Apologies TroutWrestler, may have misinterprated the internal tender comment. Are you suggesting FCS has an in-house team capable of bidding for this opportunity? Would have thought that a.) highly unlikely b.) would need to be stand alone op or this would be anti competitive c.) not within FCS strategy

I predict a Coed y Brenin cafe stlye FC approach

Treat the existing cafe owers who were largely responsible for the success of the whole place like crap, while on the other hand trying to appear super ethical by installing non flush urinals etc in the new atmosphere vacuum service station style cafe.

That said, maybe the new place won't have one gruby bog for the +80% of male customers and several gleaming traps for the relatively much lower number of female visitors.

Perhaps there's a wider issue here in terms of why a mtb 'centre of excellence' has to manifest itself in the form of £expensive architecture which requires us to sell the family silver and purchase private real estate to fund and which will not wash its face anyway.

Of course this isn't all about mtb and I see the business / supposed net economic impact arguments for doing this but I think we have moved too far in the wrong direction. Similar scenario near where I live: The cooncil, this time, are going to erect a very expensive visitor centre in a Country Park and there will be a bike hire facility. Their first priority should be to maintain and protect the formal and informal network of paths which already exists – and to make it far easier for folk to arrive by foot / on bike / by public transport. Instead I fear we are going to get a shrine to cake hunters – all of whom will arrive by car. The trails will get destroyed or worse still sanitised to cope with the increasesd numbers to mitigate the on cost of maintaining them and a great mtb venue will vanish down the plughole.

It may boil down to how good E&T's relationship is with good ol' FCS…

E&T should be carefull what they say on here, big brother will be looking over their shoulders 😯

Good Luck. From someone who has been riding GT since before the Hub doors openedd 🙄

big brother will be looking over their shoulders
ain't that the truth…

From someone who has been riding GT since before the Hub doors opened
me too. better now though innit?

much
but have not been over for ????? months 😳
have been exploring/re-discovering local hills again and doing all the old stuff pre trail centres

vaguely remember you (if same marty)dropping your punto(blue fiat anyway)wheeels into a ditch at dalbeattie 😆

no, no. that wasn't me. i had a silver punto.

[shuffles away whistling]

🙂

😆

Lets hope the people who run/work in the cafe at Coed-Y-Brenin don't export their special brand of 'swift'-service or tender for the business.

the 'reliably informed' on here don't half get it wrong at times

Maybe there should be a "Reveal Source" button on STW for people posting "facts". No response in 30 minutes results in "fact" being deleted?

Both Druidh and I had heard the same – me from two different sources. Clearly incorrect and I am embarrassed – my two sources where people I thought would know.

I didn't say it was a "fact" tho – I said "my understanding is"

The HUB definitely has atmosphere, like Laggan Cafe. Yes there can be a bit of mud and dust but that's expected. If you go to a ski resort in the alps in the summer it's the same.

I hope the 9mill is well spent coz that translates to miles and miles and miles of trails that could have been built, which is the sustainability of the place.

Nick

And I was hoping the new Cafe will be a Hooters bar ! 😀

I wish the girls good luck and although I haven't been up there for some time, the cafe was exactly what I thought it should be.

I just hope that they don't instal one of these souless, generic, shortbread tin, hoots mon och aye the noo, pensioner/tourist ghettos selling overpriced 'local' crap, where you expect Andy Stewart to burst in singing "Donald where's yer troosers" at any moment, that seem to be proliferating everywhere, especially around Aberdeen.