number18 – Member
The first 50% is great, some challenging technical rocky sections and then they either ran out of ideas, money, time or effort. It turns in to barely undulating green graded trail that seems to never end.
Probably worth a trip as it’s better than not riding and the first half is truly great.
Bit of a history lesson 😉
This was the first of the 7Stanes built by the D&G crew(ignore GT & Inners). You need to go way back to the F&M outbreak that devastated the area and realise that other than Mabie there were no other way marked mtb trails in the area.
The crew that built Dalbeattie spent a week with Daffyd Davies MBE @ Coed y Brenin learning how to build trails. With advice from him, Gogs and Pete Laing the guys employed managed to build that trail by hand. By hand I mean pick, shovel and wheelbarrow!! It wasn’t till near the end that some of the guys had been trained to use motorised wheelbarrows. The trail is afik still the most expensive £ per metre of ant Stane!!
Other Stanes(Ae)suffered as a consequence 🙄
Some of what was eventually built was deemed impossible by the Welsh crew 😉
The guys building the trail comprised of ex bankers, dry Stane dykers, carpenters and an ex fireman who made some of the tools 🙂
ticsmon – Member
Thanks chaps. Will give it a whirl
Magic. Be sure to visit Brambles cafe, just outside the trailhead 😆
Basically you need to put a bit of effort into getting something out of the trail. Bit of a slog out to the Moyle where it starts to get interesting the Scree slope can be fun! Then follows a nice flowy bit punctuated by a stiff climb up past Moby Dick. A tricky, narrow section with a few boulders to negotiate before the climb up through Bluebell Wood and views over Kipford follows. Then it’s the Slab or the red route bypass which has eroded into a nice bit of track 😆
Could do you a “locals” tour on Wed?
Local bike shop could hook you up with someone; http://www.mpgcyclesonline.co.uk
Other bike shops in Castle Douglas; Velo Cycles, CD Cycles and Next Level Cycles.