Last time I was at Glentress I rode down thunderstruck for the first time. I remember thinking as I was going down it that it would serve as a good introducing track to slightly steeper off piste. I enjoyed it anyway.Â
If you got to the Golfie you can't go wrong with New York New York, Repeat Offender, Wardell Way, Flat White. There's not as much at Glentress but Zorro and Thunderstruck are good fun and not too hard. I'm not aware of anything new at Inners, You've probably ridden Angry Sheep and Green Wing, still good fun.
Not sure golfie is the best place to ease into things. There are some easier trails but it's mostly steep technical stuff.
For a couple of hours I'd go to GT. There is the main stuff and off piste a plenty. Also lots of fun bits at the bottom that they built as part of the world champs development. Try and get an hour or so on that when I go up for the weekend.
Not much rideable at Yair currently. Felling still under way.
As much as I have a fondness for Glentress I much prefer the Golfie now. The trails I mentioned are rideable for most if you have a fairly modern bike and aren't in a rush. The likes of NYNY and RO can be tiring if you're not used to longer off piste trails but just pull over and take a minute. The fashion for steeper, tighter berms can be a bit intimidating if you're not used to them.  Compared to Glentress it's fairly easy to navigate and put together a fun ride at the Golfie, Glentress takes a bit more effort to piece together the best bits.
What are the climbs like at the Golfie? It's a 6 hour drive for me to the Tweed Valley and I'm not sure how many laps I'd survive.
It's pretty much all on forest roads, unless you go up to the old reservoir then it's a rougher 4*4 track. We usually do one big climb followed by one or two smaller ones. So for a 2 hour ride we might go up to NYNY, then back up for Flat White and finally the bottom of Repeat Offender or Final Fling.
The climbs are boring as but there's nothing too steep or painful apart from the occasional short section.
That's some good ideas, thanks. Sounds like some stuff I'm familiar with at the golfie @stevenmenmuir - in the old days I'd often start with something like your suggestions then down jawbone/big baw, up to no social to scare myself and feed the pony to finish at the café so good to hear some of that still exists. Pretty sure Wardell way is new to me but see rough location on strava. Also green wing and angry sheep would be normal starters on the Traquair side.
At Glentress, I've done thunderstruck and would do again - anything above that from the mast down that general direction? Is trail fairy plan(?) still there? (A steep one from the mast - can't remember names 100%) And anything down from the fort to Peebles nowadays? Used to head down those fairly often and were a bit different. Or lower down on the hill near the buzzards nest/ new forest lodges - have the few bits there been obliterated? They were always handy links.
Thanks for the heads up on Yair @PaulMcG really liked riding there but had seen there was extensive storm damage/felling so thought I'd likely miss it this time round.
There's not as much at Glentress
There's more than enough off piste/unsanctioned stuff at Glentress than most people could manage in a day BUT its quite tricky to make into a ride if you don't know the place very well, most of it is around the far flung parts of the black route. The Golfie is easter to navigate but definitely a step up in difficulty/ and a fair bit steeper on the whole, the climb top the top from the reservoir would be a proper slog for me on a non electric bike these days as its basically a fireroad coveted in loose rubble
If you're at GT with the kids then makes sense to stay there. B-Side or one of the trails off the mast (range from steep to flat out like Ho-Chi-Minh), Thunderstruck, Careless Whisper etc and those around that side of the forest...
Inners (dh side) is in Super Crumbly mode right now, which is fine if you like that sort of thing but the lower slopes especially are all marbles.Â
I really like the GT offpistes, the stuff off to the northwest. They mostly hit that ideal spot of being fun and interesting without actually being very hard, and being less steep means you're not blowing away an hour of climbing in 16 seconds like at the golfy.Â
If you go to the Golfie you'll find the trails that you've ridden before have changed quite a bit due to felling works and maintenance. Big baw and feed the pony have had a lot of work as has Lone Wolf.
