[Closed] 7 Stanes - which to ride in 5 days..

base yourself in Peebles and do them all.

If it were me, i'd stay at The Tontine hotel in Peebles. Friendly sort of place but will be IRO 50.00 a night. The Glentress Hotel will be cheaper but its out of town by a few miles so isolated.

Do Kirroughtree ((hour and a half away from Peebles perhaps) Ae is ok, Mabie is ok too but GT and Innerliethen are the best fun. Forget the rest.

Depending where you're traveling from, I'd do Kirroughtree on the way up

(assuming traveling up the west side of the UK), head for Peebles and do the rest from there.

Inners/GT - Do the Red, but session the blue
Drumlanrig - Red/black
Mabie
Dalbeattie
Kirroughtree -Red/black

The Glentress hotel is good, the food is excellent, I've stayed there a few times.

Inners/GT - Do the Red, but session the blue

What does 'session' the blue mean??
If its do it a few times, really? do the blue a few times!!

Simples......... kirro black and red = 1 day

GT - black, then red twice (search out 'trails' that leave off the main paths and you'll be amazed at how good these are) = 1 day

Inners - XC route x3 = ( if you knew round that area, minch moor, southern upland way etc then there's days of trails up there. Speak to Smee as he knows round there well) = 1 day

Mabie - black then red few times or black and red then pop to dalbeattie for a black = 1 day

Poss Ae for a day, depends how good it is just now( or Whinlatter in Lakes. Same distance from Peebles time wise as Kirroughtree)= 1 day

Session = Practice over and over

base yourself in Dumfries for 3 nights Kirrochtree is a must but do it while you have the legs, then take your pick from Ae, Dalbettie or Mabie, I will throw Drumlanrig into the mix for a very natural feeling trail. then Over to GT/Inners avoide GT on a weekend and check for racing at inners as it fills the car park very quickily.

Try Mawthron of Mabie for somewhere to stay

[url= http://sevendeadlyspins.blogspot.com/ ]do them all on day one[/url] then have four days off?

I'm not too sure you should base yourself in Peebles for the western Stanes. But yeah, these are the best, although i really like Ae but others do not.

And Mabie black is a double black 2 miles worth of silly north shore, so that may or may not be your bag.

[url= http://www.stay-castledouglas.co.uk/ ]the break pad b&b[/url] is well located for around 5 of the stanes, in a town with good facilities, secure bike storage and a drying room, was there last week.

As for which trail to do that's been pretty well covered, not much to add though as Simon says the black at Mabie is 2 miles of woodwork, it's quite something to see if it's not your bag and looks fun if it is.

Great, thanks guys.. Nobody's mentioned Newcastleton - is it not worth doing?

Newcastleton - not really worth the effort IMHO.

Defo stay in the west for:
Day 1 - Dalbeattie & Mabie
Day 2 - Kirroughtree
Day 3 - Ae
Day 4 - Glentress
Day 5 - Innerleithen.

I would base myself in the Peebles area and stay there fir the 5 days.

I would go to GT one day and do the marked trails. On another day I'd do the same at Inners. On the third day I'd go up and round Gypsy Glen and explore GT a bit more. On the fourth day I'd explore the trails round Inners and those used in the Merida. And on the fifth day I'd revisit the ones that I liked the most.

I think shortcut has it right. The only area you may want to think about is swapping Ae for Drumlanrig - they are very very different routes. Ae is big and bermy and has a lot of jumps on the final descent. Drumlanrig is rooty and "old school", with the tracks going through some lovely woods. Depends on what type of riding you like.

Loads of accommodation info here: in the west try www.7stanes.com and on the Glentress/Innerleithen side have a look at www.visisttweedvalley.co.uk
🙂

I definately wouldn't do what Smee suggests - nothing personal, but having just done a weekend of Mabie, Dalbeattie and Kirroughtree they're all well worth it. My itinerary would be;

1. Innerleithen
2. GT Black
3. GT red (or maybe Gypsy Glen - I've never actually done it but has a good reputation).
4. Mabie & Dalbeattie
5. Kirroughtree black.

Have to be fit to do it all (especially Radoggair's multiple laps...) but its worth the effort to do Kirroughtree.

Defo stay in the west for:
Day 1 - Dalbeattie & Mabie
Day 2 - Kirroughtree
Day 3 - Ae
Day 4 - Glentress
Day 5 - Innerleithen.

I think shortcut has it right. The only area you may want to think about is swapping Ae for Drumlanrig - they are very very different routes.

Completely agree with shortcut's inital post and Simon's recommendation of Drumlanrig. Ae's not much cop IMO and Drumlanrig (although not a 7stane) is one of the best centres.

Last weekend I had 3 days of riding in Dumfries area:
Day 1: Drumlanrig red/black loop in the pi$$ing wet, then repeated the first black loop (about 32km in total)
Day 2: Kirroughtree black route including "sessioning" McMoab a few times 🙂
Day 3: Mabie red in the morning, Dalbeattie red/black in the afternoon

I've ridden them all quite a few times now and Kirroughtree's still my favourite, closely followed by Drumlanrig and Dalbeattie (although they're completely different in character). I wouldn't attempt some of the rocky bits at Dalbeattie by yourself unless you're confident though!

