We’re off up to D&G next week (staying near Dalbeattie). F&L Scotland website lists a few diversions for the trail centre trails and TrailForks lists a lot of closures still on the off-piste stuff – is this a pretty accurate reflection of the current conditions on the ground?

Any suggestions of off-piste trails in the area not to be missed (and clear!) and / or some interesting local XC routes.. either for tech or views!

I did Google, but most of the results pre-date the storms of the last 12 months.

I went to Dalbeattie at the end of August. From what I could tell the east side of the forest is knackered with loads of diversions to the trails while the west side was OK. We stayed in Sandyhills so I rode up one of the bridleways and joined the trails about half way round.

Saw some interesting looking trails crossing the main trails but couldn’t comment on those. I also found the diversion was that well sign posted so freestyled it until I found another main trail sign. The only other thing is don’t ignore closure signs, it’s not just a couple of trees down, there’s vast swathes of them!

Cheers @Paul-B .. yes, we were up in Aberdeenshire in July and some of the scale of devastation was crazy. There were some trails rideable which were still marked as closed on TF.. so hoping similar will be the case for D&G. Just need to work out which!

Basically at Dalbeattie everything seemed OK from the trailhead to the end of the twin slab section (right at the bottom if you look at the map). It was the trip back round to the trailhead from that point where the main issues were.

We did Mabie and Ae a couple of weekends ago, Mabie red (official) was fully open and Ae red had one short diversion in place but was mainly open.

Dunno about off-piste, but we did a 33km loop up from Durisdeer round Daer reservoir that was good old-school XC, mainly shooters tracks so naff all tech but a really enjoyable ride.

Dunno about off-piste, but we did a 33km loop up from Durisdeer round Daer reservoir that was good old-school XC, mainly shooters tracks so naff all tech but a really enjoyable ride

That is a good loop!  I saw someone had been round it on a gravel bike recently – which must have been fun on the land rover tracks over the top of the hill!  There is a way to create a monster loop there that takes in Ae and the Beattock forest block.  But probably better as a gravel loop than a MTB one.

Dalbeattie has harvesting ongoing to clear some of the wind blown coupes.  They have made some efforts to open the trails but there are still quite a few diversions in place.  The off-piste has been quite badly hit in places, I’m not sure quite how it has all fared.  Mabie is open, but there has been harvesting and wind blow damage to a lot of the off-piste there too.  Some of the best stuff has been completely destroyed.

we did a 33km loop up from Durisdeer round Daer reservoir

That is a good loop!

Is that this one?

That’s it. There is a way to make it slightly longer and add an extra climb and descent.

Yes, but I think it’s better the opposite way round (clockwise rather than anti) – the major climb comes later but means you get a bigger downhill to finish.

I was up the week before last, as above, locals said a lot of trails were gone at Dalbeattie. But the off-piste they showed me was amazeballs.

Mabie off-piste clear-felled, trail centre still ace though.

Ae off-piste running well (but may be wet by now). Check out Blue Rum (if you use Trailforks).

Is drumlanrig still dead? Is any open?

Last I saw/heard, Drumlanrig was all still closed – so their own website said.

Yes, but I think it’s better the opposite way round (clockwise rather than anti) – the major climb comes later but means you get a bigger downhill to finish.

If you park at Morton Castle (and want to make it all a bit longer obviously) you can add a climb up past Kettleton Reservoir and then descend either the same way at the end or descend off the tops a couple of ways and return to the castle via the public road.

we did a 33km loop up from Durisdeer round Daer reservoir
That is a good loop!

Is that this one?

Thanks for that, one to try when I finally get to move there.

@chakaping that sounds promising.. any chance of chucking a couple of GPXs my way if you recorded the rides? Ta!

@alanl pmd you about that.

Kirroughtree is ok

We did Mabie on Friday, Kirroughtree on Saturday and AE on Sunday. Conditions on the official trails were great.

Mabie was great, my first time at Kirroughtree – IMO a pointless place, no flow. Ae was good fun and very pretty in parts. Omegaman is a bit beat up these days – not been for about 15 years.

In Dalbeattie the section at spooky Wood and Jacobs ladder is still totally covered by fallen trees and has diversions round on the fire roads.
The forestry seem to have been really busy this week on repairs to the rest of the trails, I guess because the hardrock is this weekend.
Interestingly there was a big pile of broken boardwalk they were piling up near the trailhead, looked to be the stuff that used to be just after the qualifier section right at the start of the trails which has been closed for years due to damage. Decided to keep out of way rather than investigate but hopefully means some new stuff is going in.
Also a pile of sub base which they seemed to be putting around the trails filling in some of the worst holes in the fire roads.
As a warning if planning to use the core path to colvend there is still a big section which has been resurfaced with big lumpy rocks for the logging trucks which yet to bed in properly. Ok for adults but is a real slog with family.

Are you sure you’re not mixing up Ae and kirroughtree? I thought it was the other was round for flow or lack thereof…Ae always seemed hard work for the amount of reward! It has been a while though

Kiro is old school xc needs effort it’s not winch n plummet

I’d highly recommend hitting up the trails at Moffat
All off piste and really good trails

I had a few hours at Moffat as well, really good trails but that climb was getting old by about the sixth time.

