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7Stanes Mountain Bike Centers

by The Cycle Jersey |

The 7Stanes are a novelty group of MTB centres spanning Southern Scotland; from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway.  But there's more to it than that - 'stane' in Scottish tongue means 'stone', which is exactly what you'll see at each trail.  The stanes can be located at each of the 7Stanes destinations trails; they're accessible by foot, horseback and obviously the more fun way - by bike.  You'll understand the buzz of the trails once you've been and you'll note the mythical and legendary stories the stanes have to tell.

 

South West of Scotland, right in the Galloway Forest Park.  There are various routes within this area from quick jaunts or long hauls, to leisure trails fro beginners and blue trails for those desperate for some uphill craic.  The Giant Axe Head stane: represents the areas past Scottish and Irish giants.  The Giant Axe Head - a 1.5 ton sculpture which overlooks Loch Dee - closely resembles actual Neolithic stone axes and has runic text inscribed onto its top surface.

7stanes-stane-kirroughtreeKirroughtree: it's just a wee bit away from Glentrool and this one's definitely more fun!  Featuring black and red routes!  Fast flowing and technically demanding - it's a wee gem!  Hence the 'Gem Stane' - a true reflection of the centres trails.

 

 

 

7stanes-stane-dalbeattieDalbeattie: here might not be any big hills, but this trail isn't boring - it's renowned for it's granite features and great views - there's suitable trails for every level here.  This stane was donated from a local quarry and symbolises Kirkcudbrightshire's history as a town that was once the heart of the granite industry.

 

 

 

7stanes-stane-mabieMabie: the original mountain bike venue of South West Scotland.  The trails cater for beginners right through to the most experienced riders: there’s a skills area for honing your technique, great trails that snake through the woods.  The stane here is known as the 'Ghost Stane' - no horror stories to reflect this one as far as we're aware, unless no one has ever lived to tell the tale..

 

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Ae Forest: the most popular among the 7 stanes and often part of enduro series'.  It's the perfect place to head for a day out - picnic or energy burning carnage; this route features orange trails.  The 'Talking Head Stane' rests here and has a Norwegian poem scribed into its side.

 

 

7stanes-stane-glentress (1)

 

Glentress: hmmm, maybe it's a tie between most popular location...  Just one hour away from Edinburgh, Glentress offers superb walking, mountain biking, tree-top fun and magnificent views of the beautiful Tweed Valley.  You'll be in good hands here as this is Tweed Valley Bike Patrols stomping ground - always on hand for the help and support of riders.  Here lies 'The Meteorite'; a 6 ton marble stane that's outta this world!

7stanes-stane-newcastletonNewcastleton: one of  the internationally-renowned mountain biking trails, probably because it's got some adrenalin pumpin' rides!  There's plenty of stop off areas here, so make sure to take some time to take in this wildlife haven.  The stane here is the Border stane and as you can guess - it's stands very close to the Scottish borders.  On the north side, Auld Lang Syne is inscribed to represent Scotland. On the south side, representing England, are the words of Jerusalem. The hole in the middle allows people to stand on either side of the 'border' and shake hands through the sculpture.

It's certainly worth your while making this a round trip, if you haven't already, there's plenty of scope for skill building, adrenaline junkies and leisurely peddlers.  You can even say you've 'been there, got the t-shirt', because we're the only manufacturers of 7Stanes products.

You might also be interested in routes near here...

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© 2005 Andy McCandlish