Heading up to dumfries area between Xmas and NY.
Looking at the 7 stanes stuff, never ridden any of it. I know from the descriptions which take my fancy but which are your favourites?
Also any good natural trails/areas worth riding & exploring west of the A74?
Kirroughtree
If I only had do 1, Inners everytime, then GT. After them I'd go Mabie, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie then AE (not done Glentrool and Newcastleton). IMO.
Kirroughtree
Dalbeatie
Mabie
GT/Inners
Ae
The other one.
+1 Kirroughtree
Why are they your faves?
Innerleithen shades it over Kirroughtree for me. More climbing, hence more descending and the technical bits are trickier. They're both ace though. Lots of good natural stuff at Mabie and Dalbeattie to complement the built stuff, Trekster off here will show you round if he's available.
Cue long thread of arguing......
It's not arguing, it's called personal preference. I'd like to hear which people prefer to ride and why.
I haven't got time to do them all, but reading the website, Kirroughtree is top of my list, and it is closest to where we are staying.
Inners is straight up for about and hour and then straight down for another hour. Lots of flow and some nice drops at the bottom. Just a great blast
GT although busy has some great flowy sections and spooky wood is a hoot.
I love the first long decent on Mabie, one of the best bits of single track on 7 Stanes.
Kirroughtree is a great trail, but a bit to much fireroad for me. Ducks for cover..
Dalbeattie is a great trail and uses what high its got really well. Also the Slab and lot of other technical stuff.
I loved the Ae line the first time I did it but the surface has gone to sh@t.
I would rate a day at Glentress more highly if I had a full suss as deliverance just totally shook me to bits and I didnt have any bike mojo going down it really, but love the red and blue descents.
Probably
Kirroughtree
Mabie
Glentress (assuming I had a FS)
Dalbeattie
Innerleithen (love the XC downhill big time but the later DH scares me silly and I went down pretty much braking all the way)
Ae (Love bits of Ae but other parts again shake me up too much and dont do my back any good. I am also not a jumpy person)
Not ridden Glentrool or Newcastleton
Innerleithen by a mile. GT and Kirroughtree are good as well but a bit more sanitised, Innerleithen is a bit rougher and feels like you really get out into the wilds on the top of the Minchmoor, more so than any other trail centre. The two sections off the moor are ace fun and as a 'signature' section of trail, Caddon Bank knocks spots off Spooky Wood, bigger drops, steeper, faster, less pedalling. The option to add DH routes to the end of an XC ride is good as well, turn left out of the end of Plora instead of right and a 15-20 min pedal takes you to the DH uplift drop off point. All 'doable' on a hardtail as well.
Only done Kirroughtree, Dalbeatie and Mabie, I'd probaly rank them in that order. Although I do realy like the technical bits a Dalbeatie, I think the combination of rock and flowy single track at Kirroughtree just tips the balance for me.
If I had one day, Kirroughtree- as a single ride it's phenomenal. But it does kind of lack variety since its just one big trail (combining the red and black, anyway).
If I had a long weekend, Glentress- at it's best I don't think it's as good as Kirroughtree or Innerleithen, but it has so much variety and there's so much trail. I ride there a lot now and we can still find ways to spice it up, mixing or looping parts of the various routes. And the black's a total gem, it might not be massively difficult or perilous but it's lovely to ride.
would suggest you pay a visit to the 7stanes website http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/
as there will be harvesting operations going on, you will find more info on the site, just click on each of the 7stanes links and look for diversions (here is Dalbeatie to start you off http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/forestry/achs-5rnffw)
I have ridden Kirrie,Mabie,Ae and Dalbeatie, my least fav one is Mabie (way to many hills for these old legs), Kirrie is getting smoother and smoother with all the trail repairs that is going on, the "White Witch" @ Kirrie has been smoothed out so much that i have dubbed it the "Sorcerer's Apprentice"
In order of my personal preference:
Innerleithen
Dalbeattie
GT
Mabie
Kirroughtree
Lots of good natural stuff at Mabie and Dalbeattie to complement the built stuff, Trekster off here will show you round if he's available.
