The 7stanes blog

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

2011-05-06T10:30:00.006+01:00

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

2011-04-23T07:11:00.008+01:00

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

2011-03-22T13:37:00.004Z

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

2011-03-22T12:24:00.005Z

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

2011-03-18T16:52:00.002Z

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!

2011-02-25T14:04:00.004Z

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

2011-02-23T08:52:00.021Z

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)

'Berm Baby Berm'

2011-02-17T16:58:00.009Z

That's the tentative name for a new section of Blue singetrack we're currently building at Glentress: a 700m descent to link the exit of Blue Velvet to the Buzzards Nest carpark on the Blue Route.

The work is part of our 2010/11 trail maintenance program - in this case replacing a rough, steep forest road descent with tasty singletrack, through some of the finest woodland in Glentress.

Trail curves by a stunning mature Silver Fir tree near the start

The feel we're going for is flowy and bermy - a similar feel to Blue Velvet but with the progression of (lots of) bermed corners, a slightly steeper overall gradient and mellow jumps and rollers where it works to put them in. It should appeal to all levels of rider.

Mellow tabletop jump

I'm really happy with how it's shaping up so far. Richard our ace digger operator (and fellow MTB Ranger) who's building the trail likened it to a luge track!

Hairpin turn - roughed out, material layed out, trail soon to be built

Trail entry

We've completed ~280m of the 700m so far, expected opening is early April.

Now the boring bit: please don't be tempted to ride the trail before it's open, it's a construction site so no entry is allowed and anyone riding it risks doing damage to the new trail surfaces as they continue to harden up following the wet weather of late. If you do see anyone ignoring the barriers and riding the trail please let us know - the duty ranger number is 07834 435380.

cheers,

Andy (MTB Ranger)

Wormhole reopened

2011-02-03T08:01:00.008Z

Yep, the Wormhole trail near the end of the Black Route at Glentress is now open again for business, after being closed for tree thinning works and subsequent tidy up.

With the Borders College Workwise group and the Trailfairies we've cleared the brash and debris off the trail, completed some trail fettling and a few spots of resurfacing. Overall though, damage from the machines crossing the trail was minimal thanks to some excellent protective brash mats.

The last couple of days myself, Mark and Andy (MTB Ranger's) have been working on tweaking the rock garden at the entry slightly, triming stumps down, branch pruning and final trail fettle/tidy up.

With lots more light into the trail that feeling of descending into the gloom is (unfortunately) gone, but the trail looks great and is still riding really well.

Looking back up rocky entry section at start of Wormhole - post thinnings, pre tidy up

Rock garden at start of Wormhole - before & after

Rejigging a couple of the bigger rocks to open up the ride line and mellow out just a little.

Cheers,

Andy (MTB Ranger)

Mabie & Ae Update!!

2011-01-31T11:58:00.002Z

Hey All,

Just a quick note to say that the Mabie harvesting and thinning work is progressing well after a few mechanical and weather related hitches!!

The diversion on the Red Pheonix Trail has changed and is now in place at post 34 (where Descender Bender crosses the road) and simply takes you along to just after post 50 (near the top of the elevator climb). This should change later in the week but we'll keep you posted as and when it changes!

Unfortunately, the Green, Blue and Purple trails are all closed due to where the harvesting machines are currently working. The Green should hopefully be re-opened by next week, the blue and purple will need to stay closed for the forseable future, until the harvesting operation is suitably far enough away from the trail to deem it safe to do so!!

Dalbeattie is still fully open and riding well. Ae will have closures on the green and blue trails tomorrow (1st Feb) while repairs are being made to the forest road in the Ae Valley. The Shredder and Downhill courses should both also be re-opened at the weekend as well.

Cheers

Mabie Harvesting works

2011-01-14T09:28:00.002Z

Hey all,

Just to let you all know that harvesting has at long last started at Marthrown hill at Mabie. Unfortunately, this means that the green and blue mountain bike trails are currently closed whilst this takes place. The red also has a diversion on the Elevator just after post 50, re-joining the trail at post 17.

Dalbeattie currently remains diversion free, Ae Downhill and Shredder are still currently closed while harvesting takes place on Knockespen hill.

Cheers

Trail Conditions Glentrool 5/1/2011

2011-01-05T15:11:00.002Z

Despite the thaw over the last week snow and ice is still persisting in the area from Glentrool Village through to the Loch Dee and Clatteringshaws Loch. The going here is still very difficult.

With night frosts and more snow forecast for the high ground, winter conditions look like continuing.

Kirroughtree trails are still clear, though if the forecast is right we may have fresh snow for the coming weekend

Trail Conditions Kirroughtree 3 Jan 2011

2011-01-04T12:59:00.003Z

We have no one to update the trail conditions page on the main site until 10 Jan but if you are thinking of heading to the southwest to ride the trails all the snow and ice has long gone.

The trails have been damaged in a few places by the frost though.

Most of the damage is confined to some of the sections in Kirroughtree that the blue and red routes share. It shouldn't spoil your ride but if you see brown earth exposed on the trail surface be prepared for soft going.

We will aim to get the worst areas repaired as soon as we can.

The top half of Heartbreak Hill on the black route will be extra challenging for the rest of the winter (nice and sticky) unless it's refrozen.

Trail conditions - no updates until January

2010-12-24T11:07:00.002Z

If you are planning on riding over Christmas and New Year, note that we won't be providing any trail updates on the main website for a while - until 10 January 2011 at the earliest.

There's still a lot of snow and ice around - although Kirroughtree seems fairly free from both - so if you are riding, please make sure you take the right equipment and supplies with you.

Here's to lots of happy riding in 2011.

Merry Christmas!

Trail Conditions at Glentrool & Kirroughtree 17/12/2010

2010-12-17T14:27:00.002Z

All the snow from the last wintry spell has gone and we have had no fresh falls as yet. The trails and forest roads are largely clear of ice but with the continuing cold weather the remaining patches wont be going away any time soon. Just keep you eyes open for it and remember that the conditions can change quite suddenly.

Glentress Trail Conditions - Tue 14th Dec

2010-12-14T08:59:00.009Z

Currently the conditions at Glentress are:

Lower trails mostly snow free, although snow still remains on higher trails. All trails icy in places, with lower forest roads being very icy.

Here's a few pics from Monday afternoon:

Trailhead - start of road up into forest

Forest road upto Red Squirrel car park. Very icy/slippy - currently closed to vehicles.

Start of wee linking climb before Dougie Bank Climb. Icy in open...

...but much clearer of ice under the trees

Near end of Magic Mushroom

Clearing brash/debris off Magic Mushroom from tree thinning operations. The machine operators have done a great job of protecting the trail - hardly marked. Much more light now through Magic Mushroom and we were able to retain the key trees next to the trail (ones marked with tape). Some more clearing work to be done before we can reopen the trail - keep an eye on the 7stanes trail conditions for updates.

Cheers,

Andy (mtb Ranger)

Snow Art!

2010-12-09T11:51:00.005Z

What to do when there's too much snow for riding?? Create some snow art!

Andy Weir (fellow mtb ranger) spotted these on the Electric Blue flyover bridge at Glentress whilst out checking some of the trails on Wednesday.

Thanks to one very creative member of the public!

Glentress Trail Conditions - Tue 30th Nov

2010-11-30T11:22:00.008Z

Yep, there's a decent amount of snow here in the Tweed Valley - about 8-10 inches or so currently at the Glentress trailhead....

Hub cafe

This much at valley floor level will mean it'll be really deep higher up in the forest, making all of the trails unrideable at present both here and just down the road at Innerleithen.... (sorry, stating the obvious there!). Newcastleton has also been affected by a similar amount of snow.

Road up past new Peel Visitor centre site

Currently, the only car park reasonably clear at Glentress is the Osprey carpark, the road upto the Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest's carparks are closed. The Hub Cafe and Bikeshop are closed today.

Buzzards Nest car park

With the low, freezing temperatures forecast through to early next week atleast, the conditions are unlikely to improve for several days to come.

The 7stanes centres further west (Kirroughtree, Glentrool, Dalbeattie, Mabie) have been less affected by snow and will be more rideable (with care!).

McMoab at Kirroughtree on Mon 29th Nov. Around 1 inch of snow in the open, less under the trees.

Ae currently has a lot of snow on the trails and if the temperature drops they are likely to become unrideable quite quickly. Check with the local office on 01387 860247 for the latest information.

Check out the 7stanes trail conditions page and 7stanes twitter for the latest. We'll aim to keep the blog updated with pics and extra trail conditions info over the winter.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

Ae Downhill and Shredder temporary closure

2010-11-24T15:18:00.002Z

Sorry for the short notice folks but the Downhill Trail and Shredder at Ae will be closed from Monday 29 November 2010 for up to 6 weeks. This is to allow for tree thinning work on Knockespen Hill.

We've only just had notice of this so apologies for any spanners in the works this causes.

The closure is estimated at up to 6 weeks but could well be less. Keep an eye on the trail conditions page on the main website for updates. We'll also be posting updates via Twitter.

7stanes trail conditions

www.twitter.com/7stanes

Trail maintenance a go go at Glentress

2010-10-21T09:33:00.007+01:00

There's lots of trail maintenance work going on at the mo' at Glentress. We're currently doing ~350m of resurfacing/drainage work on the top section of Spookywood Descent along with a few minor design tweaks.

Being so high up and exposed this part of the trail has suffered from frost heave/trail deformation over the last few winters aswell as drainage problems and trail wear . The work will make the trail more robust and roll/ride/flow better. It's shaping up well and should be reopened by early November.

