[Closed] 7 Stanes Ideas

Dumfries is the town most in the middle I would think, you can easily drive to Ae, Dalbeattie, Drumlanrig from there. However Dumfries itself is a toilet (sorry) and there is much much more riding in the Tweed Valley. So it might not make much sense on a map, but stay in Peebles or Innerleithen are and ride to the trail centres, then you can day trip to Drumlanrig and Mabie/Dalbeattie if you run out of riding in the Tweed Valley. Most folk either love or hate K'tree, I have never considered it worth the long boring drive, but if you really must then swing by on your way home.

If you've ridden Afan and Cwmcarn then you won't be out of your depth - some of the trickier bits might be a challenge but that's part of the fun. If you're going for five nights it might be better to split it and have a couple of nights in Peebles for Glentress/Inners then transfer across to do the south-western stanes (or vice versa).

I'm a big Kirroughtree fan so would definitely argue that it's worth the extra drive over there, though some of the best bits are closed at the moment so best check what's open nearer the time. If you're going to miss any of them, Ae is probably the one to skip IMO, unless you really like freeridey stuff and want to session the last downhill - the rest is not bad but lacks character and is a drag in places. Save Drumlanrig for a dry day if possible as those roots get a lot trickier in the wet.

I can heartily recommend [url= http://www.gledeknowe.co.uk/ ]Glede Knowe[/url] B&B in Innerleithen – lovely place to stay, very bike friendly (we go there every year), and there’s the Traquair Arms just down the road. You’ve also got Edinburgh 30 miles away if you want to do the touristy thing.

Trail centre-wise, you’ve obviously got Innerleithen red on your doorstep if you fancy a bit of a challenge, and it’s about a 10 minute drive to Glentress, which is fantastic for bikers of all abilities (in my opinion! :P). Lots to do at Glentress – the blue is really good fun as well as the red. Some people have said that the black isn’t really any harder than the red, it’s just long, but I’ve not done it so I don’t know how true it is. There’s also the skills and freeride course if you fancy a bit of a play.

Mabie, Ae and Dalbeattie are all less than two hours away – I’ve not been to Ae, but I found Dalbeattie to be far more entertaining than Mabie (which was a bit dull, but I’ve heard they’ve done a lot to it this year). And there’s lots of non-trail centre riding too, although given that I have negligible map reading skills it’s not really something I’ve explored.

You could easily spend all the time riding in the Tweed Valley, both at GT/Inners and 'natural' - we do, we live here 🙂

eip - happy to guide you for a day in the hills

Uplift day at inners is much fun!!!

However Dumfries itself is a toilet (sorry)

The advice on a 2 centre stay over is a good one, couple of days in Peebles and the other 3 in D&G.

Dumfries is 1.5hrs from Peebles.

Mabie, Ae, Drumlanrig and Dalbeattie are all within a 1/2hr drive from the Dumfries area depending on where you choose to stay.

http://eat-sleep-ride.com/mountain-bike-map

Kirroughtree is a 1hr drive from Dumfries therefore not the best one to leave till last. The black route at Kirry is a much better route than either Inners or GT imo 😉

When people come to this or any forum asking for advice on which is the best trail you will always start a debate(the same one! )

There are as many hill routes in D&G as there are in the Borders if you can read a map. D&G trail centres do not have as many "local" rouites as they have over in the Borders due to most of the forests being smaller and boggier ❗ To find "local" routes you need to hook up with a.....local 💡

I think I should emphasise what other posts have implied: give Drumlanrig a shot as well as the 7 Stanes. It's lovely! It's close to Dumfries so not far from Mabie/Ae/Dalbeattie.

I agree that if you want to cover both Glentress/Innerleithen and the western Stanes then it'd be easier if you split your stay, spending a couple of nights in the Tweed valley and the remainder in Dumfries and Galloway.

Try and book one of the wooden yurts on the campsite at Glentress? The riding is then right outside your door. The yurts themselves are nice and warm.

Thanks a lot for all the advice, Looks like we will look to split the trip up into a two centre one.

Thanks

Dave

Thanks a lot for all the advice, Looks like we will look to split the trip up into a two centre one.

Thanks

Dave

We have had to cancel our trip to Glentress this weekend so there's a lodge now available for Fri 14th and Sat 15th Sept if any use to anyone (that we'll get a refund for if anyone else has it!). So if you want a trip to Glentress but couldn't get booked in, there's on available at least for now.

Website: www.glentressforestlodges.co.uk
Tel: 01721 721 007