A new lift-assisted bike park is planned for Dunoon in Scotland, with the proposal seeing a gondola-style lift installed alongside mountain bike routes.
The multi-million-pound development will include a full-service base station with a hotel, bike shop, retail outlets and restaurants, as well as a top-station café with panoramic views.
Year-round access is planned for the site, enabling riders and walkers to use the trails in all seasons, with the hope of unlocking Dunoon’s potential as a global adventure tourism hub.
The Dunoon Project has partnered with Nevis Range, which runs the only other Gondola-accessed trail network in the country at Fort William. Nearby Glencoe Mountain Resort’s bike park offers chairlift-accessible downhill and enduro trails.
The plan details an adventure-focused hotel, designed for bikers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, that has direct access to the lift, as well as a bike shop offering rentals and repairs.
There have been plans for other lift-operated uplifts in Scotland in the past, with Innerleithen receiving planning permission for a chair lift but not being able to find the finance for the project after public funds weren’t allocated.
While it's not clear whether a planning application for the Dunoon Project has been lodged, local councillors voiced their approval at a meeting in October 2024.
Project partner Action Argyll has already begun building new mountain and gravel biking tracks on and around the site.
The new park's location near Glasgow should make for easy access from Scotland's largest population centres.
The organisation anticipates development will happen across a series of phases and the Dunoon Project will be well established by the end of phase 3, set to run until 2030.
While the project is a still a long way from being reality, we’re excited at the prospect of another lift-accessed bike park on British soil.