Small 'rollers' replaced with new tabletop jump, Spookywood Descent

We'll then be doing some smaller resurfacing work further down Spookywood to sort out some braking bumps and puddles into the jumps.

Further into autumn/winter we also have bigger maintenance jobs planned for Pennels Vennel, the Blue Route, Skills Area, Falla Brae and Magic Mushroom, alongside our more regular mtb ranger work clearing puddles from the trails (deberming), minor resurfacing, tree pruning etc.

Our current Trailfairy volunteer project should be completed and open by early November - we're working on a 70m handbuilt re route on the Black option on Falla Brae to replace the old log step entry. Pretty excited about this bit of trail.

Finally, our contractors have been working hard brashing (branch pruning) on the Black Route, doing a very thorough/tidy job. The Boundary Trail and Britney Spears have been completed and they're currently working on the Kipps Climb. It's made a huge difference, really opening the trails up.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

Omega-berms!!

2010-10-05T13:53:00.003+01:00

Hey,

Seems to be the season for berms this year! Tally and Cam have just finished refreshing a section in the upper half of The Omega Man, on the red grade trail at Ae. They removed a fairly straight section and decided to put a little twist into it........ quite literally!!!

The end result is a huge difference, loads and loads more flow, better surface, less water problems, all in all a job pretty well done!! And its great fun to ride!!

There are a few other wee jobs going on at Ae at the moment, Nil Desperandum has had a new surface and couple of tweeks to help make it more enjoyable. Rabs Slippy One is also getting some new surfacing as well as the angles of some corners getting a bit of work done to help hold riders onto the ride line.

Small jobs making a huge difference at Ae so why don't you go and give it a bash!!

Cheers

Dalbeattie Hardrock Challenge.

2010-09-20T14:32:00.003+01:00

Me again,

Just to let you all know that entries are still open for this years Dalbeattie Hardrock Challenge!! Held over a 10 mile run then a full 16mile lap of the Dalbeattie red grade trail, this event is a good challenge for anybody!! Entries can be either as an individual, or a team of 2 (1 runner, 1 cyclist). Online entries available!!

Date for the event is Sunday 3rd October.

More info, including how to enter, can be found at:

http://www.dalbeattiehardrockchallenge.org/

Cheers!!

Enter the Darkside!!!

2010-09-20T14:14:00.004+01:00

Hey again,

Just to let you all know that Vadars Lair at Mabie has re-opened!! It was closed due to harvesting work early last year, during which it was all but destroyed! We have gradually put it back together bit by bit, and making a few wee improvements here and there!!

Several of the old logs were rotten and have now been replaced by good, sturdy machined and treated timbers which should hopefully last a bit longer!

Lots of the original features still remain, and have simply been strengthened and enhanced to make it that bit more rider friendly, yet still retain its edge!

The only trouble is that where as once before you were weaving your way through the tall spruce trees, you now come out onto an open hill with some stunning views down over Lochaber Loch! Here's Cove taking it all in on a sunny September day!!

Just remember to keep your eyes on the trail!!

Enjoy!!

Mabies Miles Better!!!

2010-09-17T16:14:00.004+01:00

Hey All,

Just a quick note to say that Tally, Skinner and Cam have been working their magic on the red route at Mabie again, and that the berms on Descender Bender are now back!!!

The surface has been upgraded and the berms have been beefed up a little, just to hold you in a wee bit better!! Take a look at the photo's and see what you think yourself!!

Its all now fully re-open so go on, have a go!!!! You know you want to!!!!

Trailfairies and the IMBA Conference

2010-09-14T09:23:00.004+01:00

It was great to have the opportunity to do a presentation on the Trailfairies at the IMBA UK Conference on Friday. With the help of Rich, Moray and Bruce, some of our most experienced 'fairies, we looked at 'Why (Trailfairy) Volunteers are Valuable'.

Here's a video Moray put together for the conference. It highlights some of the trails the fairies have built, all by hand:

Glentress Trailfairy Trails from moraycuthill on Vimeo.

If this has wetted your appetite for some trailwork, new volunteers are always most welcome, no experience is needed and it's free (save for the usual £3/day parking charge at Glentress).

Check out http://www.glentresstrailfairies.org/ or www.7stanes.gov.uk/glentresstrailfairies for more info.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

Glentress Peel buildings take shape

2010-08-27T12:24:00.006+01:00

The new facilities at Glentress are starting to take shape and the pic below shows how the cafe / bike shop building is progressing. The bike shop area is at the left hand end of the building, with the cafe area the larger portion on the right surrounded by glass.

Once the building work is completed, the site will be 'greened up', with wildflowers and trees planted.

If you're not too familiar with Glentress, this view is taken looking roughly south west, back in the direction of Peebles. The access road to the trails runs just above the main building and pond off to the right.

You can see a larger version of the picture on the Forestry Commission Scotland website.

Full details of the Peel project are at www.forestry.gov.uk/glentress.

Brashing = happiness

2010-08-19T17:20:00.008+01:00

Got up to the wooded part of Minch Moor Descent on the Innerleithen XC Route today to do some brashing (branch pruning) work along the trail with my trusty chainsaw. Fellow MTB Ranger's Mark and Andy were also getting stuck in, Mark on the polesaw reaching the higher branches and Andy just over the hill brashing back some overhanging branches on the Minch Moor Climb with his handsaw. A solid days work has opened up the trails nicely. Me - tired but happy.

Here's a couple of piccies:

Exit of Minch Moor Descent - before

Exit of Minch Moor Descent - after

Plus we were treated to sunshine, blue skies and an awesome view of the Tweed Valley:

Cheers!

Andy (MTB Ranger)

Log Skinnies On Cardie Hill Climb Now Open!

2010-08-17T10:29:00.012+01:00

5 blue-graded log skinnies (balance beams) and 2 black-graded skinnies are now open for riding on the upper half of Cardie Hill Climb at Glentress.

Skinnies 1 & 2 come just after the climb ducks under the Electric Blue flyover bridge.

These are all optional features, positioned off to the side of the trail. The blue-graded skinnies are nice and low to the ground and are a great way for novice/intermediate riders to practise/develop their log riding skills. A stepping stone, if you like, to riding the harder red-graded skinnies lower down on Dougie Bank Climb, and the new black-graded skinnies just before you reach the Buzzards Nest car park.

The logs were installed when the climb was originally built in 2008, but it's only recently that we've been able to complete the work to open them as other trail maintenance work has taken priority.

We've also been developing techniques to dry the logs out sufficiently and apply grip paint to the riding surfaces rather than use rabbit netting. Fortunately we got that long dry spell from mid April to June and this combined with covers over the logs means the grip paint should have keyed well and will last. Thanks for your patience!

Black grade skinnies. A tricky uphill skinny followed by a tricky near 90 degree turn with inside beam to help your back wheel round.

Cheers,
Andy (MTB Ranger)

Descender Bender Upgrade!!

2010-08-16T10:16:00.002+01:00

Hey all!!

Just to let you know that Descender Bender on the Mabie red trail is currently under a bit of a rebuild. Tally and the boys went in last week and are hoping to be out of there at the end of next week. There is a cheeky little diversion in place along some old natural singletrack, which drops you back out onto the Tower road near waymarker post 34, where it re-joins the red trail.

Please , please follow the diversions. Don't just push through and ride the unfinished trail cos that just delays the whole process for everyone else and costs more money to put right!!

Cheers

Grass roots mtb racing at Glentress, Tue 17th Aug

2010-08-09T15:59:00.004+01:00

Over the last few years Peebles Cycling Club has developed a fantastic U16's Dirt Crit Series at Glentress. Very popular with kids, the format consists of a number of laps of a short, fast flowing circuit (~1.5km long). Overall racing times are kept low (e.g. 15 mins) to encourage close racing and keep things exciting. It's an excellent, very fun way for novice bikers to try xc racing and great for spectators, who get to see the racers whizzing by every couple of minutes.

Now Scottish Cycling has teamed up with Innerleithen MTB Racing and Peebles CC to offer both kids and adults the chance to race the 'Glentress 48'. Not 48 hours, but a much more appealing 48 minutes!

Here's some more from the organisers:

"It's fast and fun, it's cheap and it's on your doorstep. Come and race your mates or set yourself a personal challenge. Glentress 48 - how many laps of our fun mini mountainbike course can you do in 48 minutes?"

More info is over at www.innerleithenmtbracing.com or you can enter at www.entrycentral.com

Sign on is at the Buzzards Nest car park, the course is open for practise from 6 - 6.30pm then racing gets underway at 6.30pm with U14's followed by the adults race at 7.15pm.

Cheers

Andy (mtb ranger)

10 in Kirroughtree - the Week After

2010-07-14T12:38:00.005+01:00

The consensus seams to be that it was a great event, it was certainly challenging in the conditions.
After weeks of very little rain the course was running dry and fast two days before the event but 48 hrs of wet weather changed things a lot and it became muddy and quite challenging even for the most skilled riders.
Hats off to every one that completed especially those solo's that put in 9 laps in under 10hrs.

The good news is that the built trails survived relatively unscathed and we have no major damage, if you're riding the red route just watch out for a thin covering of mud in places, we have removed most of it!

The "natural" sections however took a hammering so if you used these sections before the weekend be prepared for them to be a lot harder now.
We plan to invest some time improving the drainage and removing some of the accumulations of mud as well as a few reroutes to improve things but it wont happen overnight.

On re riding the route yesterday I found very little litter, thanks for helping keep the forest clean.

Chris

See link for event report by MTBCUT
http://www.singletrackworld.com/2010/07/ten-at-kirroughtree/

NPS Downhill comes to Ae!!

