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My son and I have a three day passout from his mother and his wife to do as many 7 Stanes as we can. Which three MUST we do and which can we leave to'if we get time'. We will be based nr Dumfries and no, there is no way we are fit enough to do an epic marathon of all 7 in 3 days.
Based on where you are staying I would do Kirroughtree, Mabie and Dalbeattie or substitute Mabie with Glentress of the Innerleithen XC loop depending on whether the closures at Mabie are still in place
If you don't want to travel then swap Inners or Glentress with Drumlanrig
If you've got to pick 3 and you're based near Dumfries: Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie and Drumlanrig would be my choice.
You can pootle round Mabie in 2 hours, so could do that if you've got the time to spare.
A on the first day following the drive over (wherever you are coming from), presuming friday. Saturday Drumlanrig in the morning, Dalbeattie in the afternoon, Sunday Mabie and home.
sorry guys.. last time I checked Drumlanrig was not one of the stanes..
Dumfries area.. then Ae, Mabie, dalbeattie and Kirroughtree...
I did 4 stanes in 3 days last year and I was ****ed for the rest of the week...but then again I am an old git... 8)
Mattstreet +1
I found kirroughtree to be a long drive, and at 18mpg, not really worth it. Drumlanrig might not be a stane, but its still a top ride.
Davy-g that's harsh 😉
forge197Davy-g that's harsh
no malice intended Paul... 8) 🙂 I just forgot to insert the appropriate smiley at the end of the sentence... 😯
but then again I am an old git...
I`m old 😛
FOG..the trick is not to beast yourself on the first day, just take it easy and enjoy.
Depends when you are coming up and how much daylight there is but as above Mabie is at most a dawdling 2hrs if it is all open. Harvesting has closed quite a bit atm so keep an eye on the Stanes site.
Kirroughtree is a 1hr drive from Dumfries.
Ae, Mabie, Dalbeattie and Drumlanrig are 1/2 - 3/4hr drives depending on traffic(tractors)
GT is about 1.1/2hr drive from Dumfries.
forge, davy_g and myself are all D&G locals.
If you reckon you are a bit short on fitness I would allow a day for Kirry(black route)if you factor in the 1hr each way driving, 4ish hrs riding, cafe stop etc. Have done Kirry and Dalbeattie in a day so not impossible.
Which three MUST we do and which can we leave to'if we get time'
Marmite situation really, they are not all to everyones taste. I have been riding most of them since before they were Stanes and the only one I would say I dislike is Inners because the first climb wrecks my back and I cannot enjoy the rest which is the best bits!!
Ae. Possibly the one a lot on here dislike most. I enjoy it and try to ride at least once a week if I have time, only live 7mls away. It has that "wilderness" feel and some stunning views. Rewards those who attack it but a drag with tired legs.
Mabie. Can ride there every day.
Dalbeattie. Possibly my next fav = with Kirry.
GT only been a couple of times over the past 2yrs, just got bored of it after my wife worked in Edin for a while and I was riding there every other week. Prefer to nip down to The Lakes.
Well for me your choices are the western Stanes and Drumlanrig, i.e. Mabie, Dalbeattie, Ae, Kirroughtree and Drumlanrig. There is also the little Glentrool loop which never gets a mention, but that is more a loop for youngsters and beginners, and the huge Glentrool loop is maybe an all day 7 or 8 hour epic.
I normally only ever ride one a day.
For me Kirroughtree is just fabulous, and also Drumlanrig too. From the other three, try and get some locals to show you the off piste Dalbeattie, as that can make for a bigger day, although you could combine Dalbeattie and Mabie in a day if you have the legs. That just leaves Ae, and you can combine the red loop with the Shredder, a red level DH track but which is good fun on an HT so long as you dont go for the huge gap jump 🙂 If your son loves a little bit of air time then go for Ae. Mabie is fabulous, but again may warrant some locals showing you a few off piste bits, and it also has the jump park if that is yours or your sons thing.
Either way, you will have an awesome time. Of course you could make the trip over to either Glentress or Innerleithen, but they are fairly slow drives, so factor in the time needed to get there on narrow country roads. If this was me I would prefer to stick to just the Western Stanes and then do the other two som other time.
I know there is also Newcastleton too, but that is not really worth going out of your way for. It is more a place to combine with Kielder.
Davy-g 8) hope to make Mabie on Sunday
I found kirroughtree to be a long drive, and at 18mpg, not really worth it
Not worth it ? I thought Kirroughtree was the best of the lot 🙂
Deffo allthepies - an awesome awesome centre.
@ Trekster... yeah you are old, but bloody uber fit on when it comes to biking... 🙂
@ forge no worries bud see ya there.. you as well simon if you can mange it..
forge..simon is having a bit of a bike mare,any chance you have a spare one he could borrow on Sunday?
FOG..as simon says give us a shout when you are visiting and if free happy to show you round.
Hoping to get these weekend/sunday rides more regular. I work shifts but davy_g & craig can do the organising/leading when I am working.
Trekster - Ive got something for Simon to use he just needs to bring his seat post as it has a lady saddle 🙂 I dropped him a mail to let him know.
Yep - greatly appreciated! 😀