For me it would be

Dalbeattie, Kirroughtree Red and black combined, GT Black then red, Drumlanrig black and red combined and then if you've got time Mabie.

whats the gypsys glen? never heard of it..
and I'd stay in the west, mabie dalbeattie and kirroghtree are all good trails, finish off with a day and a half in the tweed valley

I did the red/black on Saturday at Drumlanrig, still rinsing the mud out of my kit 😯

Do a Black/Red/Blue combo at GT, finish on Electric Blue and Brucie Bonus (more fun that Fala) and if you can go for the Blue Velvet without using your brakes.

I am definitely keen to do Kirroughtree, probably the black, but i'm a bit worried about McMoab, specially doing it on my own - surely it hurts loads if you fall off??
Is there a chicken run round it if i decide i cant cope?!

You can miss it completely by staying on the road
As others have said Kirroughtree is ace

Lex

You will be absolutely fine on the Kirroughtree black - I did it without a single scratch, but then I did get lost for half an hour or so due to missing a marker. The black and red is a bit like a figure of 8. You start on the red, then do the black loop, and then finish on the red again. Most of the black is fantastic red grade singletrack, and the black bits are more occasional obstacles which can be walked down. You will see them in advance and at no point will you suddenly find yourself out of your depth and comitted to something that is beyound your capabilities.

McMoab is a huge rock area, (maybe a bit bigger than a football pitch?) but the actual bike route is fireroad at this point, and you can have a quick go on the rocks, but if it too much, you just stick on the fireroad which runs along side the rocks and goes past the insane final chute.

Ae and Drumlanrig would make a good day, as they're quite close together and very different.

I'd do the Ae Line first, then Drumlanrig afterwards as it's shorter (it's well under 2hrs to get round).

The red downhill run at Ae, "The Shredder", is brilliant fun too - lots of big berms and small/medium drops.

[i]Do Kirroughtree ((hour and a half away from Peebles perhaps) [/i]

Google says it's 2 hrs 20 minutes; even with no traffic you'd have to be going some to do it in an hour and a half!

I would (and have) stayed near Dalbeattie to do the western ones, and Peebles for the eastern ones. Driving between the two for individual days sounds like a day of too much driving, not enough riding.

If you want to be near mabie, kirroughtree, ae and dalbeattie then i'd definately suggest staying at barnsoul farm in their wooden wigwam/hut constructions. cheap & relatively civilized.
For glentress and inners i'd suggest http://www.thebikelodge.co.uk, which has been excellent on previous visit or http://www.innerhaven.co.uk - not stayed their yet but it's been suggested and we're booked in this weekend. (booked into the bike lodge too...few of us going up)

lexie

Some good accom on that stanes.com site
heres another option http://www.gorsebank.com/
Also pods at Mabie.
Could list a whole lot more Dfs B&Bs if you wish.

So if you choose to stay in the Dumfries/Dalbeattie/Castle Douglas area it will take you;

1hr to get to Kirry
1.5hr to get to GT/Inners.
1/2hr to Mabie/Ae/Dalbeattie.
3/4hr to Drumlanrigg.

At most trails at weekend sthe car parks are full but it is queit out on the trail generally. GT blue and Spooky Wood likely to be the exception.

I live in Dumfries, off 25-29th. Possibly doing Dalbeattie on 29th & Howgills ride on 24th. If you do choose the "West Stanes" give me a shout for some local treats.

Trekster - mini hijack but I don't have a date yet from when I will be getting access to my bike and gear back in the UK. Am aiming to be in Dumfries, with bike from 12th June onwards. Look forward to a few local rides and maybe with other STWers too.

Simon

I am off 13th - 19th.

Are you planning to organise an stw stanes ride?

I ll be working both the following weekends :cry:but could manage a swap or something for 1 day.

But I will be a gentleman of leisure and free in the week if you are?

keep losing bits of post if I insert commas and stuff?

btw G&G have Genesis bike for hire this year

Well right now I will probably have only done one ride in May, and that is a downhill using a lift from a friend to get me to the sumit near Ronda. So what with dates and not knowing I will have my bike means anything mid June is a bit uncertain.

Cool - those should be perfect dates if you are out riding and dont mind me being in a trying to get bike fit again mode.

I am going to be posting up about a Caider Idris (spelling?) ride on 20th as I am in Wales for the Solstice, then may post up a pre-Peru STW Stanes weekender. I was thinking something like 27th Kirroughtree and 28th Dalbeattie?

I'll post up on a new thread nearer the time once bike and myself get reunited!

