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Trail Therapy - The Perthshire Sessions

As our Trail Therapy programme grows we are delighted to be able to offer two new phases of Trail Therapy. Taking place in the Perthshire area, if you or anyone you know could benefit from getting involved, please read on.

D Mbins Trail therapy

Background

Trail Therapy uses mountain biking to get individuals out into our amazing natural environment alongside more traditional mindfulness and talk based techniques, to help those of experiencing challenging mental health and wellbeing times.

Trail Therapy has been independently evaluated, we know it works, and with an increasing amount of interest in the Programme we took the step last year to create, pilot and then roll out a training programme for a small number of our most experienced Trail Therapy volunteers.

Our Trail Therapy practitioners are not mental health professionals and if we feel you need more support than we can provide, we will signpost you. However, with backgrounds in mental health, social services or having completed the Scottish Mental Health First Aid programme, all our practitioners are qualified mountain bike leaders, hold Outdoor First Aid certificates, and all are checked through the PVG process.

This means we are now able to offer a little bit more activity through these practitioners and hubs, and with this funding allocated specifically to the Perth area we can now offer two very different blocks of activity.

Mental Health is not an illness

Comrie Croft

The Comrie Croft session's will be women specific, delivered by Comrie's own, Emily Greaves, who was our first ever fully qualified Trail Therapy practitioner.

The sessions will take place in and around The Croft. We can supply mountain bikes if you need them, we can even offer e-bike sessions if you feel that is something you would like to try and are concerned about fitness.

You will experience a friendly, warm space for you to explore the freedom of being in nature through longer e-bike rides through some of Perthshire's finest terrain, to the more traditional mountain biking activity, using some of the trails at Comrie and beyond.

The Comrie block of activity will take place on the following dates:

  • 22nd and 29th April 2024
  • 13th and 20th May 2024
  • 10th and 17th June 2024

If this sounds like something you would like to try and you are available for most if not all these dates, then contact Emily directly for more information using the button below.

Want to find out more or book a place? Please contact Emily.

Scottish MTB Gathering Emily

Image Credit - Finlay Anderson

Dunkeld

Thanks to the brilliant Ian of Ian Holden MTB Coaching, and the support of Progression Bikes, we are also offering some Trail Therapy rides around Dunkeld.

Again, we may make use of e-bikes if participants feel they could benefit from that support to their fitness, but mostly it is about supported, led rides that will evolve slowly, at your pace, increasing in length and technical nature and enabling you to really feel the benefits of Trail Therapy.

Ian will be offering mixed group, led rides weekly, again, ideally you will be able to commit to most if not all of the sessions in this block of activity. Dates currently available are:

  • Sat 20th April in the morning
  • Sat 27th April in the morning
  • Sat 4th May in the morning
  • Sat 11th May in the morning
  • Fri 24th May in the evening
  • Fri 31st May in the evening

To find out a little bit more about the Dunkeld activity contact Ian using the button below.

For more information or to book your place, please contact Ian.

As always with mountain biking there is an element of risk. Positive risk taking is one of the reasons mountain biking works so well to support folk experiencing poor mental wellbeing. Alongside the concentration and adventure in nature, the improvements to physical health and of course, the opportunity to meet new folk and be supported and support others.

Come and join us, we’d love to have you. Spaces are limited though so please do register your interest early on.

Trail Therapy Progression Bikes

If you can, please consider donating to the Scottish MTB Heath Fund and help us run more Trail Therapy sessions across the country.

Donate

Further reading

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If you can, please consider donating to the Scottish MTB Heath Fund and help us run more Trail Therapy sessions across the country.

Donate