Newcastleton in the Scottish Borders is less well-known than other 7stanes trail centres, but o ers fun riding for all abilities, with a truly storming singletrack descent
Sitting just north of the English/Scottish border, this 7stanes trail centre isn’t as well-known as others, but it’s just as much fun
Wow! All four of us sit in shock, trying to get our breaths back. The descent we’ve just ridden has knocked us for six, making us wonder why more people aren’t raving about this place. We’ve passed signs to Newcastleton many times, on the way up to Fort William, but this is the first time we’ve visited, and we weren’t expecting anything as good as this.
The reason why Newcastleton isn’t better known became obvious on the drive up – its location. While other trail centres in the Scottish 7stanes network are close to big towns or cities and have large riding communities on their doorstep, this small village just north of the English/Scottish border is a fair old trek for most people to get to. That does mean that if you’re looking for a quiet ride, it’s a good choice. Another feature is that the trails start in the centre of the village, so be careful when getting changed into your riding gear – it’s not the hidden forest car park you might be used to.
I demand satisfaction
Showing Sarah and I around today are two pinners and Scottish Borders locals. If you follow enduro racing, you may have come across the name Corey Watson in the result sheets – and if not, you will soon enough, because he’s as fast as he is stylish. He’s joined by Jack Clark, a rider equally as happy behind the lens as in front of it. We’re late, of course, and the guys are eager to get going, so we kit up as quickly as possible and make our way through the village and into the forest.
To get to the trailhead, we pass through the Rock UK adventure centre, where there’s a skills area with a dual track and a few trails. This seems like the perfect way to burn off some of the lads’ energy, so they head to the start line. Corey launches the first triple on the dual track, which requires a big pull-up to clear, while Jack opts for the lower double-to-manual. This is faster – although it’s hard to tell as they both flash past us. It looks fun, so Sarah and I also race each other down the hill. As we play on the berms and rollers, it’s easy to forget what we’re really here for. It’s amazing how a few turns and jumps can be so entertaining when you add in a little friendly competition!
We drag ourselves away and start the red loop, a 23km ride through the forest. The first climb wiggles up some gentle singletrack before breaking out onto a fireroad. This is something you need to take into consideration here – the loop is half singletrack, half fireroad, so you spend quite a bit of time riding doubletrack to link up sections of trail. That’s no problem today, though, because we’ve got warm, sunny conditions, the midges haven’t made it out for a bite to eat and it gives us a chance to chat. We reach the next section of singletrack, which again meanders through the forest, this time