How’s it hold up in the winter? Seemed a bit sketchy when I was there after some rain.

Thanks for the feedback.. will check out Moffat too.

Drumlanrig is sort of open, but IMO not worth the drive at this stage (and it’s only an hour away from home for me). large swathes of forest are still down and blocking the trails, the black is just about all knackered and some of the diversions on the red are tenuous at best. I was there about 3 weeks ago and took loads of dead ends and had a few sections hikeybike – glad I have a light ebike 🙂 Rik and the team are working hard to get it cleared though so it may be a bit better now.

Kiro is old school xc needs effort it’s not winch n plummet

Agree, but I do think the return on the black (from Black Craig) has a lovely long spell of techy, flowy singletrack.

Short travel bikes or hardtails needed maybe?

IMO kirroughtree has absolutely tons of flow but it’s that sort of awkward-flow, like a river flowing down a staircase. When you manage to link it up- and if you’ve got the fitness to do the long up-down sections like talnotry hill, which I occasionally do- then it’s got the most connected feeling I’ve ever had on anything that isn’t a bermy snake.

Likewise mcmoab is a frustrating stop start til suddenly it isn’t, and any time I’ve managed to join longer bits together- even if just by taking a breather before the big whaleback big so I can ride it smooth and clean and fresh- then it’s just been incredible.

Kirroughtree was always my fav 7stane, it prob helped that I stay within 30mins of getting in the car to riding the trail. Not rode it since 2014 though and never will again but it’s the perfect trail for SS. 1hr 57m was my best ever time for a blast round, these days it takes me that long to get from the living room to the bathroom…….perhaps a tad hyperbolic 😉

Another one here that doesn’t understand the Kirroughtree not flowing comment.
Was always my favourite TC when I used to ride TC’s
Ae was also my least favourite as it really was stop start with no reward.

TBH Ae’s just the wrong shape, if it were all tied into a smaller less spread out loop it’d be a much better lap. I think it ran into some issues with planning or budget when it was first built?

OTOH it’s a really lovely forest in places, and the offpiste there is bloody brilliant.

Ae always felt to me like it’d been roughed out by machines without any thought and never finished.
I need to go back and try the off piste that keeps getting mentioned but it always gets bypassed for places that don’t have negative memorys for me.

I think trail centres of old really are so much better ridden with a dropper post, helps maintain flow.

Maybe it’s just me with Kirroughtree, but to be fair the other guys I was riding with kind of thought similarly and they were raving about it before we went. They loved it when they rode it years ago.
I just found it boring really, just not my cup of tea I guess. It was technically challenging but didn’t have to “woohoo” factor. I like the winch & plummet style of Ae, some decent little jump lines too. As said above, some parts of Ae were looking really pretty, a bit fairy grotto!
I’m probably still in bikepark uplift mode I suppose.

Maintaining momentum is key to getting the most out of Kirroughtree and it definitely gets better with more skill/fitness. It used to absolutely burst me the first few times I rode it and I can see why some folk don’t enjoy/get it.

I must be unskilled and unfit 😀

Ha, I’ll see how we go and report back with the definitive (😜) answer.

Most trail centres were built in the era of XC geometry etc. – modern bikes with modern geo, suspension and fat, sticky tyres are bound to dumb things down rather (maybe the reason why off-piste is now more popular in a lot of places). Skill levels also improve with time – I remember exhilarating rides down bits of CyB 10 years ago… now, not so much!

I wondered what the fuss was about with Kirroughtree the first time I rode it, but as I was staying with the family in Carsluith it was my only option. Second time I drove to the red/black junction and was blown away by the descent from talnotry to the end. Then I went back and rode the red again and it all clicked.

not been able to go back since but would love to.

frogstomp
Ae. Northwind and SS Stu hit the nail on the head. Lots of planning issues and by the time they got there were out of project time and money so it was scrape and make as best they could. Lasted 20yrs tho a bit rough around the edges on an auld school bike.

If you can make it out on a Tuesday night(with lights or hire from shop)you can join the shop night ride for a guided tour of some interesting trails. Drop in and speak to Callum or Frazer or give them a call. Groups start going out @6pm, the Enduro guys, sometimes 2 groups, sometimes 2(slow group!!!)

Durisdeer loop is good both ways. Depending on how big a ride you want you could et the train from Dumfries to Sanquhar and ride back via the Southern upland Way(various options)

To build on Mabie have a look on Trailforks for Shambellie and Troston and a route up and down to the monument above New Abbey.

Coastal path fro Sandyhill to Kpford is a good ride and can be made into a big loop, not technical but awesome scenery if you are on holiday.

I picked up a new bike in Dalbeattie last week and rode home to the other side of Dumfries using road and forest track, 40mls.

” I remember exhilarating rides down bits of CyB 10 years ago” I was there for the opening and then again on a trail building course with Daffyd