The Great British Mountain Bike Trail Guide

FACILITIES

Car park and charges: Yes; charges apply

Cafe: Yes

Toilets: Yes

Showers: Yes

Bike wash: Yes

Nearest bike shop: On site

Bike hire: Yes

Accommodation: B&Bs, hotels, self-catering accommodation and camping around the area, all amenities in nearby Dumfries.

Other trails on site: Green, Blue, Orange DH, permissive paths and forest roads.

Ordnance Survey map: Explorer 321.

ENJOYMENT FOR SKILL LEVEL

Beginner: 4/10

Intermediate: 6/10

Advanced: 8/10

Getting there: Ae Forest is located next to Ae village just off the A701 trunk road. From Dumfries, head north towards Moffat (and the M74) on the A701; you will see the brown signs pointing you left to Ae Forest/village. Just under 4km down the country lane you enter the village and will see signs on your right for the forest. The main car park is located just over the bridge on your left-hand side. There is also an overflow car park and trailhead, which is found by continuing straight on to the T-junction, taking a left turn and following the forest road over the cattle grid and through the field. You will go over a second cattle grid before turning left into the overflow car park.

Grid ref: NX 98453 89503

Sat nav: DG1 1QB

More info: www.7stanesmountainbiking.com

THE ORIGINAL AVALANCHE ENDURO LOOP

AE LINE (XC RED) AND SHREDDER (ORANGE FREERIDE LINE)

On-site grade: Red

Clive’s grade: Red with Black sections

Distance: 26.6km

Technicality: 7.5/10

Ascent: 743m

ENJOYMENT FOR SKILL LEVEL

Beginner: 2/10

Intermediate: 5/10

Advanced: 8/10

Ae Forest is steeped in Scottish mountain bike history as the venue has been host to countless Scottish National and British National race events. The venue was also host to the inaugural round of the Avalanche Enduro series and was the second venue in the British Isles to host a stage-based gravity event.

Starting from the first car park near the forestry office, follow the signs along the gravel track for a few metres before joining a forest road. Keeping the open field to your left, head down to a T-junction and take a left turn following the forest track through the field. On your right-hand side you will see the infamous road gap on the downhill course and the large bank where riders descend into Fred’s Field.

At the end of the field, pass over a second cattle grid and turn left into the overflow car park. Once in the car park take the second right turn and continue straight along past another trailhead sign into a smooth double-track section that runs parallel with the river. Take a left turn, cross the river and ride up to a forest road. On the opposite side of the forest road you enter a single-track climb.

This initial climb is quite steep and can easily deprive you of energy, which you will certainly need further round the lap. Clinging to the hillside you twist and traverse up through a series of switchbacks. The trail levels out, giving you a quick chance to catch a breath before completing the final few switchbacks up into the trees and out onto a forest road. The final section does have some desire lines and you could be tempted to cut across left onto the forest road early – but avoid adding to the scar on the landscape by sticking to the main trail joining the forest road just a few metres further up.

Once on the forest road descend slightly and fork off right into another single track. Traverse the hillside and link to another section of single track. This drops down slightly as it traverses around the hill. You will come out into the open and drop down through a large dip that leads you into a series of uphill switchbacks. This is one area on the trail where it’s easy to get caught out and end up in a large gear as you climb up into the tight and steep switchback turns. After the first of the switchbacks the trail dips down once again before climbing up through another set of steep switchbacks. After the second set the trail really opens up and you get a good few metres of descent before another short rise leads you into the final section of the single track and down to a forest road.

Climbing up the forest road to the 5-ways junction, take a left turn and continue to climb on the forest road before you branch off left into a section of single track named Granny Green Love. The initial section of trail has been resurfaced and is relatively uneventful. You can carry much more speed through the turns since the resurfacing and this has made the corners a little more of a challenge.

The surface changes and becomes rough, and a small tabletop leads you out into the open before you climb up over some sizeable stone sets. As you crest this small rise a couple of rock drops put you into the main downhill of Granny Green Love. At the time of riding the descent was quite rough and the potential for pinch-punctures quite high: during the Avalanche Enduro event many people suffered from punctured tyres and dented wheels throughout this section.

As well as rough ground you will also have some large tabletop jumps, a step-up–step-down jump and some very rough berms to deal with. A rock drop ‘fly off’ jump leads you at high speed across a forest road and into the final section. Once again the surface is rough. A series of small rock drops leads you into a run of large steep berms: the first berm has a rough rock drop on its entrance and the trail surface here is heavily eroded. The final section of trail has been rebuilt but the smoother surface is still very loose. Take care as you descend through the final corners and onto the narrow bridge!

