First Time at Drumlanrig « Singletrack Forum

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First Time at Drumlanrig

50 posts & 23 voices | Started 2 years ago by forge197 | Latest reply from forge197

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forge197 - Member

Well I finally made it to Drumlanrig today not sure why I'd not been before but anyway.

It was a different to what I expected, it was tougher, the multitude of roots add an extra dimension and it's been sometime since I've needed to trackstand on a trail, damn good fun and certainly more of a workout than I expected. Very different feel to the local 7 Stanes trails a really nice change.

Look forward to heading back with a LT Hardtail rather than a LT Full Suspension.

It felt like my own forest not another sole on the trails and such a nice dry day, trails were running really nice, a great way to spend a Friday morning, I did route 5 and the 8ball bits.

Interested to what others think of the trails there?

Posted 2 years ago #
househusband - Member

Drumlanrig is ace! Does indeed make a nice change to the 7stanes I know you have close to you - you lucky sod!

Posted 2 years ago #
forge197 - Member

HH - travisty I'd not been there sooner and gutted I hadn't, there is fun to be had and the views at certain points just stunning.

Am lucky to have such trail joy so near

Posted 2 years ago #
keavo - Member

rode there once, at ssuk08. it is outstanding but probably 6 hours driving round trip for me. does anyone know if ssuk08 route was one of the known trails or a mixture?

Posted 2 years ago #
Sqwubbsy - Member

I like Drum a lot but don't ride it often enough. Rik likes his roots thats for sure. Mabie used to be just like Drum back in the day before the 7stanes covered it all in gravel. there are still some cheeky bits left though if you know where to look.

Posted 2 years ago #
AlasdairMc - Member

I love Drumlanrig too - I often think that other big estate owners should turn over their forests to trail builders.

Posted 2 years ago #
Sqwubbsy - Member

ssuk was mainly bits of the red and black. you'd find them no bother.

Posted 2 years ago #
keavo - Member

thanks, should really get back there and make a weekend of it.

Posted 2 years ago #
forge197 - Member

Sqwubbsy - Yes the cheeky Mabie parts are excellent

Posted 2 years ago #
sherry - Member

Its got a nice old school feel to it and doesn't feel like a trail centre. Best suited to a HT though. I will need to head down through the week I think.

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Drumlanrig's fantastic... And the low numbers means he can build trails that wouldn't last at a popular venue, so DON'T TELL ANYONE HOW GOOD IT IS, right?

Posted 2 years ago #
forge197 - Member

Northwind - whoops......it won't suit everyone and it would be a real challenge in the wet so that should stop some

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

That bit with the left-hand switchback that goes straight into the slightly weavy rooted descent, then back on itself and over another patch of big roots then over a little step then down under a fallen tree then up over that crest with the roots and the steep slope straight after and then a left-right S bend descent ending in a little splash across a stream, in particular, is rubbish and should not under any circumstances be ridden by anyone.

Posted 2 years ago #
Macavity - Member

The duke has other estates as well http://www.buccleuch.com/

the biggest land owner in Britain.

Posted 2 years ago #
MikeWW - Member

Been there quite a few times and think its great. First time I'd only had my MTB (Carrera Vulcan)a few weeks and thought that the roots were not possible in places for a mere mortal. Kept going back and ended up clearing everything OK on a single speed rigid. Always quiet, Riks always helpful and he continues to develop it bit by bit.Very natural feel

Posted 2 years ago #
simonralli2 - Member

Forge - when I went I failed abysmally in the wet so I think I may not go back this April, but am certainly going to attempt it when I come back in August. Maybe you could teach me some root riding skills

Posted 2 years ago #
scotabroad - Member

Mabie used to be just like Drum back in the day before the 7stanes covered it all in gravel[i]

It also used to be a bog in the winter, and that was before it had the traffic that it does now.

Posted 2 years ago #
forge197 - Member

Simon - let's do that in August, I like the fact that there are roots uphill, downhill, off camber just basically every situation you'd come across. I am going to make a point of going in the wet just for the experience. We can do some root skillz.

