[Closed] SW Scotland 7 Stanes Conditions This Coming Weekend?

Drumlanrig will be rideable whatever is happening - it's pretty low lying and sheltered so rarely gets affected.

There is a 7 Stanes FB page but it tends to be all about Glentress/Inners each week.

I think the Forestry Commission website has started showing trail closures, etc again

If you check the relevant page for each site it will give you info on the bike tab, ie

http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/forest-of-ae

All snow free down here in Dumfries just now.  I believe there are diversions in place at Ae and Mabie while they remove the Larch trees.  Drumlanrig was bone dry yesterday and riding brilliantly with bags of grip but jeez it was cold.  Forecast looks wetish for the rest of the week so the roots at Drum could be fun, it adds to the excitement.

give MPG cycles a call at Dalbeattie on 01556 610659 , opening times are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays

Ae Cycles on 01387 860805 opening times are Tues: 3pm till 10pm, Fri/Sat/Sun 10am -5pm

Drumlanrig: Rik's bike shed Contact Rik on 01848 330080, mobile 07722 828139

these are the folks with the local knowledge.... and as you say, Kirroughtree is not worth a visit...

hope this helps and enjoy your visit 🙂

I believe some of the trails near Glentress are closed this weekend (24th/25th) for the Tweedlove Vallelujeh event.

There's not been any disclosure of the trails so far but it will be busy up there.

http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/activities/mountain-biking/7stanes

The above link has limited information.

apart from inners and GT that are covered in snow the rest should free of the white stuff.  Going to be wet for the rest of the week so trails will be damp/puddles. most of Ae is closed for tree felling and Kirroughtree is all but closed.

How significant are the tree felling closures at Ae?

All sounds good though - can deal with mud and rain no problem

How significant are the tree felling closures at Ae

not worth it at all.

Yourguitarhero- I’m local to Ae and although I didn’t manage out at the weekend I can assure you that most of Ae is NOT closed. The Shredder closure has now been lifted I’ve heard and we plan on riding it tomorrow evening. Well worth checking out the naturals- you’ll find them on Trailforks or ask in the Shop

Mabie, Dalbeattie and Drum are clear of snow and riding well.

 Due to tree felling work the Larch View Route (Blue) will be diverted from post 48 to 53. The Ae Line Trail (Red) will be diverted from post 10 to 14 and post 22 to 45, where riders should follow the blue route back to the car park. Please follow all diversion signage

red is mostly shut which I'm assuming what the op would be wanting to ride.  If you want to ride the DH track and the off piste trails they are all accessible.

Yeah, I'm shepherding 11 guys of various abilities (a few have only mountain biked a couple of times... it's probably more of a drinking/hot tub weekend than a biking one TBH) so I doubt I want to be doing off-piste stuff I don't know off my GPS and would be sticking to waymarked trails for the inevitable "getting split up" bits.

Downhill stuff would be beyond the skill level for most people

loads of trees still down over here at Kirroughtree. The FC have been working hard to shift them but dozens went down in the stormy weather.

Bugger, off to Kirroughtree at Easter. Based on previous experiences that people have, is it still likely to be disrupted by then?

I wouldn't take a load of mixed abilities folks to Ae red anyway, given the amount of scorn it gets from the mixed abilities riders on here...

If it's all open, I'd go Mabie, as it's a nice route, plenty bits to stop and chill, or ride again, Drumlanrig may seem a bit pedally for folks that aren't used to riding as much, and it's also far more techier straight from the off for folks that have been used to riding groomed reds.

Drumlanrig Blue and Red weave around each other and run together at a number of sections so ideal if you want to split between those that are beginners and those with a little more skill.

I've done this with a mixed group here.

Bump.

Just keeping this up to as we are heading in the same direction on Saturday.

Any more info towards end of wk much appreciated.

I wouldn’t take a load of mixed abilities folks to Ae red anyway, given the amount of scorn it gets from the mixed abilities riders on here…

do tell.

Kirroughtree still showing largely closed on the FC's website:
http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/forest-parks/galloway-forest-park/kirroughtree-visitor-centre#bike

Larg Hill (blue) - closed (fallen trees)
The Twister (red) - closed (fallen trees and extreme weather)
Black Craigs (black) - closed (fallen trees and extreme weather)

Still, at least the green route is still open... :-/

Would love to hear from anyone local who can give some details of conditions on the ground, or any indication of how long it might take for this to re-open.

Hi Daern... I was at kirrie last week... complete nightmare with the fallen trees, would guesstimate it's gonna take weeks to get the trails fully open... you can always give the folks down at thebreakpad a call  01671 401303 as they will be able to give you more info...

Map of windblown:

Thanks for that. And bugger :-/

We're not there for another week, so I might call them later in the week to see how things are going. What alternatives are there in the area if it's still shut. We're staying just down the road and I'm stuck to that, but don't mind a bit of a drive...

check out Dalbeattie-Ae-Mabie or even Drumlanrig, as Glentrool is suffering from windblown and trail diversions.....

Thanks, great information. Much appreciated.

do tell.

It's too pedally

It's too bumpy

There's too much climbing

It doesn't flow

You must have seen these comments on here.

Fresh update video on FB for Kirroughtree advised both Green and Blue now open but red/black still closed.

