Up for a wedding in the near future near East Otterburn, may as well try and do something fun whilst we are up there...
Never ridden either of these, need something that will suit the wife please. All advice welcome.
She is fine with blue at Llangdegla and managed the red but got a bit bored/tired towards the end (17.5km 374m elev - says strava)
I was thinking about the deadwater trail at Kielder but uncertain how technical the 'features' are on the red. Are there chicken lines around all the difficult stuff? Also (and more importantly) what's the food like??
Dalbeattie
The trails at Kielder are quite straightforward, I would take my wife there. There is a pub in the village that does standard pub food, nothing special but fine the times I have been. There are other better pubs around the region.
I have only ridden Newcastleton trails as part of Kielder 100 and this was a few years ago. Quite nice, more self contained and possibly better as a trip for a novice. Nothing too technical that I can remember.
Actually what about Ae? The red description sounds pretty promising
She was really keen on Glentress blue (not ridden in its entirety) with the smooth swoopyness
Dalbeattie ?
That's only about 2+ hours away on the other side of the country from Otterburn...
Kielder has better trails ( than Newcastleton)..the "Blue" Osprey Trail is a red lacking features ..starts off with some nice singletrack then there is quite a section of forest road (along the forest drive toll) before warming up again on some lovely flowing singletrack.
Deadwater has chicken runs ..but the fireroad to the top is a ballache and the payback is not worth the effort ..turn off onto " Into The Valley " .
Food wise ..the tea room in the Castle is good but not too much in the way of choice ..cant vouch for the Anglers Arms as I have never eaten there..The Boat Inn restaurant is on the side of the Resevoir at Waterside ..the place I would choose is The Pheasant Inn at Stannersburn..consistently good.
There is also The Hollybush at Greenhaugh , The Boe Rigg at Charlton & The Cheviot in Bellingham ..
You could also call in at The Bike Place at the trail head for further route advice ..
Dalbeattie and Ae are hardly local to Otterburn - around 2 hours drive each way. Newcastleton about an hour, Kielder about half an hour. If it needs to be waymarked then Kielder would be OK for you with red and/or blue - blue is gentle, peaceful scenic for most people, red is a bit more hard work and not too technical really (not sure anything warrants chicken lines). Cafe at Kielder is alright, couple of nice pubs en route if you prefer. Thrunton or the Cheviots would be my choice though (both as close as Kielder) and if you're going to drive over an hour for waymarked stuff then heading for the Tweed Valley is an easier drive and offers more variety than down to the South West.
Otterburn is miles from Ae/Dalbeattie etc I'm afraid. You'll spend more time driving there and back than riding. Much more!
Haven't done Kielder in ages, it's on the list for this year, but Newcastleton is decent. If you're fancying a bit of natural, check out athe stuff around Langholm on TrailForks, the locals have been busy!
Thanks for all the advice. Yes have looked at Google maps and discounted Ae & Dalbeattie!
I can't remember what Newcastleton was like, but I remember the stunning views at the top of Kielder. Bog standard trail centre stuff but yeah, nice views.
Its a Kielder from me..
Sorry, I was getting confused as to where Newcastleton was - I had it west of Dalbeattie 😳
Keilder.. whatever the trail is that’s got the boardwalks might be one to avoid (bloody bush?) We took the advice of the bike shop and didn’t do it a couple of months ago. They don’t have any wire on and are apparently very slippy
We did the other red and the ospray trail that was well worth it.
You are only an hour from glentress from otterburn s well...
If she enjoyed the blues at Glentress then I would differ from others and point to Newcastleton. The trails are more flowy than the rough surfaces at Keilder.
And the new extension from the outdoor centre up to the old trails makes a nice starting climb but a great swoopy bermy descent to finish on. Trails now start in the village centre for easy access to pub/food.
The trail with the boardwalk on is The Lonesome Pine / Cross Border route ..which is fine as far as Stairway To Heaven (where the zig zag climb up to where the woodwork starts ..there is a shortcut at this point ( straight over for about 10 yds) which is signposted and links in to some cracking singletrack descent ( Oliver's Oscar leading on to Skydive ) ..but absolutely miss out the woodwork if there is even a hint of dampness..
I would normally suggest doing this route first and then heading over to Deadwater ..for a good day out ..but I'm taking on board what you have said about your better half ..
Vmgscot..that might have been so a little while ago but there has been a lot of maintenance done at Kielder over the last year in particular so they ain't so rough any more ... 😀
So Kielder is smoother now? Specifically on the Deadwater red trail?
Rock smashes are not popular...
Not much love for Newcastleton? I quite enjoy riding there whenever I pass. Good, mostly smooth trails, village centre start with shops n stuff, fun skills area. What's not to like?
Yeah not much love for Newcastleton so far. It's pretty much the same distance (coming from Manchester).
It's a typical red ..with one black feature on Into The Valley which can be avoided..but like I said earlier if keeping the missus happy is the name of the game do the Osprey Trail ( Blue ) it's still very enjoyable particularly the last half ..
Newcastleton was ruined the minute they put the parking in the middle of the village.
I would class the entire thing as a blue route IMO. The only good part of the entire ride is the fast bit before re-entering the wooded area beside Rock UK.
Newcastleton is miles better than kielder!! IMO.
It's often over looked as it not easy to get to and as Mabie, Tweed valley are just up the road and they offer more choice.
It's a hidden gem.
Newcastleton was ruined the minute they put the parking in the middle of the village.
Park for free and have some more trail, and the pubs only 15 seconds away once you've finished. No thanks you've ruined it now....
Errr anyways I much prefer Newcastleton.
Kielder - Lonesone pine route then Deadwater, deadwater isnt technical just flowing, not long after you start (after primrose wood) take the left turn at the junction to take you to 3 dog climb, dont bother going to the top of the mast though, not worth it, turn down when you get to Into the Valley Section.
then you can warm up in the castle cafe afterwards.
Personally ...still prefer taking the right turn at that junction and climbing up the road ..saves having to do the same bit twice if you do the optional loop ..