|
|
Dalbeattie Trail Information
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
 The
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.
 The
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.
 The
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 |
|
