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I'm taking an absolute beginner out on Sunday and was planning on the blue at glentress. I knew there's tree felling going on but I'm struggling to make sense of the closure details on the 7 stanes site.
Is everything pretty much closed or will we broadly be able to follow the blue?
So from what I can make out.
So for the Blue
All of the singletrack climb from the trailhead is shut.
You would climb on fireroad until the bottom of Super G and then rejoin the blue route. So you would be able to ride Betty Blue, Blue Velvet and Berm Baby Berm. Then diverted down another fireroad back to the trailhead.
For the Red the same applies but you would ride up to Spooky Wood and start the descent from there. Spooky Wood, Super G, Hit Squad Hill followed by Pie Run, Magic Mushroom or The Matrix, Lombard Street, Magic Mushroom if you prefer. From the end of Magic Mushroom its back down a fireroad diversion to the trail head.
So if I was going I'd ride the Red. The Blue is reduced to 3 sections of singletrack
As it's a beginner take them to Blue Velvet and Berm Baby Been first. Maybe do them 2 or 3 times. Then take them up to Spooky Wood. If they're doing well then you could stay on the red or go up Betty Blue. You could also squeeze in Pennels Vennel. This is all providing you know your way about or have a map.
If its a beginner go some where else.
The lower climb from the cafe to the eagles nest is shut, the diversion is a total bastard of a climb up a disused muddy forestry track that takes you to the fire road above the eagles nest.
Half the blue descent from eagles nest is also closed.
Ordinarily it'd be fine but for a beginner they'll be hating it before they even do anything interesting.
The other thing isif they need a break at the cafe they'll have to do the climb all over again.
I was there on Tuesday with a beginner.
Know the place like the back of my hand so no problems linking stuff up but don't want to bother if it's a mess. Road up to and car park at buzzards appears to be closed so starting from there isn't an option. Hmm.
Go off-piste elsewhere in the Valley?
What about climbing to the buzzards via Janets brae?
Don't fancy off piste with a beginner
go to Mugdock, take in Dumgoyne Loop and some of the more weatherproof singletrack. We did Carbeth and Whangie Radio mast loop last night, superb. Cafe at visitor centre for tasty mid ride break too 🙂
Innerleithen
Muggers might be the only option
think a load of inners is closed too:
"From Wed 22nd Oct until the end of Jan 2015, due to tree felling operations the XC Trail is closed (7 days/week) at post 10 (start of Taniel Hill descent), with a diversion rejoining the XC Trail at post 34 (Plora Craig). This reduces the overall distance of XC Trail from 19km to ~10.5km."
Inners is mostly shut too due to felling
How much of a total beginner are you talking. If they can ride a bike without falling off then Mabie Red is pretty good for beginners. None of the climbs are particulalry testing. Barring one obstacle (The Bad Step) everything else can be rolled.
Its a bit more of a trek getting down there though
rules most of us out then ! 🙂If they can ride a bike without falling off
Haven't been but someone mention newcastleton blue being pretty good?
Anyone been, looking at the closures it looks like only 3 sections are open or am I misreading it? I take its spooky wood is fully shut too?
YEs as above I've been
Everything above eagles nest is open.
Everything between eagles nest and peel centre is shut with one short exception right at the end.
Eagles nest and road access to it is shut.
Spooky wood is open then?
When you say Eagles Nest I assume you mean Buzzard's Nest?
Using a map and the info on the site it looks as though everything, up or down, between the Peel and Buzzard's Nest is closed. They're diverting you just before the little bit on singletrack that takes you to the Go Ape huts. From there it's diverting you to the top of the pennel's vennel climb. Everything from there up appears to be open. Should be able to use Janet's brae to get up and down instead.
Ha sorry I always get that mixed up.
Yes thats right, you go past tourist trap and turn right. Its a nasty climb if you aren't expecting it.
There is a small bit of singletrack on the descent to peel, pops you out by the ponds.
If the janets brae is the track that runs pas the skills area then yes you can get in that way. Its pretty much the extents of the carpark that is shut, freride and the benches and info points are accessible.
For a total beginner I would go to the trails in the Callendar Estate near Falkirk. Park at the Falkirk Wheel, and ride up from there. It's a green/blue/red stacked loop system. Nothing too technical, but good proper singletrack.
What TW said^^