A Loop Of Glentrool
Bad weather forces Alex to consider options other than the full trail in order to be back in time for tea!
THERE’S more flexibility when the threat of complete darkness by 4pm has passed – but March can still be a difficult month for cycling.
Snow, meltwater or rain can soften up paths and make them susceptible to damage, and thick cloud can still bring an end to the day’s light faster than expected.
On the drive to Glentrool Visitor Centre very low cloud obscured the scenery and forced a re-evaluation of plans to tackle the huge 58km (36-mile) waymarked trail.
This loop is part of the “7stanes” network of Forestry Commission trail centres that was built back in the early part of the century to encourage people back out into rural areas after the foot and mouth crisis.
Most offer as much singletrack as they can, as this is what most riders are after. Good singletrack has its own rhythm of twists and turns. There are excellent examples of the craft of it at nearby Kirroughtree and Dalbeattie, two of the other 7stanes.
That’s not what Glentrool is about, though. Although the route is waymarked in purple, there has been no trail building – just a series of forestry roads and paths connected together to form a big loop.
At its southern edge, it touches the outer reaches of Kirroughtree’s blackgraded loop, but for most people it would be a mistake to consider trying to connect the two when you’re already committed to a route that can take up to seven hours.
The weather had robbed the large loop of its purpose, but I hadn’t really known what else to do. Starting off on the trail, it felt increasingly unlikely that I’d either get to see any of the hills or that the light would last. If I didn’t manage to make it back before the café closed at four I would’ve been miffed, too. Sometimes on a dank day like this, only the promise of a scone at the end can keep you going.
With growing unease, I completed the first section up to Clachaneasy. Apparently the next section was a long Tarmac spin southwards, but it was starting to drizzle thickly and I was getting a bit despondent.
I caught up with the Southern Upland Way, and picked my way slowly along it back to where I’d started. Aside from a
“The big route can take up to hours” seven