Beyond the bridge you enter a climber named The Face. Here the trail surface is very rough and rocky. A steep climb switches up the hillside through a series of tight switchbacks. Once you have climbed up through the three switchbacks the trail then traverses the hill continuing to climb slightly. At the end of the traverse you switch left and the gradient increases once more as you climb up through the trees. Just before you exit the trees a tight left-hand corner leads you into a rock-paved section. This section is exceptionally tricky in the wet and is no walk in the park in the dry!

After the climb, a freshly surfaced section of trail winds its way across the hilltop and out into open ground. The trail descends slightly before climbing across an old quarry, taking a left turn up a double track. You will traverse across an open hillside and onto Bran Burn Bash. The surface here used to be very rough and it was hard to keep your speed on some of the uphill sections. The trail has since been resurfaced and the going is much faster. There is some good movement to the trail and some nice fast corners to keep you entertained, but take care as a few of these turns do tighten up!

Bran Burn Bash joins into a forest road and you descend for a few more metres before switching right and climbing up on the opposite side of the valley. Depending on your fitness levels this climb can be quite a challenge as the moderate-to-steep gradient is sustained for a considerable distance. When you get to the top of the forest road you’ll come to a T-junction, straight ahead is a Black option line which involves a couple of hundred metres of raised wooden boardwalks. There are no nasty corners or hidden surprises in this section, it is graded Black as a precaution. For those of you who are not keen on raised wooden boardwalks take the right turn and follow the forest road for a couple of hundred metres before branching off to the left and rejoining the trail at the end of the boardwalk.

Beyond the boardwalk the trail climbs up slightly through a series of switchbacks before entering the start of the descent named The Edge. The opening section of trail is smooth and very fast. A series of fast sweeping corners lead you down to a step-up jump with a sizeable downslope landing beyond it – you may want to inspect it before you ride it! There is the option of taking a trail to the left and running around the top of the bomb hole, thus avoiding the step-up jump.

The Edge snakes its way through the trees and there are some quite tight gaps for those of you with wider handlebars. You then cross over a forest road and into open ground where another series of fast corners leads you down to a large long right-hand berm into The Edge proper. Run along the top of a very large bank with the river below you and to your left. On this tight single-track section, twist your way around old tree stumps before the gradient steepens and two sets of switchbacks drop you down and over a small wooden bridge into a short sharp climb. Raced in its entirety this section really does get the legs and lungs burning.

After the steep gradient the trail descends again, and runs parallel to the river before climbing up and levelling out. It then descends through a series of blind crests and tightening corners. The final section drops down a steep bank and a couple of tight rough switchbacks lead you into the final straight on to a boardwalk and over a bridge. A short climb up out the other side links you on to a forest road – this is one of the few points where you can cut back to the car park (by taking a right-hand turn).

Take a left turn on the forest road and continue to climb up to a junction on your right-hand side. The forest road continues to climb for a short distance before a single track heads off to your right; you’ll continue to climb for another couple of hundred metres before dipping down to twist around the hillside. This section cuts the corner of the forest road and a short climb up through a couple of switchbacks pops you out onto the forest road where you take the right turn.

Follow the forest road, dipping down and climbing up slightly before arriving at the headstone and the start to Omega Man. There are some spectacular views here and it’s a popular spot where riders stop to catch their breath before the final few descents.

The Omega Man is a rough narrow single-track trail that descends through some cheeky corners before climbing up the hillside. After this first short climb the trail starts to descend again and will lead you down to a small wooden bridge and a short steep climb up through a series of switchbacks.

The trail levels out beyond the switchbacks, linking you to the next section of the descent. Blind crests and small jumps ease you in before the speed picks up and you really get going. Fast corners, whoops and a series of super-smooth flowing berms lead down through a break in the trees. Here the surface changes and a rough right-hand switchback drops you through a large dip with a tough little climb on the exit.

Climb up on a double track beyond the dip for a few hundred metres and you will arrive at a junction on the trail. The Red XC route is signposted to the right. This is the final section of the trail which pops you out back at the overflow car park (and the push up for The Shredder). I rode the original Avalanche Enduro loop, which involves going straight past the junction and taking a switchback left onto the forest road, picking up the signs for The Shredder.

TRAIL 2: THE SHREDDER

You need to follow the forest road climbing up for just over 2.5km. Pass a couple of forest roads on your right and continue to a T-junction where you’ll be signed right climbing up a short steeper section of forest road before you turn right again around a metal gate. The final section of climb leads to a fast short descent past a turning circle and up into a narrower double track. Beyond the rough double track there is a gravel area and some signage. The Shredder trail was the final stage of the Avalanche Enduro and the start is to your right – this is well signed and easy to find.

