Myself and Matt pulled into the icey car park at the Laggan trail this morning. This was my first ride here and only the 3rd Scottish trail centre experience.

I’d been shown a vimeo clip of the Black descent and had decided despite the footage flattening the trail alot. It would push the limits of recent riding confidence a bit.

Being from the Flat and non rocky south, the only time i got to see rocks were on seaside sweety stools on my childhood holidays. They had writing down through the middle making them very special.

Of course we have rocks down south.
On Dartmoor, there’s great big lumps of rounded, skin eating granite and lots of it.
My trips there would give me a chance to hone my rock riding skills and gain the confidence to ride, what was essentially, ‘just a trail feature’.

Several years ago i had one long weekend playing in the peaks where there’s a few rocks.

My only experience on a mountain, was riding Snowdon’s rangers path, which was back in 2006. It was the first time i’d seen let alone rode a trail so littered with rocky steps, wheel traps and tyre biting features.

That was all a distant memory though. All i could recall from that lesson was, momentum will, in most cases get me through.

I had good body positioning, the skill set to deal with things. As without that, momentum is only really a way to get to see nurses quickly. Nice option but one i’m now keen to avoid.

My weakness is confidence. Especially when i’d not ridden a technical trails in ages. In fact the last time i rode anything more technical then a red run, was back in June on Dartmoor.

Back to today, we started with a warm up, so after the forest road climb, we joined the head of the lower red descent and headed back down again.
Here i was reminded of how rubbish i am at bermed switchbacks, if fact all switchbacks. My Style being to brake to late, lose speed then depend on my powerful thighs to wind back up to grin factor. (BTW my thighs are more like the xmas turkey rejects).

Ticking off all the tables,kickers, whatevers we arrived back at the van almost the same time as we had left it.

Back up then. It was time for the Black. Apparently the most technical trail centre descent in the country.Lovely!

My knee’s knocked loudly with fear as we ascended to the top, bending A tooth or two on my big ring. A rock step up was to blame.

At the top Matt waked me down to the first main feature and once i had the best line in my head, i was ready to ride.

At this point i’d like to add my rear brake was either not working, very ineffective or had some sort of anti braking device fitted to it. That really helped with the confidence. N

There’s nothing like riding steep wet, naggery rocks with the only way to control speed. Is by front brake or face.

Luckily for me, my guide for the day was very familiar with the Laggan black and being a capable knowledgeable rider, he led the way taking all the right lines.
My task was to just follow, shut out those voices in my head and stay with him.

Ok, that’s just plain silly..
Ride my own ride, that’s the way.
If in doubt, stop look and bottle it.

Ignoring that for most of the descent, i clattered and battered my way along, tracking his line and surviving.

All was going well apart from two of the features, where i talked myself out of harm.
I almost did myself the ultimate harm earlier this year, now i kind of like living without unnecessary pain.

First up was three tier.
All i remember is seeing my guide disappear from view, for all i knew, he’d dropped into an abyss, or worse still crashed. Awaiting for me to ride into the mix of flesh and metal.

I hauled on the brakes, which at a bit over jogging pace was effective enough to bring me to a holt right on the lip.

I looked down to see Matt riding out the bottom of a step section maybe 2 metres below me, probably less.

It was deep steps and looked less than inviting from up top.
I’d either need a run in to ride it, or a walk down to not.

This spring i walked 650miles. I’ll walk it, i’m good at walking.

The other bit that caused me to stop on the lip was ‘two ton rock’.

Again my untrusted guide disappeared into the void beyond the lip, installing thoughts of impending doom, or worse a handlebar up the bottom.
Once again i’d need a run in, a very slow one as this is was just a very steep 1 metre rock face. Near vert in fact i think.

Shamelessly i clambered down and we finished the descent with no more problems.

Well apart from the last little rocky bridge were i turned in too quick and dropped off the edge of the rocky trail. The forks did their job, blowing through the rock, but the Halo rim didn’t do so well and took a hit.

We hit the blue to the car park and had a bite to eat, straightened the wheel then headed out for more.
This time the top red and the blue again to finish for the day.

No big ride report for those, as they went without incident. Plus they’re just a fairly standard trail centre red run.

Laggans not a bad little place. Like GT it’s good for families and for riders wanting to session stuff.
Where it fails for me is the lack of an ascent or big out and back loop.

We did both reds, the blue twice and the black. Although a short forest road climb up to the blue and lower red. It’s a shame it lacks a narrower climb, something to concentrate on and make the climb more involved.

For an almost free facility though, you really can’t knock it.

It’s certainly GT’s little (badass) sister.

Puffer course tomorrow and some fun in the woods. Front brake only. 🙂

One life ride it!
Sharki.

😀

love it mate

Good write up that!

I have a high respect and love for Wolftrax, 1 because in the midlands we have nothing like it, yes cannock is great, but nothing remotely like wolftrax, and secondly my other half is willing to ride the Orange stuff or blue as it used to be. So i get to have a blast on the bike she enjoys a day out on the bike as well, and the food at the cafe is good enough so all in all a good day out.

