Just sack the whole lot off and do gypsy glen. Bring your snorkel.

If it’s reds then Carl’s Lane, Ho Chi Min, Zoom or Bust and round to Dave’s Trail. Repeat as time-able. All on Trailforks.

Wouldn’t really recommend Ho Chi Min in the wet – few inches of mud and roots galore – i’d also suggest its rather more black than red in the wet too.

Plus i can’t get air so it highlights my own inadequacies…

Surely you jest. Even a lycra wearing card carrying mincer like me can get air on Spooky

OP – given the circumstances, probably limited time etc I’d suggest doing the red marked route. It’s good fun, most first time visitors love it. You’ll be able to add a few wee bits of fun Blue (e.g Berm baby Berm) without spending ages looking for ‘secret’ trails and staring at TrailForks if you feel you’ve got time. Enjoy yourself.

I’d skip Cool Runnings, which is the first downhill and off to the right after the upper car park, the bike park and blue trails, such as Berm Baby Berm which you could loop that as it’s fun and ends up back in the upper car park.

I’ve re-read this and it’s a bit confusing, so…

I’d skip Cool Runnings.

Cool Runnings is the first red route downhill. It starts off a fireroad (which is also part of the red route). It is after the upper car park, the bike park and the start of some blue trail sections.

One of the blue trail sections you’ll pass is Berm Baby Berm. You could loop this as it’s fun and ends up back in the upper car park, where you can rejoin the red route.

Don’t skip BBB or Cool Runnings. They can both be looped and then rejoin the main red or blue trail. BBB and Cool Runnings both start and end close to each other.

Carl’s Lane / Troun Chinh / Ho Chi Min / Zoom or Bust is one great big cracking descent. I’m not local, so can’t comment on conditions but can see how this could get wet. So as above the red + looping in things like Berm Baby Berm/ Blue Velvet etc will be the best bet and should be all fine in the wet.

carls lane/ho chi minh/zoom or bust is great in the wet.

it doesnt get “muddy” in the conventional sense – just a bit of spray from the puddles but im not made of sugar.

the roots are grand just stay off the brakes and keep her upright theres no need to be braking anyway;) its just a flat out blast once your out of the trees.

Only been once so hardly the best informed out there.
I would say that Spooky Woods from the top is a must though – bloody superb.

it doesnt get “muddy” in the conventional sense – just a bit of spray from the puddles but im not made of sugar.

Certainly was when I rode it – roughly rim depth with 2.4 tyres on.

theres no need to be braking anyway

In which case a liberal coating of mud will help to cover the evidence of any code brown moments!

Maybe it drains quickly and you have to catch it just at the wrong time for it to be proper muddy?
Agree that Carls and ZoB are just fine in the wet, and overall linking the 3 together are great and could ideally form part of a 2nd waymarked red route

if you are short of time I would parlay buzzards nest then cycle up the fire road to the start of the spooky climb. You can do the red down to buzzards nest before doing bbb and cool runnings.

Not sure which bits get wet? Can’t be any wetter than the rest of the Tweed valley’s soup?! I think this descent is one of the most flowing descents in the valley. Feed the Pony is better but it’s a hell of a climb. But if you want flow..

The main secret to Spooky, is to pedal like a mother****** and carry all the speed you possibly can. It doesn’t have anything like enough gradient to work properly if you don’t. This is half pathetic, half genius but I quite often stop halfway down and catch my breath so I can attack both parts rather than blasting the top then running out of juice.

I’d sooner go off and do 5yp or something but if it’s a first visit then the full red just makes more sense, and garnish it with extras if you want rather than chopping and changing too much. If you were a #enduro peril seeker I’d say just do b side or zorro, then five year plan, then broon troot or mild peril, then the ponds… But that’s a very different glentress day.