Glentress / Innerleithen Trail Information

The trails

• Glentress Skills Loop (green grade)
  
• Glentress Green Route (green grade)
  
• Glentress Blue Route (blue grade)
  
• Glentress Red Route (red grade)
  
• Glentress V Trail (black grade)
  
• Glentress Freeride Park (bike park extreme grade)
  
• Innerleithen Downhill (bike park extreme grade)
  
• Traquair XC (black grade)

For 5 years the 7stanes at Glentress has lead the way in purpose built mountain biking trails. There really is no other venue like Glentress in Britain, and that’s the reason it is consistently voted the best dedicated centre in the UK. Glentress has it all, for all abilities, and the centre never rests. There is always some form of 7stanes trailbuilding going on at Glentress. Whether it is more natural singletrack from volunteer groups, or lengthening the blue graded runs through 7stanes funding. Glentress has a massive scene connected with it and feeds off this scene to grow bigger and better. Soon the forest itself will have to grow to cope with the sheer quantity of trails! Years of 7stanes trailbuilding experience and innovation have gone into Glentress along with all the facilities you would want pre and post-ride.

Beginners and novices can hone their technique at the purpose-built skills loop. From here, there are 7stanes Green graded routes and a 7stanes Blue run which rivals the advanced routes for sheer fun. The 7stanes Red run is the most popular in Glentress and its Spookywood descent is one of the most famous in UK mountain biking. The black-graded ‘V’ trail is 30kms of award-winning singletrack which provides great views over the Tweed Valley and seemingly endless descents on ribbons of singletrack. There is also plenty to entertain the highly skilled in the ‘freeride’ jump area.

Glentress can easily soak up two or three days of your time to experience the full range of trails. The site has a unique feel to it and really is a Biker’s Paradise. New developments at the base of the forest are looking to expand on facilities for all visitors, but already the site has its most important asset – atmosphere. That’s why over 350,000 visitors and growing, enjoy it annually.

Innerleithen, 'Inners' to downhillers, has a 15 year history of extreme DH trails. Traquair forest (the actual name of the venue next to the town of Innerleithen) has long been the no.1 DH trail centre in Scotland. There is a maze of trails at Innerleithen descending off 'The Plora' down to the town below, from ‘freeride’ trails with big jumps to root and rock fests. Innerleithen is a world-class venue for DH mountain biking, it just needs the chairlift to go with it now.

The 7stanes XC trail was built in the first phase of the project; a few years after 7stanes developments began in its sister forest, Glentress, down the road. The long XC course is a 'big up - big down' affair, reaching the summit of the Minch Moor high above the valley via some flowing singletrack climbs. The newly built shelter on top of the Minch gives you amazing 360 degree views of the Tweed, Ettrick and Yarrow valleys. Then you begin its famous descent, culminating in the infamous 'Cadon Bank' trail which flows beautifully, but only if you are confident. It really is a ‘men-from-boys’ descent and rewards confidence with a serious thrill-ride. There are few descents in Scotland to rival this experience.

There isn't much for the beginner or intermediate at Innerleithen and any budding mountain biker should treat its challenges as a goal. If you can ride Traquair forest's downhills with confidence and style, there isn't a massive amount more you can ask from your bike. Look out for big events hitting Innerleithen in coming years as the infrastructure develops to match the quality of the 7stanes trails.




Information about Glentress/Innerleithen by courtesy of Iain Withers - MB7