2010-07-12T11:46:00.002+01:00

Hey all,

This weekend coming sees a round of the NPS downhill champs coming to Ae forest. All the other trails will remain open, but the Downhill course will be closed to members of the public for the weekend, Saturday for qualifying and Sunday for racing!

The cafe and bikeshop will also remain open to members of the public as per usual.

Cheers

10 in Kirroughtree Saturday 10 July

2010-07-05T14:18:00.002+01:00

Entries are still open for the 3rd year of this Nofuss 10 hour endurance event www.nofussevents.co.uk

This years course is based on the one used in previous years, but with a couple of new sections first used for the SXC race earlier in the year added it should be even better.

The event will include parts of the blue route and red route out as far as the start of "The White Witch". The waymarked trails will still be open but please give way to the 500+ competitors taking part.

The green rout will be closed for the day.

Chris

Upper part of 'The Admiral' trail now open!

2010-07-02T09:56:00.004+01:00

The upper section of 'The Admiral' trail is now open! This new 375m section of trail, which is detailed on the current Glentress trailmaps starts at post 34 and links into the existing Admiral trail, the final section of singletrack on the Blue Route.

The trail is similar in feel to the existing Admiral trail - wide and flowy with mellow descending gradients and some optional rock features, a 40m section of boardwalk to cross the main Glentress valley burn then a short, very gentle climb out to meet the existing Admiral trail.

The Blue Route is now waymarked to take in this section of trail, so look out for the waymarker arrows which now point you left at the exit of Good Game and up a forest road for ~150m to the start at Post 34.

Let us know what you think of the new section - all feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers,

Andy (MTB Ranger)

Tweedlove!

2010-06-30T07:49:00.005+01:00

Just under a month to go until Tweedlove, a new week long bike festival for the Tweed Valley!

There'll be loads going on during the week. I'm particularly excited about Natural Tweed, an offroad ride round the Tweed Valley taking in some stunningly good natural trails, on Sat 24th July.

Also looking forward to Celluloid Tweed at the Eastgate Theatre in Peebles on Wed 29th July and the screening of 'Follow Me' as well as a mini film comp.

The full events schedule and lots more info is at www.tweedlove.com

cheers, andy (mtb ranger)

Air Maiden Ladies Freeride Event

2010-06-27T08:13:00.005+01:00

Now in its 3rd year Air Maiden is back this weekend at Glentress Freeride Park. Over 40 ladies are taking part, developing their freeriding skills, confidence and having a lot of fun. Saturday was training sessions in a range of skills from beginners to advanced on various sesctions of the Freeride Park.

The guys from bikes and berms, part of the organising team have set up some temporary event only features at the bottom of the Essentials trail. There's a timber kicker jump - great for practising getting the hang of steeper upramps and clearing a small gap, and also a 'satellite' (blue feature in pic above), quite a technical looking feature to ride, but some of the girls had it mastered by Saturday afternoon. Both exit onto a nice big softish landing area.

The event continues today, Sunday, with more practise and a mini freeride comp. Check out www.airmaiden.co.uk

Shower time!

2010-05-18T14:53:00.002+01:00

In case you missed the news, there are now free showers and toilets in Newcastleton village. Not sure the look is going to catch on though.

See the main 7stanes site for details of riding at Newcastleton. For details of amenities etc. at Newcastleton see: www.visitnewcastleton.com.

Ae Red Route Diversions Lifted!!

2010-05-05T13:49:00.004+01:00

Hey again,

Just to let everyone know that ALL the red route diversions at Ae have been lifted! The trail repairs leading onto the the Capel Water bridge at post 17 are now complete. The bombhole section between posts 20 & 21 has been finished with a nice new covering of type 1 material, making the ride surface a lot smoother! And finally the small section after the bridge at the end of The Edge has had a new line put in and surfaced, to replace the small section that got washed away during the winter floods!

So happy days for Ae, loads of work has been done to the trails here over the last few months including a huge amount by volunteers, so big thanks to them for their efforts!

The trail closures for the weekend still stand (see below) due to the Enduro Avalanche.

Cheers

Ae Enduro Avalanche

2010-05-04T10:32:00.004+01:00

Hey All,

just to let people know that the Avalanche Enduro comes to Ae Forest this weekend, bringing 300+ riders onto the trails!! The red Ae-line trail will be closed for the weekend, along with the Shredder, whilst seeding takes place on the Saturday, and racing on the Sunday.

We would recommend Mabie and Dalbeattie as alternatives, both red routes are currently diversion free and are riding well!

Cheers

New showers and toilets at Newcastleton village

2010-04-30T10:34:00.009+01:00

Yep, you can now hit the trails at Newcastleton and then grab a shower after at a new facility in Newcastleton village.

The two showers and two toilets are open from 7am - 6pm (tbc) and are free to use. They are located just a stones throw from Douglas Square on Langholm street, next to the Fire station. There's also a new information point in Douglas Square aswell with all you need to know about the 7stanes trails and the facilities available in the village.

These are the first bits of work by the Newcastleton Business Group, Scottish Enterprise, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Border Council, Rock UK and others to enhance facilities and progress towards making Newcastleton village itself the trailhead for all the trails. To make this work, plans are also being developed to create singletrack links between the village and the existing 7stanes trail network at Newcastleton Forest.

Having the trailhead in the village makes a lot of sense and has worked very successfully at other trails such as Golspie.

Exciting times for Newcastleton and visitors!

Newcastleton 7stanes in MBR mag!

2010-04-23T15:40:00.005+01:00

There's a great wee article on the the 7stanes trails at Newcastleton in the latest MBR magazine (May 2010, p74) - part of their UK Trails Local Knowledge series.

The article gives a good insight into the history of the trails, recent developments and plans for the future aswell as the flavour of the trails themselves through the words and images of Andy McCandlish.

We also got some pictures from the photoshoot to update our photo library. Here's two of my favorite ones:

Pouter Lampert near the end of the Blue/Red Route. That light and trail combo just makes me want to ride bikes.

Hidden Valley on the Red Route - swoopy flowing goodness with lots of timber features to keep you on your toes!

More pictures, trail descriptions and other useful info for visiting 7stanes Newcastleton are on our Newcastleton webpages

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

24hrs of Exposure

2010-04-15T11:26:00.008+01:00

Just over a month to go until the UK's first ever (and only) 24hr mountain bike endurance race for solo riders, which is being held at Newcastleton on 22/23 May. There's still time to enter this ground breaking event. Here's a preview video to wet your endurance appetites put together by the organisers SIP Events.

For all the info and latest news on the event check out http://www.sip-events.co.uk/solo-home.html

Demo Day at Glentress this Sunday, 18th Apr

2010-04-14T13:20:00.003+01:00

Just a quick mention that the Bike Radar Demo Day series is coming to Glentress this Sunday.

There'll be bikes to test ride on a sweet demo loop from Lapierre, Saracen, Bionicon, Norco, Scott, Rose, Ragley, Tomac, Ghost, Lynskey and Red Bull. You can pre book bikes/demo slots on their website and it's all free (except the usual £3 car parking charge - which helps fund our trail & facility maintenance program).

The demo HQ will be up at the Buzzards Nest car park. Marshals will be on hand to help you get parked (we'll be using side roads and the main road up for parking aswell).

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

Glentress Trail conditions - Wed 14th Apr

2010-04-14T12:37:00.004+01:00

After a busy couple of weeks tidying up storm damaged trees from the trails, things are looking alot better here at Glentress (and the trails are dry and riding really well).

The only sections of waymarked trails still affected by fallen trees are on the Black Route. We have contractors in today working on clearing trees from Redemption Climb, Deliverance and Kipps Climb.

The only other section on the Black Route still affected is the Boundary Trail but many of the downed trees are still under snow! We'll get onto clearing this section as soon as the snow melts. The Boundary Trail is also the only section still affected by snow. If looking to ride the Black Route i'd suggest avoiding this section and linking onto the Red Route instead using the natural trail at post 74:

'Natural' Link from Boundary Trail to Spookywood Descent (note this isn't waymarked)

One other thing to note - a popular short cut on the Black Route is at the start of Deliverance (post 83) - nipping around the forest road instead of riding Deliverance and linking back into the Black at post 22, hooking up with Redemption Climb ~2/3's the way up it. Unfortunately there are many fallen trees blocking the road between post 83 and post 20, with no access through. It's too big a job to clear with chainsaws so we are aiming to get a harvester up to clear this asap.

Finally, we've not had chance to check/clear all the unwaymarked 'natural' sections of trail yet. Zoom or Bust is clear of fallen trees now though and we'll work our way through the other ones over the next few weeks.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger).

Glentress - conditions update ( further update, 4.27pm)

2010-04-07T15:11:00.008+01:00

The forestry team at Glentress are working hard to clear the trails of fallen trees and obstacles following the recent bad weather.

At the moment, all trails are technically open, but only the following trails / sections have been checked and cleared so far:

Green Route
Freeride trails
Skills area
Blue Velvet (Blue)
Dougie Bank Climb and Cardie Hill Climb - shared trail up to Buzzards nest
Falla Brae (Blue / Red / Black)
Good Game (Blue)
Electric Blue (Blue)
Outward Blue Climb (Blue)
Blue Return (Blue)
Super G (Red)
Pennel's Vennel (Red)
Pie Run (Red)
Mushroom Pie (Red)
Magic Mushroom (Red)
Tourist Trap (Red)

This means that while the rest of the red and blue trails can be accessed, there may well be trees or other obstacles across the sections that aren't listed above. The open sections do allow you to ride a loop though.

The clear up will continue throughout the week and we aim to have as much of the blue and red routes as possible open for the weekend.

The Black Route is still badly affected with windblown trees and snow on the higher ground, so we're still deeming it unrideable.

