Is there a greater gathering of trails anywhere in the UK than at innerleithen (trailcentre, dh and golfy combined) Ironic that the red route’s so lacklustre really considering what a ridiculous concentration of awesome it is. Provided you’re comfortable with a certain level of peril, anyways

Northwind – Member
Ironic that the red route’s so lacklustre really considering what a ridiculous concentration of awesome it is. Provided you’re comfortable with a certain level of peril, anyways

Thinking of doing the red XC next week – in what way is it perilous? If it’s difficulty-wise, how does it compare to Comrie Croft? I’m fine with the reds there.

Peril refers to all the other trails in the area! The red xc is alright, but just not fun enough compared to all the other stuff

Might one suggest Aviemore as your base of operations? Go and see Dave in Bothy Bikes for trail advice and all your biking needs. Top chap. Loads of stuff easily rideable from the town – High Burnside, Badaguish, Lairig Ghru, Inchriach, Loch an Eilan Etc. Laggan is just down the road for trail centre hit while you have the playground of awesomeness that is the Cairngorms if you are confident and experienced in the mountains. You can also drive to Torridon as a day trip or two quite comfortably.

Well worth the effort in my humble opinion. 😀

@asdfhjkl, inners red is easier than comrie red, and not bad at all. The black is a bit harder- maybe slightly easier than comrie black? It’s the dh and endless offpiste that ups the game a bit

downgrade – Member
glasgowdan – Member
Seems a waste of a drive if all you want is trail centres…you can pose at cafes with your carbon superbikes at any trail centre up and down the land
Come for the mountain biking, stay for the warm friendly welcome….

Bravo Sir

Northwind – Member

@asdfhjkl, inners red is easier than comrie red, and not bad at all. The black is a bit harder- maybe slightly easier than comrie black? It’s the dh and endless offpiste that ups the game a bit

Ahhh, I wasn’t sure if you meant the red was nadgery or the inners area in general. Thanks for the reply.

Just spent a week in the borders. The plan was to go further north but in the end we fancied doing more riding and chilling than driving.

Rode;
Newcastleton
Kielder
Glentress
Inners golfie
Dalbeattie
Kirroughtree
Drumlanrig

I’ve previously ridden at all those places except golfie and Drumlanrig, but my friend hadn’t.

Newcastleton had some really fun and flowing downhill sections I don’t remember from previously.

Golfie was fantastic. Reminded me of the off-piste I ride a lot around Shrops, only ramped up a notch or two.

Had a fantastic quick evening blast around Dalbeattie finishing in biblical rain. I think that place is brilliant. Some really great sections and some surprisingly stiff sections for the grade. It’s nice to see sections in a trail centre that are actually a bit challenging to negotiate and keep speed and flow.

Kirroughtree…..meh. Bit of a slog for me, albeit a slog around stunning scenery. McMoab is fun in a different sort of way. Didn’t seem to have any standout downhill sections for me.

Drumlanrig, actually a big disappointment to us. We were recommended it on our last day over Ae, which I’ve never been to.
Massive respect to the folks there who built and maintain it but for me it was very frustrating and had very little flow.
Lots of riding around in circles to get distance in but never really going anywhere. Lots of sections led you to think you were about to have a great downhill section only to be greeted with a 90 degree flat turn.
I think it’s very much an old style xc type trail, and not such a place for folks who want to smash the downhill.
Having said that though, beautiful place, really nice info available and really well built. The castle is amazing.

Of the trail centre type stuff, my favourite is Drumlanrig, largely as its an

xc type trail, and not such a place for folks who want to smash the downhill.

🙂

Was there yesterday morning, arrived back of 9, no cars in car park bar some estate workers, rode the black/red, saw no other bikes, home for lunch. Plus, at £15 for a years parking its ‘better value’ than the Stanes.

Hmmm….makes me smile a wee bit when folks complain about lack of flow at Drum…

Just cos you didn’t find it on your first visit don’t mean it doesn’t flow..

It just means you didn’t find the flow!!

Ride faster.. get fitter..figure out how to carry speed thru flat corners.. look further ahead maybe…pump everything!! All that stuff that you don’t really have to do on the rest of that list above 😉

Surprised that you thought Drum didn’t flow but you enjoyed Dalbeattie kayak. I was the other way round, had a great time at Drum, but struggled to string more than a few pedal strokes together at Dalbeattie before making some stupid mistake or another.

Hmmm – Drumlanrig flows like water my friend.

I think flow at Drumlanrig comes with familiarity. If you’re not riding roots all the time then you could start out a bit stuttery but with each lap you do get markedly better. You should definitely come away being a better root rider. I will say it has lost a wee bit of flow, the jumps and berms add nothing imo and take away from the almost natural feeling trails and the section of red destroyed in the storms a few years ago is sorely missed.

If you want the best of Scotland forget about trail centres and get a map and compass!

This. Unbelievable that people are discussing travelling all the way to Scotland and recommending trail centres! You are going to the best natural wilderness in the British Isles with no restrictions on riding yet you’re prepared to go round and round in circles like a hamster in a wheel?

*shakes head in sorrow*

We’ve not long spent a couple of weeks in Scotland, and rode a mixture of trail centres, and natural off road routes with some friendly scots we had met previously. It’s realy nice riding natural trails, but it is much harder if you don’t know the routes, with continual starting and stopping to work out the way. – unless you grab someones else’s Strava and are competent at navigating using a gps at speed!

We had lots of fun in all the centres (except perhaps Dalbeatie – hard on a tandem and a nasty off), and really enjoyed Ae – which rarely gets a mention. Not only the riding at Ae, but the welcome we got from the people there. But that applied across most of the places we visited.

The most extensive slabbed trails I’ve ridden anywhere up Kinlochleven the other week, nowt but a map, an idea and a will.

@globalti & @glasdowan

Yes, you are right but shhhh! 😉

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