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i have been 5 times but cant remember a big bit of it, so,
from the top carpark, how easy/hard is it to get to the top of spooky wood.
from the top of spooky woods, is it all downhill to the bottom carpark.
or where on the route is there a predominantly downhill run to the bottom carpark.
Alright Tony. It is basically downhill all the way from Spooky Woods.
It's a singletrack, then fireroad, then singletrack, then fireroad climb up to Spooky Woods. Or, you can take the blue to the bottom of Spooky Woods, which is shorter...
Spooky wood is still a fair climb from top car park, but a slow walk would do it.
Then down spooky wood and next bit, blue motorway, then slight uphill, then downhill all the way through top car park right the way to the very bottom.
From what I remember its basically two climbs, the second of which is harder. After the first section on spooky woods its worth riding/pushing back up to do it again.
The blue from the bottom of the bike park to the cafe is great fun too.
hello Tom, you alright mate.
think i might attempt to get up there on friday afternoon.
if anyone sees a fat siver haired bloke on a blue 456, dont forget to give me a big push. 8)
From top car park it is forest road, past the entrance to Pennels Vennel, singletrack and then forest road again. On the way down if you avoid the forest road climb up to Lombard St and go straight to the Pie Run you just have the short climb after the Tourist Trap up to Falla Brae. Which is probably not much more climbing than joining the blue and going back up to do Blue Velvet. Depends on whether you want to do mostly red or mostly blue descending. Both are good and the blue shouldn't be dismissed just beacuse it is blue, you'll get to do Blue Velvet, Berm Baby Berm and Electric Blue.
It would be possible to get to the top of the Spooky Wood descent using just fire road (ignoring the usual zig-zag climb) by following some of the lesser used forestry roads. From te top of the Freeride park, take the first fire road on your left after the one that cuts off to the Black. Then take the next right.
You'd want to avoid going on to the very lowest section, otherwise you'll end up climbing up Sair Fecht (short but sharp). Diverting onto the Blue descent after SuperG would be a good way back to the car park.
Spooky Woods is supposed to be closed until Friday - does anyone have an update?
druidh, you still ok for saturday mate?
Indeediedoodly. I think Rickmeister is joining us. I'll see what the weather is like and will either cycle down on the road-bike or take the CX bike in the van. Email me your mobile number.
Anyone else want a leisurely road ride on Saturday? Innerliethen to Broughton, 20 miles in each direction for a spot of lunch. Lifts from Edinburgh could be easily accommodated 😉
Spooky Woods is supposed to be closed until Friday - does anyone have an update?
Spooky Wood took quite a battering during the recent forestry operations so the rangers have been working flat out to get it fixed. I believe that the hope is for it to be open with a slight diversion this weekend and fully open for the 7th of April.
As has been said, Spooky is being fixed so may not be open. The date seems to keep moving, last sign I saw was 7th April. Maybe give the ranger a call before you head to GT to get the bottom line. I just checked the website and it still says Friday 30th.
If hills are not your thing then maybe miss out Pennel Vennel as that is a bit of a climb out.
Anyone else want a leisurely road ride on Saturday? Innerliethen to Broughton, 20 miles in each direction for a spot of lunch. Lifts from Edinburgh could be easily accommodated
I think this could be a go-er for me, providing I can get a lift to Innerleithen 🙂
quickest way is to take the fireroad before the quarry above the bike park, but it's steep as shit for half a km, so a push or suffer. it isn't that far though and mellows out before you join the top of the spooky climb.
will almost certainly be shut on friday though! the alternative is still pretty enjoyable though and as above the blue at the bottom is the one to go for! i'd be fairly happy doing loops of that all day tbh (falla brae it might be called?)
Now they've singletracked it from the bottom to top carpark, you'd be fine riding up that, and then fireroad around the Freeride Park to the blue piece on the left. The blue berms on the new section are ace fun.
Signs were changed over this weekend just gone - Spooky and SuperG were meant to be opening this Saturday just gone but is been moved out to a week on Friday now. Still a load of tools coming down SuperG though so assume they'd done Spooky as well. Suppose if you're dressed like a stormtrooper you can do whatever the **** you want as you've got the power of the Empire behind you.
And Tony, do the Blue from the freeride park - Berm Baby Berm, then the next bit over the bridge and onwards all the way to the Peel. Hitting it all flat out is awesome fun. Can't beat getting horizontal in the corners of BBB...
There are loads of other ways to get on Super G without coming down Spooky Woods Mr DavieBoyJudgement. I can think of at least 3 and I am still on my first coffee...
Correct. But SuperG was shut. Metal fences, signs etc. So yes, I'll judge them as being tools for riding a trail thats shut for maintenance/safety reasons.
What I did on Saturday was:
Parked at Peel
Up the easy and fun singletrack to the top car park.
Messed about in the freeride park for half an hour
Berm Baby Berm
along the fire road passed the exit of pennels vennel
up the easy singletrack climb
up the next slightly harder single track climb (Hardest climb on this route i would say)
Down Hit Squad Hill.
Up the easy fire road to Double X
Down Double X
Down The Bitch
Up the fire road past Magic Mushroom to the start of Pie Run.
