Who designed and constructed the 7 stanes?

As the title says, any responses would be appreciated.

I don’t think one person did them all.

AFAIK Pete Laing did much of GT, and probably some others.

Its not just one person. Many were involved in the project over the years.

+1 Pete Laing initially – he’s often on here, so may be able to advise

Rik from Drumlanrig did Mabie???

BoardinBob – Member
Rik from Drumlanrig did some of Mabie???

There’s a couple of sections which feel just like Drumlanrig 🙂

Andy Hopkins was involved in the Stains design.

Cheers lads just off the phone with Andy

Druidh – other way round mate Rik was at Mabie before Drumlnrig.
Marie is th grandad of the 7 Stanes.
You have now got Tally constructing new features at some of the centres.

Pete Laing & co get the credit for most of the original GT which was already a “trail centre” before the 7Stanes project.
He also had input into the trail at Dalbeattie 2yrs before the project/F&M outbreak. A group of local bikers led by GT bikes rider Gareth Montgomeries dad had already persuaded local FC bods to create a trail there. This project was then included in and expanded by the 7Stanes team. Daffyd Davies from CYB also had some input at a very early stage as the team were trained in trailbuilding by him. Dalbeattie is also the 1st actual Stane trail to have been built(GT already existed)
Mabie already had trails before Riks Bike Shed opened but he and a number of local bikers canvassed FC to upgrade the trails to something resembling C.Y.B which was headline mtb news at the time Riks shop opened. The tail end of the Roller Coaster section was the first piece of trail built by the Stanes team on their return from training in Wales.
Ae was just a scribble on a map by someone at FC!!! A good proportion of this trail has never been built due to lack of resources 🙄
Kiroughtree is I think the result of an FC employee by the name of Chris Ross who is a pretty nifty biker himself.

Andy Hopkins was contracted to FC as the project team leader. The original build team has now been dissolved and the project has come to an end with building/maint/inspection being contracted out. Andy is now employed by FC overseeing maint and hse projects amongst other duties. Karl Bartlett who was originally a forest ranger became the project manager. Karl was also instrumental in getting IMBA involved/partnered with FC around that time. I was actually on a trail-building course at C.Y.B. the weekend most of the IMBA team came over to formalise things with Daffyd & Karl. 2001 I recall….

Tally of Upliftscotland is contracted to do maint work and trail inspections for the D&G side of things. He is also a bit of a DH demon/champ.

There are loads and loads of people spread throughout the Borders/D&G who have contributed to the project over it`s lifetime. Part of the human ageing process means my memory is fading and some of the above may be inaccurate 🙄

Hi Andyha,

Just like trekster, “who designed and built the 7stanes?” got me thinking…..

The 7stanes has been on the go for 10 years so lots of people have been involved with designing, building, maintaining and improving the trails, but the guys originally responsible for the trail layouts and trail styles at each site were…

Kirroughtree/Glentrool: Chris Ross
Dalbeattie/Mabie/Ae: Andy Hopkins/Tally
Newcastleton: Alex Maclennan
Glentress: Me
Innerliethen: Me

I worked on Glentress from late 1999 onwards planning routes and building singletrack, then in 2002 I drew up outline trail plans for some of the other sites, mainly so that FC had something to base the 7stanes funding bid on. When it came to deciding actual routes/trail types at each centre, the local trailbuilding crews took over. That’s why there is such a variety of singletrack at the 8 sites; no one person dictated overall trail styles, construction specs or set grades.

I can only speak about the early Tweed Valley stuff, but after a couple of years of building with local machine man Dougie Renwick, I was fortunate enough to nab the services of Richard Hamilton, who brought in some quality jumps expertise and Andy Wardman who specialized in geologically perfect rock sections finished with a toothbrush. The four of us completed the Glentress Black then moved down the valley to build the Innerliethen XC.

The Inners XC shows how the mountainbiking members of the trailbuilding squads can determine the character of a route. I had 3 excavator operators all building trail (Dougie, Richard and a chap called Scott Noble) and myself and Andy W’ doing the rock sections and hand finishing. I flagged the lines and decided the overall style of each section of singletrack but the other two bike-riding members both took on ‘design’ duties (hate the term) in that they built stretches of trail or features with no input from me.

All of the 7stanes trails were a collaboration of sorts, but each had one person driving the trailbuilding, like Chris at Kirroughtree doing traditional/natural, Andy doing harder edged stuff at Dalbeattie or me trying to build a mix of techie climbs and jump crammed descents.