Shredder is an easier option to the main downhill track. Here you encounter jumps, drops, a road gap, fast berms and rough surfaces. After the initial couple of rock drops a 90° left leads you into a switchback right. When you exit this switchback there is the option of dropping down to your left (this section is steep and rough) or you can continue straight on to a boardwalk and into a very tight left-hand switchback. This boardwalk section can become very slippery in the wet and the tight section in the trees has some large exposed roots and a few narrow rock drops to contend with.

As you exit the trees and rejoin the main line you come to the first in a series of drop-offs. Full commitment is needed as some of these can’t be rolled down! Beyond the first drop the ride line tightens and sweeps to the right before a series of tight corners leads you into The Road Gap, this is not for the fainthearted! The gap is not particularly large in either its height or distance but the landing area is small. The corners on the run-up also hinder your ability to carry a decent speed into the feature: it is critical to get a good exit on the corners and maintain enough momentum to guarantee landing in the downslope rather than on the forest road. There is an alternative option line to the right of the drop and if you’re not sure then make sure you have a look before you leap!

Beyond The Road Gap a small set of doubles leads you into some tight turns and small drops. The trail continues in a similar vein and there are a couple of cheeky tabletops between tight bermed corners. The style of the trail changes as you start to exit the trees: a sneaky off-camber corner could easily catch you out if you let your guard down. After the off-camber section a switchback right puts you into a couple of nice jumps before joining into a forest road. Climb up slightly on the forest road and follow the trail down to your left before taking a very tight left-hand switchback into the final section of Shredder/Omega Man. When you exit the tight left-hand switchback make sure you are on the trail on the left-hand side as the wider trail on the right is the push-up path.

This final descent is a fantastic blast and a superb way to finish a great ride. The surface is heavily eroded and rough, there are multiple blind crests, sizeable rock and tabletop jumps and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Just after you enter the treeline the trail splits.

The Black option line to your left passes over to large sets of doubles, dropping down through a large bomb hole into a sizeable tabletop.

The Red option to the right passes over a smaller tabletop, which is followed by a square-edged drop-off that can’t be rolled! Beyond the drop-off you pass through a large bomb hole and a small tabletop on the exit leads you into a left-hand corner where the Black option line blends in.

A series of blind crests and tabletops lead out the final section. Take care on the last few whoops as the speed is very high through this section.

At the bottom of the downhill there is another split-line option: the Black option to your left takes in skinny log rides and you will have to commit to a drop-off at the end of the logs into a tight right-hand turn!

The Red option joins into a boardwalk and onto the forest road (look out for vehicles on this forest road). To get back to the main car park simply follow the forest road, retracing your steps across open ground and taking a junction right at the end of the field. Head back up towards the forestry buildings and turn left back into the car park.

DOWNHILL TRAILS

Clive’s grade: Orange/Black

Distance: N/A

Technicality: 9/10

DOWNHILLS: ENJOYMENT FOR SKILL LEVEL

Beginner: 2/10

Intermediate: 6/10

Advanced: 10/10

There are a few variations to the main downhill track. From the summit cairn, the original line heads straight on down a steep bank before taking a left turn and traversing the hillside (to the left of the summit cairn there is a slightly newer line that was cut for a British national race, it simply rejoins the main line after a few hundred metres).

The first wooded section has multiple options. These trails will link up beyond the trees and lead you into the stream gap and a step-up jump, after which you have a split-line option at the next jump. Take the hip jump to the right and the trail switches left then right into a series of small drops before the road crossing. The line to the left will bring you down to the same road-crossing section. After a drop onto the forest road crossing, there are a few options down the main rock garden to the right or you can continue along the forest road for a few metres and drop in over a small gap jump into a double jump. Once again the trails merge into one line and after a few more metres you can turn off right and enter the lower wood.

Here you will find multiple split-line options that link into the final bank. The main line continues straight on over a set of doubles and into the infamous Coffin Jump. This is a gap jump with an option line to avoid the jump on the right. After the Coffin Jump the trail switches right and drops down into a set of tight switchbacks. Just before the switchbacks you can continue straight on into one of the many lines traversing the hill, and drop down the final bank to the infamous Road Gap. If you take the switchbacks and stick to the main line, traverse down the hillside where you have the option of splitting off left through a series of off-camber turns and missing the Road Gap Jump. After the gap jump a sizeable left-hand berm links to a large switch-right berm and into a double jump and left-hand switchback. You now simply traverse the hill and drop back down to the main forest road at the end of the field.

AE FOREST