Mountain Bike Heaven

That's the tag line for the 7 Stanes, the forest centres spread across Southern Scotland scattered with man made mountain bike trails. Regulars to our blog will realise that we're keen on our outdoor activities, so while biking the 7 Stanes has little to do with Glencoe we thought we'd include this one anyway.

Airs Rock at Laggan Wolftrax.
Not one of the Stanes, but equally good and only an hour (ish) from Glencoe.

Our base for a couple of nights was the Mabie House Hotel, just south of Dumfries. Its a cracking spot right at the trailhead for the Mabie mountain bike trails. The hotel is a Georgian mansion and was fantastic - just how hotels should be. Friendly and accommodating staff, good food and comfy beds! Highly recommended. Being a bit soft, we opted for the huge bedrooms but if adventure is your middle name you could always try one of the camping 'pods' in the garden!

First up was the red route at Ae, just the other side of Dumfries. A good hard ride but I have to say probably my least favourite of the Stanes so far. The surface was very rocky for much of the way round, making it hard to settle in to any sort of rhythm. But with some good easier graded trails for the family, and a cafe and bike shop on site chances are we'll definitely be back soon to explore some more.

The red at Mabie was next, with a trip to the Dark Side in the evening (full body armour/no brain required). And before heading back up the road we had time for a blast round the red route at Dalbeattie. I forgotten just how good this ride is, particular out as far as the slab.

If you like your biking but you've never visited the Stanes then you really should. Each of the centres offer some fantastic riding of varying grades and character.