Out of interest.
I tried to ride it today, it took too long so I had to sack it off not long after the slab, which I didn’t get close to having a go at (mostly me riding badly plus a bit of rain induced sketchiness was enough to put me off) the uphill a were ok in places, a bit too much fire road maybe, but the downs were so rocky, there was no way of working up any speed.

When I was riding not round I swore I’d never go back, that was 9 hours ago, should I change my mind?

I would go back. Its local to me and familiarity helps no end. At the annual Hardrock duathalon top times are under 1hr 10mins so you can get some speed up when you know the lines.

I do. If you stopped after the slab then you missed a fair bit out. Its quite different to many centres as it doesn’t have a big climb and then decent like many do, it more undulates around

I did a bit after the slab, not sure what I missed, I think just the loop out towards the coast.

I think familiarity was an issue, you have to pick your way through rocks a lot more than I’m used to, it took me the best part of an hour (50mins ish) to get to the 40% marker, so I though if better bail before the Mrs killed me. I did a bit of the blue single track which was quite nice, and the last bit of red that’s part of the taster loop and skipped all the black options.

I think it was an all together off day, the weather was crap, I was tired and not riding as well as I can, which is crap anyway and not knowing my round didn’t help.

I’ll no doubt be back, maybe with a bit more time next time.

I like it there.
However Mrs stu used to hate it.
Now she’s got a lot more experience she also likes it.
First few times around she really struggled with maintaining enough speed to stay on top of the rocks and kept stalling.

I love it.

We have a lads holiday once a year & it’s one of our favourites.

Your first experience sound like mine.

I rode it twice back in May. On the first time round I found it frustrating – it didn’t seem to flow at all. But I very rarely ride TCs and realized part of the problem was my own lack of confidence, so I spent a bit of time doing the skills loop and the taster loop. Though I wimped out of most of the black sections such as the slab, the twins, the narrow planks etc – well, I was on my own after all.

Went back at the end of the week and found that with just a bit more confidence/aggression/speed it flowed so much better – OK not as good as Kirroughtree, but still very enjoyable. Got round in 1’40.

I would not cross the road to ride it and I have never disliked a ride so much….death by undulating nothingness

Rode all the black which, to be fair, is good but it is seperated by miles of nothing ness

I really like it but I quite like low speed, technical, rocky riding. If you’re more about big ups or big downs or air time or you don’t have the necessary skills for the technical sections then you won’t like it. Horses for courses and all that.

One of my favourites of 7stanes (possibly 8 years since I last went). I thought it was a bit like a longer easier stainburn, various rock and wood obsticals to play on along a biggish ride.

In what world is that forest technical or rocky riding 😯
The black bits require balls more than skills

Its flat and undulating forest for about 95% + of it

In what world is that forest technical or rocky riding

There’s loads of interesting little sections. When were you last there?

I think I partly agree with junkyard but I have probably much less skill, it felt too easy, then too hard, then too easy. I was smacking pedals all over the shop. I’ll do it again one day, but only if I’m staying closer or the rest of the family go to rockcliffe or something. It didn’t help that it was still dark when I started and I couldn’t see **** all in the trees 😆

It’s great. Ride some laps of the black skills testers, head off around the loop and play on some features. Keep an eye out for some other cheeky looking trails although we didn’t find the start of these. Fun skinnes/rock thing at the end, and if you don’t like these then wild raspberries and blueberries line the lower chicken route, if in season. Perfect.

Now Ae… what a heap..

Strange but i am in kippford just down the road from the dalbeattie run and its been glorious weather for the last 2 days only at night has it rained. I guess the red run must have its own micro climate.

It wasn’t raining this morning, but very wet from last night, I’m very much a fair weather mtber so wet rocks and huge puddles don’t do much for me. I left the house at 5:15 this morning, it was still drizzling and the trails hadn’t dries out at all.

It’s a toss up now between mabie, drumlanrig or ae as a surprise late entrant in the morning now.

I was at Ae yesterday early and it was surprisingly wet, but there had been a huge amount of rain overnight sat.

