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Heading home this weekend, riding kirroughtree on sat, and not sure what to ride Sunday, never ridden mabie or dalbeattie, any recommendations?
Or something natural, going to be based in ayrshire.
Dalbeattie
Far, far better than Mabie
+1 Dalbeatie
Yep - Dalbeattie is miles better.
Drumlanrig ftw
Bob's right, Drumlanrig is better than either of them. 🙂
I think that there are still diversions in force at Mabie just now so Dalbeattie's probably a better option as you'll get to ride much more of it, if nothing else.
I'll be riding at Dalbeattie on Friday, Kirroughtree on Saturday and maybe Drumlanrig on Sunday with a few mates. Say hi if you see us.
Why choose? Dalbeattie in the morning, Mabie in the afternoon.
I'll be riding at Dalbeattie on Friday, Kirroughtree on Saturday and maybe Drumlanrig on Sunday with a few mates. Say hi if you see us.
We're doing Drumlanrig Friday, Dalbeattie Satruday, Kirroughtree Sunday 8)
Dalbeattie
Dalbeattie
Ae. It's better than all of them put together 😉
Ae? Seriously, or you just messin?
Rode Ae for the first time at the weekend and throught it was very ordinary. It was pissing rain non-stop, and I'm not one to make up my mind on a tail after one ride, but really hard to see the charm of this one.
I did wonder if they cut the trail when the hills were all forested. Riding through miles of logging debris gives a totally different feel to a ride.
Ae = the trail centre that gives nothing back (aka, the worst trail centre ever - Grizedale is a million times better to give a comparison).
Those of you who are all bigging up Dalbeattie have probably not fully explored Mabie in all its hidden off-piste glory. Mabie has some cracking descents, big berms, a jump park, and lots of flowing singletrack. I know you are local, but it also has the double black darkside for those who are core like that. And I guess you have to mention the cafe too, which does a cracking coffee, as well as other nosh.
I do love Dalbeattie too, and Dalbeattie also has a lot of off piste gems too, and some classic sections.
Yeah, maybe Drumlanrig for the win, but for me I love them all in their own separate ways you know? 🙂
Even Ae has its moments and is fab in the sunshine. I guess you have to remember that even on a XC HT like my Caldera, you can do the red, and then climb and make the Shredder a pretty excellent addition to the Omega Man descent. And it has a top cafe too!
Both are cracking rides, but if I had to pick one I'd go for Dalbeattie - if only for the rock features. However, I agree with TFG - you could do both in a day.
Not done Dalbeattie but Mabie's pretty nice even if you stay on the marked trails. Drum is [i]fantastic[/i] but very wheels-on-ground. We're off to Dalbeattie on friday, it sounds just my sort of thing.
Ae... Mmm. Well, not to be too horrible to Ae as it does have its good bits, they're just drowned in the bad- 24km of trail of which at most 10 is worth riding. But because of the layout you've got no choice but to do the full lap. Omega Man was the final straw, after hearing about this amazing final descent discovering that part of it's a fireroad and part of it's a climb and the rest's just plain meh was a kick in the baws really so I left Ae with that in my mind. In no rush to do it again.
Doing 2 in a day makes sense to me, they're not far apart... I did Ae and Mabie as a doubleheader and I'm not exactly a fitness monster.
Northwind - Member
We're off to Dalbeattie on friday, it sounds just my sort of thing.
What time?
May I join you?
Last time I was there it was -15 and covered in crispy snow 😀
YGM. But you'd better not be either a) an axe wielding psycho or b) better than us 😉
Congrats, northwind. Just landed yourself the best guy to show you round Dalbeattie!.
Northwind - Member
YGM. But you'd better not be either a) an axe wielding psycho or b) better than us
a)Used to be known by some of my D`beattie rider friends as Treeshifter 😉
b) Auld age, dodgy knees and a bad back = not better than some but better than others 🙄
PS...usually carry a folding saw 😈
mail replied to.
[url= http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l145/bigjohnskona/Dalbeattie/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ12 ]pic or 2 here[/url]
ha hum.....
Not sure if Northwind's been to the same Drumlanrig I ride on a weekly basis, but I'm quite often 'in the air' at Drumlanrig.
Just cos it's not laid on and obvious doesn't mean that there are no jumps.
Mind you if you're gonna ride the lines almost every one else does (and I don't mean making up short cuts or straight lining sections - which makes my blood boil!!!!!!) then you're missing out on most of it.. The commonly ridden, lower line of the trail (around th root plates etc) misses out on most of the entertainment. I guess most folks just don't look far enough ahead... Their loss!'
If anyone would like a guided session on how to ride the place like a local, I'm sure I could organise something...
I'm doing Ae & Mabie on Saturday.
Hope it'll be good, never been to either.
bangin on - Memberha hum.....
