Saturday : newton stewart, down to wigtown, isle of whithorn, up to port william, glenluce, new luce and cycle through lower penninghame forest back to newton stewart.

Sunday : newton stewart to Glentrool (forest cafe stop if needed), 7stanes/big country route through forest roads to clatteringshaws (forest cafe stop if needed), take forest drive road/raiders road named for S.R. Crockett to Mossdale, mossdale to lauriston then moorland road to gatehouse of fleet (possible to miss out gatehouse and shorten journey by 6 miles if we take to the forest roads 5 miles after lauriston and go straight to Gatehouse viaduct) Gatehouse viaduct to clatteringshaws on forest drive road and pretty much all downhill (which we’ll need) from clatteringshaws back to newton stewart.

I’ll map it out t’morn to get an idea of distances/average speed needed etc, perhaps it would be wise for me to check with a few folk in the forestry to enquire about the state of the forest roads beforehand, they are usually graded pretty damn smooth but there’s been an substantial increase in logging activity due to the larch dieback disease control measures.

Ideal Tripster country (obviously 😀 ) and the forest road sections would prob be best on a 28mm+ tyre, the tarmac road surfaces in this area are not the smoothest and whilst the sat route is plain sailing the sunday route is pretty isolated at points.

Just an idea for you’s to mule over if you decide on this area, if you look on a map you’ll get a good idea of the ground/distances covered.

stumpy, get to leeds and you can come with me.

Can you pick me up on the way please? 😉

Oh, & what bike for…..Roadie or HT?

i logged the exact routes on bike hike last night. 2 perfect days riding.

Jim, no problem
roadie with a bigger tyre, or ht with a slicker tyre…… 😀

Cheers for that Ton, cant guarantee what im doing till i know about the daughter and grandchild … so can you put me down as a maybe and keep me informed about whats happening please 🙂

Cannot work out if I am free or not but I am in [ ish]

Warning …I snore

would love some sample routes ton to drool over 🙂
suitable on my crosser with guards+rack and land cruisers ?

Warning …I snore

Me too, but I have earplugs. 😈

snore .. hell yeah

There’s an old scottish treatment for snoring that may work, it involves a bottle of whisky.

Drink it or bash over head with it?

Well?….. if the drinking of it doesn’t offer a cure we always have the heavy empty bottle left…………

There’s an old scottish treatment for snoring that may work, it involves a bottle of whisky

Snorer plies everybody else with whisky to the point they don’t give a fig.

I like the sound of this. It would be good to meet some of you folk and D&G is a part of Scotland I’ve not seen much of. I’d be looking for a train or a lift down there. What’s the nearest train station?

220 for me. 4.5hr drive.

Nearest train station if you are heading from the south is Dumfries (about 50 miles away) but if you could all get organised and get to Dumfries on the same train i could prob pick you’s up in the transit and take you to the hostel, i guess they’ll be limited places on the trains for bikes (if any) so better to check for everyone before booking.

(That’s if i’ve not buggered off to cyprus with the bike, I’m up at Aviemore from the 4th April for a weeks playing about and at some point very soon after i get back i had planned to be in cyprus – still not 100% decided on flight dates yet)

dates good for me, fairly flexible if needs be.

😀

Working 🙄

There is an Enterprise van hire behind the station in Dumfries and another on the station platform, Glenrental I think?

Robin might be able to help with transport or I know a man with a van

*Piemonster registers his interest*

A lurker registering interest in putting faces to forum names, whilst considering the 452 mile 7 hour journey! 😯

MUTDZ

Ooo, that’s the weekend of my 40th… 😆

Ton : What’s the route you had planned out?

@ moreupsthandownz … Thats one hell of a drive 😯 … mines virually up the road compared to that !

Ton : What’s the route you had planned out?

somafunk, had a route to port william, whithorn and wigtown penned for 1 day, and the glen trool circuit for the next.

both are supposed to be quite nice.

Sounds like a wizard wheeze, big ‘un. I’ll check my rota.

Yeah that’s the routes i had initially thought of above – I’ve plotted them on Viewranger and made them public so i’ll try and post them up below.

The Wigtown route comes out at 65 miles and the Glentrool/Gatehouse viaduct route comes out at 75 miles. Quite a distance but knocking 10 or 20 miles off either route is easy to do without compromising the riding or the scenery too much.

75 mile Glentrool/Gatehouse Viaduct route

65 mile Wigtown route

I’m obviously logged in to Viewranger so you may have to check the above links work.

i plotted them both at under 50 miles, much more enjoyable for a social weekend.

you need to log in to see them and I am not a member [ not a moan just information]

ton / soma; Corse of Slakes would be a return option for Route 2?

junkyard : I’ll try and fix it now, I’ve just edited my routes for the best direction of travel/scenery/desolate roads/possible cafe stop etc so sat is 56miles and sunday is 46 miles so i guess they might be pretty similar to yours ton.

What did you plan the routes on Ton ?
Prefer the sound of under 50 miles a day, but will wait to see the route etc

Desolate roads FTW

Hmmm?….I’ve only ever used viewranger on my phone so i dunno how to post a route on here so everyone can see it – I could email the viewranger route to someone with the app who knows how to post it though – anyone know what they are doing/not as thick as me?.

Not to piss on anyones fire, but shouldnt we wait and see what route Ton has sorted , after all it was Tons idea this ride.

Yeah totally agree, that’s why i asked ton to see what route he has planned, I was just offering a couple of routes as i’ve biked every possible route in this area over the past 20+ years and depending on how you tackle certain areas it can mean a long gentle climb for a long downhill or a steep bastard of a climb for a steep/short downhill before immediately having to climb again

Be interesting to see Ton and somafunk standing side by side 😉

mine and somafunks route sound more or less the same, or as near as dammit.

when i get a hostel headsup i will let you know.

@ stumpy_m4 , exactly! One of life’s adventures is how I’ll view it

right then people, just got a email back from minnigaff youth hostel.
it is available on the dates above.
we can book it complete for sole use.
it sleeps 26.
price per night for a Friday and Saturday night is £295 per night
price for sunday night is £250

so I need a list of deffo’s if you are coming. to my email

thoss20@hotmail.co.uk

What’s the plan?

Arrive Friday
Ride Sat
Eat/drink
Ride Sun
Go home?

Just wondering how many are looking to stay Sunday night too (I wasn’t)

I was planning to stay sunday too. but Friday and Saturday will suffice if nobody wants to stay sunday.

Ton ygm