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Well I finally made it to Drumlanrig today not sure why I'd not been before but anyway.
It was a different to what I expected, it was tougher, the multitude of roots add an extra dimension and it's been sometime since I've needed to trackstand on a trail, damn good fun and certainly more of a workout than I expected. Very different feel to the local 7 Stanes trails a really nice change.
Look forward to heading back with a LT Hardtail rather than a LT Full Suspension.
It felt like my own forest not another sole on the trails and such a nice dry day, trails were running really nice, a great way to spend a Friday morning, I did route 5 and the 8ball bits.
Interested to what others think of the trails there?
Drumlanrig is ace! Does indeed make a nice change to the 7stanes I know you have close to you - you lucky sod!
HH - travisty I'd not been there sooner and gutted I hadn't, there is fun to be had and the views at certain points just stunning.
Am lucky to have such trail joy so near 😀
rode there once, at ssuk08. it is outstanding but probably 6 hours driving round trip for me. does anyone know if ssuk08 route was one of the known trails or a mixture?
I like Drum a lot but don't ride it often enough. Rik likes his roots thats for sure. Mabie used to be just like Drum back in the day before the 7stanes covered it all in gravel. there are still some cheeky bits left though if you know where to look.
I love Drumlanrig too - I often think that other big estate owners should turn over their forests to trail builders.
ssuk was mainly bits of the red and black. you'd find them no bother.
thanks, should really get back there and make a weekend of it.
Sqwubbsy - Yes the cheeky Mabie parts are excellent 🙂
Its got a nice old school feel to it and doesn't feel like a trail centre. Best suited to a HT though. I will need to head down through the week I think.
Drumlanrig's fantastic... And the low numbers means he can build trails that wouldn't last at a popular venue, so DON'T TELL ANYONE HOW GOOD IT IS, right?
Northwind - whoops......it won't suit everyone and it would be a real challenge in the wet so that should stop some 🙂
That bit with the left-hand switchback that goes straight into the slightly weavy rooted descent, then back on itself and over another patch of big roots then over a little step then down under a fallen tree then up over that crest with the roots and the steep slope straight after and then a left-right S bend descent ending in a little splash across a stream, in particular, is rubbish and should not under any circumstances be ridden by anyone.
Been there quite a few times and think its great. First time I'd only had my MTB (Carrera Vulcan)a few weeks and thought that the roots were not possible in places for a mere mortal. Kept going back and ended up clearing everything OK on a single speed rigid. Always quiet, Riks always helpful and he continues to develop it bit by bit.Very natural feel
Forge - when I went I failed abysmally in the wet so I think I may not go back this April, but am certainly going to attempt it when I come back in August. Maybe you could teach me some root riding skills 😀
[i]Mabie used to be just like Drum back in the day before the 7stanes covered it all in gravel[/i][i]
It also used to be a bog in the winter, and that was before it had the traffic that it does now.
Simon - let's do that in August, I like the fact that there are roots uphill, downhill, off camber just basically every situation you'd come across. I am going to make a point of going in the wet just for the experience. We can do some root skillz.
Scotabroad, both Mabie and Drum have the feeling that sustained rain would make them somewhat muddy in places 🙂
Fancy the sound of Drum, partly from the clips in Home, and partly from the good things said here.
Anyone tried it on a tandem? I like the sound of it being rolling, rather than big up, big down, big up, big down. That sounds tandem friendly (like Whinlatter blue which we did yesterday, that was tandemtastic), but too much rooty work might be awkward.
Any experiences to share?
Thanks.
Rob
Can't see a tandem working. It's twisty, narrow, rooty, rocky, off camber. I cant see it flowing well on a tandem.
Yeah, you would get in everyone elses way on your tandem, especially as it is now going to be busy with the STW faithful. I havnt told a sould just how bad it really is 😉
I think a fair few of the corners would be to tight for the tandem, I'd go mid-week if you were going to try it.
Tandemwarriors, funnilly enough when we were through the other week the chat got onto tandems for some reason, Rik's verdict was no way in hell... I've never ridden one so I don't really know enough but there are sections of the black that will definately be impossible, just from ground clearance... Quite a lot of it would I suspect be impossible just because of the nearness of the trees and general tightness.
Northwind, thanks for that. Sounds like a day to leave the tandem at home.
Cheers,
Rob
Rob.
I've ridden at Drum a few times.
I wouldn't be taking our tandem there.
I took a spin round last Saturday, felt as if I had the hole trail to my self to, the trail was in perfect dry conditions a joy to ride... it's a very different trail when wet.. much more of a challenge.. It's a good place to go for something a little different, well worth checking out, the café does some really good cakes to...
think I'm going to do a lot more visits this year.
Guys - you would be suprised what you can ride on a tandem and how tight a corner can be managed. all the hairpins on the spooky woods climb for example even the double hairpin is possible. Eveything on GT red infact.
