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Product name: 7 Stanes Bike Parks
Price paid: Parking £2 for 3 hours £3 all day
Score (out of 10): 10
Review: I know this isn’t a product but I thought I’d do a review of the 7Stanes bike parks as some may find it useful. The 7Stanes (7 Stones) are located in South Scotland and are XC bike parks with green, blue, red and black runs. I stayed near Dumfries which gave me access to 4 parks all within 10-25 miles of each other.
They are all well managed with clear signposting, cafes, toilets, ample parking and some have bike hire and bike shops. The signposting is particularly good identifying ascend and descend giving percentage complete and distance in Km back to the car park. The distances given on the Forestry commission website are out by 1-1.5 miles, not that it matters, just useful when planning battery/range usage.
The following is just what I rode as there are other trails available at each park.
Dalbeattie: Blue 10 miles. Red 16 miles. The park is located a mile down the road from the town Dalbeattie. There is a bike shop here called MPG cycles. They are an authorised Bosch centre and were incredibly helpful when I paid them a visit.
I started on the blue as a warm up but apart from the single track at the start and finish, it was mostly forest track and for novice riders. The red however was a different story. There are black features along the route all of which have shortcuts if you’re not feeling it but I felt there were lots of other places on the route that would qualify as black. There were two bits that I didn’t have the skills to ride and many other very tricky sections. The ‘Slab’ I found quite easy (a huge section of steep rock which you can slide down) but I got caught out twice at other places on the trail. Just bruises luckily. Overall I found the track quite a challenge and although some may like this type of route, I prefer the more ‘flowy’ stuff.
Mabie: Red 12 miles. Mabie is 2 miles South of Dumfries and I did this track in the wet. Although it again had a lot of rock, drop offs, high berms etc it was far more rideable and some of the switchbacks were great fun. Parts of the track had recently been resurfaced and made for a fast descent with plenty of opportunity for air if you wanted to. Due to the weeks previous storms there were loads of trees down across the track and I had to climb over at least 20. It did break up the ride but overall did not stop the enjoyment of what is a very good route which has features to suit all riders.
Forest of Ae: Red 16 miles. Ae is 8 miles North of Dumfries. The website says that this route had lots of jumps and whilst I don’t mind a bit of air, I’m not overly comfortable leaving the ground. Having said that the course just inspires you to leave the floor. Again some parts have been resurfaced which makes for a smooth, fast ride but the table tops are well positioned and you soon get the hang of it. There are still some tricky sections with drop offs and rocky climbs but its all rideable and enjoyable. Unfortunately on the day I was visiting they were clearing the downed trees on the lower section so I had to come back via a blue route detour. I would definitely go back and do this again as the final red descent is said to be even better than the first bit.
Killoughtree: Red 12 miles. Black 10 miles. This park is about 2 miles from Newton Stewart and is home to the famous Black Craig trail which includes McMoab. The black trail is accessed half way along the red and I was going to see how I was getting on when I reached that point. The red was again very technical but all rideable, with some steep rock climbs that nearly caught me out. I felt confident I could tackle the black when I reach the junction so hit into it. It thoroughly deserves its black label but I still found I could ride it OK, only having to get off once before I reached McMoab. I had seen a picture of McMoab and thought it was a single giant boulder which you had to ride with a steep drop off. It’s actually nothing like that. It’s a long rock causeway and the trail is marked on the stone with arrows. I rode about 50% of it but to be honest it was above my skill level. It would suit the trial style riding of Mr Macaskill. After smashing my sump guard I decided to walk the last bit. The end drop isn’t that bad. There is then a big climb to the top of the black run where you are rewarded by amazing views of the mountains and valley. It’s worth taking a breather here for the descent to come. Again very tricky but has plenty of flow, and I found myself keeping a good speed all the way down. You have to really concentrate and pick your route as there are plenty of bits waiting to throw you off. It was a relief to my arms and hands when I reached the red, and then again when I finally took the blue back to the car park. I was exhausted but it was a fantastic ride.
The 7Stanes offer amazing riding with so many great parks within a small area. I will definitely be returned to try out the other parks of Glentress, Newcastleton and Innerleithen. There is also a long route around the Galloway Forest at Glentrool. Certainly enough to keep you occupied all week. If you can get here you won’t be disappointed.