Down Pie Run, Down Mushroom Pie
Down Magic Mushroom
Up Tourist Trap / Sair fecht (a bit of sharp climb but an easy push)
Up the fire road to the start of Good Game / Falla Brae
Down Good Game / Falla Brae - back to Peel
You could ride up the Spooky Wood climb and down the Spooky Wood decsent and then go down the blue to take you to Hit Squad Hill if Super G is still shut. But if you are trying to avoid lots of climbing its probably not worth the long slog up the fireroad and the singletrack just to descend Spooky Wood
Suppose if you're dressed like a stormtrooper you can do whatever the **** you want as you've got the power of the Empire behind you.
😆 Maybe it was Team Ganja who always seem to be hanging around in the trees at the top of Spooky smoking bobby dazzlers, not surprised they need the body armour!
Still a load of tools coming down SuperG though so assume they'd done Spooky as well.
As one of the Trailfairies working on Spooky Wood on Saturday I can confirm that there's plenty of riders who'll ignore all the signs and barriers that are put in place to close trails.
Mark Stephen of BBC Radio Scotland [i]Out of Doors[/i] was at Glentress recently
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dtcyh#synopsis
Is Spookey ridable though Chris?? Going up this weekend for a week and that is all of our favourite sections.
Cloed until 7th April according to the signs out last weekend...
The stanes website which is saying it was updated yesterday is stating that spooky is closed until 30th March (tommorow)
The signs which were out last Friday said it was opening last Saturday. Saturday comes and someone had been running around scribbling 7th April over the top.
Its like the wall ride in the freeride park that, according to the sign, was going to be reviewed in 2009 or something...
Is Spookey ridable though Chris?? Going up this weekend for a week and that is all of our favourite sections.
I didn't inspect the whole trail last weekend. Some of it has been fixed but apparently the further down you went the more damage remained and in places the trail had been dug up in preparation for repairs.
Please do not ride Spooky Wood while it is closed. It's closed for a reason and if the people working to repair it have to also be making way for a stream of riders ignoring the closure, it'll take longer for the repairs to be completed.
Besides, there's way more fun stuff at Glentress than Spooky Wood. 🙂
Its like the wall ride in the freeride park that, according to the sign, was going to be reviewed in 2009 or something...
Frankly, it's nothing like the status of the wall ride. The rangers are working flat out to sort out Spooky Wood, they are totally aware of how important it is to have it open again ASAP. The closure isn't just being extended for sh*ts and giggles.
The wall ride... from my outsider's point of view that seems to be caught up in a big pile of health and safety and FC bureaucracy. I think that stuff is happening behind the scenes with the wall ride but slowly. It hasn't been forgotten about, though.
EDIT: According to [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/glentress-red-still-in-lockdown-today-anyone-know-about-tomorrow-30th ]this thread[/url] Spooky Wood has been re-opened. If that's the case then enjoy. 🙂
Sorry - I started another thread on the weekend question 😳
Anyway - as of today (Fri) are signs are still saying SHUT. But those that venturered past those - it seems good to go.
If all goes to plan - It looks good.
DaveyBoyWonder - MemberIts like the wall ride in the freeride park that, according to the sign, was going to be reviewed in 2009 or something...
It's not at all like that tbh.
Anyway - as of today (Fri) are signs are still saying SHUT. But those that venturered past those - it seems good to go.
Once more, with feeling... Please do not ride Spooky Wood while it is closed. It's closed for a reason and if the people working to repair it have to also be making way for a stream of riders ignoring the closure, it'll take longer for the repairs to be completed.
Once more, with feeling... Please do not ride Spooky Wood while it is closed.
Just to be clear - I didnt. And wouldnt.
But the website says it was good to go from 30th (today). But I'll give a days grace. Tomorrow is good for me too.
ChrisL - I know you are involved in the repairs - and I am one of the good guys- but unless that is open tomorrow - and for easter - well the website is out of date.
😀 'waves' Have fun Ton!
Aye, it's not good when the info gets out of date, bound to lead to confusion.
I heard that the reason Mabie's new bits had to have their opening delayed was that people had ridden the immature surface and damaged it badly enough that it needed reworked. Tourist Trap at GT needed reworked as well prior to reopening for the same reason. It's understandable I suppose- people see a trail that [i]looks[/i] good to ride and don't understand why it's closed.
OTOH I think ChrisL got a laugh out of watching riders come down Spooky when they were working on it, seeing all the hiviz vests, then turning around and legging it back up the trail 😉
OTOH I think ChrisL got a laugh out of watching riders come down Spooky when they were working on it, seeing all the hiviz vests, then turning around and legging it back up the trail
That was quite funny. So was the rider who rode into the (tape) barrier at the start of the work area and remarked to his riding buddy in a suprised tone "that wasn't there last time!"
Diane - Member'waves' Have fun Ton!
Hello Diane, it wasw very nice to meet you 😀
I was parked in the car park at Inners today next to a big guy with a blue on-one. He was heading for the cattle truck for an uplift.
Pretty sure it was you ton from the pictures on the other threads? Did you have fun, cracking day. 8)
it was mate.
managed 3 ups/downs, 1st time i have been and it was fanatastic.
Nice one..... trails were fast today... 🙂
Bit late for the weekend but Spooky is 100% back open. Still boring though 😉 And veeeeeery gravelly in places!
Road out to the boundary trail is reopened too but deliverance is still shut (more importantly so is the fireroad back from the end of the boundary trail to civilisation, so no easy escape route on the second half of the black) Secrets and Lies is still shut too, and the top part of the blue is signposted as shut but did seem to be open.