Updates from the 7stanes trail building frontier!

A fantastic new café has opened at Mabie and by all accounts the quality of drink and food is exceptional: top class cappuccinos, and the red onion tart must be sampled! It has a really cosy feel with a stove and new furniture, but don't take our word for it, check it out yourself. Dalbeattie We've built 2km of a planned 4.5km of additions to the blue and red routes. Look out for 650m of boardwalk over a flooded boggy area at the beginning of the trails, and a fantastic new finish. Also, the popular skills loop is due to get a new black-graded section. All these sections will be open by Spring, so Dalbeattie is one to note for your Easter Holidays. Mabie Some excellent new blue- and green-graded sections of swooping singletrack are complete and will be ready to ride for the Christmas holidays. Ae At Ae, areas of trail damaged through harvesting operations have been repaired, and other sections upgraded. Work planned for 2007 will solve the problems we've had with water damage and erosion and will add sections to the existing loop, taking out some forest road. Glentress The blue route now has 750m of extra singletrack: 'Blue Velvet'. Construction on a new blue-graded freeride track started in November. Aimed at entry level 'freeriders', the 'Essentials' Track will be a series of individual sections, each with different types of features, linked by push up paths. The track should be open by the end of February 2007. The whole of the Freeride Area is getting an 'Extreme - Bike Park' grading, similar to that used in snowboard terrain parks. There will also be new signage going up in the freeride area over Christmas and we're looking for your feedback on it. Email comments to andy.wardman@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or drop by the Ranger office at Glentress. Innerleithen & Newcastleton 2007 will see 3km of trail extensions at Innerleithen, and 2km at Newcastleton. More details soon. Kirroughtree Yet more new trail is open! Almost 5km of singletrack has been added to the existing trails in recent times, mostly removing sections of forest road. The latest addition is to the black route. It's 1.4km long and takes out the drag of a road climb and descent immediately before 'Hissing Sid'. Glentrool An 8km blue-graded route consisting of 6km of singletrack and 2km of forest road is being built at Glentrool, due for completion in mid-March 07. Starting and finishing at the visitor centre, it's aimed at entry-level mountain bikers and families looking to enjoy Glentrool's big views, with the added bonus of plenty of singletrack. The finish is an epic 2.5km fun-filled descent back to the visitor centre. www.7stanes.gov.uk

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