A £600,000 investment creating a bike trail on Crown Estate land in Moray has proven itself to have a far greater impact on the local community than was expected.
The ‘BikeGlenlivet’ trail was opened in November last year with a new visitor centre created near Tomintoul.
Costing the Crown Estate £375,000 with further funding by the European Regional Development Fund, Moray Council and the Cairngorm National Park Authority – by April this year the mountain bike trail had already attracted over 5000 visitors.
Now a study commissioned by the Crown Estate on the impact of the attraction is suggesting that the trail has provided a greater positive impact on Tomintoul and the local area than was expected.
The centre created three full time and two part time jobs while during the construction phase all but 5% of the funding went to local businesses.
Crown Estate portfolio manager for Scotland is Alan Laidlaw. He said: “Our initial investment in this project drew the additional finance to make it happen, and we now have a new and flourishing enterprise that is creating new opportunities.
“We believe the BikeGlenlivet project shows our determination to support the long-term commercial viability of running estates by providing a beneficial environment for small businesses.”
Glenlivet Mountain Bike Trail Centre from Martin Lonie on Vimeo.