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Heya
[url= http://email2.travelodge.co.uk/superbreakedinburgh/ ]TRAIN AND HOTEL DEAL[/url]
i was going to do this deal for a long weekend..
never been to Edinburgh before
want to hit up some TMB trails
anyone know the closest trail centre/Trails to Edinburgh?
CHEERS
Glentress if you want a purpose-built trail centre
but if you are coming on the train beware Glentress is something like 40 miles away with no train to it.
Closest trails to Edinburgh are the pentlands - easy riding distance and while good not really the sort of trails you travel for
Train to dunkeld and ride loch ordie route or to Blair Athol and ride Beinn a ghlo? Stirling for Dumayat?
take a spin on the coastal path with a train back (fife or east lothian)
Not used them (or connected to them), but have noticed these guys who will transport the car-less around from Edinburgh to where ever you want to go;
It's only 25 miles away, about an 1h 20 mins at a reasonable pace, to ride there, not the most fun route ever but quite satisfying to ride there round red/black or bit of both, then home.
But then the pentlands in pretty much on Edinburgh's door step.
closest trail centre to Edinburgh?
The whole of Scotland
cowsa - I just checked and you are right. I am suprised. Still 50 miles on the roads plus a lap of GT is a lot of riding
Whilst it is satisfying to ride to, round and from Glentress, depending on bike choice it can be brutal. I did it years ago on a 6" Giant AC with a 22:32:Bash set-up. Not much fun, mainly from trying to keep in some sort of aero-tuck on the road to not feel like a sail, whilst spinning out on a few road sections.
You may well find someone able to give you a lift on here - I have posted threads/comments to that end when I had no car, and met some good friends who were willing to pick up a random bloke off of the internet... 😯
Edit: "a few road sections" not "most road sections". Who am I trying to kid...
if you can do 2 lots of 25 miles over a fairly large hill at 19mph on a bike suitable for black runs, and also do those black runs in the middle, consider me impressed!
yes, would imagine a 6" bike on the road to glentress would be less than fun, an xc hardtail is a little more pleasant.
Although 1 lap of red (or black) is nothing, I used to work with a guy from New Zealand, who rode to glentress (from Edinburgh) did three laps of the red and when offered a lift home said "you don't get hard by being soft" and pedaled off up the road!
That's something to aim for!
I used to work with a guy from New Zealand, who rode to glentress (from Edinburgh) did three laps of the red and when offered a lift home said "you don't get hard by being soft" and pedaled off up the road!
What you didn't realise is that he probably had the car parked outside the pub in Peebles and drove home after a few pints and a curry.
I haven't opened the link in the OP, but it's perfectly [i]possible[/i] to ride to GT or Innerleithen from Waverley and do a lap or two before returning, especially at this time of year. That said the road is full of idiot drivers if you go via Peebles and I don't think it's particularly worth the risk. Alternatively you can ride down the back way which has more climbing but better roads for riding. Also, I did a mixed on road/off-road route to ride a lap of GT and Innerliethen reds (but riding out to Gala, rather than back) on the cx bike a couple of years ago, which makes light work of the route down, but is a killer on the wrists towards the bottom of Innerleithen. I was knackered by the end of the day, despite the distance not being that far I never rushed to do it again. If the roads felt less like every car/pickup that comes past is liable to do something life-endangering I'd recommend it, but not otherwise.
I wouldn't cycle to Glentress down the A703 if you gave me a golden pig*
(* great expression stolen from someone on this forum - I intend to use it at every opportunity).
There is an offroad route linking edinburgh to glentress, have a look at google maps and it's relatively obvious. Really depends on how epic you like your epics though.
Riding down the A703 wouldn't particular bother me, however 25 miles there and back on a mountain bike plus whatever trail riding you did while there would add up to a very long and tough day.
I've a vague recollection of someone mentioning some kind of bike-bus service to Glentress from Edinburgh and a quick google found Go-Where.co.uk who seem to do that (and just noticed that someone else on the thread has also mentioned them).
Check out this service too - MTB liftshare, a good solution for those that either don't drive or want to share petrol / journeys.
Can you not grab a train to Dumfries and ride Mabie/Dalbeattie from there? I've never done it but figured they were easily accessible.
+1 for Mabie being very accessible from the train. Did it years ago as a student - short easy ride out from Dumfries town centre.
You can easily ride from Dumfries to Mabie. I've investigated Edinburgh to Dumfries by train. It either is pricey and needs pre-booking (by taking the main line to Carlisle) or lengthy (go via Glasgow and take the local to Dumfries) And forget it on a Sunday...
Train to Falkirk, Stirling or Cumbernauld or somewhere round there (have no idea on trains from Edinburgh) and ride to carron valley
Train to Perth, kinoul hill if you want some little downhill action
2nd pentlands though seems silly to get train or ride for miles when it's on doorstep