Not sure if Northwind's been to the same Drumlanrig I ride on a weekly basis, but I'm quite often 'in the air' at Drumlanrig.
It's a figure of speech 🙄 TBH I suspect you know that perfectly well.
They are both great but it depends what your preferences are.
Dalbeattie is very technical for a red route and depending on skill level, can be difficult to get any real flow going if your there for the first time. I loved it though - lots of areas to spend some time sessioning and its pretty different than the other stanes in the area (although probably similar to Kirroughree black technically)
Mabie on the other hand is much tamer in terms of technical features but there are some really good flowy sections you can go absolutely hell for leather on - descender bender and the last section before bad step (elavator?) stood out for me.
They are both brilliant but in different ways 🙂
mabie forest is blinding... even better if you know the secret bits 😉
Dalbeattie was lovely this morning.
Anyone off here on the red turner?
geoffj - Member
Dalbeattie was lovely this morning.
It certainly was 😆 Car park was full @ 11 when I rolled up. Lots of family groups out which is just what 7Stanes is all about 😀
Spent a couple of hrs with Northwind and his mates before I had to return home. They then set off to do the route proper 😉
You home yet?
Enjoy the rest of the weekend?
Back at Dalbeattie in the morning. My son (7) is hooked on the blue taster / skills route, so there will be a few laps of that + a loop of the full blue with Mrs J and junior j 2 on the trailer bike.
Should make up for getting blown off catbells this afternoon. Must have been 70mph gusts up there 8)
Sunny weather is getting boring though 🙂
Thanks for the guided tour Trekster! A whole other side to the place that we'd never have even known was there- and such a different character. Lovely. Weekend was very good ta, unfortunately dinged up my ribs worse than I thought in that stupid crash right at the start but that just took some of the shine off, still was a fine weekend.
geoffj - Member
Back at Dalbeattie in the morning.
Magic. Great to see families getting out on the trails. Was just saying to Northwind when when were out and came across a family or 2 that that is what 7Stanes is all about 😆
[url= http://www.steppingstanes.co.uk/ ]I am a volunteer leader with this club and we have kids from 7 -17[/url] Think I could be included in that age group 😆
Northwind - Member
Thanks for the guided tour Trekster! A whole other side to the place that we'd never have even known was there- and such a different character. Lovely. Weekend was very good ta, unfortunately dinged up my ribs worse than I thought in that stupid crash right at the start but that just took some of the shine off, still was a fine weekend.
Cheers.Next time we will do this as an add on;
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[/IMG]+ we can do a `Tour de Mabie and trails in and around. Allow 4-5hrs 😆
You certainly had a good weekend weather wise 😀
Hope the ribs heal soon
I think we might struggle to do the normal Dalbeattie lap after that 😯
We sometimes just do the first half of the route and cut off after Smithland out to Colvend, back in at Barnbarroch and decide whether to head back to trail haed or do a bit more of the route. Only adds another 10mls or so onto the route and is a bit hike`a bike 😆
Trekster - I was staying at Rockliffe the other week and planned to ride along the cliffs to Sandyhills. In the end I didn't have time to do it - do you know if this is a rideable route?
Pretty sure that route is mostly ridable
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4897019047_40d4c79c83.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonralli/4897019047/ ]August 16th[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/simonralli/ ]simon ralli[/url], on Flickr
Very rideable but you may want leg armour for all those thorns - ouch!
Sure is. Bit of a hike`a bike and can be a puncture alley type of ride with all the Gorse lining various bits of the route. A few dry stone walls to climb over 🙄
Castle Point trig point drop;
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trip through the Gorse;
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This is Portling to Rockcliffe direction;
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Thanks, looks v nice.
Was well impressed with that area for a family holiday - our bairn loved it - so will probably be back at some point to ride it.
Garry_Lager - Member
Thanks, looks v nice.
Was well impressed with that area for a family holiday - our bairn loved it - so will probably be back at some point to ride it.
Tourism was reported as being up by 3.5% last year for the area and going by the number of cars clogging up the roads over the past holiday period looks likely to be repeated this year. I know 3 of the local camp/caravan parks were booked out well in advance. Mabie farm Park is reporting increased footfall already for this year. May be the cost of fuel and other things but more people seem to be coming North but not heading straight to the Highlands. D&G may not have the big scenic mountains but there is loads more to explore. I think the area is slowly catching on to the tourist industry thing, possibly thanks to the Stanes project 😆
Last week we did Mabie, Dalbeattie, Ae and kirroughtree for the first time. I really didn't like Dalbeattie although I appreciate going over the bars, smashing my helmet and having a nice imprint on my head for the rest of the week may have prejudiced me. I liked Mabie because it was very rough and natural, K because it flowed and the last Omega man descent at Ae.They all have something different and interesting and I am sure if I can stay on the bike next time at D, I will enjoy that too.