Sometimnes ver slow tho - same with ground clearance - it is suprising what can be managed witohut grounding.
We have been round dalbeattie on ours - did bridge it on one bit and skipped the slab.
TJ, don't know if you've ridden at Drumlanrig but there's quite a few bits that are much tighter than anything at GT, not even simple to get a regular bike round. When I mentioned ground clearance, the part in question is a climb up and over a hump of roots which goes straight into a 45 degree descent, so the back wheel would still be climbing while the front is halfway down.
Hmm, the camera foreshortening effect means that it's not all that obvious but here's a short section...
Fair enough Northwind. Its just I have been told many times by folk that I won't be able to take the tandem down some bit of trail that infact is no problem whatsoever. people usually underestimate how manouverable it can be.
I so knew TJ would say exactly what he did there!
And its the predictable ignorant attack from cynic al once more - so boring. WTF do you know about MTB tandems? Arse
If I had a £ for every time someone said that we couldn't ride down a bit of trail we ride regularly................
It's all the roots in just the wrong places on tight corners that would stop us on our tandem.
I take it you've not riden there then Jeremy...
As said above it's very different to most trails centers.
Rik's got a tandem at the shop. I'm sure he'd let us borrow it for a laugh 🙂
Or the whatistcalled, that side-by-side thing he's got.
As I said - i accept that Drumlanrig is not suitable for tandems as people who know tandems tell me so. The point I tried to make was that people who don't know anything about MTB tandems usually underestimate how difficult terrain you can ride.
What I find a bit odd is that Drumlanrig isn't particularly dissimilar to riding on the Surrey Hills, which people write off as being 'pan flat' etc, and yet you lot are all gushing about Drumlanrig!
It's the only place in Scotland I've actually ridden, but I like it!
its also similar to guisborough forest but with less climbing. drumlanrig is better though.
The point I tried to make was that people who don't know anything about MTB tandems usually underestimate how difficult terrain you can ride.
I'd tend to agree with the fact that you can't ride " difficult terrain" on a tandem.
Seems that there might be a difference of opinion about what difficult terrain is though.
Your run of the mill trail center could hardly be described as "difficult" could it. Even though some think they could. 😉
Underestimate [b][i]how[/i] [/b]difficult terrain you can ride. I am told you "can't ride that" on stuff I ride regularly by other MTBers
Or the whatistcalled, that side-by-side thing he's got.
That'd be awesome off-road!
Without wanting to get into a conversation with a "read all about it but have no idea " type.
Anything that I'd consider to be [b]difficult[/b] terrain I'd not try and ride on our tandem as it would result in grounding out, getting stuck between trees, not physicall possible to get the small extra length round or just plain stupid.
Stu - you have misread me. I didn't claim to be able to ride [b]difficult [/b]terrain - its that people often say "you will struggle with this bit" or "you can't ride that bit" when its not that hard. Its that people who don't ride tandems underestimate what is possible.
Please try to read what I wrote rather than being offensive. I am not disagreeing with you - you have misunderstood me.
e have many times ridden stuff that people who don't ride tandems have told us is impossible.
Without wanting to get into a conversation with a "read all about it but have no idea " type.
Try re reading this bit again.
BTW there's nowt " offensive about anything I've posted.
Really - stu - you have misunderstood me and if you are referring to me as a "read all about it but have no idea " type I consider that offensive.
Its a simple point I tried to make that you have either deliberately or wilfully misunderstood. If you as an experienced tandemeer tells me that its not possible then I believe you. if people who have never ridden tandems tell me a route is impossible then my experience is that they underestimate what is possible to ride on a tandem all the time.
Thats the simple point that I tried to make.
Good for you . 🙄
Drumlanrig - ACE.Lovely natural feel. Ridden the red in the wettest conditions and was fine. Not sure how i'd manage the black in the wet though 🙂 Nice challenge.
Diane - I'm looking forward to riding there in the wet think it will be a good challenge, the Kirroughtree SXC Course was like a tribute to Drumlanrig it was very rooty on the natural stuff 🙂
So other than roots what features has Drum got going for it? I often think of going for a session there on my way South from Glasgow
To be fair, Drumlanrig is alright, but its nowt special.
I've only been a couple of times, but If I'm honest, I found the sheer quantity of slippery roots and tight turns a bit tedious. That and the fact they appeared to be interspersed with thick mud sections.
It certainly doesn't flow and provide the big grin factor of a swoopy downhill section. BUT, I'm probably too carp a rider to get the most out of it.
Drumlanrig has got a natural feel to it, it is quite technical and your right it doesn't run fast for all the twists turns and technical bits and I think it's that which gives it a certain charm its just different to the other local 7Stanes trails.
No mud on Friday 🙂 But can imagine some prolonged rain would make it so