Kirroughtree fo sho. and don't get your knickers in a twist about mcmoab. the path over mcmoab is about 200m long, and for the most part very rideable.

as with any trail, there may be sections you're not sure about. open your eyes, use your judgement, and walk a bit if you're not comfortable. The final chute/slab that runs off the rock is a bit steep, but technically very easy. you can walk/ride past this bit too if you want.

or, just stay on the fire-road, and ride 200m past mcmoab, and then stand by the chute heckling the riders at the top.

its nice to be classed as right, if only by a couple of you. Cheers. 😀

to make life more complicated it could be worth trying to squeeze Kielder in there too. Although I have never been it is on the list for sometime this year, a four day trip which is currently looking like:
Kirroughtree, Glentress, Innerliethen, Kielder.

If I was coming from the South via M6 I`d drive/ride in the Lakes.
Most bike shops have route maps ready for the tourist amongst us.
You could depending on fitness take in Grizdale and Whinlatter before heading North. Some cheap independant hostels in Ambleside and Keswick.

Kielder & Newcastleton would make a good day out. Kielder has a new section opening soon. Newcastleton is good if you add some blue and do the last section again by riding back up the hill.

If you are coming North via M1/A1/A 66/69 then Kielder makes sense.

There are a lot of "fit" people around so beware those who reckon you can do 1/2/3 or more trails in a day. Take it easy on day 1 or you may just ruin a good week/end. Seen it happen.

Thanks for all the tips! This is what I think I'm going to do (mostly based on Shortcuts idea)
1) Mabie (Red) & Dalbeattie (Red)
2) Kirroughtree (Black)
3) Ae (Red)
4) Glentress (Red & Black)
5) Innerleithen (Red) and on the way home if i have survived, Kielder (Red).

Thoughts?!

Oh and I'm planning on going at the beginning of June, so if you see a girl on a lapierre spicy say hello!

Lexiekay

Well seems I'll probably miss you as I get back home to Dumfries on 6th June(finally got my flight booked today) but I am sure you are more than likely to meet a good few STW bods up there and will have tons of fun. I'll be doing the same routes but luckily will be having plenty of rest days in between the rides too : )

Oh and for the record I really like Ae but havent ridden it for a couple of years so not too sure which bits are currently open and which have weathered. But I am sure it is still a cracking ride.

Thanks Simon. Fraid thats the only time i can get off work really...

Not sure I'll definitely manage all that riding, but will let you know the results! Oh and enjoy your riding too 🙂

defo sounds like a plan to me. have fun.

The only thing I would change is to do Kirry on day 1 when you legs are fresh if you can do the drive there from wherever you are coming from.

local shops;
http://www.ae7.co.uk/page4.htm
http://www.cycle-centre.com/
http://www.cdbikes.co.uk/
http://www.thebreakpad.com/
http://www.drumlanrig.com/pages/content.asp?PageID=318

I am not working from 25 -29th if you fancy some local(Dfs) company

If you fancy a swim;
http://www.dgcommunity.net/dgcommunity/miniweb.aspx?id=310

Did Dalbeattie on Sunday after not doing it for a while and it was excellent, a fair bit of fire road but trails have eroded into a nice mix of rocky technical sections and we didnt meet a single rider all afternoon. The sun was shining, bluebells in flower, and the beech trees just coming out - nice. Plus the dalbeattie chippy is very good 🙂

Drumlanrig is much better than Ae.

[i]Drumlanrig is much better than Ae. [/i]

I remain to be convinced of this! I'll be riding all Stanes next month, so will have to do some reviews and see how they are not having ridden them or Drumlanrig for a couple of years 🙂

You can easily do Glentrool and Kirroughtree in one day, we did - Dalbeatie was also good fun, but given the distance (to travel) not getting Newcastelton in would not be the end of the world.

Would highly recommend the BreakPad in Castle Douglas, run by a couple of mtb'ers who run the shop at Kirroughtree, stayed there before and not only is the food great, it's relatively cheap, and the have maps of all the trail centres in the dining room so you can plan you days riding. Many great pubs in walking distance of the B&B, and a super store across the road for trail snacks. They also have a wet room and allowed us to store our bikes in their garage.

Will definitely be going back again when the opportunity presents itself.

Update!!

Well thanks for all your tips, I got back yesterday and have to say I had an amazing time.

This was the final itinerary.....

Day one - Kirroughtree Black (yep really good, specially liked Black Craigs I think it was called)
Day two - Innerleithen XC and Glentress Red. Both amazing, the descent from Minch Moor was just so good!
Day three - Drumlanrig Red and Ae. Really enjoyed both, Drumlanrig made a nice change (much more natural than the trail centres), and the Ae descents were really really good
Day four - Dalbeattie and Mabie. Both good, although I think my legs were suffering a bit by then! Also finished off with a session in the Mabie skills park.

So, things i realised from the trip: I'm much more likely to fall off when trying to go uphill! And riding on your own is actually fine - I met loads of nice people, and everyone was very friendly. So thanks 🙂

And finally, I met the mechanics from the GT Race team at Mabie, they offered to get me in to the race enclosure at Fort Bill for the DH yesterday. Sadly i had to be back home for work today so couldnt go. Think maybe i should have called in sick....!