Prawny – Drumlanrig is my fave by a long way, if its dry overnight I’d be going there. Plus if you arrive similarly early the car park booth will be shut 😀

Drumlanrig is my fave by a long way, if its dry overnight I’d be going there

Drumlanrig in the wet, now there’s a challenge for your old school skills!

^^^^ aye, hence my comment about dry overnight 😀

I’ve tried to like Dalbeattie on a few occasions but it never seems to click.

I think the fact that everytime I’ve been it either been raining stair rods and a canoe would have been better than a mountain bike or half of it has been shut, hasn’t helped.

Maybe I should give it another go.

Controversially, I think Drumlanrig is just alright but then I prefer jumps to roots

When were you last there?

Spring this year – it was an STW ride so plenty can vouch I was there and how much I disliked it ..best to not remind them of my moaning though.

Fun skinnes/rock thing at the end,

Agreed that was excellent.

Dont get me wrong the good stuff is very good it just that there is hardly any of it and the stuff in between is just so mleh

Junkyard – lazarus
In what world is that forest technical or rocky riding
The black bits require balls more than skills

Its flat and undulating forest for about 95% + of it

The thing is Junky you are obviously an above average rider with awesome stw skills 😉

How many 15yr old trail centres with little or no maintenance other than the odd bit (by volunteers) before the Hardrock are any better? Log on Log off being an exception(due to a serious accident!!)
Dalbeattie was the first Stane built buy the fledgling D&G builders. The guys were a mixture of ex bankers, firemen and led by a cabinet maker!! When they started they used picks, shovels and wheel barrows before receiving traing on motorised wheel barrows, chain saw and then small diggers. The guys and local FC had know idea what they were doing! Advice was given by Pete Laing of GT fame, Daffyd and Goggs from Coed. The guys however were left to make it up as they went along. Too much time and hence money was spent on Dalbeattie and I believe it is the most costly trail per mrt/mile.
Like all armchair or in our case bike seat critics it’s all too easy to criticise without being aware of the facts 💡

Yes I am a local, yes I have/had an input into original trail, yes it annoys me when riders of superior skill forget their humble beginnings.

I agree it needs improving but FC have no money or desire to do anything 😥
There will never be any fast, flowing sections, there are no big hills and too many big boulders and boggy bits.
It would appear FC are allowing the D&G trails to deteriorate to a point where they will not be usable any more. Kirry will survive but will the others? This is an opinion shared by others btw.

Luckily most of the visitors I have ridden with at both Ae and Dalbeattie recently are not aware of this site and form their own opinions after riding. All thoroughly enjoyed both and are returning 😆

prawny
There is a shop ride at Ae on a Tues evening from 7pm(6.30)
I’ll not be there but Callum will keep you right. There are usually 2 groups, slow & fast + the Enduro/off piste crew

I love Dalbeattie. I have great memories of riding there, probably the first of the stanes I rode, it’s where I met trekster too. Some cracking off piste riding, lots of really good wee sections to session, kippford and the anchor inn for a pint of prawns down the road. What’s not to like?.

As John rightly says, the place has been pretty much left to erode away, which has improved some sections, but it really could do with some work now.

Why are the FC not bothering with these trails anymore then ? Surely it’s a growth area and brings people into the forest ? Or does most of a limited budget go on the flagship trails at GT ?

For the “haterz” could you please take the time to send your comments to FC at Ae offices or via whichever media(ie Facebook)
http://www.7stanesmountainbiking.com/

Unless more people speak up there will be no improvements. FC will be monitoring this site but unless riders contact them with constructive criticism then there will be no movement

GT is getting the lions share simply because of the meter count(cash through parking)

Iain, have you been living in a darkened cupboard? 😆

Enjoyed dalbeattie a lot recently on a very rainy evening. Loved the rock sections and trying to keep speed and flow through it.
Had fun on the named sections though I thought the run in to the slab was harder than the slab itself. 🙂

Drumlanrig I didn’t like riding wise. Frustrating flow and lots of riding in circles without going anywhere I thought.