At Glentress you also have to mention the hand-built singletrack and timber sections built by the Trailfairies (2002 onwards) and The Skills Area which was actually laid out by Pebbles CC members Ian Grant and Grant Martin and part-built by volunteers from the club. That gives you an idea of the names involved in building the trails up to about 2006 and that’s just the ‘official’ stuff. Since then most of the work has been in-house with Andy and Richard building the Green, The Freeride and new sections of Blue, plus numerous improvements and re-routes by the ‘Fairies, other volunteer groups and Mountainbike Rangers like Andy Weir, and oh yes, that Gary Forrest did some good Red singletrack at Inners a couple of years back. Anyway, dozens of folk can lay just claim to designing and building the 7stanes.

Hi petey 🙂 our paths have not crossed for a year or 2
Tally should be re-named Bermy considering the number of berms he likes to fit into a trail. His latest at Mabie should be crackers

Hi John / Hi Pete
There are still some significant sections of the old Rik’s Red Route in the red at Mabie, I think I did a bit more than ‘canvass’ the FE 🙂

In fact it looks like some of that trail hasn’t been touched since I dug it myself 12 years ago; and, don’t forget that Rik’s Bike Shed stumped up a grand towards initial digger time which was matched by the Full Mental club. All pre-7Stanes but many of the lines are there as I flagged them and dug them.

What a great little thread this is! Trekster and I were chatting some weeks ago about how it would be great to have the history of the Stanes recorded somewhere as I was asking him the same question.

And yeah, I can’t wait to try out the new Mabie. Does anyone know when it will be ready and officially open to ride?

doffs hat

Very interesting reading, thanks for telling it and of course for the trail building

I think what a lot of new riders to mountain biking and 7Stanes in particular may not realise, know or understand is how Foot and Mouth affected what was a fledgling “sport/hobby”
Both here in D&G, Wales and the Lakes mountain biking(+ other outdoor pursuits) ground to a halt for 6mths or more. D&G forests were closed for some time to everyone but we could travel over to GT by road, passing through the bio-security baths/mats. Many riders turned to road riding which was an eerie experience when being used to the fields being filled with cattle/sheep and now not a sound or animal to be seen!! I ended up taking part in time trials for a few yrs and quite a few of my old buddies eventually gave up mtbing and have taken to the darkside.

FC D&G and the Borders pooled their resources along with local Enterprise groups, SNH, local Councils and others to formulate a regeneration plan to be presented to the EU for funding. The amount tendered for was £2m with the expectation of getting £1m! The full £2m was awarded and the rest as they say is history. Subsequent awards were applied for and granted but that funding stream has now come to an end and it is all about maintenance from now on. Part of the award agreement being the trails had to be sustainable and maintained for 5yrs. Hence being built the way they are.

New riders also see the trails being built/maintained using a variety of diggers, dumpers and whacker plates. When Hopkins and his team started at Dalbeattie having been to C.Y.B for training by Daffyd Davies & co it was all about using the standard IMBA tool kit of the day – wheelbarrows, handsaws, matocks, picks and shovels. This carried on till the Team were trained to use chainsaws, motorised wheelbarrow, mini-diggers and dumpers everyone now sees being used. This training was also part of the regeneration project to provide training, create jobs and new business opportunities.

Given the figures bandied about with regards to local and national income the way “our sport” has taken off in the past 10yrs I think it may have just succeeded in it`s aims and objectives 💡

If money could be found to further improve and lengthen trails at Ae, Dalbeattie and Mabie it would be magic. Not much room to play with at Mabie but where recent felling has taken place there is potential before re-planting takes place. Dalbeattie also has potential. There is not much in the way of height so anything created would still need some effort to pedal round. Ae like Kirroughtree is a large forest with huge potential but is likely to be covered in wind turbines in years to come, at least the top end near Moffat.

Better stop now, seem to be rambling on a bit 🙄

Someone should get all this onto Wikipedia.

Very interesting! I remember Glentress from 1998 or so when there were no mtb routes, and you could drive up and around the forestry tracks and park in strange places.

Given all the trailbuilding gurus are here, what would be the possibility of one day someone building some singletrack to replace the fire road sections on the Inners XC? I love Inners, but it always feels like those fire road hauls in the latter half of the route especially don’t do all that climbing effort justice. I reckon you could get some sweet contour-chasing singeltrack alongside the fire road. I guess money would have to come from somewhere?

