I remember Ae as being rocky, loose and fast. Have just ridden there and the rocks have gone on holiday and it is riding v slow.

Biggest let down is the loss of the edge. I know the trees have to go but I have a feeling the drainage left with them as I rode a trail of cheap curry paste. I remember the edge being v fast pumpy/jumpy fun right down to the river. As it is now exposed and the trees are not taking up water does it not need to be a more suitable terrain?

Again the start of Granny Green Love is now green motorway graded but I do not remember it having drainage issues so why was it reworked? I especially loved this bit if I was with friends on hardtails…

On the plus side the shredder is in excellent condition but I doubt it will be enough to lure me back until I know the massive section of curry paste has been devoured. Ae has too much fireroad to just miss the section out and be worth the journey.

I wondered other people’s opinions as I know you can not please everyone?

Good ending, not a very remarkable trail apart from that.

We went in the summer, won't be going back. Just didn't seem to 'flow'.

the edge is now a seriously bizarre currypaste slog. i cant remember what it used to be like before.

i thought some of the 'flattening' derockifying work was probably needed and it will wear down and get to a good compromise eventually.

i also thought that some of the material they have resurfaced with seemed to ride very slow but maybe it hasnt been compacted yet.

somehow ae doesnt quite hold together as a route as well as some of the other stanes. but little changes could lead to great improvements

i had a lovely panini at the cafe

Few good bits with lots of sh*t bits. The way some people go on about the place, anyone would think its some kind of bike nirvana!

i do like it but last time we went there were huge sections closed. there are better trails around there. the park at the end is great fun though.

might be biased as it is my local. but i like the way ae makes you work hard to get round it. if you want a gentle day riding up and down smooth trails then it is not the place for you. it is a hard fitness route, but the remote feeling you get on that trail is pretty special i feel. i agree with the curry paste comments though- it is a bit of a strange surface, and not much fun in the wet.

for a few weeks now i have done their saturday trail maintanance days. we have been working on the granny green luv sections. although i too was a bit dubious about the 'smoothening' of the trail, i have ridden a few times since and think that it is actually required. after all it is only a countouring piece of singletrack- so does not need to be a technical descent or challenging climb. there are enough sections that have become rocky enough for a challenge elsewhere (e.g. the descent down to the face, and the face itself). i don't think the trail maintanance is taking anything away from ae. for non-regular weekend warrior riders the smoothening of the trail is required because ae is such a tough workout.

maybe it doesn't have the technical challenge or flow of some of the other stanes, but this makes ae unique. tbh i love it. the fact it is not like every other trail centre makes it stand out. like marmite, some will not like it, but then that is up to you.
the cafe at the end is a great addition now, and i hope it will bring in more riders to boost their income and ability to maintain trails in the future.

I like Ae it has a great character. In comparison to Dalbeattie, Mabie, Kirroughtree there is much more climbing. Which for me getting my fitness back right now makes it ideal training.

Then there is the omega man descent, which 12 – 15mins using the push up path you have a half decent descent to play with which is good for sessioning.

If you then ride to the top then you can head down on the Shredder or the main Downhill course, so lots of variety.

It's not an easy Stane for sure and some of the surfacing up at the top is a bit strange but it has a unique character the more I ride it the better it is, the shop is good and the cafe does great food.