 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Just wondered if anyone on here has ridden the red grade trail at Rostrevor in NI?
Heading home for a few days and would like to give it a go. Seems long at 27km for a red. What's the technical difficulty like? Are there unavoidable features like drops or does everything have a chicken run?
Nothing that technical on the red trail, the black trail which is a shorter version has a bit more but nothing too bad. I'd say the trail grading is similar to seven staines or slightly easier.
The climb is a beast though, straight from the car park.
Agree with first poster. Both black and red options are fun but nothing techy. First climb is a stinger but the uplift sometimes runs and takes you up a fair bit.
Big wood, just off the dual carriageway between Newry and Rostrevor, where the quarry is, has some really excellent trails if you've not been before. Lots of features, we had someone show us around.
Tollymore was also fantastic.
Was on it Wednesday. It's quite long so if you can get an uplift to the top car park take it!
Nothing too techinal and no major drops on the red. Feels like a good couple of hours in the mountains.
Castlewellan close by is good fun.
Thanks for the feedback folks. Had read that the climb from the car park is a brute. Does it take you most of the way up though?
Good to hear on the grading - would be ideal if it was slightly easier than 7stanes red! Will be myself and my wife who's favourite trail is Glentress Blue but who's able to do 7stanes reds.
Just need to find a day with decent weather now!
Climb doesn't take you most of the way up, still a bit more to do. Views are amazing though after where the uplift drops you off. Plenty of spots where you can bail back to the trailhead too if you get a bit knackered. Could also drive to the top car park yourself and start from there and climb back up to get the car at the end/ get a lift. Similar distance to buzzards nest in glentress.
Fantastic fun trail. Starts with a stiff initial fire road climb but most of the height gain is on singletrack so easy and the fantastic views over Carlingford Lough provide plenty of distraction. Fast and swoopy once you reach the top, a bit of climbing again in the middle then a fantastic swoopy fast downhill at the furthest point followed by an easy cruise back to the car park. Nithing overly technical More fun than the black imo although that may be due to the fact I rode the black at dusk without lights and could hardly see the trail in the trees. Bear in mind that it's high and esposed in places and can be very wet and cold at thus time of year.
Prefer the red to the black as the black is no more tricky, just shorter. If you can get the uplift to the top car park it helps but once you start climbing from there and look down onto the start of the dh course you realise how much higher the top of the first climb is. Once that's all out the way it's great flow Singletrack all the way back to the bottom. Fantastic trail.
Check out Davagh too, also good fun.
Thanks for the feedback folks. I made it to Rosstrevor and got a nice sunny day for it and rode round with a good group of guys who made me feel very welcome.
I thought it was at least as difficult as most Scottish Red Grade trails. Didn't have many stand out difficult sections or major obstacles but there was at times a fairly continuous series of small things to keep you focused! Felt like I had to concentrate and lots of small sticky out rocks that were at rear mech height too!
Cheated and took the uplift and then the climbing was easy enough up to Kodak Korner: [url= https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/760/32087096286_c8bfd2eb89.jp g" target="_blank">https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/760/32087096286_c8bfd2eb89.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/QTqKQ3 ]Rosstrevor[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/9655603@N08/ ]weewillywinky[/url], on Flickr
Well worth a visit if you're close enough to it.
As someone said the climb to the top of Slieve Martin is tough. The red trail is great though with some nice sections through the middle parts, the final downhill is great too. I ride it regularly and really enjoy it. The drive down from Newry is great as well.