New 7stanes website - and a new home for the blog

From lunchtime on Tuesday 10th May, the 7stanes website - and the blog - are moving to a new home at www.7stanesmountainbiking.com.

The reason for the change is that a not-for-profit organisation has been set up to manage the promotion and marketing of the 7stanes mountain biking centres. To coincide with this, the website has had a major overhaul; it still features the usual blend of trails information, conditions updates, events details, competitions etc., but has a brand new look and feel.

One new feature is the '7stanes friends' section, giving you access to exclusive 7stanes competitions, free downloads of trail maps, and a quarterly e-newsletter.

If you'd like a bit more information on the 7stanes Mountain Biking Community Interest Company, there are details on the current site at www.7stanes.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-8GKL3J.

We hope you like the new site and hope you'll keep reading the blog there. If you've got any comments, you can send them to info@7stanesmountainbiking.com.

Thanks!

Berm Baby Berm now open

Yep, Berm Baby Berm is now open for business!

700m of bermy*, flowy, occasionally jumpy and pumpy blue grade singletrack to take you from the exit of Blue Velvet back to the Buzzards Nest carpark, on the Blue Route at Glentress. It replaces the forest road descent and will hopefully put a smile on your face.

With the dry, hot weather of late and with the trail just opened, the trail surface is a little more vulnerable to possible wear as it beds in/hardens, so please try not to skid on it.

Please note: the section of trail is so new it's not detailed on the current (tear off) bike trail maps (available at the trailhead) or on the downloadable pdf trail map on the Glentress & Innerleithen pages of the 7stanes website.

As with all our trails and facilities, feedback is something we like very much. Let us know what you think of the new section - add your comments here on the blog, email andy.wardman@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or grab a Ranger at Glentress.

Cheers,

Andy (MTB Ranger)

*Berm - a steeply banked corner, insloped. The berms on the new section are also flatter on the inside of the turns.

Access to Buzzards Nest and Red Squirrel car parks at Glentress

Apologies all for the short notice but from today (Tuesday 22nd March) until Friday 1st April there will be no vehicle access to Buzzards Nest & Red Squirrel car parks, due to forestry road works. This only applies on weekdays.

Use the Osprey and 7stanes car parks at the trail head instead.

Of course, this means that you get to sample the joys of the Cardie Hill Climb instead.

'Officially' on Facebook

We've set up an official 7stanes Facebook page - it's an open group so you should be able to post pics, video links etc.

Hope to see you in there: 7stanes official Facebook page.

Kirroughtree Visitor Centre open this weekend

Hi folks

If anyone is heading to Kirroughtree this weekend for the SXC race, the visitor centre will be open from 10.30 - 4.30, serving hot drinks & food (soup, bacon rolls, baked tatties etc).

On Sunday night it will close again until 25 March when it's due to reopen for the season.

Mabie Harvesting Work!

Hey all,

Just a quick note to say that the Mabie Harvesting work is progressing well! Things are starting to run a little smoother now, after a couple of little hic-ups at the start, namely the large dump of snow and mechanical breakdowns!!

The current diversion on the red is still in place, going from post 46 (entrance to Heaven's Gate) down to about 650m before post 18 (end of The Elevator). This not only misses out the harvesting work but also a large section of unrideable trail on The Elevator. The reason this section is unrideable is due to damage caused by the last bout of heavy winds, which uprooted some of the large Norway Spruce up next to the Tower Road, blocking the trail. Clearing the trees was the easy part, however, the root plates that have lifted have destroyed the trail. In one section there is about a 5m gap where the trail used to be! So please, please don't just push past and try to ride it, it honestly isn't worth it!!

The Green, Blue and Purple trails are all currently closed just now as well. The Blue and Purple are closed due to the harvesting work at Hillhead Quarry, and namely the fact that the machines are working near the road! (see above photo!) These machine are very dangerous to members of the public, there are signs up so please pay attention to them! The Green remains closed unfortunately due to the poor state of the road following the harvesting behind Marthrown. Plans are already underfoot to have the timber removed from roadside and the roads upgraded so watch this space!!

Again, please pay attention to the signs! The more breaches of the work sites we have, the longer the whole operation will take so please stick to whats open!!

Cheers

maintenance a go go

Lots of trail maintenance work on the go at the mo':



Narrow timber feature on Pie Run at Glentress - worn netting replaced with grip painted boards

Work continues a pace on the new Blue descent at Glentress. Over half of the 700m now completed.

Start of construction on a woven fence near the end of the Pie Run to stop short cuts. Doing this work with the Borders College Workwise group. Yep, we'd rather be fixing trails than blocking shortcuts...

Say hi to Alastair from A&A Forestry if you are riding the Innerleithen XC Route - he's currently doing deberming work (removing puddles and improving drainage) around the route (Mon - Fri) and doing a damn fine job. Ongoing until mid March.

More brashing work via 4Seasons Forestry on parts of the Blue/Red/Black Route at Glentress to clear overhanging branches and as in the pic above on the approach to the quary at Glentress - open up sightlines. Ongoing until mid March.

Trialling new grip strip plates - a great idea/product from Andy Hopkins - 7stanes Technical trail guru. Grip strip bonded onto a thin alu plate - easy to fix on, easy to replace.

Worn rabbit netting replaced with new boards and trial grip strips, on Magic Mushroom. This bridge suffers from high braking wear - a good test for the strips!

Cheers,

Andy (Mtb Ranger)