Got 4 nights staying in the Yair at the end of the month with the mrs.
We have rode Glentress before which was ok, but not the Golfie.
Gonna be using trailforks to navigate..
What trails/routes/locations would you guys in the know recommend.
Do you have favourite loops?
We are used to FOD/South Wales (risca) off piste
TIA x

There’s a day in Yair Forest for a start never mind the Golfie!

When you’ve done that then head over to Thornielee and give that a go should set you up for Golfie😉

We were at the Golfie the other week and it very much lived up to its reputation. The most northerly trails (principally the ones with Wolf in their name) are shut at the moment due to forestry operations. All the trails we did were awesome. What is useful to know is that Trailforks includes numbered gradings against the black trails. Prob best to avoid any Grade 5 ones until you have your eye in. My boys loved Trevor and First Base but found Avalanche pretty intimidating. My lower level of riding meant my limits were reached with Repeat Offender and Community Service but I really enjoyed the challenge of finding a (slow) rhythm on them and just getting down. Enjoy your trip. I would really recommend a day on the Adrenalin Uplift at Inners too if you can fit that in as it maximises descending time in a day and the trails there are great too.

Great!
So first day exploring the Yair forest from the door and last day we are booked on the adrenaline uplift 🤘🏻

Quite a nice ride from Yair to Golfie too, head up to the Three Brethren, then follow the Southern Upland way until you cross the MTB trails at Innerliethen, down to the car park by whichever route you choose and then through the town. Not sure how far that is but top of Minch Moor to the Brethen is sub-30mins on a geared hardtail, will probably be longer if you are on big enduro bikes

Is the black trail at Glentress worth doing?

Not compared to everything else being discussed. OTOH the off piste at Glentress is plenty fun too

Is the black trail at Glentress worth doing?

nope

Is the black trail at Glentress worth doing?

It’s more a red with a few black(ish) features and extra length(!).

It is, however, well worth riding up to the mast (via whichever combination of marked trails and fireroads takes your fancy) and riding the old EWS stage – Craig’s Lane / Ho Chi Min / Zoom or Bust / Dave’s Trail / Happy Ending.

That’s what you call a more helpful answer. Zorro, five year plan, mild peril etc all worth doing and just off the black.

Re. GT marked trails – the red descents are still wicked fun, but I tend to do the off-piste bits once on the Boundary Trail instead.

So Five year plan (hush hush?), Brown Trout, Ewok Wall, Double X, The Bitch, Ponduro.

And there’s even better off-piste stuff off the other way from the mast – Trailfairy Plan, Mast of Zorro – then Careless Whisper a bit lower is sensational, and some other parallel tracks which are not on Trailforks are just as good.

Rode Hammer Time and Huntsman last week too, and they were lovely shaped trails but a bit muddy to enjoy fully.

I also really enjoyed Cock Nostril but haven’t ridden it for a year.

I’d suggest maybe doing GT and these trails before the Golfie, save Trailfairy Plan for later in the ride and that will give you a taste of what to expect.

What those 2 said, go to GT, use trailforks. Brilliant.

Tbh I don’t even think we are going to scratch the surface in the 4 days we are there with the amount of trails there are.
Thanks for that Frog I take it that’s the order you ride those trails? I can navigate that with Trailforks then.

So what trails will adrenaline uplift take care of?

Also the mrs has got it in her head that the blacks are gonna be to much for her.
(She rides most of the trails at Risca)
Anyone rode Risca and the Golfie that can compare trails?

So what trails will adrenaline uplift take care of?

Pretty much whatever trails you want, over that side. None of the DH stuff is particularly steep, it’s all rollable, all big drops have lines around them, she’ll be fine. There’s loads of good Enduro type stuff over there too, Alastair Lees, too hard for EWS, Angry sheep, Green wing, not for poofs, all of these can be done on uplift day.

Plora rig (where the uplift is) is much easier than Golfie side.

Anyone rode Risca and the Golfie that can compare trails?

Yes, if thats the case then she will be fine on the majority of Golfie stuff. There are a few trails that are more tricky but that will be more because you wont know them rather than the technical nature of them.

As @frogstomp says, Craig’s Lane / Ho Chi Min / Zoom or Bust / Dave’s Trail / Happy Ending is well worth the pedal up. That’s all we did on top of the red at Glentress.

Also make sure you do Angry Sheep, it’s a great and relatively easy bit of trail.

I’m gagging to get back up there, shame it’s a 5 hour drive!

@SOAP my Mrs was the same, she really enjoyed the Golfie once she’d ridden the first bit of trail, though she was a nervous wreck before 🙂 Here‘s the thread I started with some great advice.

I’m gagging to get back up there, shame it’s a 5 hour drive!

Ooft, it’s 1hr45mins for me, and I can’t be arsed!

pfft 7 – 8 hrs for me
sat 12 sept , 3 days based near edinburgh, 3 days Dumfries
8 hr drive home

Some great tips here lads. Thanks!
Looks like it’s going to be wet when we go in a couple of weeks time.

Is there one hill that suffers more in the wet and one that rides better?

Looks like it’s going to be wet when we go in a couple of weeks time.

I’m looking for a crystal ball, where’d ye get it?

Well it’s not going to be dusty is it 🤔

Is there one hill that suffers more in the wet and one that rides better?

Having just got back from a long weekend (following a fair bit of rain), it’s not so much which hill fares best (though that’s probably Inners Plora Rig side), but which trails.

So the DH trails at Inners, the Golfie trails that are worn down to gravel troughs (others can advise), the official trails and older off-piste at GT (not around the mast so much). Angry Sheep and Green Wing at Inners will also probably be fine, as they are shallower in gradient so you don’t need to brake much.

Looks like it’s going to be wet when we go in a couple of weeks time.

Is there one hill that suffers more in the wet and one that rides better?

Golfie rides better in the wet.. I think it rides better in the wet than it does in the dry TBH 🙂

This trail looks amazing

Cannot wait till next weekend

Any ideas where?

3rd comment in😉

@steve2910 cheers and not to far from where we are staying.

Any ideas where?

High Definition at Thornilee

I cant believe how fast he is riding hd. That is a proper steep trail in places.

Nb we did a day at inners and gt, rode a couple dh runs at inners (easier than you would think) Angry Sheep/Green Wing/Salmon (again quite straightforward) however took a wrong turn on th xc black and ended up on “too hard for ews.” The name isnt an exaggeration, was a tough walk down lol

@stevemuzzy the GoPro effect. Looks flat to me 😂

Rode hd last weekend as the culmination of a half day at Inners (angry sheep, green wing etc), big day at gt (Zorro, hi chi and trailfairy plan which defeated me). Hd is really good, it flattered my Calder valley duffer skills! Was buzzin.

Most people will start with New York New York at the Golfie and usually Flat White then pick off Repeat Offender. You can also head over to Feed the Pony then drop into walkerburn to the wee coffee shop at the bottom of the trail then head over to Inners via the uplift fire road.
Yair and Thornie are both brilliant and to do all the yair trails its a decent ride, Yair and Thornie are harder than most of the Golfie stuff id say . Also if your in Peebles have a look up at Cademuir which has some great short trails .
The Tweed valley has a wealth of amazing stuff and Im lucky im only 45 minutes away .

That’s not even the best trail at thornie tbh! Still ace though

stevemuzzy
Member

ended up on “too hard for ews.” The name isnt an exaggeration, was a tough walk down lol

Me in Icycles: “Think I just broke my thumb” Steve: “Riding what?” “Too Hard for EWS” “yeah makes sense”.

(I binned it on an easy bit, don’t tell anyone)