Was at GT today and went to new facilities which are first class warm and clean. HOWEVER
the new cafe 😮 well !!!
@ food was good but not the same as the old hub
@ people serving were dour not really friendly but polite enough
@ not enough staff only 1 on the till and 1 serving … tables were littred with used dishes no real attempt to clean up
@ No atmosphere no music ( doesnt need to be loud ) but background level..

Car park was a joke especially if you wanted to use cafe or visit the shop.. you have to leave you car with bikes on the roof 400metres away up a hill near the trees out of sight, “just what the thief ordered”
we had to take bikes to the cafe after we got changed (bikes were dirty) so clean clothes got dirty Cos we wouldnt leave bikes out of sight
I wonder what brains of britain designed the cafe shop car park and changing facility in those locations ^£6 million and no idea.

dont get me wrong the inside of the facilities are good. location is shite,

in addition all the areas around the facilities are made out of timber decking as is the road crossing Warning signs now displayed ” warning decking slippy “
for christ sake any idiot knows wood is slippy when wet and even slippier when left out for long periods so only goin to get slippier.. not long before the lawyers get involved in the compensation claims!!!!!

yeah the layout of the whole thing is a joke the car park is in the wrong place.Everything is to far away from the carpark.

go to the other place then

I completely disagree, the facilities are first class and certainly better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. You must have ridden the rest of the 7Stanes and the facilities are the best you get with the others are the odd cafe and damp changing room.

The 6 Million wasn’t just for the new cafe, there has also been development of parking and the Osprey watch does this justify the 6mil maybe not but the quality is there and it was a pleasure eating there and listing to the ipod in the back ground (behind the drinks fridge).

As for the wet decking I am pretty sure it says NO RIDING!!!! so that would help prevent you slipping of the damp decking.

The car park is a couple of hundred metres from the cafe and shop. Are all you fit young cyclists so done in by your tough bike ride that you honestly think that’s too far? How about one of you take the initiative and set up a shuttle bus service to save your poor, tired legs?

Did you never have to walk from the bottom car park up to the old hub?

And slippy wood at a trail centre?? Whodathunkit?

I’m afraid I have to agree OP. Hopefully things that can be improved will be.

Still, doesn’t stink of piss though so that’s a bonus!

I haven’t been yet so can’t comment, I thought it was 9 million for the complex, so I’m a bit out of touch.

It might be better than the hub, but is it millions of pounds worth better and could the money have been better spent ❓

EH Guys

wake up and read the post 😀 i said inside the facilities were good DOH just the location !!!!
as for the decking i never said you were riding on it i said it was slippy THAT MEANS FOR THOSE THAT CANT READ “slippy” whether you walk run or ride on it 🙄 and yes who would have thought that wet weathered decking is slippy DOH that is why millions are spent every year by people who have decking trying to make it not slippy 😀

No it doesnt stink of piss – it stinks of sewage. Especially if its rained in the last few days (I guess Ivan is being ironic but thought I’d check!)

Apart from that – I chuckle at how badly thought out it is.

But it is clean, modern and warm. I love the showers. The new car park was designed by a monkey in a cage who has never had to park anywhere busy. I imagine once the hub portacabin carcass has gone the original car parks will re-open. Hopefully.

I May be wrong on cost too 9 million waaaal for that 8O. i think that includes the 2 storey building at the top of the hill which is the forrestry commisions offices oh and by the way that is the building with the nice view

the view through the new big cafe windows is A man made banking ❓ good planning eh

Aye, same criticisms… Cafe still hasn’t got their act together for dealing with any volume of customers, car parking is just plain inadequate but also badly laid out, and the cafe’s in the wrong place.

OTOH… Some of the times I’ve been in the cafe, there’s been way more people there than the Hub could accomodate- it has a lot more seating. So, sure there’s queues but if it had been that busy over in the old shed, I’d have walked past anyway.

I think it’ll come good. In the meantime, let the FC know- they’re aware of parking problems already but it’s pretty obvious that their hopes to grow the place aren’t compatible with having too few parking spaces for the existing custom.

Is this going to be a daily thread . ? 🙄

Thanks for coming out and saying it

It’s is great to see investment and we should be thankful. But

Car parking is way way too small, how did that happen?

The cafe is in the wrong location, how did that happen?

The shower/wcs are really badly planned- 1 cubicle for the blokes, and hippy no flush urinals, and lights whose sensors go out if you are in said single cubicle

Laughable thing is that the buildings are up for design awards

So overall, thanks but it is really badly thought through. All they really needed was a good new toilet block and ‘red run2’
Rather than some souless business plan, architect ego trip led pile of Eco led bobbins. Went on a bit there but really a complaint is a gift and all that…..

why should it be a daily thread it is my opinion on this forum i take it some of the comments have been raised before ?
if you think this dont read it !

i havnt read anything on stw about this before , but i suppose i have a life and am only an infrequent user /reader of the forum 😯 😆

You could always use the forum’s search facility (up there ^^) to avoid future embarrassment.

it wouldn’t really be the same without exactly the same tired ol topics started every day tho.

