Up for a 1.5 hr spin this afternoon, before it gets washed away tomorrow. A new fence has appeared across scalextric, about 1/5th of the way down from the top… Just posts + top/bottom wires just now, but that's appeared since last Sunday. Anyone night-riding down there just now stands a serious chance of injury…

Aside from that, it was very pleasant..

Thanks for that warning Rob, will bear it in mind. Seems all my fav bits are getting disrupted – the narrow bridge on Poets and now this.

Shame.

It's fairly far up the track, so 'disruption' is probably the right word; still get plenty speed on the other side.

I usually climb the track, which makes it more of a pain in't ar*e. Just hope it's not a sign of worse to come…

Bit of a bummer that one, cheers for the heads up.

I guess we'll move the start to the other side of the fence, shouldn't be an issue for too long 😉

Duly noted, cheers.

Has anyone contacted the ranger centre about this? The track is well used, and is indeed mapped on an OS map.

Saw that yesterday, but it's been that long since I rode the track I didn't know how new it was. Could be a problem at night for sure if you weren't expecting it.

Dougal – good suggestion for speaking to the ranger centre; I tend to climb scalextric rather than descend, but I know it's been wide open for years. Would be interesting to find if there's more access-restriction going on, will have to go in the next time I pass.
A wide gap was left where the fence adjoins the reservoir perimeter, unclear if a gate was going in.

bah, rubbish. that's my fave descent in the pentlands 😥 mind you, after all the rain yesterday its probably under 5 feet of water now.

dirtygirlonabike – Member
bah, rubbish. that's my fave descent in the pentlands

You clearly need to ride the Pentlands more, there are loads of descents better than a straight landy track!

Thanks, Rob. Doubt there will be any access issues – does it look like they'll be putting a gate in? Besides, you have to clamber over a fence at the bottom end and no one bleats about access there!

You clearly need to ride the Pentlands more, there are loads of descents better than a straight landy track!

Such as? I think its one of the best too, although deteriorating somewhat the more it gets used 🙁

I think it comes down to personal taste rather than riding the pentlands more so we will agree to disagree – i love the speed that you can get on it, and there's hardly ever any walkers on it. But its got badly eroded/widened recently.

does it look like they'll be putting a gate in?

At the top end Kit, aye. But not where it bi-sects the track.

You clearly need to ride the Pentlands more

Would argue with that Al, DGOAB knew tracks I'd not seen before & now use as regular links 🙂

My favourites (there are many)

The track off the saddle at Castlelaw that takes you down to the firing ranges.
Black Hill.
The descent from Red Gate back towards Threipmuir (commonly ridden as a climb)
The Swoop trails to Nine Mile Burn.
The Nail Trail into Balerno
The skinny one off Allermuir (or thereabouts) to the top of Hillend.
The bottom part of Maiden's Cleugh (just past the junction).
Poet's Glen
The Nibbler

I was actually wondering if anyone was up for a Pentlands ride this weekend? Its going to be muddy 😉

EDIT: Fair point Alasdair (no idea what The Nibbler is though), but I wouldn't say any of them are 'better', just fun in different ways!

My favourite is the Nail Trail however it's a bit muddy in places at the moment, and lower down a lot of the roots are hidden by fallen leaves.

Here, get yer own thread! 😀

I think 'Nibbler' is in fact white hill (home-made dh tracks); there's a tiny wooden plaque on a tree-trunk at the top says 'Nibbler' – appeared a few years ago, I took it as being a pets grave!
As ever, I'll be up for any group action at the weekend…

Does anyone have anything resembling a named trail map for the pentlands?
I ride em regularly, and know lots of trails, but have no idea what they are called.
ta

eck

A funny handshake and an honourable position in society are required before we can divulge such information to you.

😉

However, until Kits moonlit initiation pyre is erected ( :-)), the map posted by much-missed sorceror-of-the-Pentlands DruidH is good –

Pentlands Trail Map

Just as well google sees all, as i'm not honourable in any way, nor familiar with any advanced handshake techniques.

I did make it up on saturday before the hills were washed away though, and found myself in a nice mint sauce moment..

Oh yes – that copy of (former STW member) druidhs Pentlands trail map which Edinburgh University acquired. It has been updated a few times since for those willing to undergo Kits initiation ceremony. Maybe when (if?) he returns, he might be willing to share it again.

AlasdairMc, i'd agree with you on some of the others mentioned, but scaletrix is my personal fave, over and above poets etc.

i'm up for a ride this weekend, although my mud riding skillz need some work 😕

My favourite descents.

Lovers Loup
Black Hill to Loganlea Res.
Eastside to Bavelaw
Plus some of the others that have been mentioned. Prob with some like the one most call Black Hill is that they are best avoided unless they are dry to avoid anymore erosion. Black Hill in particular is much wider than it was when I started in the Pentlands, but then so am I.

that's a bit of a shame, sounds like it's not so much a deliberate obstruction of the path / route as just a fence line cutting across a well-used path. Shame that it's got much worse by all accounts of late, used to be a ridiculously good blast from the hole in the wall on Harbour Hill – sorry Alasdair, would have to say it's anything but a straight unbending landy track.

Top trails in Pentlands are problematic, depends on time of year, whether you're climbing or descending (and how long ago you've done them – 5 years in my case.

Death or Glory (up or down)
Placenta Path (traverse and down)
The Swoop
Harbour Hill quad track
Pistachio Trail
Capelaw ascent
Goat track to N of Castlelaw

there's not a vast array of technical paths in the Pentlands really, but some really pleasing trails.

Not heard some of those names before kcal, which trails are "Death or Glory" and "Placenta Path?"

Sorry to see harbour hill might be blocked off, might not have been technical but if you were spinning out your biggest ring while trying to stop your mates passing you on either side then suddenly those corners got a bit tricky, and then there was the "lay it flat" grassy berm type thing at the bottom, although you could get out of shape on that pretty quick too!

SPAM alert – beware that StevenAusten above post.

Nice to see this thread reawoken though!

and the cheeky blighter has copied steve-austin’s name.

tut tut