Can’t waste a night like tonight! I’ll be up at Harlaw House for 6:15-ish if anyone’s able to make that? Thinking of trying out my SLR Gorillapod and compact camera for some shaky riding footage 😀

Well I had a most excellent ride on my own. shorts and tshirt all night, and mostly pretty dry trails.

But wtf have they done to that track past the Castlelaw hill fort! 🙁 Looks like its to provide better access for the army, but you still need a 4×4 given the gradient! Bah, it was always an interesting climb.

Might go out again tomorrow night if it stays nice 🙂

Kit – Member

But wtf have they done to that track past the Castlelaw hill fort! [:(] Looks like its to provide better access for the army, but you still need a 4×4 given the gradient! Bah, it was always an interesting climb.

?? Are you meaning that loose/steep climb after the wee ford? There was already an alternative dog-leg route appearing in the grass/heather to the right. What have they done now?

From the car park for the hill fort all the way up to where it levels off a bit and turns slowly to the right, the whole thing has been completely infilled and rolled to billiard table spec., with drainage dug either side and all the gorse removed too. It was too dark by the time I got up there or I would have got some photos. You can still do that dog-leg but the main route is now totally rideable (albeit still steep). It only roughens again after the last access point for the army flags.

Eek! – I rather enjoyed that rocky bit through the gorse tunnel.

Sorry Kit, i saw your post and abandoned work early in order to get out, but my girlfriend caught me before i got the mountainbike out of the cupboard 🙁

the gorse had been hacked away last time i was up but it was still rough. To be fair there were some pretty big/deep washed out bits appearing. Great for coming down but rubbish for vehicles i would reckon.

Shame they’ve motorwayed the Castlelaw trail, mind you it’ll be eroded to **** again in a decade, like last time OMG!!!

but my girlfriend caught me before i got the mountainbike out of the cupboard

Depends what she was catching you for 😉 No worries though. Saw a few people out, but pretty quiet given the weather.

I reckoned the same as cynical – just look at the erosion on the Dreghorn side of that track.

KEVONAKONA – do you know my mate Niall Milner, lives in Biggar? I think we may have met if so!

I’m hoping the dreghorn side stays like that for a little longer, i’ve still not cleaned it in 4-ish attempts (the really rough loose bit 2/3rds way up, i always b*gger it up).

You must be a crap desender 😛

I was out for a night ride last night as well … that bit is crazy smooth, kinda a shame they didn’t do the edinburgh side!