They expect another couple weeks minimum for the red but black will be longer still to clear.

Kirrie blue is open but with diversions..., Glentrool is open but with diversions..

It’s too pedally

It’s too bumpy

There’s too much climbing

It doesn’t flow

You must have seen these comments on here.

nope but there is always too much climbing unless you get an uplift.

nope but there is always too much climbing unless you get an uplift.

Some of us quite enjoy riding up hills... 🙂

FC trail updates usually on the FC site on a Fri. However due to contractors moving around the various areas this is sometimes not correct!!
> http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/activities/mountain-biking/7stanes < Scroll down and click on the trail name tab. As district office contact details are there somewhere. Ae and Breakpad at Kirry have Facebook pages so you can get local updates if they have been informed. Some locals use

daern
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Thanks for that. And bugger :-/

We’re not there for another week, so I might call them later in the week to see how things are going. What alternatives are there in the area if it’s still shut. We’re staying just down the road and I’m stuck to that, but don’t mind a bit of a drive…</div>

Big hill ride??? Cairnsmore of Fleet. Speak to Sam @Breakpad or others on the various forums. Big up, turn around then down. Weather is not to be trifled with however.

Dalbeattie is the only Stane locally without any issues, its a 1hr drive from Kirry. To make a "big" day out add the coastal path from Kipford to Portling

Possible option - if you really do like climbing hills then take a look east when riding at Drumlanrig and see if the hills are clear of snow. If clear then the Durisdeer Loop might be a goer - pretty tuff climbing on that loop but definitely no wind-blown trees, in fact no trees at all!

Cracking, thanks. Is it this loop?

nope but there is always too much climbing unless you get an uplift.

I think you have the wrong end of the stick here, carry on.

I think you have the wrong end of the stick here, carry on.

not that I know off.

Cracking, thanks. Is it this loop?

It certainly is. Park up on Durisdeer, not a lot of space in the square. Pop down to the church yard and turn left. Through gate and head uphill, ignore left track. At the bothies keep left.You come to a junction on a rough uphill section, go left. Start of a push for a bit, it flattens out before a junction. Turn right downhill, another push follows up onto Wedder Law. Cracker of a downhill to Daer Res. Pick up Southern Upland Way on your left at end of Daer. Bit of forest/farm track, bit of grassy track and then into a field. Then onto Dalveen Pass road for a couple of miles. Spot the radio mast on your left, down to a gate and follow track back to Durisdeer down the silliest double track. Beware 🐑

Enjoy but be prepared for it being f**********g cold!!!!!!

Guid stuff trekster, some corking riding up there, need to get back to enterkin pass this year too.

Me to, been a couple of years. Last time we got the train to Sanquhar and did a 50ml trip back to Dfs via Wanlockhead, Enterkin, Durisdeer and over the hill to Mitchellslacks, Ae and back to Dumfries. The guy I was riding with had a heart attack a few months later, 3 stents later and he’s still going strong

http://s95.photobucket.com/user/bigjohnskona/slideshow/Durisdeer%20May%202012

cclockwise just for a change.....

Thanks Trekster, that looks brilliant and the photos are great. I don't see a whole lot of mud there, which appeals to me a great deal after a very wet winter in Yorkshire! We'll definitely check that one out.

Aye, there isn't ever really much in the way of mud, probably due to the fact that very few folk really ride there, it's a quiet area, but bloody lovely. Everytime I go, I see different tracks that I plan to explore, I'd imagine lots of them will be for shooting access or windfarm planning.

The classic 'Wanlockhead gold rush' route is ace daern, best done from Drumlanrig, along the river to Mennock bridge, then up past Auchentaggart farm, but don't go up the SUW to the right, instead carry on North, around the hill via clenries and nether cog onto Cogshead - where you would meet the SUW, then carry on the SUW via glengaber hill, into Wanlockhead - the village of the damned.

I can plot out a route if you need it.

I wouldn't ride the Durisdeer loop CCW myself - that means all the really big climbs come in the last third of the ride - I didn't find that as enjoyable as Clockwise when you can get the big stuff out the way with fresh legs.

It's mostly good hard tracks except a short boggy bit across a field to join the main road for a short run onto the Roman road. The last few Km descent is sooo much fun - not tech but fast (sheep permitting)

The SUW is pretty wet climbing between Mennock and Wanlockhead just now @Nobeerinthefridge.

Needs some wind or heat to sort it a little

Thanks all - the Wanlockhead Gold Rush route sounds good. This is the only route I can find online, but the website is down. I've ordered a book with it in anyway, so I can soon transcribe it from there. Much happier about this whole thing than I was a couple of days ago when I found that Kirroughtree was shut!

vmgscot - Hence why I said to avoid that section, and skirt round the hill, tbh even after a dry spell, I'd rather go round the longer way now. After Cogshead it's not really an issue that I can recall.

Avoid 'The Dempster road' - a descent that was recommended to me, it's pretty pish.

Ignore what I said about the Durisdeer loop direction - I got my rotation mixed up - only ride the Durisdeer loop Counter Clockwise for maximum enjoyment

Dalbeattie and Mabie have been great.

Bright sun, tracks almost dry. Been having a grand time!

My new ti hardtail is riding brilliantly as well. Pleasing!