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Luxury self catering, Dumfries and Galloway, seven stanes
Clean comfortable value for money mountain bike, cycling and walker friendly self catering accommodation in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway. The ideal base for your family holiday or short break, groups welcome. The Old Coach House sleeps up to eight people with three bedrooms, one ensuite, and a comfortable sofa bed in our spacious lounge. The spacious kitchen/dinning room makes self catering a pleasure. Excellent laundry facilities and bike workshop/storage area make the Old Coach house the perfect base for your mountain bike, walking, golfing or family holiday.
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The South of Scotlands seven stanes are rapidly becoming the UK's premier mountain bike centres, and Dumfries is the centre of the seven stanes. Ae, Mabie and Dalbeattie are within twenty minitues drive from the old coach house and Glentrool, Kirroughtree, Glentress/Innerleithen and Newcastleton are all within one and a half hours drive. So if its mountain biking you want there is no better location than the Old Coach House.
The seven stanes
The 7stanes is a network of seven mountain biking centers is a net work of mountain bike centres throughout the Southwest if Scotland. Stane, the Scottish word for stone symbolises the traditional cairn placed on the summit of a hill or mountain. The trails offer a variety of trails designed to cater for all levels of skill, graded from blue, to black. Blue being easy and black difficult.The trails routes are well maped and each centre offers a variety of facilities including
- Cafes with light meals, tea and coffee
- Car parking and toilet facilities
- Marked and graded cycle routes
- Foot paths
- Special events including Bike Academy weekend sessions where beginners can learn the basics and improve their balance, coordination and confidence.
- Information about bike rental and nearby accommodations, including camping
- Some offer fishing permits for local lochs and rivers
- Some have bridle paths or graded trails for horse riders.
The 7stanes Scotland Mountain Bike Trails in Brief
Mabie five minutes, by car from the Coach House, due south of Dumfries, lies Mabie forest, the original mountain biking area in Southwest Scotland. Mabie is a beautiful forest with excellent play park facilities and well marked walks and bridle paths. The mountain bike routes are as beautiful as they are challenging and include trails suitable for beginner’s right up to expert.
Big Views Loop Green
Woodhead Loop Blue
The Phoenix Trail Red
The Kona Dark Side Not only is this one Black but it is described as, "one of the most severe tests for any mountain biker and is for experts only." Only 3.8km but so tough that the trail builders suggest you walk it before attempting to ride it.
Download a trail map
Ae twenty minutes north of the Coach house lies the Forest of Ae. Again the trails offer beautiful meandering trails through the forest ideal for all the family right through to the Ae downhill, legendary black runs.
Ae Blue & Green Trails Beginner and moderate trails, suitable for families and novices, through valley and forest. 0
Ae Line Scottish Power Renewables Trail A red route through a working forest.
Ae Downhill This is an extreme grade bike park with a lift to the top and a bumping bouncing set of obstacles all the way down.
Download the trailmap
Dalbeattie This center is near the coast. It provides a good mix of easier and more challenging trails:
Ironhash Trail A green route and a wide, easy single track into the forest.
Moyle Hill Graded blue, this is a moderate ride and an introduction to the area's characteristic granite rock. There are some moderate climbs and a ride over crushed rock as well as an easier, raised timber trail.
The Hardrock Trail A red route with some challenging, black-graded features, among them The Slab - a steep, sheer granite slope.
Download a trail map
Glentrool Two trails begin and end at the Glentrool Center in the heart of Galloway, southwest Scotland:
The Big Country CTC Ride A challenging, 5 to 9 hour, 58 km on back roads and forest roads, with views of lochs, woodlands and hills.
Glentrool Blue Route - a moderate, 8km route with good views and a long final descent.
Download the Glentrool trail maps
Kirroughtree Near Newton Steward in Galloway, this center has some of the best technical single track mountain bike trails in Scotland. The trails include everything from an easy half-hour route for beginners and families to very challenging trails for experienced gravity defiers:
Bargaly Wood Green Route A six km trail along forest trails, farm tracks and quiet roads. Great for beginners and families with kids.
Larg Hill A blue grade/moderate route to introduce novices and confident children to the area's narrow trails. Mostly single track with some small rock drops.
The Twister Trail a red route, is 17km and considered physically demanding. There are rock steps and drop offs but most of the technical features can be walked up or down if necessary.
Black Craigs does what it says on the tin. It's a black route with fast single track and rocky technical features to test your skills. It's famous McMoab section has steep plunges down exposed granite slabs.
Skills Area If you are learning, the Skills Area is a great area. It's a compact set of blue, red and black grade features, with tips about how to tackle different kinds of manoeuvres.
Download a trail map
Glentress and Innerleithen These rides in the Tweed Valley, in the Borders, are considered to be among the best mountain biking trails in Europe:
Glentress - Skills Loop Green
Glentress Green Route
Glentress Blue Route
Glentress Red Route
Glentress V Trail Black
Glentress Freeride Park Extreme grade bike park
Innerleithen Downhill Extreme grade bike park.
Tracquair XC Black
Download the trail map
Newcastleton A small area, near the border with England, in The Scottish Borders county, it has a small green Skills area and several moderate to difficult trails:
Caddrouns Blue
Linns Blue
Newcastleton Red
Download the trail map
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