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On are way to glentress & innerleithen for the weekend, we are travelling friday morning and hope to stop en=route at Kielder.
What is the best red/black route there?
We are all on 5-6 inch travel bikes!
Up the M74 and go to Ae instead?
where you travelling from?
deadwater
Deadwater Red & Black; don't go all the way up to deadwater, jump on to the black, after the black take the fireroad (first turn on your right) backup to finish the red
Lonesome Pine (on the left) is a bit of a pain first half but the second half has the most awsomest single track (narrow, very twisty and loooooong). I fell in love. Deadwater is much more technical and rocky. ive done both on a hardtail and crappy riding skills.
Only one I've done was Deadwater, the wierdest climb ever. It was thick fog, I could see a hill rising to my left and falling away to my right, could only see less than 10ft. Kept riding for what seemed like hours, on the big bike so not going very quick. I was definatly tuning left, like I was spiralling up the mountain, but it was also like I was seeing the same scenery again and again, just keeping plodding, no sign of the top, must have gone round the moutain about 8 times.
Eventually reached a funny shaped shelter at the top, no idea where I was, follwed a track straight down, didn't cross anything I'd ridden up so can't have been spiralling really.
Probably just a mental-map malfunction but it really flet like I was in some sort of horror film, trapped in a never ending climb through the fog. Doesn't sound that wierd from my description but it was pretty unnerving, first time there too and no idea where I was or where I was going.
Otherwise, great track, recommended.
Best trail - the A68 to Galashiels and swing a left towards inners and GT.
Its pants. I live 1 hr away and never bother to go.
andrewh - Memberlike I was in some sort of horror film, trapped in a never ending climb
That climb's like that regardless of the weather, it's a soul destroyer. And all for a pretty weird "destroyed fire road" descent.
Deadwater red-and-black's one of my favourite trails- lots of variety, some cool features, proper difficult climbing, a couple of fab descents (Into The Valley especially)... It's a single climb with 2 descents and as said up there, at the bottom of the black you can double back up to the red. Or, just do the full climb again, it's a good 'un.
In future I won't do that top climb if I can avoid it, I'll just go up to Into the Valley and come back down. Lots of work for really very little reward.