It's been a period of pretty severe weather and we'd ask for your patience while we put things right. Please follow any diversions and obey any warning signs that you find. Thanks.

Buzzards Nest car park upgrade

2010-04-06T11:37:00.002+01:00

We are currently working to improve the Buzzards Nest car park. This involves landscaping works, taking advantage of some material moved from the Glentress Peel development. We will be adding some kerb, paving and trees to help green up the site. As part of this we intend to sow grass seed in various areas. These will be fenced to allow the grass to establish.

As part of the improvements we will be putting in a new information point for walkers to get walking trail information. This will be distinct from the 7stanes information panel.

Due to the recent bad weather, the works are temporarily on hold but will resume when conditions improve.

We hope you appreciate these improvements. Please follow any diversions that are in place while the works take place.

Thank you.

Will Huckerby (Recreation Manager).

Kirroughtree & Glentrool 6/4/2010

2010-04-06T10:26:00.005+01:00

Yet again here in the South West we have missed out on the worst of the weather and the trails are not affected by snow or blown trees so all are open as usual.

It's rather wet and windy today but the forecast for the rest of the week looks better as does the weekend.

Chris

First snow, then trees...

2010-04-06T10:07:00.001+01:00

Glentress and Innerleithen have had a very severe blast of weather. No part of the forests have been unaffected by windblow (fallen trees) and much work still remains to be done.

At Glentress we have opened most trails below the Buzzards Nest car park, on falla brae, including the climbs. We are checking the status of Pennels Vennel/ Super G/ Spooky Wood/ Hit Squad Hill etc. today (6th April), and will provide a further update later. The Black route is still affected by snow and severe windblow; as such it's unrideable.

At Innerleithen, most of the trails have been severely affected by windblow. At present we are assessing the situation and will provide an update as soon as the situation becomes clearer.

Glentress Trail Conditions - Fri 2nd Apr

2010-04-02T18:00:00.010+01:00

Unfortunately the conditions remain poor for riding here at Glentress. There has been some thawing today with the overall depth of snow reducing a little, however snow remains on virtually all trails, deep and wet enough to make most trails still unrideable.

We've been up today starting to make some headway into clearing the fallen trees/branches - but it is going to take a while to clear everything, Glentress has been hit hard... We are likely going to have to divert some sections of trail because of dangerous trees - look out for signage on site over the next few weeks.

Here's a few pics from this afternoon. Compare these to pics from yesterday to see that the conditions haven't changed much yet.

7stanes carpark at trailhead (carpark has been dozed by tractor)

Start of Cardie Hill Climb

Start of Falla Brae (lots of broken trees/branches cleared off here this aft)

Viewpoint looking across Tweed Valley towards Peebles

Bottom of Freeride Park at Buzzards Nest car park

Clearing broken trees on Electric Blue this afternoon

Chainsaws for all occasions!

Ranger's will be onsite this weekend continuing to clear the trails on fallen trees/branches etc. This will be the last blog update for a few days but you can always call the duty ranger on 07834 435380 to get the very latest on the trail conditions.

If you are looking for alternative trails to ride, the 7stanes trails at Mabie and Dalbeattie are clear of snow and riding well, as are most of the trails at Ae. These 3 trail centres are within 1.5hrs drive from Glentress and the Tweed Valley.

Cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

Ae Green and Blue re-opened!!!!

2010-04-02T10:48:00.004+01:00

Hey all,

Just to say that the green and blue trails at Ae are re-open now after an extensive clear up job on the windblow!! The red trail is still diverted, now from post 9 - 10 (Rabs Slippy One) while specialist contractors deal with a few particularly nasty hung up trees. All should be clear by the start of next week, keep checking the blog for up to date progress!!

There was also a small scattering of snow here at Ae last night and temperatures did drop below freezing so please use a little bit of caution if you come across any snow or ice on the higher ground.

Cheers

Glentress Trail Conditions - Thu 1st April

2010-04-01T17:49:00.007+01:00

Here are some pictures of the conditions at Glentress from mid afternoon on Thursday:

New visitor centre worksite, just across from the current trailhead.

Entry to first singletrack climbing up from trailhead

Final jump and exit of Good Game on Blue Route

Timber trail near end of Magic Mushroom on Red Route

Entry to Cardie Hill Climb (part of outward climb towards Buzzards Nest car park

First two switchbacks on Cardie Hill Climb with several downed trees..

Tweed Valley looking SW towards Peebles from viewpoint on road upto Buzzards Nest car park

Funbox at Freeride Park, by Buzzards Nest car park

Buzzards Nest car park

Unfortunately the conditions for riding at Glentress are currently poor - the trails remain mostly unrideable with snow still sitting at all levels. There has been some thawing today with the sun out but it's the sheer volume of snow that means the it's unlikely to dissapear quickly. There's still around a foot of snow on average at Buzzards Nest car park height..

The heavy and wet snowfall and strong winds has also resulted in many downed trees and snapped branches across and also hanging above/over the trails. We'll do our best to get these cleared asap but accessing the trails is difficult at present and impossible just now for the trails at higher elevations. If you do venture out, please take extreme care.

On a brighter note, the 7stanes trails across at Mabie and Dalbeattie are clear of snow and riding well, as are most of the trails at Ae - i'd recommend visiting these trails to get a decent ride in. Look out for fallen trees though as these forests suffered from the high winds earlier in the week.

Sorry for the latish update today - power has been low again at Glentress today and our net connection remains down at the Ranger's Office. For the latest on the trail conditions please contact the duty ranger on 07834 435380.

Andy (mtb ranger)

Snow dump at Glentress/Innerleithen - Wed 31st Mar

2010-03-31T18:47:00.004+01:00

Glentress trailhead Wednesday morning!

Wed 31st Mar. Like much of Scotland we've had a big dump of snow through the night and most of Wednesday. Wet snow at all levels here at Glentress, same for Innerleithen. Newcastleton trails also have snow on most trails. Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest car parks at Glentress are closed. Lots of branches down and likely trees also. Hub cafe and bikeshop were closed Wednesday.

The snow means the trails here are unrideable at present. The conditions are likely to change quickly though - we'll try to keep you bang up to date with the latest but updates might be a little slow as our net connection was down at work today. You can always call the duty ranger for the latest on 07834 435380.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger).

Glentrool / Kirroughtree conditions

2010-03-31T16:51:00.000+01:00

The weather has been pretty bad in Galloway over the past 24 hours and we've been unable to get an update on the conditions on the 7stanes trails there. The Forestry Commission Scotland offices in Newton Stewart (covering Glentrool / Kirroughtree) have been closed today and there have been a lot of power cuts.

To which end, if you're heading for Glentrool or Kirroughtree, it's probably best to expect to find snow in the car parks and on the trails. It may well be deep on high parts of the black trail at Kirroughtree and parts of the big country trail in Glentrool. Watch out too for windblown trees - these are currently affecting Ae. If you find anything blocking the trails or spot any damage, please email us the details at: 7stanes@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.

We'll try to get an update prior to the Easter weekend but unfortunately can't guarantee it at the moment. So if you're heading out make sure you're prepared for the conditions.

Ae Green and Blue Trail Closures

2010-03-31T16:45:00.009+01:00

Hey all,

Me again!! Just to let you all know that we've had to close the green and blue trails at Ae today due to a serious amount of windblow. Several sections are blocked by fallen trees and are un-passable.

The red route has also been affected and has a diversion at post 9 (start of Rabs Slippy One) and here's why!!

We're still inspecting other sections of the trails and will keep you all posted if we discover any more. We have guys on the ground working their way through it but it could take a week or so to get the trails cleared. Hopefully we should be able to open sections of the blue/green tomorrow.
Cheers

Conditions at Ae, Mabie and Dalbeattie

2010-03-31T09:00:00.003+01:00

Hey all,

The good old Scottish weather is up to its tricks on this side of the district as well! The snow is falling heavily at the offices at Ae here, and is lying on some of the higher more exposed parts of the trails. Windchill is pretty bad as well, so if you are a hardy soul and are heading out then make sure that you take adequate clothing and provisions.

Mabie and Dalbeattie are also getting some abuse from the weather, the snow is falling there as well but due to the amount of rain last night its not lying just as heavily.

Please do check the weather forecasts before you head out!

Cheers

GT Trail Conditions - Tue 30th Mar

2010-03-30T15:09:00.005+01:00

We've got a fresh covering of (wettish) snow on most middle and upper level trails at Glentress, although it's not settling lower down and it's just rain here at the trailhead (though the wind is bringing it in sideways!!) . Buzzards Nest car park remains open at the moment.

Here's a few pics to give you a better idea:

Cardie Hill Climb, just down from Buzzards Nest car park. Yep - we should finally have the skinnies open this spring, will post more on this soon.

Start of Unnamed Freeride Trail

Exit of Spookywood Descent (1-2 inches of snow at the mo')

Conditions are similar just down the valley at Innerleithen.

Hopefully this snow wont stick around very long. For the latest on the conditions, please contact the duty mtb ranger on 07834 435380.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

snow drift!

2010-03-25T08:52:00.006Z

Thankfully all the trails at Glentress are now pretty much clear of snow and ice. The trails at Innerleithen are now totally clear, even up on Minch Moor on the XC Route. The previous trail update mentioned that the only snow/ice left at Glentress was on the very highest trails on the Black Route.

This still stands but what I didn't realise was there is the mother of all snow drifts across the trail at post 74 on the Boundary Trail on the Black Route! This is likely due to this point being open to the north and east as the snow fell/winds blew in, the stone dyke for the drift to develop over and then the line of conifers capturing the snow in this natural funnel.

