Summer update for the 7stanes trails

Summer is well and truly here and we hope you're enjoying the new trail features and making the most of the long summer days. Work is on-going to improve our signage to, and around, the 7stanes, as well as in the design of a set of new trail heads for each location. This is a fairly complex and time-consuming task but we're confident that we'll have a wide range of new and improved signs to help you navigate to your preferred trails and an impressive new set of trail heads by November. New Glentrool Blue Route Although the new Glentrool Blue Route is moderate in length and difficulty, its long final descent should appeal to riders who wouldn't normally consider a route of this grade. The views are pretty amazing too. Mostly off road, the purpose-built singletrack is wider than the trails at nearby Kirroughtree, with none of the rocks and roots found there, so it shouldn't prove intimidating to less experienced riders. It's not without challenge though, as it climbs 218m to the Green Torr overlooking Loch Trool, before descending quickly back to the Visitor Centre. See the Glentrool blue page on the 7stanes website for more details. Green Route at Glentress nearing completion The trailbuilders have been beavering away building a new 4.5km green grade trail at Glentress, due to open on Sat 30 June. The route is an out and back from the Buzzards Nest car park. It follows fairly level forest road before hitting the singletrack with a gentle climb, followed by a lovely steady descent that meanders through thinned open forest - all on nice wide, silky smooth singletrack. Along the way there are plenty of places to stop, catch a breather and take in stunning views of Peebles, the Tweed Valley and the surrounding hills. The singletrack section is 2.7km long and provides an ideal introduction to mountain biking for beginners and families. The final leg of the trail follows the forest road back to the Buzzards Nest car park. Essentials Freeride Trail is GO at Glentress At a volunteer trailbuilding session with the Glentress Trailfairies on 14 April, we put the finishing touches to around three quarters of the Essentials Freeride Trail. Graded 'Extreme' like the other trails in the Freeride Park, it's aimed at riders who have proficient xc skills but are looking to develop more advanced freeride skills such as jumping and taking on wall rides. With this in mind we've built small and medium-sized features which are a little less daunting than those found on the existing freeride trails. We've split the trail into a series of sections, each with a different type of feature and their own push-up paths. Be sure to check out the info boards at the start of each section and walk all the features before you ride them! The wall rides and skinnies-through-the-trees sections are still being worked on, but should be worth the wait - there will be a 180 degree wall ride in there! Keep an eye on the Glentress Freeride page on the 7stanes website for updates on when these final two sections will be open. www.7stanes.gov.uk