we were also helping others - win, win!! Oh, but you still don't know what an Akwakat is? Akwakat is a bike.  No, it's a boat.  Or is it a Raft?  Actually it's all 3.  At the heart is a standard mountain bike, without wheels.  This is mounted to a frame using Velcro (yep - good ole Velcro) onto 2 inflated pontoons.  The pedals drive the underwater paddles/propeller that make you move and the handlebars steer you in the right direction (most of time).  Simple! Once the Akwakats were assembled we were suited up with lifejackets and given instructions.  I thought we would be on a led tour, but no, we had free use of the 'bikes' for 90 minutes!  We could go in any direction as long as we stayed clear of long reeds and made way for other canal users (or let them make way for us).  Before setting off, Mark gave us his mobile number in case we got stuck and needing rescuing. Getting on, with a little help, was tricky but I managed!  (no soggy trousers today :D) The Akwakats were pretty easy to manoeuvre and felt like riding a normal mountain bike. Although, the drag from the water created resistance equivalent to climbing a small hill - so we were really getting a great workout.  This also meant that we couldn't go very fast (in fact, we were warned that pushing the gears too hard could strip them as they were plastic - to be waterproof).  If we picked up some loose reeds in the paddles or rudder we could instantly feel the resistance increase and our speed decrease.  Pedalling backwards for a few rotations easily cleared the debris and we would be back on our way. We cruised along, enjoying the stares and surprised looks from passersby, feeling quite special cycling along above the water!  The scenery was amazing!  The Akwakats were really stable so my hubbyfelt safe bringing the good camera.  In fact, we were told in most places the canal was only waist deep.  We managed to get to bridge 13 before being stared down by a swan - a good point to turn around (Swan 1, Akwakat 0) This was a great day out and we will definitely do it again!  In fact, if I lived closer to the canal, I would buy one!!  It was such a cool way to travel, see great scenery and get a workout.  Oh and I can't forget - help out a social enterprise that does great work with the local community! You can even pack a picnic and chill out at the canal side tables after your ride. If you want to give Akwakats a try (do it! do it!) contact Bridge 8 to book.  Or find out more about their other activities; Bridge 8 have  are large fleet of canoes,  stand paddle boards and touring kayaking for rent from £7.50pp for a half day. I think Paddle Boarding is next on our list. Although communication was a bit shaky - it's definitely a 4+ organisation and actually well run when you consider is it a social enterprise manned mainly by volunteers - good work guys!

Hi Guys, cycled…read morethrough Scottland from Glasgow to the northern boarder, to the ouder hebridies, to Edinburgh, back to Glasgow, twice. Took the boat from Inverness for return trip to Fort William - 30 years ag (1990/1991). Great experience - without any E-... . Today I am cycling an E-MTB:.. To take a rest we stopped in Fort William for 2 days - but did not rest... I a booklet we rent from university "Mountainbiking in the Scottish Highlands" a tour was described around Ben Nevis. (unfortunately at this time my English has had much room for improvements..... and I did not understand the rating "challening"...... Well, we started at 9 and arrived the West Highland was at 6pm, followed the West Highland way to Fort William and arrived in Fort William at 9pm. the B&B lady was so friendly (and afraid about her house.......) and offered us to wash and cleand our stuff - if we would leave it outside.......... It was really a very nice lady. we have had very good experience with Scottish. On the ouder hebridies we recognized that we needed a post office to collect some money - but unfortunately the only one was located north of the mountains on Lewis or Harris - dont remember which one is the northern one - and a postbus driver invited us to join him on his car and trip to Stokinish. It was such a nice experinece "bloody old English ...." 500times during the 2 hours trip. In the evenig he invited us to join us at legioneers Pub / Club. It was so nice. If I would find some power for the E I would do it again....... Great country, people, weather........(:...).

We did the WHW from 6th - 15th June this year and really enjoyed the hike over the 8 days, the trek…read moreis really good marked and we reached after 154 KM Fort William, I highly recommend to do this once in a life time :-)

The predominant style of bikes on offer from here are cross country bikes and it is this area where…read morethe shop offers its most comprehensive section. Despite this the other styles of bikes the store also offers are very well stocked themselves with hybrid bikes (which are suited to both track and road) being its second best area. The bikes generally sit in the price range between £250 and £1000 with relatively few ultra high end bikes on offer compared to some of the specialist shops. The bikes on offer are, however, of high quality and area all good bikes that you would want to buy. If all the choice gets a bit much for you then the staff here are more than happy to help and you only need to ask and they shall do everything they can to help you pick out the right bike.

Terrible after-sales service. Problem with new tyres they…read morefitted; fobbed off three times. Once they have your money they can't be bothered...

Terrible company. Terrible sales team. Awful miserable Scottish way of dealing with customers. No…read morepeople skills and their bikes are very limited in their range. They claim the bikes are ready to ride but after purchasing one it came with it's chain unattached and missing nobs on the steering wheel tigtner. After returning the bike I was told I won't be given a replacement or an alternative and to take my custom elsewhere. All because I complained. This Krister Sandberg guy that works in sales has been in the job 30 years and thinks he is above everyone. Old fashioned and zero sales etiquette. DO NOT shop with them. They portray themselves as the John Lewis of bike stores but really there are MUCH better companies out there. PS: I am trying to verify my review but there is no section to leave my order number. However I shall leave it here: Your Invoice #1000009720 for Order #1000013605

I'd been searching for a bike for some time. I knew what I wanted - a ladies' frame hybrid, with…read morehydraulic disc brakes, suspension, and the space to fit mudguards and panniers. I didn't think this was asking for the moon really, but according to what was available in other Glasgow bike shops, it seemed that this was a big ask, without spending a fortune. That was, until we went to Dales. Dales are fantastic! They have a huge range of bikes, and we spotted one straight away that seemed as though it might be ideal. We were very quickly helped by Lynsday. She established exactly what I was looking for, what sort of cycling I'd be doing, and what sort of price range I had budgeted for. Lyndsay was clearly a bike enthusiastic, and knew her bike stuff inside out - we were very impressed at her knowledge, and her friendly and helpful manner. Once she'd established that our chosen bike was the right size, she let me go for a test ride. It was pouring with rain, so Lyndsay and Simon very sensibly stayed inside while I hurtled up and down the street for a very quick test ride. I didn't need any longer though - as soon as I got on the bike, I knew it was the one for me. Once we'd made the decision to buy, Lyndsay continued to be super helpful. She showed us mudguards, with more detail than I could have thought possible about mudguards, and the various pannier racks and pannier bags. We didn't feel hurried at any point, even though the shop was very busy, and were very happy with the options we chose. When I returned to collect my bike (they were building me a fresh out the box one and fixing on the various bits), Lynsday was there again to help, making sure I was totally happy and comfortable on the bike before riding it off into the sunset (rain). I'll be taking my new bike back to Dales for its 2 month service when it's due, and Simon was so impressed with the service that we received, that he'll be taking his bike in for a service too. The whole process of choosing, testing and buying a bike at Dales was very easy and actually enjoyable. I would recommend Dales first time every time to anyone looking to buy a bike.