Scotabroad, both Mabie and Drum have the feeling that sustained rain would make them somewhat muddy in places

Posted 2 years ago #
tandemwarriors - Member

Fancy the sound of Drum, partly from the clips in Home, and partly from the good things said here.
Anyone tried it on a tandem? I like the sound of it being rolling, rather than big up, big down, big up, big down. That sounds tandem friendly (like Whinlatter blue which we did yesterday, that was tandemtastic), but too much rooty work might be awkward.
Any experiences to share?
Thanks.
Rob

Posted 2 years ago #
BoardinBob - Member

Can't see a tandem working. It's twisty, narrow, rooty, rocky, off camber. I cant see it flowing well on a tandem.

Posted 2 years ago #
EdwardH - Member

Yeah, you would get in everyone elses way on your tandem, especially as it is now going to be busy with the STW faithful. I havnt told a sould just how bad it really is

Posted 2 years ago #
forge197 - Member

I think a fair few of the corners would be to tight for the tandem, I'd go mid-week if you were going to try it.

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Tandemwarriors, funnilly enough when we were through the other week the chat got onto tandems for some reason, Rik's verdict was no way in hell... I've never ridden one so I don't really know enough but there are sections of the black that will definately be impossible, just from ground clearance... Quite a lot of it would I suspect be impossible just because of the nearness of the trees and general tightness.

Posted 2 years ago #
tandemwarriors - Member

Northwind, thanks for that. Sounds like a day to leave the tandem at home.
Cheers,
Rob

Posted 2 years ago #
singlespeedstu - Member

Rob.

I've ridden at Drum a few times.

I wouldn't be taking our tandem there.

Posted 2 years ago #
craig1975 - Member

I took a spin round last Saturday, felt as if I had the hole trail to my self to, the trail was in perfect dry conditions a joy to ride... it's a very different trail when wet.. much more of a challenge.. It's a good place to go for something a little different, well worth checking out, the café does some really good cakes to...

think I'm going to do a lot more visits this year.

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Guys - you would be suprised what you can ride on a tandem and how tight a corner can be managed. all the hairpins on the spooky woods climb for example even the double hairpin is possible. Eveything on GT red infact.

Sometimnes ver slow tho - same with ground clearance - it is suprising what can be managed witohut grounding.

We have been round dalbeattie on ours - did bridge it on one bit and skipped the slab.

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

TJ, don't know if you've ridden at Drumlanrig but there's quite a few bits that are much tighter than anything at GT, not even simple to get a regular bike round. When I mentioned ground clearance, the part in question is a climb up and over a hump of roots which goes straight into a 45 degree descent, so the back wheel would still be climbing while the front is halfway down.

Hmm, the camera foreshortening effect means that it's not all that obvious but here's a short section...

http://vimeo.com/10269037

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

Fair enough Northwind. Its just I have been told many times by folk that I won't be able to take the tandem down some bit of trail that infact is no problem whatsoever. people usually underestimate how manouverable it can be.

Posted 2 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

I so knew TJ would say exactly what he did there!

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

And its the predictable ignorant attack from cynic al once more - so boring. WTF do you know about MTB tandems? Arse

If I had a £ for every time someone said that we couldn't ride down a bit of trail we ride regularly................

Posted 2 years ago #
singlespeedstu - Member

It's all the roots in just the wrong places on tight corners that would stop us on our tandem.

I take it you've not riden there then Jeremy...
As said above it's very different to most trails centers.

Posted 2 years ago #
Kit - Member

Rik's got a tandem at the shop. I'm sure he'd let us borrow it for a laugh

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Or the whatistcalled, that side-by-side thing he's got.

Posted 2 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

As I said - i accept that Drumlanrig is not suitable for tandems as people who know tandems tell me so. The point I tried to make was that people who don't know anything about MTB tandems usually underestimate how difficult terrain you can ride.

Posted 2 years ago #