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Coming Autumn 2024....

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Linking the 7stanes

Discover the amazing landscapes between the infamous 7stanes trail network and enjoy tales from the trails as author Clive Forth looks back on 30 years of riding, racing, and working in the mountain bike industry. 

The route takes in singletracks, gravel roads, drovers tracks, and quiet country lanes from the Galloway Hills in the southwest of Scotland, passing the Southern Uplands, Moffat Hills, Eskdale, Ettrick, and on up into the Tweed Valley. 

 

 The 7stanes trail network has become a popular destination for many riders. Project development started back in the early '00s, and the final trail at Ae Forest was completed and signed off in July 2005. Since their opening, the trails have seen various upgrades and additions. The trails you find on the ground have now been established for some time.

A few years after the Ae Line trail was opened, a relay race appeared on the 7stanes scene. The concept was pretty simple: one rider would complete a lap of the RED grade trail, and another would ride the road section in between. The aim was to complete the 490km course in under 24 hours. Fast forward a few years, and in 2009, mountain bike endurance legend Rob Lee would complete the challenge solo, riding all of the RED trails and the road section in between in less than 24 hours.

 

I grew up with Rob and introduced him to riding in the early '90s. I was part of that support crew who planned the logistics and adapted the route to suit the solo effort better; basically, we took a longer route between Dalbeattie and Kirroughtree to avoid the busy A75 trunk road. Even with this addition, Rob still managed to set another high bar in the sport, one that has not been matched to date.  Since then, I have spent many days riding spots in between the 7stanes trails. In the summer of 2019 whilst out in the hills, I found myself reflecting on that day, and it dawned on me that with all the knowledge of the area I had gained over the years of living here, I could probably put together a route consisting of mostly off-road sections, and ones that are actually enjoyable to ride with no silly hike-the-bike or bog slogging. Inspired by Rob's ride, I set about piecing together a definitive, user-friendly way to bike pack through southern Scotland, taking in all of the 7stanes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7Stanes 
More about the trails

Below you will find some basic information relating to the purpose-built trails. There are many other trails around the forests that are not managed; you can find such trails on popular apps such as TrailForks.  

For more information, follow the links to the Forestry & Land Scotland website. 

Select your forest

Ae

Forest of Ae:

Located to the north of Dumfries, just a few kilometers off the main A701 trunk road Forest of Ae offers a variety of trails, from the classic graded routes to downhill tracks and an abundance of 'off-piste'  riding. 

7stanes official routes:

Green - Ae Valley Route. 

Distance - 9km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Blue - Larch view

Distance - 13.5km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Red - Ae line trail

Distance - 24km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

The Shredder

Distance - 1km (upper section only, not including the shared section with the Red finish)

Elevation loss (total descent) - tbc

Ae Downhill

Distance - 1.6km

Elevation loss (total descent) - tbc

Ae

Dalbeattie

Located to the west of Dumfries, just a few kilometers off the A711, Dalbeattie forest offers a variety of trails, technically challenging sections await in the skills taster loops and out on the Red  Hardrock trail. With links to nearby woods and coastal paths from the classic graded routes, there are plenty of 'off-piste' options to keep you entertained. 

7stanes official routes:

Green - Iron Hash Trail. 

Distance - 11.5km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Blue - Moyle Hill Trail

Distance - 14km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Red - Hardrock Trail

Distance - 25km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Dalbeattie
Glentress

glentress

Scotland's flagship trail center is located south of Edinburgh in the picturesque Tweed Valley, and the usual graded routes are accompanied by skills and free-ride areas with a plethora of 'off-piste' trails in and around the area. The vast network of trails has been used in iconic events such as the SAAB Salomon Avalanche Trophy and Enduro World Series. 

7stanes official routes:

Green - Lower Route. 

Distance - 3.5km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Green - Upper Route. 

Distance - 4.5km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Blue - Glentress Blue Route

Distance - 16km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Red - Glentress Red Route

Distance - 18km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Black - Glentress Black Route

Distance - 29km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Freeride Park

 Distance - 1.4km

glentrool

The most westerly of the 7stanes network offers amazing scenery and abundant serenity; located north of Newton Stewart deep in the Galloway Hills Glentrool can be linked to Kirroughtree to make for longer epic rides.

7stanes official routes:

Green - The Glen. 

Distance - 6km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Blue - The Green Torr

Distance - 9km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - TBC

Purple - Big Country Loop

Distance - 58km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - TBC

Glentrool
Innerleithen

innerleithen

The second trailhead in the Tweed Valley is located a few kilometers down the A72 on the edge of the village, and here, you have a classic cross-country loop and four main downhill tracks that have become utilized for competitions for the past 25 years. In more recent years a multitude of 'off-piste '/enduro trails has been created in and around the area. 

7stanes official routes:

Red - Innerleithen XC

Distance - 24km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Innerleithen Downhill

Distance - 1km (upper section only, not including the shared section with the Red finish)

Elevation loss (total descent) - tbc

Kirroughtree

kirroughtree

A firm favorite with many riders thanks to its high percentage of singletrack and stunning scenery, conveniently located just off the A75 near Newton Stewart Kirroughtree, it offers some stiff challenges on its winding singletracks. There are many forest roads, event trails and 'off-piste' trails for you to discover also

7stanes official routes:

Green - Bargaly Wood. 

Distance - 6km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Blue - Larg Hill

Distance - 10km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Red - The Twister

Distance - 17km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Black - Black Craigs

Distance - 14km (additional kilometers to the Red Twister trail, making a total of 31km)

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Mabie

mabie

The second of the 7stanes trails on the Solway Coast offers a skills area, Mini X trail, and regular graded routes. There are various 'off-piste' trails in the main woods, and various trails in the surrounding woodland can be hooked up using the forest roads and quiet country lanes.

7stanes official routes:

Green - Big Views Loop. 

Distance - 8km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Blue - Woodhead Loop

Distance - 10km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Red - Phoenix trail

Distance - 19km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Mini X

Distance - 700m

Elevation loss (total descent) - tbc

Skills Area - (BLUE & RED grade only)

Distance - 700km

Newcastleton

newcastleton

Starting from the village center on the B6357, Newcastleton offers a Blue and Red grade trail with options to link over the border to Kielder Forest, where more graded and non-graded mountain bike trails can be found. A few other trails in and around the forest have been used for National and Regional cross country and marathon events.

7stanes official routes:

Blue - Blue Route

Distance - 9.7km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

Red - Red Route

Distance - 23.4km

Elevation gain (total climbing) - tbc

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