You'll not miss it! Looks like much of the Boundary Trail is affected by this drifting snow. If you want to avoid this, there's a natural path that links up to Spookywood Descent on the Red Route which starts just before post 74 and runs down the open strip of ground.

If you do venture down the Boundary Trail look out for fallen trees. Fellow Ranger's Ross and Brian were up yesterday to cut these but they are still trapped beneath the snow drifts!

cheers,

Andy

BUSC National Student Champs

2010-03-22T09:27:00.010Z

Hey all,

Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw roughly 600 students descend on Ae Forest for the national student MTB champs. 60 universities and colleges fielded teams in both the downhill competition and the XC races.

The downhill competition was, eh, entertaining! The newly refreshed section at the top was only completed on the tuesday before the event, but proved very popular with the more experienced riders. a grassy, rooty section at the bottom of the track was the spectators favourite spot, mostly due to the amount of tumbles.

The XC races were held on the sunday with the sport class completing 3 laps of the 10km XC loop. A wide, wide variety of abilities in this class. Then after that the championship race was held over 5 laps. The girls race started 5 minutes after the mens, however by the end of the 1st lap the field was pretty well mixed - some pretty fast guys and girls!

All in all a very successful weekend, even the weather held out for them! Results will be posted on the BUSC website shortly.

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, Fri 19th Mar

2010-03-19T18:25:00.005Z

Good news! Nearly all the trails at Glentress are now clear of snow and ice (same will apply for Innerleithen, though there may still be the odd patch of snow on the trails up on Minch Moor).

The only snow/ice that is left on the trails at Glentress is at the very highest levels on the Black Route (Kipps, Britney Spears, Mustard Snake and Boundary Trail) and very occasional small patches on Spookywood Descent at sheltered spots in the trees. Even these bits are shifting pretty quick with the milder air, sunshine and gusty winds we've had the past couple of days.

Spookywood Descent ~1/3 down from viewpoint.

Start of Boundary Trail on Black Route looking back towards mast

The trails are in good shape just now and riding well.

Extra good news! The rock jumps at the top of Spookywood Descent that have been barried off for a good while due to the snow/ice/frost, are now reopen. I got up today and finished off compacting the surfaces of the take off and landings (and nearly got blown away in the wind!)

Rock jumps at top of Spookywood Descent, Red Route

Have a great weekend!

andy (mtb ranger)

SXC at Kirroughtree This Weekend

2010-03-18T14:35:00.003Z

The first round of the Scottish XC race series at Kirroughtree this weekend. This means the blue route will be closed both Saturday and Sunday and the red route will be diverted to start and finish at the Anniversary Cairn (post 34). Access to and from this point will be via the forest road. This will cut out about a third of the red route.

This is part of two new sections for this years event and is a lot steeper than it looks, the route goes up it!

It is expected that over 350 riders will be taking part but the event car parking is separate to the normal parking so if you want to ride you should get parked OK.

Mabie or Dalbeattie would be a better option though if your looking for a relaxed atmosphere.

Chris

Student Championships at Ae this weekend

2010-03-17T12:15:00.008Z

Hey All,

Just to let everyone know that this weekend sees the BUCS Student MTB Championships coming to Ae. There will be 57 universities and colleges (over 400 entrants) fielding teams in both downhill and xc races. The downhill course will be used for practice on the Friday, then racing on the Saturday.

The XC course will affect the red, blue and green trails and will close large sections of all the trails during the practice on the Saturday and the races on the Sunday. There will be marshals on the course, and some fairly large diversions.

Parking at Ae will be difficult due to the sheer volume of people expected to both compete and spectate at the weekend. If you do come, note there will be a diversion on the red route: basically follow the main forest road right up to post 28 and re-join the trail as it heads up towards Nil Desperandum. There may be times at the start and the finish where members of the public may be asked to wait until race marshals let them through.

The Ae valley road will be closed off at the Plough Museum whilst the XC Race is on as well. Walks will also be slightly affected.

We would recommend possibly visiting Mabie or Dalbeattie this weekend instead. Both trail centres are pretty much open and riding well, especially the new Red Ridge section at Mabie!

Timetable:

THURSDAY 18th

All trails will be open to the public. Marshals may be out on the course.

FRIDAY 19th

Downhill practice 10am - 4pm. Exceptionally heavy amount of traffic on the downhill course. Shredder still fully open to the public.

SATURDAY 20th

Downhill Races from 9.00am - 5.30pm. Again, exceptionally heavy amount of traffic on the course. Shredder still open to the public.

XC practice from 10am - 5.00pm. THIS WILL AFFECT GREEN, BLUE AND RED TRAILS.

SUNDAY 21st

Downhill fully open to the public

XC races. Practice starts at 9.00am, first race at 10.00am, second race at 1.00pm. Completed by 4.00pm, then immediately re-opened to the public.

The 'Darkest Challenge on Earth'

2010-03-17T12:01:00.001Z

Last Saturday, seven teams of mountain bikers competed in the Darkest Challenge on Earth, an astronomically-themed night race at 7stanes Kirroughtree, organised by the Breakpad to help celebrate Galloway Forest Park achieving Dark Sky Status. (See www.forestry.gov.uk/darkskygalloway).

Starting just as the light was beginning to go, and lasting about 6 hours, riders had to tackle a challenging 5k loop, making as many circuits as possible, then solve a series of astronomical puzzles.

On hand to help the riders with the questions was the Dark Sky Scotland team from the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. Handily they had brought along a planetarium, which proved to be a welcome introduction to the sky above. And while the riders did their thing, the team kept spectators thoroughly entertained by building and launching rockets.

Meanwhile, most of the riders spent several hours riding the 5k loop (with one team managing to ride 11 laps) before using the final hour to work on the astronomy puzzles, venturing out of the tents to look at Galloway's star filled sky to identify the different constellations.

We've had lots of positive feedback about the event (and the 5k loop), so thanks to everyone who took part and to the Dark Sky Scotland team.

Results

1st - Team 9: D. Allison and K Fisher from Creetown.
2nd – Team 15: G. McKie and J. McCreath from Newton Stewart and Gatehouse.
3rd – Team 8: S. Landers and D Proudlock from Newton Stewart and Gatehouse.

The Winners received Hawke Classic 10 x 50 binoculars.

Winners of the race alone were Anthony and Sam.

demo day goodness!

2010-03-17T09:38:00.008Z

Here's a few pics courtesy of professional photographer/bike journo Joolze Dymond from the recent British Mountain Bike Series Demo Day at Glentress:

You can check more of Joolzes work at: http://www.joolzedymond.com

As you can see the weather gods were kind to us and despite the snow higher up in the forest, we managed to put together an ace (snow free) demo loop on the trails lower down the hill and had a good turn out. Thanks to all the riders who came along.

If you missed this demo - fear not! There are two more demo events at Glentress this spring:

First up is the Bike Radar Demo Day on Sunday 18th April. There'll be bikes to test ride for free from Lapierre, Saracen, Bionicon, Norco, Scott, Rose, Ragley, Tomac, Ghost, Lynskey and Red Bull. You can pre book bikes on their website.

Then on Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd May the Premier Demo Series crew will be on hand between 10am and 4pm each day with bikes available to demo for free from Cove, Intense, Mondraker, Titus, Turner and Rocky Mountain. No booking is required for this one.

And remember along with their standard hire bikes, the Hub Bike here at Glentress always have an extensive range of higher end demo bikes that can be hired (costs vary), all year round.

build trails, eat cake, ride trails, eat cake

2010-03-15T08:40:00.007Z

...perfectly sums the Trailfairies up, Glentress's very own volunteer trailbuilding group. There have been some fine cakes produced for 'fairy sessions so far this year - homebaked blueberry muffins, chocolate marmalade cake, chocolate brownies and this masterpiece of a chocolate cake made by Kenneth:

The snow and frost meant that the first 2 volunteer sessions of 2010 had to be cancelled. But since then the 'fairies have been out in force with some of our best turn outs ever - over 20 volunteers coming along to help out! Great to see lots of new faces too.

The fairies have been working on a project on Magic Mushroom around 1/3 the way along the trail. We're doing some resurfacing work, reshaping of the trail surfaces improvements to the drainage and completing a short reroute (the Darkroom!). It's shaping up very nicely and will be make a huge difference to how this section rides and holds up. As we've had the diversion up for a number of weeks we're very keen to get this work completed and the section of trail reopened.

Hand brashing the planned line, Black option entry reroute, Falla Brae

Alas, frost scuppered us at the last session (6th March) so we started on a new project - rerouting the entry to the Black option on Falla Brae. This will involve around 70m of handbuild black grade trail. Technically challenging but lots of flow is the aim. With 24 fairies out we soon got the planned line fully brashed (tree branches pruned) and got a good deal of digging out of the line done too, exposing some very tasty roots!

Clearing off the organic top layer and starting to dig out the line

Our next session is this Saturday coming, 20th March. We'll be back working on Magic Mushroom, meeting up at the FC Ranger's Office at the Trailhead at 9am and finishing up at 1pm. New Trailfairies are always most welcome, no experience is needed. To find out more have a look at the Trailfairies website or contact Andy at: andy.wardman@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or 07900 138901.

cheers,

andy

"The Darkest Challenge on Earth" Kirroughtree 13/3/2010

2010-03-12T11:42:00.002Z

You still have time to enter so follow the link for event info and entry form
http://www.thebreakpad.com/darkskieschallen.html

Glentress trail conditions update, Fri 12th March

2010-03-12T11:29:00.004Z

With milder temperatures this week, the snow and ice is continuing to thaw albeit slower than we'd like! The light frosts we've had some nights this week haven't helped.

