- This topic has 22 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by gavstorie.
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7 Stanes – which routes are must do's
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bigpoleFree MemberPosted 10 years ago
I’m looking at a weekend doing a few of the 7 Stanes routes this May ….. Which should I be riding? looking at the best 3 or 4 for a competent rider.Any recommendation’s ? Thanks
legendFree MemberPosted 10 years agoGlentress Blue, Red and Black until you run out of riding time – sorted 😉
or to be a bit more helpful. Glentress, Inners (but only as it’s just down the road), Mabie is always fun, Kirroughtree is good but you only get out what you put in.
Dalbeattie’s close enough to Mabie and Kirroughtree to make it worthwhile too. Not the most inspiring, but still good. Ae is ‘meh’ imo
frogstompFull MemberPosted 10 years agoInterested in suggestions also as we’re heading there for the first time around Easter.. initial research suggests Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie and GT?
RscottFree MemberPosted 10 years agoif your doing dalbeattie,and your a regular biker why not do that and mabie in a day.
I thought Kirroughtree was fantastic but thought that glentress was over rated, don’t get me wrong it was also fantastic but everyone bartering on about it spoilt it for me.
julzmFree MemberPosted 10 years agoDefinitely kirroughtree. IMO it’s the best of em. Glentress just for the variety. Red blue climb from trailhead, then black climb to the mast road, the red all the way down to bottom of magic mushroom. Climb back up to buzzards nest carpark, do berm baby berm two or three times and then Betty blue and falla brae back down to carpark.
Don’t waste your time on Ae.
TreksterFull MemberPosted 10 years agofrogstomp – Member
Interested in suggestions also as we’re heading there for the first time around Easter.. initial research suggests Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie and GT?Rscott – Member
if your doing dalbeattie,and your a regular biker why not do that and mabie in a day.I thought Kirroughtree was fantastic but thought that glentress was over rated, don’t get me wrong it was also fantastic but everyone bartering on about it spoilt it for me.
New visitor centre now open at Kirry; http://www.thebreakpad.com/index.php/news
Dumfries to Peebles is a 1.1/2hr drive. Why waste that time when you could be riding?
Staying in the Dumfries/Dalbeattie/Castle Douglas area you have a variety of trails rather than a weekend of same, same 😉
Ae, Dalbeattie, Drumlanrig Kirroughtree and Mabie are all within an hours drive of Dfs etc and give you variety.
Living in Dumfries I am obviously biased are those who live closer to the Borders trails. 😆Garry_LagerFull MemberPosted 10 years agoKirroughtree and Glentress are the must-rides, which makes it more of a logistical issue for a weekend, as they are they furthest away from one another.
Not really a problem (we’re not talking huge distances here), just need to locate the best place to stay – you can easily accomodate Mabie, Dalbeattie, Innerleithen etc in whatever plan you come up with to ride K’tree and Glentress.TreksterFull MemberPosted 10 years agoYeah. Staying somewhere like Lockerbie or Moffat which are central to both areas. Just all depends on how much travelling versus drinking you plan on 😉
mikewsmithFree MemberPosted 10 years agoCompletely depends on what you like, your fitness and what timescales you have. Along with how much driving you want to do.
My perspective is a couple of years out but as follows…
Kirrochtree – Black or nothing, the red is good but not worth the drive IMHO. If you fit or happy to plod on then it’s great but if your not there is a lot of singletrack and you can end up fairly knackered on the back of the red and it can feel like a slog to finish.
Mabie – fun and games in the woods, a bit short in some ways
Dalbettie – longer than in looks 🙂 Good Rocky run, did I say rocky? If your not doing well the long rock path sections can become hard going and if your missing the slabs not sure how it would go. I have a memory of plenty of fire road. I’d also take a look at the skills loop first while fresh.
Ae – The Marmite Trail… not been in a while
Drumlanrig – The not a stane again not been in a while but much more natural from what I remember – ask for more info.
Newcastleton – an on the way stop off
GT – Great fun a good days worth of fun if you have the legs
Inners – The fast flowy one, still one of my favourites for getting most of the up done early.
Kielder – The outsider depending on where you have come from.
In terms of logistics stay Peebles way for GT/Inners and Dunfries way for the others.
TreksterFull MemberPosted 10 years agoAs mikes says it all depends on how fit you are, met some knackered riders out on the trails thinking they could take them on at a fast-ish pace.
All the reds ate possible within 1,5hrs if you are ” reasonably fit” Fit whippet types can do them in an hour or so!!
