Normally just do the red route at gt but thinking of adding a bit of the black in to our next trip. Thinking of red up to the top of the switchback climb before spooky then jumping onto the black. Anybody do this or is there any other combo of red/black that makes more sense. Don’t really fancy the full black as I’ve heard the climb is a tough one.

Black is only really harder in terms of length, not tech. You’d be better off using trailforks or Strava to find some if the techier off piste stuff if you want to mix it up and ride harder stuff.

Don’t really fancy the full black as I’ve heard the climb is a tough one.

Why not just try it and see though? It is a tough old climb admittedly, though the top of the black isn’t in fact that much higher than the top of the red which always surprises me, even though I’ve been there umpteen times. I guess it’s because there are some fun descents on the way up on the black.

And as said above, the black isn’t really technically much harder than the red, other than a couple of tricky (mostly too tricky for me) sections near the end.

This years Tweedlove vallajula route was a good mix of trails and a fun route . When I go to glentress I tend to just head up to the mast(so red to spooky but don’t turn right and keep heading up the fire road) as most of my favourite stuff goes from there , down the black cut off for 5 year plan then along to broon trout is a great way to get down the hill ,Zorro is a great trail and pretty straight forward if you haven’t ridden the off piste stuff .
The black climb is a bit of a slog but the views are pretty nice and there is a downhill in it to break it up .
If you have never ridden zoom or bust you have to give that a go .

Cheers for all the suggestions I’ll check them out after work.

Nobeer has the right idea.

The black climb does go on forever but there’s only a short pitch that’s especially hard (bloody Tower Ride, aaargh), the rest is pretty relaxed switchbacks- very civilised.

Moonsaballoon is spot on. Once you start exploring GT you realise everything connects to everything else, there’s only a few spots where you can’t easily link one trail to another, or expand and contract your route. Zoom Or Bust is a perfect addition to a lap of the red frinstance, just loops right back to where you started.

I need to have a day at GT riding all this other bits n bobs together. I’ve prob done most if it over the years, need to string it all together.

What’s yer perfect GT day Northy?….

^^^ stw meet up ride nobeer ?

I’d love to, but it won’t be imminent, lots of stuff on.

No worries, late summer maybe ? School hols and stuff take care of the next 8 weeks !

Nobeerinthefridge – Member

What’s yer perfect GT day Northy?….

Hmmmmmmmm. Up the red/blue climb, zoom or bust, then up to the mast via the rest of the red climb, then b side or zorro, back up the black climb, along the boundary then 5 year plan then either broon troot or mild peril, then up redemption, down all the blacks, down the ponds trail and if I’ve got legs left, back up and either down falla brae or a fort descent. (if I’ve still got legs after the fort, back up jabet’s brae and down falla brae). A reasonably long day, that, but you can cut it short at a couple of points

Is the ponds trail ponduro?

Aye, same trail

The new trail, mild peril, that goes down from the fire road the the bottom of deliverance is great. Well worth a ride. The trail fairies did good.

dont follow my mistake the first time I rode the black, of thinking it was all down hill after the mast. Its not..

Technically its not hard at all, nd I’m borerline rubbish..The climb to the mast is not that hard either, and the towercan be missed out easy enough without missing any of the decents.

Redemption climb is however the most demoralising 20 -40 minutes you’l ever spend on a bike.

If you are fit do the black its not so bad and can easily be done in 2.5 hrs. If you aren’t i’d avoid as it turns into a bit of a slog and by the time you reach the good downhill bits at the end (all reachable if you continute up a red climb for 5 min) you simply want to go home!