Having been alerted by Kit last week, I had a wee scoot past Castlelaw this morning. OMFG!

I’m gonna guess that the army have done it because they’ve made such a shitty job of it. The surface is so soft that there are footprints in it and the drainage is non existent. The first decent downpour of the spring and it’s all gonna end up in the car park.

Bloody windy out there today – I got blown off between Castlelaw and Allermuir (and I don’t mean in the dogging sense),

Oh – and there’s snow on the hills again 😀

Does that track go all the way up to the top of castlelaw, to the flag? Seem to recall Kit saying that. Never ridden all the way up, might check it out ce weekend.

there’s a fork that does indeed go up to the flag at the top, although it looks like a there-and-back with no likely diversionary descents.

I rode up that sandpit a few weeks back and thought it was awful.

Jesus. I always enjoyed that loose no-traction climb up from the gate there. How far up does that “surface” go?

no offence, but why ride that shit anyway?

cos there’s more to life than Glentress?

GW – can you explain what you mean a bit more?

Swello – It goes past that loose/steep bit.

GW – First of all, it’s all riding. riding is good. Sorry if it doesn’t look techy or gnarly enough for your evidently high standards. Secondly, it joins up lots of other bits of trail.

That’s a pity actually – much as I’m always knackered by the time I reach there – it was always a good guide of how fit I was feeling that day….Anyway, we’ll see what it’s like after next winter….

Yeah, Druidh, I have ridden up and down castlelaw a lot (thankfully, not in the last 10 years tho) I have equally shite hills not to ride right behind my house 😉 and, yeah, in all honesty I’d choose to ride a roadbike ride instead of MTBing on fire roads like that. each to their own tho.

is it actually unridable now? doesn’t look it? just a little harder going, but even so, you can always push. why not start a thread on “What tyres for soft sandy blaze fireroad climbs?”