Trails: Mabie, 7Stanes, Scotland

Mabie forest, the original mountain biking venue in the South West of Scotland, lies just a few miles south of Dumfries and caters for beginners right through to the most expert of riders.

With a skills area, café, bike hire and shop on site, it is definitely not to missed.

The trails
The green-graded Big Views and the blue-graded Woodhead loops are a great introduction to mountain biking and Mabie’s striking surroundings. Mostly on forest roads, with a few sections of easy singletrack, there are plenty of ups and downs, but the gradients are not too steep.

The 23km Purple Trail – Lochbank Loop is a mixture forest road and some b-class public road (hence its forest road and similar grading). Making the most of the hills, the route has its fair share of climbing, but just like the Big Views Loop the rewards are there. Enjoy the peaceful roads through the forest and revel in the views that you come across.

The skills area lies a short distance from the cafe near the trail head. If you are a new or intermediate rider, its blue- and red-graded features are ideal for practising your skills before riding the trails or prior to moving up a trail grade. The area includes a fantastic 300m freeride line with plenty of sections for you to practise your jumping technique.

The red-graded Phoenix Trail is a classic mountain bike route – great riding through mixed woodland and wonderful scenery. This 17km ride has testing climbs, fast descents, berms and water splashes. If you like fast, flowing, twisty trails with a few rocky, rooty sections and some jumps, this is your mountain bike heaven.

For full details, visit www.forestry.gov.uk

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