I’ve been to Ae Forest today and had a brilliant ride around the red run. The riding is superb right now and the new trail sections have improved the route considerably. It’s great to see the cafe and bike shop open again too, enjoyed a great coffee and the food on the menu looked tasty, will eat there next time. Get yourself over to Ae, I’m going back again soon and will have a crack at the Strava KOM!

Amen brother

Have they sorted out the ridiculously large aggregate they had surfaced it with?

Good to know, next years holiday is already booked

Yes, the new sections are all smooth, fast and flowy with some great berms and tabletops. Had me grinning from ear to ear!

Spin – Member
Have they sorted out the ridiculously large aggregate they had surfaced it with?

POSTED 40 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Most of Ae was “as dug”. ie little or no surfacing when built in ’03 ish. Ae was the last trail to be built by the D&G team and suffered from a dwindling, non existent budget and was completed in a rush to comply with the Euro funding contract ! Now that some of the “rough” bits are slowly but surely being surfaced/repaired or re-routed (some) people are complaining it is too smooth 🙄

If as much effort could be directed to the D&G Stanes as there is expended at GT/Inners we could all be happy riders. That I am afraid is an age old debate unlikely to change soon 😕 There would appear to be no money it will to do much about it.

Only this weekend a volunteer group have been smoothing out some of the rough stuff in Dalbeattie in preparation for the Hardrock Challenge. We did the same last year and were accused by some of creating a “motorway” 🙄

Maybe it’s time to introduce an annual fee for riding the stanes to generate a little funding for upkeep and ongoing development? I’ve thought many times how lucky we all are to have these trails to ride all year with only parking to pay at some venues. Voluntary subscription payment even?

Maybe it’s time to introduce an annual fee for riding the stanes to generate a little funding for upkeep and ongoing development? I’ve thought many times how lucky we all are to have these trails to ride all year with only parking to pay at some venues. Voluntary subscription payment even?

it’s called business rates, collected from all the new and old businesses that benefit from the visitors drawn to the area

Yup, and D&G just happen to be at the very lowest end of that scale as well!
Not sure how that translates into FC keeping on top of trail maintenance?
There is no maintenance team. Trail “inspections” are done on a monthly(is my understanding) basis and then work is ” prioritised ” from that and contractors brought in to carry out any work.

The only work innerleithen’s had for a long time is volunteer work… TBH even Glentress doesn’t get what it needs- a new section of blue recently but not enough maintenance for what’s already there, not even enough resources to run the volunteer crew properly. Proportionally I suspect the D&G trails get far more per ride than Glentress. Insane visitors centres aside, anyway.

Need to give it a bash again, cheers!

I haven’t been for ages, really need to get back!

Only this weekend a volunteer group have been smoothing out some of the rough stuff in Dalbeattie in preparation for the Hardrock Challenge.

What sections have you been working on? I thought Dalbeattie was defined by being rough and rocky. I’m assuming it’s work all done sympathetically, by people who do ride.

What sections have you been working on? I thought Dalbeattie was defined by being rough and rocky. I’m assuming it’s work all done sympathetically, by people who do ride.

Smithland Hill

Yes, done by bikers.

Rocky section was becoming a bit of a pedal/chainring basher and riders were starting to widen/ride round the “line”. The “line” has been re-defined and smoothed a bit without taking anything away from it. Few out he holes drained and filled but nothing drastic.

The Hardrock tends to attract the occasional rider who is more of a runner so some of the more eroded (difficult) bits get some tlc at this time of year.

Northwind….you may be correct, not been to GT or Inners for some time so I might be speaking out of turn!!!

So what has changed at Ae then?

I’ve always liked the place, I like the fact its a bit rough round the edges.

It never seems to get a lot of love on here though!

I rode Ae about a month ago and I actually didn’t like the new sections. I thought the jumps on the windfarm diversion were too steep, almost like riding straight into a wall. Might be great for really confident jumpers but for the majority they don’t flow. Also, if you got off line you would be straight into the deep ditches on the side. It also spits you out blind from a wide groomed trail into the narrow rutted original trail with no transition.
Last time I rode the trail I liked the more natural feel, but this time it felt like most of the trail had been worn done to the base layer. The decent of granny green love and the omega man are extremely rough, landing you off of jumps right onto rock sections.
I know funding is always tight but the place does need a lot of work. Ae always seems like the forgotten stane which is a shame as there is a lot of potential there. Don’t agree about paying an annual fee, from my understanding the parking fee is supposed to go towards trail maintenance as it is.

There is no way revenue generated from the parking fee would be anywhere near enough to maintain and develop the existing trails. I would not like to have to pay every time I visit as I rarely carry any cash but I would happily pay a one off charge. Development and upkeep cost lots of money!

parking fee is supposed to go towards trail maintenance as it is.

Barely covers the collection and machine costs afik and walkers are apparently the biggest offenders for not paying!!

richmtb – Member
So what has changed at Ae then?

P1000579 by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

And a new climb, both of which replace the old boardwalk section before the Edge and part of the washed out Edge trail.

Queensberry view by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr

Trekster – Member

Northwind….you may be correct, not been to GT or Inners for some time so I might be speaking out of turn!!!

Not at all chief, you’ve earned the right to grumble with shovelwork after all! I think the sad truth is it’s not west vs east any more, same issues are everywhere.

(mind you, this is possibly why non-FC building is so tolerated at inners now 😉 )

Put in a barrier system as at Tentsmuir. No access to car park without it. I for one wouldn’t pay an annual fee as I don’t ride the 7 stanes very often, but would happily pay each time I went.
Jaylaz, the Glentress ones take cards 🙂
I just get annoyed that money gets wasted on grandious buildings instead of going into the trails that attract the visitors in the first place. Haven’t seen the finished Kirroughtree centre but going by the work going on back in May it can’t have been cheap.

Need to get Alex Salmond and Nichola out on a bike 😉 Sure they`ll fix it for us once we have all been bribed to vote for indy…………….
😆