Advice for first timer at Golfie please

I'm far from a regular but have been a few times.

There isn't a main trail head, but most trails go off the same climb in two locations. The main climb starts behind the golf club and is pretty easy to navigate to the top, Trail Forks is your friend here. As for trails, New York New York is probably the best trail to give you an idea of what most thing's are like. After that, Repeat Offender is fantastic and not much if a step up, as is 3g or Dances with Wolves. Then lower down, Flat White & Mega Track get a lot of love but aren't my cup of tea, but Greg Jolliffe's is good. If you want to take it up a notch or 2, Underdog, Hangover and Spanner are also really good.

Parking: There's a bit before the bridge on the road to the golf club but that fills up quick and is frowned upon. If I'm not staying in Inners I park in the main car park in Inners and ride up. 

The café at the golf club does good, reasonably priced food and has a tea/coffee machine. 

Lower Wardell way is the easiest trail and a good place to warm up. I usually go from there into Plan B or the Lower section of Repeat Offender to gauge how I'm/friends are riding. If you don't like these then head over to Inners. Further up the hill Flat White is fairly straight forward. If you want a longer run then New York New York is harder and more typically Golfie. Community service is very much pushing my comfort level.

The climb starts on a fairly gentle fireroad but the bit after the reservoir to the start of NYNY is brutal on a non electric bike, the trails are worth the effort tho. Personal favourites are NYNY, Big Baw, Repeat Offender and Feed the Pony (which is on another hill with another brutal push up and ends at the cafe in Walkerburn, a mile or so along the valley from Innerleithen) Its steeper than it looks on YouTube 

I typically like steep techy trails. I like the downhill trail a lot at Fortwilliam and love Top Chief. But I don’t ride big gaps and jumps.

I normally park at Innerleithen and ride over. It doesn't take long and is just simpler. I have a decent drive up so the other places are often full.

Otherwise I'd echo the above. Both in terms of plan and descents. Its way easier to find your way around now most of the main stuff has posts at the top but still easy to get confused. Worth having trail forks or a route plotted to make life simpler.

I normally start on NYNY. Finish on Big Baw and Feed the Pony because once you are over there you are on your way out and its a long ride back round. I love a bit of Lone Wolf and repeat offender so will often throw those in. I don't find the number on trailforks all that informative for the grades. I suppose it depends on what you like. Weirdly I also find community service a bit trickier than the other I normally ride. I did mange to bounce of a tree last time which didn't endear it to me ;).

Go to the golf club, they are really welcoming to riders. We drop down there at some point mid way to get food and water. Otherwise loads of cafes on the high street but you have to ride out a bit further.

Most of it is steep tech. Flat white is more bike park and Mega track also. Big berms and jumps. Entertaining but not why I go to Golfie. I can't really jump either...

I typically like steep techy trails. I like the downhill trail a lot at Fortwilliam and love Top Chief. But I don’t ride big gaps and jumps.

Megatrack is the only trail with jumps and they're not that big and most can be rolled if you're not sure, steep and techy covers pretty much all of the Golfie but I think Wolverine, Waterworld Underdog, Avalanche and 2nd Base are all orange graded on trailforks, never ridden Avalanche but the rest are definitely a challenge for me. Underdog and 2nd Base have very steep sections but aren't too bad for the most part

No parking right at the trailhead but it's only a short rider from Inners, going back to the isn't especially easy. Loads of cafes etc in Inners but again not an easy mid ride stop off. Avoid Flat White IMO but NY NY and others from the top are great

Went for 2 days back in May. Was my first time there and I absolutely loved it.

Don't have enough experience to give you any guiding tips really but the stand out (well ard) tracks of the weekend for me were probably Wolverine, No Social, and also Mega Track (for the jumps).

Incredible place 

Full wardell way is one of my favourites for the moment you pop out the trees. 

Downloaded trail forks off the back of a similar thread on here when I went for the first time. If you haven't already got it, it's well worth it.

I've been loads of times and still can't remember any of the names apart from Flat White and Feed The Pony. If you have time to do both, I would although its a fair schlep out to FTP and away from some of the other trails. Flat White is just a grin inducing roller coaster.

Because you are going to be mostly doing the same climb, we prefer to schlep all the way to the Wolves first and get the biggest climb out of the way, plus its a great trail and a long one, while you are fresh.

That whole hillside feels kind of similar (in agood way), with varying degrees of difficulty, apart from Wardell Way which is unique and possibly my favourite, make sure you do the lower too.

Flat White also feels different so you should probably do that. 

Same for Big Baw, round the back of the resevoir. Climbing back up from there leads you to the area above the road out of town, which again feels different again and steps up the steepness!

If it's your first time, save FTP for another day.

And hire an e-bike if you don't have one 🙂

Well - i rode at Golfie today. Thanks everyone for the advice. I parked in town, yes it’s an easy pedal up to the golf course. I rode NYNY, Repeat Offender, lone wolf and wolverine (and middle/lower 3G on the way out). Oh my goodness - wolverine/lone wolf is as superb a trail as I've ever ridden. And what an incredible spot. It’s years since ive driven through peebles. And ive never been in Innerleithen. When the sun shines, it is the most wonderful of places!