Along with the low level trails, many middle level trails at Glentress are also now clear of snow and ice, except for odd patches (e.g. Hit Squad Hill on Red Route). The higher level trails such as Spookywood Descent on the Red Route, top sections of the Black Route and highest point on the Blue Route, are still affected by snow/ice - and very slippy in places!

So you'll get a good ride in on the lower and middle level trails but the higher trails will still involve a good deal of pushing and slip sliding around.

The Short Duathlon Race is going ahead this Sunday (yay!). The race start/finish/HQ is at the Buzzards Nest car park - parking will be v.busy here, if coming riding i'd would recommend parking at one of the lower car parks if possible. The race will run from 12pm to 1.30pm (approx.) with the run first then bike. No trails are closed for the race but please look out for racers and give them a cheer on! Marshals will be on hand to advise. www.glentressduathlon.com

Have an ace weekend,

andy (mtb ranger)

WICKED filming at Glentress

2010-03-12T09:00:00.003Z

A crew from the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust and Remark! Productions made the long trip up to Glentress from London in their trusty camper to do a days filming on Sat 6th March, for series 3 of their travelling magazine show, WICKED. And it was a long day filming for them too - I met them as I pedalled into work at just before 7am and they were just finishing up when I left work at 5.30pm!

They were here making a programme about Deaf mountain bikers and also having a go themselves, with local mountain bike legend Crawford Carrick Anderson helping out and demonstrating his considerable mountain bike skills (under statement)!

The programme is presented entirely in British Sign Language (BSL) and will be shown on Monday 5th April via the Community Channel available at:

Freeview (87) Monday 5th April, 8am
Sky (539) Monday 5th April 8am, Wednesday 7th April 2pm, Sunday 11th April 8pm
Virgin TV (233) Monday 5th April 8am, Wednesday 7th April 2pm, Sunday 11th April 8pm

or alternatively at http://www.bslbt.co.uk/wicked/ from Mon 5th April.

Check it out.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger)

Glentress trail conditions and Demo Day route

2010-03-05T15:02:00.006Z

Paul and Sara from SIP Events have arrived at Glentress this afternoon and are busy getting things ready for the demo day here at Glentress tomorrow (10am - 4pm). The demo HQ will be in the Osprey car park next to Hub Bike Shop. There's a sweet demo loop lined up too:

All the trails on the demo loop are clear of snow/ice and riding really well (except a tiny bit of ice near the end of Dougie Bank Climb and on the road to the start of Falla Brae).

Other than this most of the trails are still affected by snow and ice, but it's been slightly milder today, so the snow is slowly starting to thaw. At the Buzzards Nest carpark for example there is still a couple of inches of snow, but some clear patches are developing.

There is still alot of snow around though especially on middle and higer level trails. Look out too for compacted, icy ride lines on the trails, especially in the trees - it's very slippy in places.

The Red Squirrel car park is now open again but the Buzzards Nest car park remains closed due to the snow.

As always at this time of year, conditions are likely to change quickly from this. For the latest please contact the Duty Ranger on 07834 435380.

Enjoy your weekend!

Ae, Mabie and Dalbeattie Conditions

2010-03-03T10:04:00.003Z

Hey all,

The snow at Ae, Mabie, and Dalbeattie is clearing!! There are still pockets in shaded areas, under trees and the like, and icy patches here and there so please still take care!!

Trail Conditions Update for Glentress, Tue 2nd March

2010-03-02T08:47:00.009Z

After the last update on Friday afternoon we got a little more snow through the night into Saturday morning. Snow is still sitting on most trails, only the lowest ones are clear (or mostly clear): Dougie Bank Climb, Falla Brae and Good Game. We'll hopefully be using these trails for the demo loop at the British Mountain Bike Series Demo Day this Saturday with the demo HQ at the trailhead. Will confirm this soon.

Currently there's approx. 4-6 inches of snow at Buzzards Nest car park height, more at higher elevations.

With the clear, cold weather we're experiencing this week the snow looks likely to hang around unfortunately and become increasingly icy with successive frosts, making the trails very slippy in places.

Red Squirrel car park

Start of Pie Run (being used for diversion on Red/Black route due to tree felling operations until end of March).

Start of Falla Brae

Buzzards Nest car park

Start of Spookywood Climb

Fingers crossed we'll get a heat wave soon! or atleast some milder weather and rain... can't believe I actually want rain!!

Short notice

2010-03-01T17:08:00.000Z

Tree harvesting operations are starting again tomorrow (Tues 2nd March) in Glentress. We just missed the deadline for getting the info onto the main site but it will be there tomorrow - keep an eye on it for any updates.

The details are that the Black Route will be closed and between posts 87 and 52 (Redemption Climb), and the Red Route closed between post 45 and 52 (via the Matrix) until the end of March. Diversions in place for both, ending at post 52 - start of Magic Mushroom.

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, Fri 26th Feb

2010-02-26T16:50:00.006Z

There's still snow on many of the trails at Glentress. As of late Friday afternoon it's clear at the trailhead (above) in the valley bottom but progressively more snow the higher up you go (see pics below). There will still be old snow/ice underneath this newer snow on the highest level trails (e.g. Spookywood Descent, Black Route).

Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest car parks and access road to them are currently closed due to snow and the Long Duathlon race due to take place on Sunday at Glentress has been cancelled.

Note: conditions are likely to change quickly from this - please phone the duty Mountain Bike Ranger for the latest (07834 435380)

Exit of Admiral on Blue Route (near ponds)

Bottom of Freeride Park/Buzzards Nest car park

Top of Freeride Park

Start of Spookywood Climb on Red Route

Have a good weekend!

Andy (MTB Ranger)

Still Raining in the South West 26/2/2010

2010-02-26T14:47:00.003Z

At least it's continuing to shift the snow which has mostly cleared at lower levels.

Some cover still though higher up in the Galloway Hills and at Ae.

The forecast is for a bit more snow on the high ground tonight then brighter with slight night frosts at the weekend so watch out for ice early in the day.

As usual this winter we seem to be missing the worst of the snow and keeping the best riding conditions in Scotland.

Chris

Rain In The South West Today 25/2/2010

2010-02-25T16:39:00.005Z

As it says, we had rain today and it has melted a lot of the snow at lower levels and the remainder is quite soft (until we get a frost) and patchy.

There is still a lot of snow higher up though.

Probably best to avoid Ae and the Big Country route at Glentrool for the moment.

Kirroughtee clear of snow apart from the higher parts of the Black route which still has snow patches in the open.

Chris

Demo Day at Glentress, Sat 6th March

2010-02-24T12:06:00.003Z

This year several top bike brands have teamed up with the British Mountain Bike Series to create demo days at each round of the series. 7stanes Glentress isn't a round of the series, but they picked Glentress to put on an extra demo.

No pre booking is needed (2 forms of i.d req., over 18's) and the demo route will be open from 10am to 4pm, based up at the Buzzards Nest car park. If snow/ice means the Buzzards Nest car park is still shut on the 6th, the demo will use to one of the lower car parks instead (7stanes or Red Squirrel), with a demo route using trails lower down the hill.

More info at: www.britishxc.com

Snow at 7stanes trails in the East

2010-02-24T09:53:00.005Z

It's been snowing here in the Scottish Borders in the night and this morning. There is fresh snow at all levels at Glentress, Innerleithen and Newcastleton 7stanes centres.

Here at Glentress there's currently a couple of inches or so at the trailhead, more likely at higher elevations. The 7stanes and Osprey car parks are open. The Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nests car parks and access road up to them are closed.

A decision on whether the Duathlon Race at Glentress on Sunday 28th Feb will go ahead will be made by the organisers on Thursday night. The new snow's not helping! Revised routes and further details can be found at http://www.glentressduathlon.com/

Snow in the Southwest 24/2/2010

2010-02-24T09:30:00.003Z

The forecast was right, it's snowing.

As of 9am this morning the cover varies from a dusting of wet snow in Dalbeattie and Newton Stewart to 4 inches higher up.

All the car parks at Ae, Mabie, Dalbeattie, Kirroughtree and Glentrool are currently still open.

If you're looking to ride today Dalbeattie & Kirroughtree red routes will be the best bet.

The forecast is for the snow to turn to rain at lower levels later today so Mabie, Dalbeattie & Kirroughtree may clear fairly quickly.

Chris

Kirroughtree 23/2/2010 - Winter on the way back?

2010-02-23T16:39:00.005Z

Sundays snow showers has left some snow and ice patches on the black route but most of the ride line on McMoab is clear.

some of the trail in the open has patches of snow and ice that were soft this afternoon but may become icy if it freezes.

The red and blue routes are clear of snow.

More snow is forecast in the next 48hrs so it may be a different story by the weekend.

Watch this space.

Chris

Glentress Trail Conditions - Sat 20th Feb

2010-02-20T17:21:00.003Z

We got a fresh dusting of snow at Glentress on Friday night at all levels. Lots of tyres over the trails today has polished the ride line making things decidedly slippy. A frost is forecast again tonight so this new dusting of snow is likely to hang around for a while unfortunately.

Because of the snow the road up to the Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest car parks is currently closed, sorry about this.

For the latest on the trails or more info please call the duty mtb ranger on 07834 435380.

cheers,

andy (mtb ranger).

Kirroughtree 19/2/ 2010 - Summer Comes Early

2010-02-19T13:01:00.004Z

Well not quite, but so long as you wrap up warm the trails are riding as if it had.

No snow or ice problems to spoil the fun - do watch out for frost on the rocks if your out early or late though.

The hose for the bike wash may be frozen but the trails are riding so clean your not really going to need it any way.

