Cycling/camping holiday

[Tom]

Me and my mate are off camping and cycling for a few days or a week, next week sometime. We plan to do one forest, camp, then move on, next forest, camp, etc. Hopefully that means we can do about 3-5 rides over the week.

So, if we start at Kielder, because we're off to Scotland, what good places are there to ride? Nothing more technical than red/difficult please, as we both have hardtails and neither of us have armour. Oh and an ideal length is probably 10-15 miles. Gwydyr forest (Marin trail) was 17 miles but the elevation profile was rather extreme

Was also thinking about doing the red trail here

 

[Deebs]

Tom,

Whatever you do please take your camera as I am sure you will get some great shots

 

[Will]

The 7 stanes are the classic rides in the Scottish Borders. Glentress, Innerleithen (I think it is now officially rated red again) are near Peebles. Ae, Dalbeattie and Mabie are all near Dumfries, and Kirroughtree is near Newton Stewart. Drumlanrig is also very good.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Tom,

Whatever you do please don't take your camera as I am sure you will get some tedious and inane shots

Better.

 

[Tilda]

heh I went camping at Keilder, cycled all around it, it was ace and really pretty.
I cant help on routes because we were only kids, but I remember there being plenty of cycle shops and places where you could get routes/maps etc from.

 

[Tom]

The 7 stanes are the classic rides in the Scottish Borders. Glentress, Innerleithen (I think it is now officially rated red again) are near Peebles. Ae, Dalbeattie and Mabie are all near Dumfries, and Kirroughtree is near Newton Stewart. Drumlanrig is also very good.

My skill level is just about at red - I don't enjoy going fast downhill unless its clear and swooping dirt/gravel - the big chunks of rock I tend to be very careful on. My mate is a nutter though and just flies over them.

The North Face trail at Grizedale is about my kind of ride really. I've been looking at some videos of Glentress and it looks pretty cool. Are there lots of leg-killing climbs? I tend to prefer a big climb or two separated by long sections of singletrack, I'm not really into BIG climb - descend - BIG climb-descend- BIG climb-descend for 10 miles....

 

[Will]

Glentress red is pretty much up then down I'm afraid. It is awesome though. And if you come on a day I'm not working, I can show you round.

edit : It isn't a leg-killer really, I'm sure you'd be fine. I've taken some pretty unfit people around it.

 

[Ch3tan]

I've taken some pretty unfit people around it.

read- andy

 

[TdC]

not me (yet). though I am obv unfit for anything. work, especially!

 

[Will]

Andy bricks it at the thought of hills. Up or down.

 

[Tom]

Glentress was pretty awesome (that swoopy bit from the table/chairs right at the top was fucking ace), the first half of Kielder was good but I didn't like the downhill section from the top, far too rocky for a fast descent.

Heres some pics, I have video too and will upload it later.

Glentress:

Peebles campsite:

nyom:

OM NOM:

 

[Tom]

Kielder at night (actually about 10 miles away but still...)

Cycling up Kielder:

My mate bashed his derailleur badly:

Pondering suicide (neither of us tried it)

Top of Kielder (500 odd metre climb)

More nyom:

 

[Tom]

YouTube - Glentress and Kielder singletrack
[youtubevid]HzYZMep5R7k[/youtubevid]

I'm still working on the video stuff

 

[TdC]

hehe awesome. I love the bit where you dubbed in your breathing

 

[Kryten]

Really nice, (both location & video) - makes me want to break out the gearmobile and hit the hills again

Still got the telegraph pole legs but my beergut interferes with the handlebars these days.

 

[Raven]

Really nice, but you should man up and use a fire to cook with

 

[Mabs]

2nd cooking picture..
are those...spam fritters?!

 

[Tom]

Silly person! They are square sausages! And we did cook with fire!

 

[Kryten]

square sausages FTW. Not seen them around for ages though, used to BBQ with them all the time. Nearly always got food poisoning aftewrds too :|

 

[Raven]

Silly person! They are square sausages! And we did cook with fire!

When I say fire, I mean scrounging for wood and digging a hole

Food generally tastes like crap but you feel all manly

Oh and square sausages are full of win, just wish they still did them in tescos

 

[Tom]

Most campsites won't let you have an open fire, so we just made one in one of their barbecue things