It wasn’t shut today, you only miss the spooky wood climb(you get routed up the push up path) The ice on the top third of spooky was interesting first thing this morning so for me it would have been better closed….
What’s the impact of these (from the website)- I cant remember if these are the same as it was a few weeks back?:
“The Red Route is closed from posts 16 – 44 (Spookywood Climb/Descent & Super G) until Fri 9th March due to tree felling operations.
The Black Route is closed from post 82 – 86 (Deliverance) and post 83-20 (escape route on forest road) due to tree felling operations until end June 2012. Escape Route option down forest road from post 73 (start of Boundary Trail) also closed until Fri 9th March”
We were there last night. Think there is still a barrier across the forest road just after Blue Velvet. Spooky Wood is covered in brash and trees and stuff or something like that. Still lots to ride.
Ok, did the black today up to start of boundary trail then nipped down to top of spooky wood. *warning avoid spooky wood for at least 3 weeks.* Starting spooky woods, you get 3/4 jumps before it descends into fallen trees and digger tracks every 20ft. There is no warning at the start of SW to stop you riding, I wish that there was as it was awful. Super 8 and everything else was good, though appeared unmaintained. Maybe I look on glentress and compare it to its peak early/mid 2000’s and wish it was at that higher standard. Maybe the price to pay for success with so many trails to maintain? Still great day out on the bike and that’s all that matters.
Thanks drslow: I’ve decided I’m going to do the black and follow the official line. I guess the trucks and “lumberjacks” will be working tomorrow on the red and as the black diversions a few weeks back were really good (unless someone tells me otherwise) that’s plan A!
Some days recently it’s been like the lumberjack and megatruck olympics. The guys are doing a job – I just want a quiet few hours out or I’ll go next door to Inners.
Innerleithen might be a bit disrupted this weekend by the DH race- it’s a sellout so the carpark’ll be busy, full uplift etc.
I don’t know if the diversions are still the same on the black but we did it the other week- there was a lovely diversion in place of Deliverance, not as good as deliverance but still lovely. The main difference was no easy escape routes.
Thanks Andrew – I’m going Friday. I was on the black 2 weeks back and loved it (maybe more than normal – is that possible?), I wondered if it had changed – sounds from responses and emails that its all still good!
Is spooky open from today or is the climb and descent still closed? Heading down on sunday and trying to decide if inners might be better…
But you can pretty much do both in a day anyway.
Last week I managed Innerleithen XC, then lunch at GT followed by two loops of the Red/Blue/Red from the bottom car park. Loads of fun including a couple of extra Baby Berms.
bigjim, was actually thinking there should be rose petals on the trail to protect my tyres 😉 I was probably fitter and faster back then which is why i look back with fondness.
If you let me know when you are going it can be arranged! I was only teasing. I would find it kind of entertaining to fill braking bumps with tarmac, or rose petals, and see if anyone says anything…
I was up at the Peel bike shop today and they said that SW is closed until the end of March at the earliest, apparently the felling trucks have pretty much flattened the whole trail and it will need to be rebuilt after the felling is finished. Deliverance is also closed but there is a diversion down a walking path instead. Looks like Inners is going to get busier over the next few months!
I sneaked around spooky wood last week and it was gubbed. If they keep going with the felling the entire nature of the run will have changed. It’s that old tourism versus timber argument again….
I sneaked around spooky wood last week and it was gubbed.
Thats an understatement, the felling vehicles have straightlined up the hillside in 3 or 4 places crushing the berms and tearing up the track on SW. Not a chance the damage will be repaired by the end of March unless they employ an army of trail fairies.
The black diversion is really torn up too, Inners is a much better option at the moment.
While I appreciate that a working forest needs to take out the timber. Hasn’t anyone noticed the £7 million or whatever it was they spent on the Peel? Do they actively want the new cafe to close down?
