Heading up soon – if it’s anything like the Lakes I imagine there’s much better riding than the actual trail centres. Any routes or tips from locals greatly received, thanks.

Can’t comment on the other stuff but the trail centres are rather good, well worth a trip round them.

Yes, there are absolutely loads within a 20 mile radius, but almost impossible to explain them…

Search for Peebles, Selkirk and Innerleithen MTB routes.

Don’t expect off-route stuff like the Lakes: The Borders landscape isn’t like that. There’s a lot of (extremely) ancient tracks and drove roads that are brilliant for XC, and some fun stuff near GT in Cardrona Forest, but you might struggle to find a route as diverse and interesting as Glentress Black. Be sure you do tackle that when you’re up. Don’t stick to the Red!

There is some excellent singletrack between the top of Minch Moor and Selkirk, but as above almost impossible to explain. You’d need a local to show you.

Pretty easy to link it in with Inners too.

2nd comments so far. OK not as rocky as Lakes but plenty of single track hiding in forests and moors The little ‘Tweed Trails’ signs often lead to some gems as well as ordinary twin tracks. Even the Southern Uplands Way has some swoopy descents among more standard walker fare.

There is loads. Explaining where is all is difficult!

Ok, cheers everyone. Done the black etc at Glentress before but will certainly do it again. Hopefully I’ll get chance to explore further afield too. Many thanks.

If you fancy yourself a radder day out, go to inners instead. The marked routes are far more fun than the dreary glentress black, and the unmarked stuff is incredible, but you really need a local to show you where it is.

Hi, Mrs Ivnickkate, suggests this link to Tweedlove’s natural rides,
http://tweedlove.com/our-backyard/mountain-biking

King and Queen stages, although the Cademuir stages are closed due to forestry ops
http://tweedlove.com/onthehillside/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/POC_TweedLove_Enduro2013_info.pdf

And home page http://tweedlove.com/

The Gypsy Glen descent is a great route, various ways to get to it such as http://www.mtb-borders.com/gypsy_glen.html

Nice one, thanks.

Actually it’s not that it’s hard to explain where the good natural stuff is; but that the whereabouts of the best secret stuff is well..secret.
The stuff in the Innerleithen area that’s not in the Traquair Forest is some of the best in the country.
Suggest you wander in to one of the two shops at Inners, spend some money and ask.
Alternatively ride the downhills at Innerleithen, they’re all fine on a trail bike according to what folk have said on here (and from the few that I’ve ridden).

As mentioned Gypsy Glen. Also Pilots Trail at Cademuir. Some great mountain biking in the Pentland Hills. Popular route in Pentlands cris-crosses the main ridge taking in some of the reservoirs.

Look on Strava for the sections in the area. Lots around Selkirk due to the various marathons that have been there.