New Line Up At Ae

Ae forest is set to be one of the best venues for outdoor activities in the south of Scotland, with the opening of a new Ae 7stanes centre and additional mountain bike trails. The Ae 7stanes centre bike shop and café opened its doors formally this week and is being run by Rob Gray. It will provide a great new place to eat after visitors have enjoyed the many activities in the forest and offer a range of clothing and equipment along with mountain bikes for sale or hire. The centre also includes new shower and toilet facilities. Two additional mountain bike trails have also been opened, including a new 13.5 kilometre blue trail and three kilometres of improvement to the red graded, Scottish Power Renewables 'Ae Line'. Bill Coombes, Ae District Recreation manager for Forestry Commission Scotland, said: "Around 30,000 visitors visit Ae forest each year to make use of the growing number of mountain bike, walking and horse riding trails. It is also a popular destination for car rallies to be held and the training location for sled dog racing. "The Ae 7stanes centre is an important facility for Ae, not only because of the growing numbers of mountain bikers and other sports enthusiasts who use the forest, but also for the local community and residents of Dumfries who like to enjoy the quiet recreation that the forest offers." The £400,000 investment - announced in August 2007 by Environment Minister Michael Russell - is part of the on-going development of the world class mountain bike centres and is intended to appeal to a wide range of mountain bike riders and other users of the forest. Commenting on his new business venture Rob Gray said: "I am looking forward to running the new café and shop facilities here at Ae and catering for the growing number of visitors who enjoy Ae forest for mountain biking, rally driving, horse riding and sled dog racing as well as the many walkers and local people who simply come here to enjoy the magnificent landscape. It's an exciting time ahead and I am enjoying letting the coffee aroma spread around the forest." The new blue trail is aimed at entry level and intermediate level riders who will enjoy riding easier grade trails but still want the fun and excitement of riding single track within the scenic Ae valley. The extra red trail on the Scottish Power Renewables 'Ae Line' will allow the more experienced rider to enjoy the challenges of new features like the raised wooden trail, fast flowing single track, berms, jumps and log rides. Ae already has a 24km of red-graded trails which contains steep climbs and descents with 'freeride' style trail features. It also has a dedicated 1.6km downhill route for the more experienced rider. Graded 'Bike Park/ Extreme', its gnarly rocky sections, slippery roots and huge drops will satisfy the most demanding of riders. There is also a 9km Green trail that was officially opened last year for the mountain biking beginner. A recent independent evaluation of the 7stanes highlighted that some 400,000 mountain bikers are now visiting the 7stanes annually bringing over £9 million into the south of Scotland economy and creating over 200 jobs since it started in 2002. www.7stanes.gov.uk