That sounds all good everyone, thanks. With the suggestions and Strava combined I think I've got a rough idea for Glentress which probs isn't too far from what I'm familiar with, and sounds like the Golfie will be fairly self explanatory - assuming there'll be demand for ice cream I'll maybe sneak a ride in then. Forecast suggests there may be a big of rain to dampen down the dust - currently on a dhf front/ardent race rear which should be entertaining enough.
I was at Glentress the other day. Did zoro, thunder struck and careless. All running really well, nice and dry without being too loose.Â
Download trail forks. It was recommended to me on here, it's absolutely invaluable for GT and Golfie. Works really well and it's worth having even for just one visit there.
If you've bit done it before, then wardell way is not to be missed.
Who comes up with the names at trail centres ? Feed the pony was that Jay from the Inbetweeners?
I think Feed the Pony is so named because it ends up in a field where horses are kept. In comparison to some of the others it seems pretty reasonable.
I think Feed the Pony is so named because it ends up in a field where horses are kept. In comparison to some of the others it seems pretty reasonable.
Where's the best place to park to access the Golfie trails? I imagine it gets pretty crowded.Â
Can you get back to the car mid session or is it miles away?
Best place is on the road out to it- there's laybys and the public car park at the memorial hall. But it gets super busy at the weekend and is often full of people parking like ****s Innerleithen trail centre car park is the most reliable, it's obviously further away but it's all flat and easy.
It's not the best venue for getting back to the car- the main climb starts at the golf course, or you can pedal in on the walker's path that leads round the side of hte golf course, but it's always a wee bit of a slog and means dropping right to the bottom of the hill. There's trails that lead all teh way down but most times when you'er riding there you stay a little higher. It's not a disaster but it always feels really annoying, getting back to teh trails takes just enough effort to feel like a personal attack.
We often park at the Hall St car park but best get there early. It's handy for coffee at No 1 or ice cream at Caldwells. There's also the car park on Leithen Road although it's usually full of vans but as Northwind says plenty of parking at the roadside between the car park and the golf course, especially near I Cycles. The golf course cafe are very welcoming, be sure to pop in for refreshments.
Thought I'd jump on this thread rather than start another ...
A bunch of us are off to Golfie next weekend. We've full days riding Fri/Sat, and I guess a decent part of Sunday.
I've never been, and suspect I will be out of my depth / comfort zone, especially on the steeper stuff, and I'm tail-end Charlie on skills/confidence with the group I'll be riding with.
What are the mellower trails at Inners and Glentress to look out for?
How does it hold up / ride in the wet (it's looking like a fair bit of rain next weekend ... So, steep and greasy and rooty is increasing my apprehension!)
Are there any 'big ride out into the hills' options as an alternative to laps upon laps upon laps?
Cheers
I think some good advice was given above but in response to the advice I was given...
At Glentress, from the mast area Carl's Lane into Ho Chi Min is about the easiest but still fun and quite different to the steep stuff in the trees. Probs hardest/steepest from the mast is B side/Trail Fairy Plan, everything else in the middle. From the far reaches of the black Cocknostril is long but not especially crazy. Thunderstruck as mentioned above is is good taster going out that way, not hugely sustained. Zorro returns is good and less intense than the higher bits. Fairy liquid likely filthy in the wet (and tends to be wet) but otherwise fits criteria. Careless Whispers I find the tricky bits really hard but think I'm odd in that respect. Ponduro short and steep (and may be affected by current felling).
Can't give any up to date info on the Golfie or Traquair options as my trip ended up sticking with Glentress and an excursion down to Melrose to revisit the Borders General. Think the advice for Flat White, Repeat Offender, NYNY generally give you Golfie starters from the easier end and straightforward to navigate/loop and expand from there. Angry Sheep/Green wing likewise on the other side but I never knew where anything was lower down - could probably never repeat the same route down as they merge/diverge all over the place.
Natural rides - Gypsy Glen up from Cardrona is one but best on a good day not a wet one/after a wet spell. SUW from top of Traquair/Innerleithen red along to Yair/Bowhill is another but sounds like Yair affected by forestry works (and looks that way from the valley).
