 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Did the Kielder reds yesterday and while I think there's a lot of climbing on lonesome pine with little decent singletrack it seems worth it for the two singletrack descents at the end from the northshore back down to kielder. This was the first trail I'd ever done so I always looked fondly on it as I always remember the enjoyment of the first experience. However yesterday I discovered these last two sections have been completely sanitised by the use of pine, like the surface on the lakeside way, on the singletrack! It's completely smooth now. Yeah you can go faster, but it doesnt feel like speed due to the suspension not needing to move. We spoke to the guy at the bike shop who explained it had been done to stop the loose rock getting worse. Nice bloke, told us about all the projects and goings on at kielder.
It's such a shame that this has been done to a red though. If people want easy managed stuff do a blue or a green. The red is supposed to be difficult, that's why we do them. I just feel they've spolit what was one of my favourite descents.
That said, the last two sections of deadwater are in great nick, easily the best part of Kielder now.
Its pants.
How to make the worse red I have ridden even more crap!
One of the locals reckoned they'd done that because the trail had such a bad rep, nobody was riding it for the technical challenge anyway- so they might as well just lose it. Kielder's blues are all green after all (I like the one that warns you to make sure your invalid carriage's battery is fully charged before you set out- that's radcore!1!!)
I do love the Deadwater trails though, apart from the terrible top part anyway. But the place seems mismanaged/badly conceived.
Money sqaundered a real scandal.
I'd be the first to admit Kielder isn't perfect but there's also a lot of over exaggerated negativety about it imo. For example the lonesome pine ascent is pretty cut up (and got a lot of comments from the kielder100 riders) and really hard to get your flow going uphill, however, its that not what mountain biking is all about, a tough challenge?
There are loads of opportunities to get involved at Kielder to help shape the trails there (and were in the past when it was originally built) so get out there (note I'm not part of the trail reavers).
I just fear that the makers of said trails won't bother in future if they think their efforts have gone to waste (plenty of people go up to kielder of all abilities and have a decent ride, what about the avalanche enduro event, that was quality?)
Anyway just my 2p
Bloody bush extension still has the original surface and is really nice if it's not windy or snowing.
The other surface will get cut up soon enough. It was getting really bad in places and while it was a challenge it was going to revert back to it's natural state unless they did something.
I think Kielder disappoints those going for a short exciting blast. In terms of distance available it's fantastic. You can do 75-100miles of reasonable red/blue way marked trails only covering a couple of bits twice.
Do the ride over to Newcastleton via Lonesome pine and bloody bush. Really nice. Add on a quick loop of the blue at the start and a blast round deadwater at the end (do the climb back up to where the up and over black section begins) and you have about 75 miles. I think the guys are doing a great job with the resource (i.e. very little) available.
What's not to enjoy? Last November 🙂
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5175853276_b33f2201a2_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarkpm4242/5175853276/ ]Kielder Water[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/clarkpm4242/ ]clarkpm4242[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5175248775_1659fc7199_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarkpm4242/5175248775/ ]Lonesome Pine[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/clarkpm4242/ ]clarkpm4242[/url], on Flickr
A very nice day out in the hills!! 🙂 cheers...