glentress

Glentress is hugely popular, and with good reason. Situated just an hour outside of Edinburgh, in the Tweed Valley, it’s home to 73km of waymarked trails, with something to suit every ability. Further adding to Glentress’s appeal is the fact it can be combined with a visit to Innerleithen, its 7stanes sister centre just down the road. Adrenalin Uplift run a shuttle service at weekends, taking riders to the Buzzard’s Nest car park (halfway up the hill) and around the valley.

essential info

FACILITIES Bike hire, bike shop, cafe, pay-and-display parking, showers, toilets, uplift/shuttle at weekends. NEARBY BIKE SHOP Alpine Bikes (on site), 01721 724522, www.tiso.com/shops/glentress MORE INFORMATION www.7stanesmountain biking.com www.tweedvalleybikepatrol.org www.adrenalinuplift.co.uk/ valley-shuttle GETTING THERE Glentress Forest is an hour’s drive from Edinburgh, two miles outside the town of Peebles. Postcode: EH45 8NB

the trails SKILLS AREA 1.5km GREEN TRAIL

3.5km+4.5km There’s a choice of two trails here, one from the Buzzard’s Nest car park and one starting at the Peel Cafe. Both feature smooth, wide, flowy singletrack.

BLUE TRAIL 8-16km

The blue route is made up of two 8km loops, which can be ridden in tandem or on their own. It’s characterised by flowing singletrack and sweeping corners, and includes rollable tabletop jumps and steps, plus red-graded options. RED 18km A Glentress classic, this includes the infamous Spooky Wood descent, filled with drop-o s, berms and tabletops. BLACK 29km All but 4km of this challenging route is singletrack, with switchback descents, rocky climbs and swoopy sections. Look out for some enduro lines hand-built by the Glentress Trailfairies, including B-side, Hush Hush and Mild Peril.

FREERIDE PARK

An ideal spot to sharpen your skills, with jump lines, wallrides and North Shore woodwork, plus smaller features for novices to practise on.