Product name: 7 Stanes Bike Parks
Price paid: Parking £2 for 3 hours £3 all day
Score (out of 10): 10
Review: I know this isn’t a product but I thought I’d do a review of the 7Stanes bike parks as some may find it useful. The 7Stanes (7 Stones) are located in South Scotland and are XC bike parks with green, blue, red and black runs. I stayed near Dumfries which gave me access to 4 parks all within 10-25 miles of each other.
They are all well managed with clear signposting, cafes, toilets, ample parking and some have bike hire and bike shops. The signposting is particularly good identifying ascend and descend giving percentage complete and distance in Km back to the car park. The distances given on the Forestry commission website are out by 1-1.5 miles, not that it matters, just useful when planning battery/range usage.
The following is just what I rode as there are other trails available at each park.
Dalbeattie: Blue 10 miles. Red 16 miles. The park is located a mile down the road from the town Dalbeattie. There is a bike shop here called MPG cycles. They are an authorised Bosch centre and were incredibly helpful when I paid them a visit.
I started on the blue as a warm up but apart from the single track at the start and finish, it was mostly forest track and for novice riders. The red however was a different story. There are black features along the route all of which have shortcuts if you’re not feeling it but I felt there were lots of other places on the route that would qualify as black. There were two bits that I didn’t have the skills to ride and many other very tricky sections. The ‘Slab’ I found quite easy (a huge section of steep rock which you can slide down) but I got caught out twice at other places on the trail. Just bruises luckily. Overall I found the track quite a challenge and although some may like this type of route, I prefer the more ‘flowy’ stuff.
Mabie: Red 12 miles. Mabie is 2 miles South of Dumfries and I did this track in the wet. Although it again had a lot of rock, drop offs, high berms etc it was far more rideable and some of the switchbacks were great fun. Parts of the track had recently been resurfaced and made for a fast descent with plenty of opportunity for air if you wanted to. Due to the weeks previous storms there were loads of trees down across the track and I had to climb over at least 20. It did break up the ride but overall did not stop the enjoyment of what is a very good route which has features to suit all riders.
Forest of Ae: Red 16 miles. Ae is 8 miles North of Dumfries. The website says that this route had lots of jumps and whilst I don’t mind a bit of air, I’m not overly comfortable leaving the ground. Having said that the course just inspires you to leave the floor. Again some parts have been resurfaced which makes for a smooth, fast ride but the table tops are well positioned and you soon get the hang of it. There are still some tricky sections with drop offs and rocky climbs but its all rideable and enjoyable. Unfortunately on the day I was visiting they were clearing the downed trees on the lower section so I had to come back via a blue route detour. I would definitely go back and do this again as the final red descent is said to be even better than the first bit.
Killoughtree: Red 12 miles. Black 10 miles. This park is about 2 miles from Newton Stewart and is home to the famous Black Craig trail which includes McMoab. The black trail is accessed half way along the red and I was going to see how I was getting on when I reached that point. The red was again very technical but all rideable, with some steep rock climbs that nearly caught me out. I felt confident I could tackle the black when I reach the junction so hit into it. It thoroughly deserves its black label but I still found I could ride it OK, only having to get off once before I reached McMoab. I had seen a picture of McMoab and thought it was a single giant boulder which you had to ride with a steep drop off. It’s actually nothing like that. It’s a long rock causeway and the trail is marked on the stone with arrows. I rode about 50% of it but to be honest it was above my skill level. It would suit the trial style riding of Mr Macaskill. After smashing my sump guard I decided to walk the last bit. The end drop isn’t that bad. There is then a big climb to the top of the black run where you are rewarded by amazing views of the mountains and valley. It’s worth taking a breather here for the descent to come. Again very tricky but has plenty of flow, and I found myself keeping a good speed all the way down. You have to really concentrate and pick your route as there are plenty of bits waiting to throw you off. It was a relief to my arms and hands when I reached the red, and then again when I finally took the blue back to the car park. I was exhausted but it was a fantastic ride.
The 7Stanes offer amazing riding with so many great parks within a small area. I will definitely be returned to try out the other parks of Glentress, Newcastleton and Innerleithen. There is also a long route around the Galloway Forest at Glentrool. Certainly enough to keep you occupied all week. If you can get here you won’t be disappointed.
. Looking to go back next year to ride the other 3 