I really like it. Said this in another thread a couple of weeks back but it’s unfortunate in that it throws away a huge section of nice but fairly flat singletrack (before the slab) in one huge lump, by the time I’m halfway along it I’m usually pecking and the second half is just grinding along. If it had a couple of fire roads or other obvious breaks, I reckon most people would enjoy it more and remember it as 3 nice bits of singletrack instead of one sweaty grind. Kirroughtree has similiar trail but with a load of breaks so you end up charging down every bit.

And best skills/taster loop anywhere apart from maybe coed y brenin, I could just do laps of volunteer ridge and the silly rock/wood bits near the end of the main lap, log on log off and that.

I’ve not been to Dalbeattie for ages but I used to enjoy it, it was a great place for a social ride.

Nobeerinthefridge – Member

Iain, have you been living in a darkened cupboard? 😀

err, no, but some folk reading this thread might be 🙂

I like Dalbeattie, it’s a good traditional XC ride with some exciting bits here and there, and I think it’s quite a pretty place too.

I think familiarity was an issue, you have to pick your way through rocks a lot more than I’m used to, it took me the best part of an hour (50mins ish) to get to the 40% marker, so I though if better bail before the Mrs killed me.

So you are complaining about somewhere because you are only allowed out for an hour at a time, and couldn’t get round? 🙄

FWIW I like Dalbeattie, it’s different to other trail centres and paired up with Mabie makes a nice pleasant day out with loads of singletrack, what feels like natural riding and the slabs and starter-taster too. Nice café/waitress 🙂 just by the trail head too.

I have only been with groups of riders, and it lends itself, very well to this and has always been good entertainment.

I have not managed the terrible twins, usually because of getting there late and watching someone come a cropper just before my turn and bottling it, but made it quite a few times down the slab often very sketchily.

My favourite bit is just riding through the woods draped in Lichen and moss…Very pretty.

Yes I like it 🙂

i like it, even the blue is (fairly) good.

(might be wrong here, and i’ll certainly phrase it badly) it doesn’t have that ‘winch and plummet’ feel that other centres have, there’s a bit more ‘continuity’, or something.

I think the ‘lack of flow’ that gets touted often is from people having to pedal!.

I think I was just in a bit of a grump about how badly I was riding yesterday. Went round drumlanrig this morning and realised that a red round here is a massive step up my my normal riding (Cannock), that said, rose much better today and really enjoyed myself, there’s less tricky uphill bits there than there is at Dalbeattie and kirroughtree.
I think I prefer roots to rocks too, you know where you are with roots, they’re always trying to kill you, nearly managed it this morning two, my balls are still sore from a tricky bit where I went right and should have gone left.

I felt the same about kirri the first time I rode that tbf, then rode the black a couple of days later and the red again after that, much better after a couple of goes.

I’m going to stop moaning for a bit now.

glad you enjoyed Drumlanrig 🙂 cracking morning for it ! If you go back try the black bits – there are some right freaky roots on that bit !

I did the black loop from the start, not the one at the end, I was flagging a bit by then. I was surprised at how gnarly some of the roots were, one section I walked because I just couldn’t see a possible way down, not in the damp anyway.

And that’s why you like roots over rocks…..Lets face it off piste at the Chase is slippery rooteville in the wet……I’ve ridden with Peaks riders who have struggled with the close proximity of trees and their associated roots but who think nothing of a rocky chute. I too am cautious and was surprised at the erosion levels and evolving of Dalbeatrie when I ride it earlier this year compared to four years ago. Some of the ‘flow’ or speed has therefore been reduced unless you’re used to that sort of trails or an all round riding God 😆
I have my doubts that Kirroughtree will ever be the same again once it’s all been harvested….. As for Mabie, I always enjoy a lap there, can’t put my finger on it as to why exactly, maybe it suits my lack of fitness and is just right before the long drive back home…..
Oh how I wish I was a local to the Stanes……but for now I’ll make do with the Chase, the mud, the roots and the polished glass pebbles 😆