Miked1881- I find your post rather upsetting!!? Can you explain to me why you’re being so offensive toward another fellow rider?? Its idiots like you who spoil this place with such rude behaviour!Nevertheless I am going to report you distasteful comments!. Rupertpostlethwaite.

Oh please don’t…. Quaking in my SPD shoes..

It is halfwits like you that ruin this forum and start completely pointless threads.

Hardly offensive Rupert, just merely stating my disagreement with what you are obviously doing old chap.

I personally wouldn’t drive to Dalby as I think it is a bit rubbish.

+1

I also wouldn’t drive to Whinlatter as, while the trails are good, there are only about 15 miles of way marked stuff.

-1 Do the Blue (Quercus Trail) to warm up, then the 2 red-grade (North and South) then repeat each/your favourite or all three depending on how quick slow/your mood on the day etc.

Whinlatter is pushing it too.

See link above. It’s do-able.

within 2 hours of Newcastle, go west!
If you view the entire Lake District as a trail centre, you can’t go far wrong.

kirroughtree , 2 hours , get up early and drive fast

Ae mabie and Dalbeattie are closer than Peebles to Newcastle jonba

Thanks all for the advice. The 2 hour limit isn’t set in stone, but I’m unlikely to be driving to Wales! TBH, I don’t think I can be bothered with wimping out of stuff at Inners – I’ve had a couple of big falls recently and am keen on doing a fun, flowy trail centre trail in the same vein as Berm Baby Berm, Spooky Wood or Transmission/Accelerator/Nitrous (at Hamsterley). Will Mabie and Dalbeattie give me this, or should we just go with the known quantity of GT?

I thought Mabie flowed well

Dalbeattie is a bit more real and less flowy. I thought the black runs looked hard and the teenagers found some of the rock bits tricky(but it was a family bike ride with useless southern kids)

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIkWAv_f870[/video]

I’ve only been to Ae once, I’ll never go back. Mabie and Dalbeattie are great, the black bits at Dalbeattie really make it.

Whinlatter is my local, I prefer to ride North, then Blue which links into the South.

Dalbeattie certainly isn’t fast/flowy. I would stick to GT if that is the case.. However Inners is not that difficult & is great fun & the bits you might need to walk are contained in a 50 odd yard section that is well marked.
FWIW GT Red is at about the limit of what I find enjoyable, but I still enjoy Innerleithen.

don’t think I can be bothered with wimping out of stuff at Inners –

There’s not much to wimp out on, Caddon bank has chicken runs round the drops, Plora Craig is comparable to GT red/black and Minch Moor is like Spooky Wood, but with more exposure. If anything I’d say it’s easier than GT trails and it’s the climb (30min if you’re super fit, 2 hours if you pootle and push) and the exposure, that make it Red rather than being overly technical.