7stanes.com

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Dalbeattie Trail Information

http://www.7stanes.com

06:25 08-Sep-2010

The trails

  • Ironhash Trail (green grade)
  • Moyle Hill Trail (blue grade)
  • Hardrock Trail (red grade with black-graded sections)
If you like... Rocky features, a variety of singletrack
Highlight... 'The Slab' granite outcrop

7stanes DalbeattieThe 7stanes trail at Dalbeattie suffers from its soil. It is one of the boggiest 7stanes sites and therefore the trailbuilding team have had to come up with some unique solutions to maintain an all-weather trail. Initially this meant using a lot of the existing forest road at the expense of long sections of singletrack. But phase II building sees another 5kms of singletrack added to the trail. In addition to this some innovative boardwalk and rocky features will really put Dalbeattie back on the map as a top 7stanes venue. It is a good example of innovative singletrack trailbuilding skills at work.


Mountain Biking at DalbeattieThe trail centre at Dalbeattie itself sits on the beautiful Solway coast and a post-ride drive down to Kippford is well worth it for some good food and good views. On site there are few facilities but the nearby town of Dalbeattie provides all necessary services, however the nearest bike shop is a short drive away at Castle Douglas. There is a bike hose at the well-hidden trailhead to wash away the remnants of your ride.


7stanes DalbeattieThe red run combines twisty singletrack with massive rocky features, broken up by forest road sections with good views. You get a real sense of tranquility when out on the trail. It is the massive 'Slab' rock feature that has given Dalbeattie its reputation, but given time the singletrack will develop a name of its own. The short skills loop is great for practicing riding rocky obstacles, next to the car park, and the blue route is a forest road loop suitable for fit families. From 2007 onwards, this should definitely be a 7stanes venue not to miss.

7stanes trail builder Andy Hopkins has been spending a lot of time at Dalbeattie lately. He is bursting with enthusiasm for the new blue / red trail and says, "I just love building there". The highlight is a new section called Log On, Log Off which is a log ride onto a technical crag and a log ride off (black grade).

Check out the Eye of the Needle too - a log between two rocks. As Andy says: "You're gonna love that - it'll really fry your riding!"

Information about Dabeattie by courtesy of Iain Withers - MB7