Maybe a new post every day by different users will bring the issues to the attention of the powers in the flash new headquarters building…..they or the PR people in Edin read/trawl these forums. Used to be a guy called Steve Williams I think?
Not been to the new facilities yet and probably not get over till some time in 2012 but have tended to use the takeaway deli in Peebles for some time now

They also bought all that land east and south east to make way for additional parking (and ensure they were the only hosts in the area)…suspect the cinders aren’t willing to stump up more cash yet to allow more facility to be built…

I have so far said this 3 times on here and have yet to hear a justification from anyone, so I’ll say it again.

Only 1 men’s bog! What brain box thought of that? Especially when most people travel a fair distance to ride there.

Why don’t you try asking someone relevant?

1 mens bog ?

They had more in the toilet block……

Yeah and if you take too long having a dump you end up in the dark, no amount of waving your arms turns light back on 😆

Well I guess the plan was, seeing as there is only one, that you do not take too long. 😆

So overall, thanks but it is really badly thought through. All they really needed was a good new toilet block and ‘red run2’

No – anew cafe was and remains essential. its not just aimed at the mountainbikers.

The new cafe has only just got to run without the competition of the old hub and its a holiday season. So they misjudged the number of staff they needed. I bet they will not make that mistake again,

As for the moans about the leaving your bikes out of sight – common at the old hub as well. NOt allcar parking was within eyesight of the hub

seanodav – that’s just an unofficial warning that you’re taking too long 😀

IMO:

1/ Car parking is inadequate and poorly designed. We visited on the snowy Sunday before Christmas: trails were dead but carpark was full. I predict a riot on a typical spring/summer day. The rows are too close together and spaces too short for a medium-sized van or any decent-sized car with a rear-mounted rack. I had to park the van at an angle to avoid sticking out the space and can see that behaviour hacking off others, especially when the carpark’s busy. Wasn’t a problem when we arrived early but getting out when there were more cars around involved a LOT of forward-a-bit/back-a-bit.

2/ Toilets/showers/changing are very nice and a big improvement. But just the one shitter for blokes? Really?

3/ Can’t comment on cafe/bike shop as didn’t visit – used the “(Vee)’Dub in the Forest” for tea-making afterwards 😀

I’ve eaten twice in the new place, and am judging it mainly on the quality of the coleslaw. First time it was superb, just like the Hub’s. Second time though it was rubbish; mostly just carrot. That’s something they urgently need to sort out.

Well I guess the plan was, seeing as there is only one, that you do not take too long.

seanodav – that’s just an unofficial warning that you’re taking too long

😆

I think the fact that the building isn’t 10x over budget and also that it isn’t sinking into the ground, is something we all have to be thankful for. Also there isn’t a swarm of mutated midgies killing everyone in thier path, yet.

As for the set up not working very well, it works perfectly, the FC get a new HQ at the top of the hill with a great view in a building that is up for awards, I might add!

the one time I’ve been I didn’t need a shite so never even noticed how many toilets there were in the changing block, but one toilet plus urinals seems absolutely fine to me, I’d imagine the women’s changing will have a few too and there’s def also a separate disabled toilet there and I’m sure no-one will mind you using if it’s an emergency! pretty sure there will also be more toilets over by the Cafe too, there are toilets up at the red Squirel car park and 2 porta-loos at the Buzzards.
OMFG!!! now I think of it there are actually far too many **** toilets at Glentress now!!

I’m off to start the daily “FC wasted money on the Peel Centre” thread..

yeah the layout of the whole thing is a joke the car park is in the wrong place.Everything is to far away from the carpark.

But it was ‘designed’ like that, as could be seen on the plans way back.

Had a discussion with an FC guy when it was been built, and asked him why the buildings/facilities were ‘scattered’ and how they thought that people (mtbers) would use them – they hadn’t…

And apparently £3m for this:

http://www.mclh.co.uk/index.php/projects/view/glentress_visitor_centre

There was only one toilet and 2 urinals in the old changing room 😕

just as well us guys have just one arse and cock each, eh?

But they’re trying to increase the use of the place, with more walkers and birdwatchers and men with 2 arses.

Ah.. Doggers! the shady car park layout makes perfect sense now!!

Here`s a novel idea;
Why don`t we start a club or a “friends of GT” ❓

Then we could start properly canvassing for what we want” really, really want” 💡

TJ, Northwind, Hels and Deertrackdoc are my nominations for heading up the committee 👿 😉

All I really want is enough car parking tbh. And faster omelettes! And more trails obviously, of which there is muttering.

Most of the other issues they’re stuck with so I’ll need to be content with finding the designers and beating them with a pool cue.

We were there for a few days before Christmas. Carp ark was small, the lower one was shut and I think they were selling trees on the old hub one. Coffee was good, cake was good and toliets spotless. Dint take a dump, but the cafe toliets smelled lovely. plenty of space to lock your bike at the cafe and big panormic windows so you could gaze at it if you wanted too.

Trails weren’t bad either (if that counts) 😯

Yeah and if you take too long having a dump you end up in the dark, no amount of waving your arms turns light back on

what DX light for having a jobby at glentress?

Is the place really up for an award? That is crazy. Swap the cafe and toilet block around and I’ll give them a common sense award.

Is it not the visitor’s centre building that’s up for an award, rather than the whole complex? It’s a very nice building.