Chris

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, 12/02/2010

2010-02-12T13:56:00.003Z

Here are the latest trail conditions for Glentress. There's a risk of black ice at present (it was very slippy in the car parks/forest roads this morning as it rained then froze last night) and a fresh dusting of snow is lying at Buzzards Nest height and above (old snow mentioned below is snow/ice that's still hanging about from the big snowfall we had over Christmas and New year).

Car parks: 7stanes and Osprey car parks (at trailhead) are open. Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest car parks and access road to them are open (but may be closed again if the road becomes icy again).

Green Route/Skills Area/Freeride Park: All clear of old snow/ice except odd patches. Fresh dusting of snow in places.

Blue Route: Lower loop from trailhead to Buzzards Nest and back down - most trails clear, only very occasional old icy/snow patches. On Upper loop, the trails/roads are mostly clear although old snow/ice remain in places on the very top loop (Betty Blue).

Red Route: Mostly clear of old snow/ice except Spookywood Climb and Descent - where it's still lying in many places with icy ruts.

Black Route: Old snow/ice still lying in places, especially on higher elevations: Kipps Climb/Britney Spears/Mustard Snake/Boundary Trail/Deliverance.

Please look out for fallen/hanging branches, fallen trees and broken tops to trees. We've got round and cleared most of these but have not yet been able to inspect all trails. If you do spot anything, please let us know on 07834 435380.

Have a good weekend!

Kirroughtree - MBR Man Made Trail Of The Year

2010-02-12T10:52:00.007Z

Following on from this award in the December issue, top freelance snapper Andy McCandlish was here this week on a photo shoot for an article in the March edition.

The weather and trail conditions resulted in some great images.

The trails are really riding well so get out west and ride.

Chris

Ae, Mabie and Dalbeattie

2010-02-05T18:01:00.003Z

Hey all,

Just a quick update!!

The massive diversion at Ae has been lifted!!!!!!

The bridge has been inspected and a few necessary repairs made, the trees have been removed and its back open again!! The guys in the Ae cafe and bike shop are still out celebrating!! The other diversion at Bran Burn Bash has also been lifted, and bar the very small diversion at the start the Ae trails are open for business!!!

The last of the diversions at Dalbeattie have also been lifted, both on the red and the blue so currently there are no diversions at Dalbeattie at all, nil, zero, zilch!!!

The snow that we had earlier in the week is clearing quickly and any icy patches are few and far between but I would still advise a little bit of care!! It could almost definitly save you from taking the knee out your tights!!

Enjoy!

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, 05/02/2010

2010-02-05T14:47:00.005Z

Hello,

The fresh snow we had on Tue 2nd Feb has nearly all melted away again with the milder weather we got on Thursday. Some of this melted and refroze leaving large patches of sheet ice though - look out for these on the forest roads mainly, especially in sheltered spots. The older snow/ice remains as before – see below.

Here are the latest trail conditions for Glentress:

Car parks: 7stanes and Osprey car parks (at trailhead) are open. Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest car parks and access road to them now reopen (but may be closed again if the road becomes icy again).

Green Route: All clear of snow except odd icy patch on forest road.

Skills Area: Most trails clear of snow but some icy/snow patches remain (e.g. around shelter).

Freeride Park: Majority of trails clear of snow, although large patches of icy snow remain in sheltered spots (e.g. start of the Essentials Freeride trail).

Blue Route: Lower loop from trailhead to Buzzards Nest and back down - most trails clear of snow with only occasional icy/snow patches. On Upper loop, climbing to post 25 then returning via Blue Velvet, the trails are mostly clear although bigger patches of snow/ice remain in places, especially on the forest roads.
The very top loop of the Blue Route still has a considerable covering of snow/ice with 3-6" sitting on Betty Blue and the following forest road descent back to post 25 - would recommend avoiding this loop.

Red Route: As per Blue Route to post 25. Still significant snow/ice on Spookywood Climb and Descent (~8" at top of Red Route, more where it has drifted). Trying to do this loop will be very hard work with lots of pushing - not recommended. Further down, Super G and Hit Squad Hill are mostly clear although snow/icy patches remain, especially on forest roads. Pie Run/Mushroom Pie/Magic Mushroom/Tourist Trap are clear of snow/ice, except very occasional patches. Falla Brae is clear.

Black Route: first half of the Black Route (from Buzzards Nest to mast) - expect lots of snow, especially on Kipps Climb/Britney Spears/Mustard Snake (too deep still to ride). On the second half, the Boundary Trail will still have lots of snow in places, less on Deliverance/Redemption Climb.

Take care – although better than a few weeks ago, the trails and forest roads are still very slippy in places, there's significant snow still on the highest trails and conditions are likely to change quickly.

Look out also for fallen/hanging branches, fallen trees and broken tops to trees. We've not been able to get out and inspect all the trails yet. If you do spot anything, please let us know on 07834 435380.

Kirroughtree Trail Conditions - 4 / 2 / 2010

2010-02-04T09:42:00.004Z

We had a dust of snow yesterday but it turned to rain at lower levels and it's clear below about 200m.

The upper parts of the black route still had a dust this morning but it has melted now. There are some patches of ice to watch out for in places though.

Apart from these few patches of ice and the odd loose patch caused by the frost the trails are riding well and with a relatively mild forecast things are looking good for the weekend and the start of next week.

Enjoy!

Chris

Glentress Trail Conditions - Tue 2nd Feb

2010-02-02T10:52:00.002Z

Just a quick 'un..

Fresh snow fallen in the night and earlier on this morning - around an inch or two at the trailhead at Glentress, more likely at higher elevations.

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, Fri 29th Jan

2010-01-29T09:32:00.007Z

Here's the latest trail conditions for Glentress:

Car parks: 7stanes and Osprey car parks (at trailhead) are open. Red Squirrel and Buzzards Nest car parks remain closed to vehicles (ice patches on road).

Green Route: All clear of snow except odd patch on forest road.

Skills Area: Most trails clear of snow but some icy/snow patches remain (e.g. around shelter).

Freeride Park: Majority of trails clear of snow, although large patches of snow remain in sheltered spots (e.g. start of the Essentials Freeride trail).

Blue Route: Lower loop from trailhead to Buzzards Nest and back down - most trails clear of snow with only occasional icy/snow patches. On Upper loop, climbing to post 25 then returning via Blue Velvet, the trails are mostly clear although bigger patches of snow/ice remain in places.

The very top loop of the Blue Route still has a considerable covering of snow with 3-6" sitting on Betty Blue and the following forest road descent back to post 25 - would recommend avoiding this loop.

Red Route: As per Blue Route to post 25. Still significant snow on Spookywood Climb and Descent (~8" at top of Red Route, more where it has drifted) and also several trees down (we can't get up to cut these yet because of the snow). Trying to do this loop will be very hard work with lots of pushing - not recommended. Further down, Super G and Hit Squad Hill are mostly clear although snow/icy patches remain. Pie Run/Mushroom Pie/Magic Mushroom/Tourist Trap are clear of snow/ice, except very occasional patches. Falla Brae is all clear.

Black Route: first half of the Black Route (from Buzzards Nest to mast) - expect lots of snow, especially on Kipps Climb/Britney Spears/Mustard Snake (too deep still to ride). On the second half, the Boundary Trail will still have lots of snow in places, less on Delivernance/Redemption Climb.

With cold, clear conditions forcast for the weekend, the trails (even the snow free ones) maybe frosty and icy for a time and the snowy sections are likely to harden up. Take care - although much better than a few weeks ago, the trails are still slippy in places, there's significant snow still on the highest trails and conditions are likely to change quickly.

Final turn and jump on Spookywood Descent

Final turn on Super G. Trail mostly clear but snow still sitting on forest road (this one wasn't ploughed) that Blue Route uses.

Unnamed Freeride - top section to hip jump.

Skills Area - central part at Shelter

cheers,

andy

Ae - Capel Water Bridge

2010-01-22T16:13:00.005Z

Here's some photo's of the bridge at Capel water. Just goes to show what the force of water can do!!

The diversion is in place so please do not ride the bridge!!

It was actually straight before the flood, just in case you think its not that bad!!

Cheers!!

Ae Diversion

2010-01-22T13:50:00.003Z

Hey all,

Bad news for the Ae red route I'm afraid!!

During the recent floods we have witnessed a bit of damage, but unfortunately for the bridge over the Capel water (just down from post 17, before The Face) its all just been a little too much!!

4 large trees have been washed down the river and have collided with the bridge, bending the large steel supporting beams and breaking them off their anchor points. The water has also washed away the supports and damaged the small section of boardwalk at the other end, so basically DO NOT RIDE IT, its not safe!!

There is now a rather large diversion in place from post 17, down Mare Cleugh over the Ae water at Craigshiels and up the forest road to post 23. This cuts off The Face, Bran Burn Bash and the Edge and reduces the overall distance quite considerably. Engineers are inspecting the bridge in the early part of next week and we will hopefully look at getting things sorted ASAP!!

I'll post some photo's later!!

Cheers

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, Fri 22/01/2010

2010-01-22T13:44:00.008Z

The conditions at Glentress have improved from earlier in the week. Here's how they are looking as of lunchtime Friday:

Trailhead to Buzzards Nest climb - still some icy patches in places but reduced in size and starting to soften up.

Buzzards Nest to trailhead descent - some icy patches in places on Electric Blue/Good Game/Admiral. Falla Brae is totally clear of snow/ice (except at entry, post 31).

Skills Area/Freeride Park - depth of snow now reduced to around 3-4" where still lying in open parts. Trails under trees are often clear of snow now.

Trails at/above Buzzards Nest height - depth of snow reduced and softer, will still be hard work with pushing involved on the higher trails (e.g. Spookywood loop on Red Route). Trails on Red Route such as Super G, Hit Squad Hill, Magic Mushroom still have snow/ice on them but much of the normal trail surface is now exposed again on the ride line.

