7stanes
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The 7stanes are seven mountain biking centres spanning the south of Scotland, from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. They are on Forestry Commission land and along with schemes in Wales are regarded as the benchmark by which further trails in the UK should be developed. They are known as the 7stanes because each venue features a 'stane' (Scots for stone) somewhere along the forest trails.
The 7stanes:
- Glentrool
- Kirroughtree, near Newton Stewart
- Dalbeattie
- Mabie
- Forest of Ae
- Tweed Valley - Glentress and Innerleithen
- Newcastleton
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[edit] Trail Grades
The trails use the Cyclists' Touring Club off-road trail grades with two additional categories, one called Bike Park and the other Forest Road and similar.
- Green - Easy (relatively flat; suitable for beginners)
- Blue - Moderate (may be singletrack and include minor obstacles; suitable for cyclists with basic off-road skills)
- Red - Difficult (mostly singletrack, many obstacles; suitable for proficient mountain bikers)
- Black - Severe (similar to red routes, with more obstacles and large challenging area; suitable for expert riders only)
- Bike Park (Orange)- Extreme (highly challenging, includes downhill sections and unavoidable jumps; suitable for expert riders only)
- Forest road and similar - these routes can be waymarked or not. The difficulty of forest roads can vary widely and this grade indicates these trails not part of a progression on to green and blue level singletrack trails.
[edit] The 7stanes Sites
[edit] Glentrool
Located in Galloway. Glentrool includes one 58km road-based route (the only wholly road-based route in the 7stanes) one 9km blue-graded route, and two green-graded routes (6km and 14km).Nearest bike shops are Brakehut open seasonally who hire bikes to Glentrool and Kirkcowan Cycles open year round and out of hours by appointment.
[edit] Kirroughtree
Located near Newton Stewart. Kirroughtree features green, blue, red and black trails as well as a skills area for practising mountain biking techniques. Winner of MBR Trail of the Year in 2010 [1][2][3][4], the trails are located within an officially designated Dark Sky Park area. Nearest bike shops are Brakehut (at trail start) open seasonally with bike hire and Kirkcowan Cycles open year round for sales and repairs.
[edit] Dalbeattie
Located near Dumfries. This rocky site features a green-grade and blue-graded trail, along with a red-graded trail with optional black-graded sections. These include The Slab, a challenging steep granite rock. Nearest bike shops are Next Level Bikes, Castle Douglas Cycle Centre and MPG Cycles in Dalbeattie
[edit] Mabie
Around 6.5km south of Dumfries, Mabie sports a number of trails - green, blue, red and black, as well as an ungraded 'purple' route, a mini-cross track and skills area. Numerous Cycle shops in Dumfries as well as at the trail centre
[edit] Ae
Located around 14km north of Dumfries. Ae features a red-grade route with optional black-graded areas and two bike park- extreme downhill routes. For less experienced riders, green and blue trails are available.
[edit] Glentress and Innerleithen
Comprises two nearby sites close to Peebles in the Scottish Borders. Glentress is one of the best-equipped mountain biking sites in the UK[5], with a cafe, bike hire shop and showering/changing facilities. Trails include a green, blue, red and black route. There is also the skills loop- a green-graded area designed for those new to the sport and the Freeride Park which is graded bike park- extreme. This park is full of challenging technical features for experienced riders.
A few miles to the south-east, Innerleithen features a red-graded cross-country trail (with black-graded options), and a bike park-extreme graded downhill area. This is a particularly challenging area and riders are recommended to wear body armour and a full-face helmet. A full trail centre has recently been completed with cafe and bike shop(Alpine Bikes)
[edit] Newcastleton
Located close to the Scotland-England border, this area includes a green skills loop, 2 blue-graded routes, a red-graded route and a bike park-extreme trail.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.7stanesmountainbiking.com/Kirroughtree
- ^ http://www.7stanes.com/kirroughtree-mbr-trail-of-the-year-i601975.html
- ^ http://www.mcmillanhotels.co.uk/kirroughtree-house-hotel/activities/seven-stanes-biking.html
- ^ http://www.mbr.co.uk/news/event_news/Night_ride_at_Kirroughtree_the_UKs_newest_Dark_Sky_Park_article_294971.html
- ^ http://www.7stanesmountainbiking.com/Glentress---Innerleithen
