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Been getting the gf into mtbing over the last year and she had been doing well. We've done Glentress Blue a number of times including once in the snow and had a successful venture to Carron Valley. The biggest challenge was getting her standing up off the seat. She was starting to get it and leaning the bike in through corners. However, after a fairly meaty fall on the last jump of Good Game (with quite a bit of unintenional air time), her confidence was knocked. But to be fair to her, she got up and finished off that little bit of blue that goes the other side of the main road. We have been back since and she was doing ok but saying one leg was really sore from standing up on the bike coming downhill. I'm sure that's just building the muscles.
Anyway..she's saying she wants to try somewhere else as we've done Glentress quite a lot. However, I don't think that throwing her into a averagely difficult red will be benefical as it may adversely affect her confidence. I think it's more a case of working on the basics on something she finds relatively comfortable but still has the fun factor.
Does anyone have any recommendations for either harder blue trails or easy reds that are within driving distance of the central belt of Scotland? Or even natural hill routes outwith trail centres?
Much appreciated in advance.
If you skip Pennels Vennel and the Pie Run then Glentress Red is as easy as they come.
Mabie Forest is pretty mellow too, with the exception of the Bad Step my wife can ride all of it.
Also if you are near Glasgow try Cathkin Braes. Its only a short track so not worth a long trip, but it packs in lots of optional techy bits that are good for building up confindence
Glentress is the easiest of all the reds in the seven stanes IMO, it's only a red cos of the distance/length. The others are all rougher/trickier in places.
You can cut the red quite a bit shorter by skipping the climb to the top of spooky woods, or by cutting out other sections using the blue.
A good tip would be start with a run of berm baby berm before starting round anything, you want the first off road to be fun and easy, let her get used to the bike/trail, get some confidence.
EDIT: or to do as rich suggests, you can start with the blue to skip PV, or you can climb to the top of it, continue along the fireroad then either up to the top of spooky or skip that too.
Glentress is harder than most places for beginners because of the climbing - the blue there would be at the harder end of trail centre blue routes for this reason. GT red is ok for beginners technically, but migth wallop them if they're not yet used to the climbs.
Mabie red is relatively flat (just small hills) and flowing - I think that would be a good choice for an improving rider. Dalbeattie is also flattish but quite rocky in places.
For reference - one time we did the end of the red (can't remember the name of the trail) turning right instead of doing Good Game and she found it tough.
Dalbeattie's lovely, I really enjoyed it when I did it - I'd only been biking for a year or two. I did the blue route first, decided it was a bit boring and had a crack at the red. There were a couple of rocky sections that I walked down, but most of it was fine. Mabie was also quite easy.
I keep meaning to do Glentress red again, but I keep chickening out because I once fell off the side of Pennel's Vennel, so tend to stick to the (enormously fun) blue, with a bit of Spooky Wood thrown in.
Mabie might be a good shout. Been there once but cannot remember how hard/easy it was as it was done on a five day 7Stanes tour.
Will suggest it and see how it goes.