When we stopped at Spean bridge my other half wouldn’t even attempt the witches trails or the fireroad routes into Fort William, and when i did the red downhill route, or red route at Nevis range she was having none of it, but Laggan she enjoyed and it means we can both share the fun of being on a bike.

No cafe or indoor loo’s though.

🙁

More ride time then. 😀

Sharki if your that far north why not pop up to Wild Cat at Golspie. Nice good climb cracking decent. Ride it twice if its too short.

Not my vid btw.

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/10170559&#8243; width=”400″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″></iframe><p>Golspie Highland Wildcat Trails from Craig Arnott on Vimeo.</p>

It is the plan at some point. Although my fitness needs to increase 😀

The ‘guide’

Pity you guys never got to see the cafe. Good food, well earned the guys have done a fantastic job with the center there I think. Top marks to Wolftrax imho.

Golspie rocks and there’s a nice new wee cafe there that actually opens now (shock horror) but not on Sundays! Not many bikers there apparently so get yourselves down there, enjoy the cake and keep it open eh! It’s in the wee square by the public toilets which is just down the hill from the main carpark.

Contin tomorrow for some of the best natural non-mountainy singletrack in the UK! (Again my unbiassed opinion!)

I was last there 4 years ago and rented a nice little Kona HT. I bottled the black and Ayers rock, but I liked the rest a lot. The trails are short and ideal for loops.

Nice write up mate.

Gonna say me and thee have deffinately ridden rock on more than a few occasions sir…Just lookin at some of them pics today

Laggan is possibly the scariest place in the world when it’s frosty so good work fella. Went round it with a mate at Christmas a couple of years ago and it was so cold my rear mech sprockets froze while we were in the shop buying warmer clothes (-8 in the car park). We bumped into a couple of guys who were doing the black route (in it’s sheet iced glory) and they were on their arses the whole way round 😀

I miss rocks.

Hi doug were you at golspie on the 1st? Saw a car with Basque MB sticker on it. Thought it was a sign that I should take a trip back to Spain…….Buenos tardes

Last time at Laggan for me (I think…). Nice and snowy 🙂

Rocks out by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

No ice at all up there, apart from the CP

Si.

Yes i have ridden rocks on more then a few occasions.

I played with the truth to stretch the story a bit and to try and justify just why i rode like a noob on the black today.

Looking fowards to contin’s finest Doug.

NCB… busted! I was indeed there on the 1st, it was my parents car with the BasqueMTB sticker on. I’ll might as well admit to the whole shame and confess to being in bed by 1am on NYE so I’d be ready to ride. Buenos noches!

Sharki, looking forward to it too, see you there.

Yup, nice write-up 🙂

I’ve got a softspot for Laggan. Nice place as you’ve pointed out for families. I can easily spend a whole day there hitting the trails & scoffing Gails food 😀 Great little venue but I’m not hard enough to venture up there in the snaw.

D.

There are out and backs, as huge as you like but you need a guide or map and compass skillz as they aren’t marked. 🙂

Think it was 2 ton rock that I bottled (There’s a little ledge half way down that put me off)

If you get to Golspie Sharki don’t forget Balblair – only short but cracking course 🙂

2 ton drop is one of the easier obstacles I think! It’s just a smooth bottle roll down if you go to the right and higher side. A very brief arse twitch moment followed by a wtf was all the fuss about moment! 🙂

Laggan these were happy days…

When’s the new Laggan trail opening ?

Good write up, reminded me of my last visit.

Its the boardwalk near thee end of the red that caught me out, there was a section that was like black ice, front wheel lost and down into the forest floor I fell!

Laggan, Balblair and Golspie make for an excellent weekend. Golspie is something special though. Both times I’ve been I’ve got so ‘pumped up’ on adrenaline or endorphins or something that I’ve ridden way beyond my capabilities and doing crazy speeds/ lines. Fun climb and probably the best man-made descent in Britain. A bit like whinlatter on steriods.

Good write up that mate!

Would love a trip up to do that and Golspie.

+1 more for good write up. next to Nant y Arian (which is quite local for me) Wolftrax is my favourite trail centre, been there 3x to ride red route only (black looks just too scarey for me, especially the rock steps / cliffs at high point split from red), managed Ayers Rock once after 5 attempts !. Set in the most wondeful scenery too, and i do enjoy teh friendly and low key cafe set up. Top marks overall to it, just wish I could get there in summer as my visits are usually part of a winter mountaineering week near Dalwhinnie! 🙂

Thanks for the comments on the write up.

Having re read it late last night. I realised it’s crammed full of grammatical errors.

I really must re-read things before pressing, ‘send post’.

None of the features along the black are beyond my abilities.
On the day, a lack of confidence controlled me.

Contin today on bits of the puffer course, but mostly off the course trails.

How good is that up there? Blimin great IMHO.

Might even attempt a write up about that later or tomorrow.

Can’t now, as i ended up doing a spin class tonight.

Not fun!