Danny MacAskill: my favourite mountain biking trails around the world

If it were another mountain biker, it might be difficult to concentrate on the myriad of jumps and spins and instead let your eyes drift to the back and periphery of the video to savour the engrossing scenery of the Scottish lowlands.

But not so with Danny MacAskill, who has made a name for himself as one of the most innovative, creative, exciting and downright baffling riders of a generation. Viewers can’t help but be transfixed by every turn his wheels take, on and off the ground, and stare in anticipation at what bizarre combination of tricks the 28 year old will do next.

But, as his new edit Danny MacAskill’s Wee Day Out demonstrates, the location is a hugely important part of the film.

“When it comes to films nowadays I’m thinking about a concept,” explains the Scottish rider. “And the concept for this one was very much the idea of taking a normal Saturday morning ride through the Scottish countryside.”

“We wanted it to be a fun film so that we could have the creative freedom to think outside the box and do things we would not have been able to get away with on a serious film.

“We then did a few weeks scouting around the Lowlands, around Perthshire and Midlothian – this bit’s one of the most important things when making a film. I found parts of Scotland I never knew existed.”

The locations for the video stretch out across Scotland. MacAskill arrives at Broomhill train station near Aviemore, before spending time kicking, spinning and rolling around there, but also rides a hay bale near Fife (a trick that took some 400 attempts), jumps some roofs in the Pentlands and 50-50s a bench in Kenmore.

By the time he reaches Ruskie in Stirlingshire, he’s ready to ride into a puddle and become completely submerged, Vicar of Dibley-style.

“It was a classic ‘I wonder how deep this puddle is?’ type of shot,” he said. “We had to fill my bike with sand and the tyres with water so that it stayed under water.”

A Wee Day Out is not the first film MacAskill has made in Scotland. Born on the Isle of Skye, MacAskill made a 2014 film, The Ridge, that showcased the island’s brutal beauty, with the Cuillin Mountains as the focal point.

“Skye was an incredible place to grow up,” says MacAskill. “Unfortunately, the mountain biking there isn’t the best. It’s a very rugged island. There’s a lot to see and a lot of amazing landscapes but most of the trails are very steep or boggy.”

So, where is best for mountain biking in Scotland?

“The Torridon Hills [in the north-west Highlands]. The paths are lot more hospitable.”

And outside of the UK?

“Vancouver’s North Shore is perhaps one of the most famous spots in the world,” says MacAskill. “It’s legendary with incredible wooden ladder trails through the trees.”

“In Europe, I really like Morzine [in the French Alps]. It’s a lot of fun taking a chairlift up then blasting down the mountain. It’s pretty popular with British riders.

“Then Santa Cruz in California. It has great trails around these huge Redwood forests.

And where’s next?

“I always have to be thinking about the next film. I would love to do the Southern Hemisphere a bit more – New Zealand, Australia. But then New Zealand is the kind of place I can imagine staying and not wanting to come back.”

Which would certainly be Scotland’s loss. 

For more information about Danny MacAskill and ‘Wee Day Out’, visit redbull.com