Ae forest lies around 14km north of Dumfries, just off the A701 Dumfries – Moffat road. The trail head is just past Ae village, roughly 4.5km from the A701 turn off.

View a map showing the location of Ae in Scotland (link to an external site)
The Ae trail map (PDF 944k) shows the location of car parks, the trail head and access points for the trails.
The Ae trail head OS Grid Reference is: NX982901.

By car
Read our directions for reaching Ae by car.

By public transport
By bus
Buses run regularly between Dumfries and Moffat, stopping at Ae Bridgend and Parkgate, both roughly 4.5km from the trail head. The main service providers are MacEwan’s coaches and Stagecoach West Scotland. Journey time varies from 30 – 40 minutes. Please note that bikes cannot be carried on these services.

For bus journey planning in Scotland see www.traveline.org.uk or use the box at the foot of this section. Use www.travelinescotland.org.uk /a>if coming from elsewhere in GB & NI.

By train
The nearest station is at Dumfries, approximately 14km from the trailhead. Regular direct daily trains to Dumfries travel from Carlisle, Newcastle and Glasgow. If travelling from Edinburgh, it is easier to travel to Carlisle then change rather than going via Glasgow.

Journey times to Dumfries are around 35 minutes from Carlisle, 1hr 45 mins to 2 hours from Glasgow and 2 hours direct from Newcastle (add half an hour if changing in Carlisle). From Edinburgh, journey times vary, but the shortest trip is just over 2 hours with a change in Carlisle.

Train connections are available from Stranraer and Troon, if arriving by Ferry from Northern Ireland. Journey time to Dumfries is around 3 hours from Stranraer and 1hr 30 minutes from Troon.

Trains to Dumfries are run by First Scotrail and Northern Rail. Bikes can be carried on these trains but space might be limited, or you might need to book. More information is at First Scotrail’s information for cyclists and National Rail Enquiries' general information about taking your bike on trains in Britain.

Virgin Trains provides an intercity service that runs through Carlisle for connections to Dumfries.

For further information on rail travel in Scotland and throughout GB see

By air
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Glasgow Prestwick. There are rail connections from Prestwick to Dumfries taking around 1hr 30 minutes (changing in Troon or Kilmarnock), and car hire is available at the airport. For more details of flights, see the Glasgow Prestwick airport website.

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