You have to do the black at Kirry, allow 4hrs for messing around on McMoab and general toughness 💡mikewsmithFree MemberPosted 10 years agoYou have to do the black at Kirry, allow 4hrs for messing around on McMoab and general toughness
For the reasonably fit with no mechanicals 🙂 Looking back at my Stava’s it’s between 3 1/2 – nearly 5 hrs once the extra singletrack had gone in – that was a reasonable group but not racing it all the way and being social.
PhilCFree MemberPosted 10 years agoGlen tress quite limited at the moment, due to forestry work. Fire road diversion all the way to top of red, Spooky Wood descent still ok though. Blue above birds nest car park closed, so no Berm Baby Berm. Black ok on outward leg, although lots of snow at the top last week.
Suggest checking all stanes before turning up as recent weather has apparently brought forward forestry work.
mikewsmithFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI’d also add (though stand to be corrected) that we used to avoid GT on weekends as it was mostly overrun and hard to get a good trip round without either catching groups or having the on a mission types (long before strava) hammering through on the inner loops. Much preferred riding it Sunday evening or on a weekday.
chris_dbFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI was up there last week and did Glentress and Dalbeattie. I’ve also ridden Mabie and Kirroughtree.
I thought Glentress was OK, it does get rattled on about and, whilst it was dead there mid-week, I can imagine it gets rammed at the weekend. Being shouted at by Strava-warriors could be a risk!
I think Kirroughtree is better, greater variety in terms of terrain and a new visitor centre. Dalbeattie is rocky and would put some people off but that’s my kindof thing. Mabie is quite short but has a great downhill section. Good flow too.
It’s worth noting its a two hour drive between Dalbeattie and GT/Inners. After last week I’d either stay in one area or the other.
Chris
brFree MemberPosted 10 years agoYeah. Staying somewhere like Lockerbie or Moffat which are central to both areas
I wouldn’t, you’ll end up driving somewhere every day. Best to pick either Peebles or Dumfries, say.
There is a full week, and more, in the Tweed Valley (I live here) and you could ride everyday and never move the car.
You could enter this at the start/end of your week too, plus it will give you an idea of the geography and also if you ride it at the beginning you can re-trace your steps later in the week.
http://www.selkirkmtbmarathon.com/
Or spend 3 days up here, and 3 days down in Dumfries.
gavstorieFree MemberPosted 10 years agokirroughtree black
glentress black
innerleithen red xc + dh if you have the time and energydalbeattie is ok but has a fair chunk of fire road
mabie is ok but its more like a blue routehavent done glentrool, newcastleton or ae but from what ive heard they arent up to much anyway..
I’d definitely plan for the first 3 even though there is a bit of a drive between kirroughtree and peebles
boltonjonFull MemberPosted 10 years agoKirroughtree – the Black Craigs final section is one of the best trails in the country
McMoab is a great section as well
prawnyFull MemberPosted 10 years agoIts possible to park where the Black meets the red at Kirri and ride them as two separate routes if like me you don’t have the time or are fit enough to bash them both out as one.
I thought the black was a bit meh until after the long long slog of a climb, then it became the best probably half an hour of riding I’ve ever done, shame I was a bit knackered.
Red was good, not really any better than Cannock though IMO.
thestabiliserFree MemberPosted 10 years agoKirroughtree is the best by a country mile, easy to get a weekend of good riding in dumfires, also you’ve then got an excuse to go for a full weekend of riding in the Tweed valley. Win win.
I also like Ae in a xc hurty kind of way.
vmgscotFull MemberPosted 10 years agoI count myself fairly lucky and live with fairly easy access to all the 7 stanes and ride them all often. For a weekend visit I would tend to suggest staying Dumfries way and hit the trails in that area…
Mabie is OK for warm up loop after driving up (?)
Kirro black is great and their making a good fist at keeping trails clear with recent tree-down situations.
Where I differ from others is that I like Ae which you could combine with Drumlanrig in the same (tiring) day…although check with Drumlanrig rangers as trails have been all closed lately due to tree harvesting and damage – hopefully re-open soonish.TreksterFull MemberPosted 10 years agoWhere I differ from others is that I like Ae
Me to 😆 As do the 30odd riders who will be out night riding tonight and supporting the cafe/bike shop post ride eats…..
Not felt the notion to visit GT/Inners for over 3yrs, got enough to satisfy me in D&G and a trips to the Lakes.
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