Buzzards Nest and Red Squirrel car parks and access road up to them remain closed to vehicles (ice patches on the road).

Overall, still some ice patches on the lower trails (very slippy) and snow lying in places higher up but reduced in depth overall and softer. On forest roads that have been ploughed, icy patches remain but less extensive than earlier in week.

Please note: the conditions remain difficult (even for experienced riders) and are also likely to change quickly. If venturing out make sure you are prepared and take care. Check out our winter trail riding tips here.

Look out also for fallen/hanging branches, fallen trees and broken tops to trees. We've not been able to get out and inspect all the trails yet. If you do spot anything, please let us know on 07834 435380.

First singletrack climb from trailhead - still odd icy patches in open sections but reducing in size

Final jump on Good Game. Nearly all the icy patches are gone now from this trail.

Freeride Park at Funbox. Still snow on trails in the open but now 3-4" of softer snow (compared to around 1.5 ft a few weeks ago!).

Wallrides section on Cycopath trail - mostly clear although run out from hucks still snowy.

Start of Unnamed/CycoPath Freeride trails - clear under trees but still snowy in open sections.

Glentrool Trail conditions 21/1/2010

2010-01-22T09:15:00.004Z

The Green and Blue routes are now completely clear of snow and ice.

It was a wild day yesterday around the Big Country route (this is the Axe Head stane and Loch Dee) and although the general snow level is above the highest point snow and ice remains on some of the forest roads.

Between posts 36 - 38 below Buckdas of Cairnbaber (great name) patches of soft snow require care and between post 40 Craigencallie - 43 White Laggan the road is icy and may need to be walked in places.

There is also an active harvesting site in the area of post 45 before Glen Head so watch out for harvesting machines and lorries. The road is also rather messy at this point.

As always on this route go we prepared as apart from when you skirt Newton Stewart early on you are very much on your own.

Chris

Kirroughtree Black Route

2010-01-19T17:24:00.003Z

I can confirm that all the single track is snow & ice free and riding great. The only frost lift is on the top section of Heartbreak Hill making it that bit harder a climb than normal, just select a couple of gears easier than you would normally or grit your teeth.

A few areas of white ice remain on the fire roads but they are obvious and you can avoid them.

I don't know what happened to the forecast - sun today - but the light misty rain made for a quite atmospheric trail check and didn't spoil the ride.

The only others I saw out on the trail were the same group of three as yesterday. Get down here, you're all missing out!

Glentress Trail Conditions Update, 19/01/2010

2010-01-19T13:56:00.009Z

Not looking good unfortunately:

As per previous updates, trails above the Buzzards Nest car park height are still covered in deep snow/ice and pretty much unrideable.

From the trailhead up to the Buzzards Nest car park height, the conditions are very variable. The outward climb is very icy in many places as are the forest roads. The Blue descent back down is also icy in places, especially the start of 'Falla Brae' and on 'The Admiral'. Significant snow is also still sitting on some lower trails such as 'Tourist Trap' and 'Sair Fecht' and this snow is quite stiff and crunchy at the mo', icy on the ride line.

'Falla Brae' descent (from the 'Good Game' turn off to the exit) is now ice free - likely due its' south facing aspect and position on the ridge to get the sun over the past few days.

Overall though, the conditions remain very sketchy - the ice on the trails/roads is treacherous to ride (or walk) on and we'd recommend waiting until conditions improve before visiting Glentress.

Other 7stanes trails across in Dumfries and Galloway are fairing better though with Kirroughtree especially looking a good bet (see Chris's latest report below this post).

Keeping checking back though as the conditions are likely to change quickly - we'll keep you posted on any changes to the trails.

A few pics from today:

First singletrack climb from trailhead - snow in open sections, hard and icy.

Exit of Dougie Bank Climb and start of Cardie Hill Climb. Note thick ice on forest road.

Falla Brae (turn at Red Squirrel car park). Ice free overall.

Timber trail at near end of Magic Mushroom still covered in hard snow. Note fallen branches - look out for these and branches/trees hanging over the trails if you do venture out.

Forest road returning to trailhead on Blue Route after The Admiral. Sheet ice on section of road that has been travelled on (snow compacted and slower to shift).

If you do venture out please take extreme care. Check out our winter riding tips. Look out also for fallen/hanging branches, fallen trees and broken tops to trees. We've not been able to get out and inspect all the trails yet. If you do spot anything, please let us know on 07834 435380.

cheers,

andy

Kiiroughtree - The snow and Ice has all melted

2010-01-18T17:00:00.004Z

I've been out checking the blue and red route today, all the snow has gone and the only remaining ice is a few avoidable patches on a couple of the fire road sections.

The hard frosts haven't damaged the trail and its riding really well.

The only other riders I saw today were a group from the West Midlands who had done the black route as well. They said the few remaining patches of ice were avoidable and it was all in great condition.

The car park is open again now and the flood on the final section has gone so the whole trail is open, so no excuses, get out and ride it, you know you want to!

Chris

Ice reports!!

2010-01-18T09:17:00.003Z

Dalbeattie trailhead car park has re-opened!! Reports from the weekend are saying that the majority of the Dalbeatie trails are clearing nicely, although there are still areas where the ice is hanging on! Any ice that is left is pretty slippy so if you are riding, please take care!

The car park at Mabie was inspected this morning (monday) and the decision has been made to leave it closed due to the ice. The trails are still also pretty bad and the general opinion is to possibly leave it a week before you head out.

Ae is also still suffering, especially on the forest roads. We can only imagine that it will still be pretty bad on the higher, open areas of the forest.

We're hoping that the thaw will continue and hopefully things can get back to some sort of normality! Unfortunately it looks like there's more snow forecast for later in the week so here's hoping it doesn't come to much!!

Keep your fingers crossed!!

Kirroughtree - The Good News & The Bad News

2010-01-15T16:48:00.006Z

Things have got worse before they get better.

The good news is that the snow is completely gone from lower levels and will soon be gone higher up on the black route. You can now see where the ice is which helps.

The bad news is that the remaining ice, and that covers any where not under the trees, is totally unridable with normal tyres.

More rain is forecast but it is unlikely to shift all the ice in the next couple of days and the car park remains closed.

Most of the blue and red singletrack is clear but the fire roads and open areas are like glass.

The black route is more in the open and higher up and will take longer to clear.

The safest option is to wait until next week, what ever you do don't try and ride the ice without spiked tyres.

Chris

Kirroughtree - The thaw is coming

2010-01-14T16:11:00.011Z

Temperatures at low level at Kirroughtree have remained above freezing in the past 24 hours and despite a light fall of fresh snow the ice is melting.

The blue & red route singletrack under the trees is snow free or has a dusting, the open areas, especially the fire roads have up to an inch with soft ice under it which is still slippy.

The car park and access road is still very icy and closed off.

A group of riders from Ireland confirmed that the singletrack sections of the red route were "good fun" today but that the roads were still difficult. None of them managed round without an off at some point.

If you look carefully at the photo's below you can see the imprint of a bike and rider in the snow. They had a good time though and were heading out for a second lap.

The black route still has a lot of snow and ice on it.

If the forecast is right we are due a big thaw starting tomorrow so hopefully the trails will be ice free soon.

Chris

Ice Report No 3! Glentress Trail Conditions Update

2010-01-13T11:29:00.007Z

Yep, the icy conditions that are affecting the 7stanes trails in the west are also a real problem here at Glentress in the east.

The forest roads that have been driven on/scraped in particular are extremely icy and slippy, as are the lower trails where the snow compacted on the ride line has now turned to hard ice in many places especially in the more sheltered spots under the trees (e.g. lower sections of Falla Brae). The thaw did set in a little on Monday and Tuesday but there is still alot of snow around on nearly all the trails and it remains deep and unrideable on most sections above the Buzzards Nest car park.

Entry to Falla Brae. Still deep, fairly soft snow on the trail with no real defined ride line and icy ruts underneath. Forest road has been scraped, this compacted snow is now getting icy and super slippy. Riding on it not recommended!
The Osprey car park (next to cafe and bike shop) is the only one open at Glentress just now. This has been gritted but remains quite slippy. The bikeshop is open as normal (Wed - Sun) and the cafe will be reopening on Thursday (after being closed due to frozen pipes).

So at the moment we'd recommend waiting until the conditions improve before visiting. Please, do get in touch with the MTB Ranger's here at Glentress on 07834 435380 for the latest news.

Another Ice report!!!

2010-01-13T09:43:00.003Z

Hey there,

The conditions at Ae, Dalbeattie and Mabie are pretty similar to Kirroughtree. The ice is starting to thaw and is clearing well in some areas, and not so good in others! The car parks at Dalbeattie and Mabie remain closed due to the ice.

The conditions are generally going to be quite difficult until the bulk of this ice shifts but if you are brave enough to venture out onto the trails then please take some precautions! Take appropriate clothing and kit, make sure you've got some essentials (water, food, mobile phone!), try to go in a group or with a friend and if not then ensure someone knows where you are!

Enjoy and stay safe!!

Kirroughtree - Ice Is Not Nice

2010-01-12T14:23:00.005Z

The snow is thawing now and areas where there was no compaction are clearing but areas where the snow was compacted (the forest roads and some ride lines on the singletrack in open areas) are VERY icy and unridable with normal tyres.
The access road to the car park is also sheet ice and remains closed off.
The forecast for the next few days is for light rain showers by day and slight frost at night so things should slowly improve.
The weekend is forecast milder with heavy rain, that should help shift the ice.
Watch this space.

Chris