Give me some dates and I will see what I can do. Mabie and Dalbeattie a specialty. 
scotabroad - MemberCue long thread of arguing......
Nope....Mabie 
Why?.....I have been walking and biking there for many a moon, kids dogs and now grandkids. I can ride out in less than an hr from home and 1.2hr from work. I started mtbing there long before any shops opened or 7Stanes was thought about. Have been involved in some of the early developments and traibuilding.
The BEST trail however imo is Kirry. GT and Inners are just up and down. Unlike dan(shortbread)I am not a big fan of long climbs 
There are diversions in place at Dalbeattie, some logging taking place till at least Xmas time. However we still managed to spend 4hrs riding in the pouring rain on the 14th and the same again at Mabie the following day
As for other off piste riding OS 78 is your best bet. Look for Sanquhar and Durisdeer, just follow the black dotted lines. There are 1 or 2 tracks not marked on the map which link to others. Beware the weather tho, it has been wet and there are no shortcuts or civilisation to be found up in them thar hills. Only sheep and grouse...
cerebrospinal fluid. It's the best stain. A real bugger to get out of carpets, mind
Hotly debated subject, but IMO:
KT
Inners
GT (but not at the weekend)
Ae
Mabie
DBT
All depend on diversions...check before you ride
The Dark Side @ Mabie is excellent but should really be saved for a nice DRY summers day...not recommended in cold/wet Scottish winters
Kirry
Kirrough tree for me...much less busy than some of the others and feels quite remote in parts
Sperm !!!! stains you carn't beat um .
Kirroughtree red or black. Both have excellent flow and are great to ride. Black if you like a bit more of a challenge
Dalbeatie as there are some really rocky sections which are great to ride.
GT/Inners, both are really good fun with most of the climbing out the way at the start. I slightly prefer GT for fun factor and being able to mix and match the trails really easily.
Mabie as it's quite mellow
Tbh I don't like Ae at all, although the shredder beginners downhill is fun.
Inners is best and there's lots of downhill to look at / play on plus lots of natural stuff nearby (Well when it's a bit drier 8O) Gt is next door for comfort zone / good cafe vibe although Inners has a nice one now as well.
Kirroughtree: Probably just for the McMoab. The random techy rock bits that come out of nowhere on the singletrack are good fun. A lot of the singletrack is very good and flows well. Short on drops/jumps though
Ae (before deforestation): The old (2 years ago) bits flowed really quite well I thought. A little more jumpy/bermy than most centres I think
Innerliethen (now): I didn't ride the old minch moor, but enjoyed the new version a lot though. The optional black bit was good. You'd really need a few runs to get to know Caddon Bank enough to ride at full speed and know which downramps/rocky bits are 'safe' to try jump off
Dalbeattie: I can't remember all of it, but lots of rocky/techy bits are good fun. A little flat (like K-tree) but still some good bits of singletrack
Newcastleton: Only 5 miles, the gravel was very loose in the corners and some of the ups were harder as they tried to diguise them in an up-up/down/up-up/down way but the mown grass verges I liked. Not massively involving but nice. Plus theres the north shore to muck about on
Glentress: I've never really got on with it before. I reckon I could learn to like Spooky woods and the rest of the red now I can jump a bit. The black I just found rough (end of the middle sections) though was on a poor forked/narrow tyred HT. The 2nd section (goats trail?) I like. I'd liek to return on a FS
Ae (since deforestation): All the sections that have been felled, the replacement singletrack is rough as, rarely flowing. Just painful to ride
The untouched bits are still great (but few), except maybe the opening climb
Mabie (Red): From what I remember it was (mostly) quite generic dull XC singletrack. Maybe I've improved enough since to find its flow If I went back
Glentrool: Not ridden it and don't think I need to, to decide I think I'll find it the worst of them as a trail centre
By dam I've got it !!!! and my favorite stain is " kebab juice on our lasses new carpet " it proveded to be the final stain..... 
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