Have suggested this many time to people who were directly involved and to a certain author^^^^^^Mr simonralli. Andy Hopkins who is mostly office bound these days has been collecting stuff but most of the people involved in the early days have all moved on.
Collin Williamson who helps run the display team with Ruth@bottlegreen used to work for D&G Enterprise and then FC for a short period and would be an ideal person. As would Pete Laing 😀
Would make a good story for a magazine issue, bit of investigative journalism 😉

I know I should start collating this info and get writing but I am in the middle of my current book and have also been commissioned to write a 10,000 word piece for a journal! Maybe I should try and get some interviews down on video for people to watch.

Very interesting thread 🙂

Not so long ago, there was talk of extending the trails from the trailhead at Newcastleton down into the village itself. Does anyone have any info on this, is it still in the pipeline? With the right design it could really add to an already great trail.

On one of my few visits there I actually met A.Hopkins in the cafe. He had just been to recycle a possible route out from the village. Local landowner was keen at the time to allow an old track to be used. Might see him this week sometime and report back

a cracking read… 🙂

Not the 7 Stanes but who designed Golspie ? They need a Knighthood…..

IIRC it was pete laing also.

Pete Laing, as far as I know.

Having one a trip up to do 7 Stanes i would say

1. I enjoyed the trails, with my kids. We did the reds at mabie, Dalbeattie and Kirroughtree
2. I’m sure it brought our holiday budget for the (£800) into the area

So I do see it as win win

thanks to all those who made it possible

Rode Dalbeattie with Pete and his wife @ Easter time(they were in their caravan at Sandyhills)and this thread came up in discussion 😀
Pete is certainly responsible for lots of the early stuff pre and then Stanes at GT and Inners. A year or so before F&M he also did a feasibility study and costings for a trail in Dalbeattie as part of an initiative by Dalbeattie Forest Community Partnership. This formed the basis of the current trail but with a good few add ons once the Stanes project got going.
I am sure he was on the “steering committee” with all the partners involved.
As has probably already been said there were a lot of people both riders and non riders involved in the early days of the project.

I’m heading to the Alps/Dolomites on friday but I’m looking forward to MTBing at XC World Cup at Fort Bill, Laggan, Golspie etc. As they are so different.

It will be interesting to see how 7Stanes evolve. Can GT become bigger ?

Pete Laing – thank you.

I’m heading to the Alps/Dolomites on friday but I’m looking forward to MTBing at XC World Cup at Fort Bill, Laggan, Golspie etc. As they are so different.

It will be interesting to see how 7Stanes evolve. Can GT become bigger ?

I hope not 😈
Both Ae forest and Kirroughtree are huge forests with great potential for future development.

Imagine a long distance trail from Ae to Drumlanrig ❓ 💡 Would not be too difficult to achieve but Drum cannot attract the funding and FC have, or would certainly appear to have no funds left for trail building.
More green/blue stuff for families is required in the D&G area rather than funnelling them all to GT.

Great read and obviously many folk involved…

Must be the “Staines Massive”.

IGMC….

A very informative thread, but surely this must have been done by ‘Jedi’? I can’t imagine anyone else being capable, except maybe Chuck Norris.

Andy Wardman who specialized in geologically perfect rock sections finished with a toothbrush.

🙂

I’m heading to the Alps/Dolomites on friday but I’m looking forward to MTBing at XC World Cup at Fort Bill, Laggan, Golspie etc. As they are so different.
It will be interesting to see how 7Stanes evolve. Can GT become bigger ?

I hope not
Both Ae forest and Kirroughtree are huge forests with great potential for future development.
Imagine a long distance trail from Ae to Drumlanrig Would not be too difficult to achieve but Drum cannot attract the funding and FC have, or would certainly appear to have no funds left for trail building.
More green/blue stuff for families is required in the D&G area rather than funnelling them all to GT.

Ae and K’tree are too far for Glaswegians etc.

Drumlanrig could get funding like the recent Callander Estate (Falkirk Area) trails did. Active Lifestyles etc from Scottish Government and EU. I’m sure as long as it’s free Access and open to all.

NickScots – Member
Drumlanrig could get funding like the recent Callander Estate (Falkirk Area) trails did. Active Lifestyles etc from Scottish Government and EU. I’m sure as long as it’s free Access and open to all.

And therein lies the problem eh? It would be difficult to have a free-to-use MTB area while they are still charging for general access to the grounds.

Trekster I do believe your own name should be mentioned up there in the archives of the 7Stanes project!!!

How’s things with you John?

Do you still see any of the guys?