You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Work begins on new environmentally sensitive cabins at Glentress - Forestry and Land Scotland
Just the Freeride and carpark for now..
I'm pretty sure there was a commitment from FLS to keep everything open until the new areas were open- and these wont be ready until next spring...
Seems that the new trails are to be considerably shorter than planned too
Seems that the new trails are to be considerably shorter than planned too
Colour me shocked.
We'll see about the scale and nature of the new trails.
In fairness, the building plans were absolutely knocked out by covid,so it's not shocking that the closures are coming before the new stuff, we had a bit of a reprieve there too.
Still think losing the buzzard's nest/trail hub is pretty much tragic though. As if that's the only place in the whole forest that the cabins could go.
"We’ll see about the scale and nature of the new trails."
Already shrunk from the original 16.km to 10km and I'd be hugely surprised if there's even that much. There's a fairly recent map showing the red and black starting from the road below Ewok Village, but now looks like a long flat traverse from the lower road to access the new trails, with the black apparently nearly finished according to FLS, so unlikely to be following the planned route.
When pressed for solid info, FLS could only claim that trail lengths etc. were still being decided, despite work having started.
I'm absolutely unsurprised
Seems that the new trails are to be considerably shorter than planned too
It was always going to be so.
Somewhere, someone is bean counting the income from chalet / hut / coffee shop from middle class families who need an alternative to CentreParks and a group of grubby riders who spend more on brake pads than accommodation....
It is apparently their jewel in the crown...which seems to suggest the crown fits a Barbie doll and the jewel is plastic.
Absolutely no surprise, no real investment in any forest for a while (a few small exceptions) so it shouldn't be a surprise that Glentress also suffers...however, this feels a bit more obvious as the plans were released previously showing the intention and reality now isn't meeting that.
As much as I hate to use it as an excuse, Covid pretty much screwed up the plans.
The trails originally should have been finished and ready for a test event last year, in preparation for the World Champs this August.
However, due to Covid preventing anything being done (and exasperated by the Scottish Government wanting to set an example by stopping all unnecessary work), the original tenders expired and had to be retendered with all the associated bureaucracy.
As it stands, the first phase of trails are currently on target to be completed by the beginning of June subject to no further delays (biggest worry is weather over the next couple months). Then once the World Champs has passed, phase two will commence. The last I heard that phase was being tendered for, with the aim of having them all complete by next spring.
I do know the new skills area(s) won't be done until phase 2.
As part of the WC requirements, there is a long wide road required for the start/finish. Once the WC is finished, that will be redeveloped, with skills areas along the side of that road, which is why the existing skills area is to remain open for now.
On a more positive note.
A mate has had a walk over there and says some of the features look like they could be pretty interesting/fun.
Whatever happened to getting on our bikes and just riding through the woods having fun?
I thought the Freeride area had been closed for ages? Or am I thinking of the wrong thing?
Unsure Covid had such a negative impact in 2022 as it did in 2020 and 2021 though - certainly a lot more was possible and far fewer lockdowns, so work could have been progressed in some areas...I'm not saying all of it could have been done, but more 'bits' could have been progressed.
This isn't aimed just at FLS, seems a lot of projects everywhere have taken a much longer time to get started again - for various reasons.
Has BBB gone?
I was there before Xmas, was a few jumps and a drop called "The Huck" and some other bits, wooden wallrides. Was fun.
Managed to fully bottom out the suspension messing about on the huck and landing stupidly hard to flat, which was nice
Has BBB gone?
Came here to ask this too....
This is criminal. Stupid huts for random Richards could have gone in a field anywhere.
If BBB goes IMO it's treason to mountain biking in the UK.
I really don’t understand how anyone could have made this decision.
There must be 100x the number of waking trails, campsites and huts in the UK than MTB trails. They had something so special and are ruining it for what? A few hundred K a year max. After staffing / expenses I bet they only up 100k.
So 100k more than they are with the MTB trails...so likely to be seen as a successful venture. BBB is/was good but I'm not sure it is as good as your words sell it...but probably depends on the type of riding you do...if you spend most of your ride time at Glentress, then it is probably quite accurate. The Forest is a commercial business and the Forestry are looking at making more money out of it. It is a well established MTB destination which is likely to mean they can play about with it as people are always going to gravitate to it.
Someone has seen the rise in popularity of these kinds of holidays and decided this is something else that could generate money for the forest/area...it isn't great to see what is well established being removed (and replaced with less), but it seems to be the nature of Forestry land. There is more demand from more groups and the Forestry are looking to cater for as many as they can - works to our benefit at times and other times is doesn't.
Masterplan (scotborders.gov.uk)
Looks like BBB will probably survive, but Zoom or Bust is going to be affected.
These aren't going to be £50 a night camping pods for bikers, more like £2k per week plus lodges, so likely very profitable.
Covid can't really be blamed though- its more that the work on the replacement skills and freeride areas are being bumped in favour of the World Champs start area. That and the desire to get the lodges up and running taking precedent over the continued use by beginners, school groups and children who are going to be the most affected. I have two kids who are learning to ride, but are two small to be able to ride up to the skills area from the bottom.
We were promised this wouldn't happen, it has and it sucks.
I believe the right to stick cabins in every UK public forest was stitched up long before the split of FLS and FE so it may be a historic deal FLS cannot get out of even if they wanted to. If I recall the price they pay to install these cabins is really not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things; Like a few grand per year rent for a site. So small in fact it's to the point you have to question exactly what the hell whoever signed the deal was thinking. Or whether they had another motive to make the deal happen. The company with the rights has subsequently been flipped for first £110m, and then more recently £300m without having actually developed anything like its full potential. While FC had retained the right to 13% or so of the shares in the business Im not sure if they've been exited now.
