The Lakes and Scotland

Maro

Got a week or so booked off work and tickets to the DH at Fort Bill. The plan is spend a day or 2 in the Lake District then up to Peebles to ride at Glentress before making our way to Fort William for a bit of riding and to watch the racing.

I'm so excited, I cannot wait. Anyway, I'm after advice really on good places/trails to ride, not really interrested in anything more that 30k long. And any good spots to camp in the van on the way up too.

bikes`n`guns

You can spend the night in the top car park at Glentress (no one minds) and there are maps available for both Glentress and Innerliethen

There is also pretty good riding (understatement) at Innerliethen and a little further along at Thornielee (you can overnight in the carpark there which is lovely.

There are lots of cracking campsites as well mind.

kester

Lake District you have Whinlatter Forest near Keswick, there are two red routes both around 6/7 miles each but easily do-able in one big loop. There is also a blue route if you wanted to add on the extra miles but i know they are doing tree felling round that route so there is a few diversions. as far as i'm aware both reds are still fully open. Also there is a Go-Ape high ropes assualt course which is good fun if you've got time to spare, can't remember prices though its been a few years since i went on it.
as for camping there is a large-ish camp-site in the village of Braithwaite which you drive through on the way up to Whinlatter, again don't know what prices are though etc.

Scotland as above said Innerliethen, or some of the other 7 stanes which you have Mabie and Ae which are about 20 miles apart near town of Dumfries after which you can head up to Moffat and then cut over to Peebles. or you can go the other way and go riding at Newcastleton then drive up to Hawick and along to Peebles that way. both ways take around the same driving time up to Peebles. All three bike routes are around 14 miles each and all three have their good and bad points. As for camping unsure of where you could camp in your van but at Newcastleton you start in the main car park in the middle of the village so you could probs park there overnight if you fancied. Oh and its right next to a pub!!

asdfhjkl

There's lots of good, natural stuff near Kinlochleven. The Ciaran Path and the Devils Staircase are classics. Technical and difficult going though, definitely avoid if you're wanting something more trail center-y. Easy enough to find route info on Google. I think MBR had a route they called "trail of the year" a few years ago.

Innerleithen and Glentress could easily fill a couple of days without riding the same thing twice. The XC at Innerleithen is a tough red (heck of a climb, too), whereas Glentress is an easy red. Spoiled for choice for natural stuff there, too, including the old (and upcoming) EWS stuff.

kester wrote:

or you can go the other way and go riding at Newcastleton

Don't do this, Newcastleton's crap.

mike hunts alpine

On place I'd suggest is the hellvelyn loop.... If you have the legs. it really is one to to before you die, if riding it doesn't kill you that is.

Maro

Thanks for the responses fellas.

I don't mind a steep/long climb if rewarded with fantastic views and/or a fun descent, and as long as there's no forced jumps or drop offs my girfriend will be happy too. Friends have suggested Barodale Bash (sp?) in the lakes, anyone here experianced this? Also now thinking, to potentially cut travelling time, to stay on the western side of Scotland and riding Dalbeattie and Mabie.

It seems there's so much good riding we will have to visit again another time.

asdfhjkl

Maro wrote:

Also now thinking, to potentially cut travelling time, to stay on the western side of Scotland and riding Dalbeattie and Mabie.

If keeping travel down but wanting to make the most of it, there's also Ae. You'll pass Ae Forest on your way to the M74 from Dalbeattie/Mabie, rather than heading back towards England to join the motorway again.