How does the black route at GT comnpare to other stuff I have done at trail centres at Afan, Brechfa, CyB, Llandegla or Dalby? I have also done weekends in the Peak District and the Lake District, how does it compare? When we go to Dalby we tend to ignore the black stuff and just do the red but when at Llandegla we always do the Black route. Are the gradings camparable or are they all dependent on the FC’s choices at the time?

its black due to length and nothing else really. certainly not as hard as bits of the Brecfha black.

I’d add that the surface on the GT black is a lot more brutal than other blacks I’ve ridden. It’s a lot rockier. Only a real issue if you ride rigid or have knacked forks perhaps.

Dalby is pretty rough surface so i might be ok from that point of view. It’s 30km in length isn’t it. Dalby red is 24km and because of the roughness of the surface it’s very knackering. 30km might do me over for the day but you only live once dont you!

its a red route really, and its not that hard to do the black & red, or the black and blue (which is really very good and usually deserted) in a day

its not as hard as a good peaks/lakes route. good ride IMO though, takes about 3-4hrs on an average ride.

Dalby red is 24km

23 miles so about 39k IIRC

oops, miles/km?!? Who can tell the difference. THanks for that correction uplink

The trail itself is very like the Dalby sections about two thirds of the way round the red, where you have singletrack climbs and rougher descents with some berms thrown in. The big difference is that Glentress has much longer climbs and descents. The black there is my favourite trail centre so far.

[The big difference is that Glentress has much longer climbs and descents],much, much longer! If you can clean the last “wall” up to the fire road at the end of deliverance, then you will be a mountainbiker my son!!!

As above. I have only done parts of it but never noticed anything too hard (I have only been riding 1 year and did it on a £200 Halfords full Sus at the time)

I have heard better things about Kiroughtree so if you are traveling to Scotland this is maybe one to concider. Black Craigs is about 14km long and full of some really tricky stuff from the videos I have seen.

If you are from “doon south” and making a journey all the way “oop north” I would read the Scotland Mountain biking guide that is in another Mountainj Bike mag this month (a much more infereire one I must add)( and it gives a good overview of all the trails.

IMHO Dalbeattie/Mabie & Kiroughtree are much much better than Glentress, the 3 brethen extension to Innerleithen is well worth a look also.