What is for sure is that they have no vito, very little say and therefore no means to totally stop a cabin development in a forest AFAIK. The lease is for 125 years from when it started, and covers all fully, publicly owned forests as I understand it.
They essentially privatised commercial activity within a forestry site with little or no oversight or public tender.
Good insight Ben- I had thought Forest Holidays were owned by FLS and FE, but seems to be multiple layers of holding companies.
I just yearn for a bit of honesty from public bodies, probably in vain!
It was, once upon a time a Forestry Commission endeavour, grown from a single site in Scotland, but the Gov of the day saw an opportunity for a quick buck and sold the rights to the lowest bidder it would seem.
New paying entry/exit barriers have been installed at GT this week, they were being tested last night. They are installed just before the lower carpark. That's why the road was widened at that spot.
BBB is/was good but I’m not sure it is as good as your words sell it…but probably depends on the type of riding you do…if you spend most of your ride time at Glentress, then it is probably quite accurate.
Not for me. For young kids in the area, learning to progress. Tell me a better trail for anyone 4-10 first getting into MTB?
Based on comments above it sounds like they won’t even make 100k a year. Occupancy over winter will be close to 0.
I just yearn for a bit of honesty from public bodies, probably in vain!
Brown envelopes only work if the structure is too complex for the police to unravel in a reasonable time!
As I understand it, the Skills Area at Buzzard's Nest will remain open (that's the area to the left of the fireroad on the way up to the top). The Freeride Park is what is going first (the jumps and features on the right of the fireroad), and with it the car park and public access via vehicle to the Buzzard's Nest. You'll still be able to use the Skills Area (good for kids, beginners, etc) and this is staying until the new Skills Area is built at the bottom (work commencing after world champs). And whilst most folk will have to ride up from the bottom now (via trails or forest road), Adrenalin Uplift will still be active on selected days for uplifts, and businesses/clubs that use the forest can arrange to drive up to drop riders off.
I agree it's a real shame to see BN go. It's iconic. There's other places cabins could have gone, and ruins a pretty unique spot, but the time for objecting was years ago when the plans were first drawn up.
However, new trails are looking great and meant to be open around June. And whilst ANPR cameras may sound overkill, they free up rangers' time to do other stuff than check for parking tickets, and might help prevent thefts of bikes from cars which has been known to happen at GT.
If they could just find a bit of money and resources to repair some of the existing trails (replace the north shore features on the way up, Magic Mushroom's awkward diversion, Britney Spears' epic puddles, and then all the storm damage on Boundary and Deliverance for a start) that would be grand.
I think Glentress has changed massively over the last 10 or so years. Most of the popular trails are now on the west side compared to the traditional Black on the east (Inners) side. I think if you look at popularity Trailfairy , Zorro , Thunderstruck and careless are ridden way more than the traditional Red / Black. Remember a couple of years ago when they carved up the valley to walkers trails, bike trails and horse trails , the likes of careless and Jailbreak was sposed to go as it wasnt sposed to be built on. This seems to have went by the way side which makes you think that If they are now making less new trails than originally agreed they will turn a blind eye to careless etc. The freeride side going to the bottom of the hill makes prefect sense and I doubt the huts will put anyone I know off riding there as you will only really bypass the buzzards to head up the hill. I dont ht++think its the disaster some have mentioned to be honest but thats only my opinion.
storm damage on Boundary and Deliverance
Have you seen it? No way is that being addressed any time soon, logistics of it are apparently too much to consider.
Have you seen it? No way is that being addressed any time soon, logistics of it are apparently too much to consider.
Yes, I know, but it's been a year now. I just think if it's not getting fixed, then the route needs to be properly changed/updated. It's a long detour to Mild Peril as it stands.
I think if you look at popularity Trailfairy , Zorro , Thunderstruck and careless are ridden way more than the traditional Red / Black.
Among those here, maybe, families, younger and new riders? I'd be genuinely amazed all of the off piste stuff and black combined saw the footfall of the blue and to an extent red.
FWIW I don't think the end of buzzards is necessarily the terrible thing some do, though that will depend hugely on development down the bottom and/or how you get little wheels up the hill to the blue.
@DickBarton the work was originally meant to start in 2020, but as ScotGov suspended all non-essential work (including by contractors), nothing happened. Most FLS staff were furloughed as well.
Then as the original tenders expired, as per classic civil service bureaucracy, the entire process had to be restarted, and work didn't actually start until last year.
Then there is the issue that there's a limited number of companies and people who can build trails to the required standard, so WC stuff has been prioritised.
I suspect Forest Lodges have pushed for work to start, as they were supposed to have been finished two years ago. Also, how long does planning permission last for? It could be that would be expiring if they delayed starting to build for much longer.
As far as I know regarding BBB and ZorB. The new climb trail was to cut across near the start of BBB (the flags were out prior to covid to mark the new climb route), and ZorB could probably remain with a diversion. The cabin locations showed one or two were likely to touch/overlap ZorB, but the detail of plans wasn't quite clear enough to know to what extent.
As for the new trails. A key thing was they are to be progressive.
The soon to be flattened freeride was fairly progressive when it was built and is still good fun, but things have progressed a lot since then.
Some concrete info from FLS:
No new freeride area
BBB to stay
Zoom or Bust confirmed as being removed.
Also had an email confirming that the new trails will be a total of 7km rather than the original 16.5km