# 7 Stanes



## tandemJim (Jul 25, 2006)

We are thinking of flying over to Great Britain to do some riding that we've heard about in the 7 Stanes and/or the mountain bike centres built in Wales. Can you spend 2-3 days at each center, then move on to the next one? Does the weather start to get wetter & colder at the end of October, or earlier? Does flying into Edinburgh make the most sense? We've been mountain bikers for 20 years and also are trail volunteers -- have heard about the trails at these centers. Wondering the best way to do it.
Thanks for any opinions!
-Cathy & Jim
XC riders from Northern California


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## M C STORM (Apr 16, 2006)

Good choice, I'm lucky enough to live right on the doorstep of the Stanes.

If you have not seen it already here is the Stanes website.

https://www.7stanes.gov.uk/

You could fly to Edinburgh or Glasgow, does not really make much difference although there will be more flights coming into Glasgow as it is a good bit bigger.
Most of the Stanes are within a couple of hours of Glasgow by car.

You could spend a day at each of the Stanes, perhaps 2 days at Glentress, some great riding to be had for sure, there are also loads of equally good natural trails all over Scotland and some real epic rides to be had and come amazing scenery!



















Not been to Wales myself but the trail centres there are also meant to be very good, if it were me I'd probably spend a 7-10 days in Scotland then fly to Wales and spend a few days there.

Weather in Scotland is completely hit or miss, last year for example we had pretty much 4 months full on great summer weather but this year has been pretty dire in comparison. October it uaually starts getting colder and wetter but as I say you can never really tell for sure, November might be a bit too cold if you are used to the Cali sunshine.

Regardless you will have a great time for sure, i can confidently say that Scotland has some of the best mountain biking in the world, prime example, Mountain Bike World Champs in Fort William this very weekend!


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## JWB (Jun 14, 2006)

I have ridden most of the 7 Stanes and Welsh centres http://www.mbwales.com/ and can recommend them, they are lots of fun. In fact I am flying into Glasgow from Europe for a weekends biking in a few weeks.

The main Welsh centre is Coed Y Brenin. Two days here will let you explore the trails in a leasurely fashion though I have done them all in a day.

A lot of the riding is very similar....... narrow gravel and rocky twisty but flowing single track slightly downhill.

If you drive from Scotland to Wales (4 or 5 hour drive) you could always call into the Lake District. The riding here is all natural so you will need route advice but the scenery is fantastic, just be prepared for hills, up and down!


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## tandemJim (Jul 25, 2006)

Great! Nice photos. Looks like we'll have to plan a trip. 
Cheers from California.


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## k2biker (Jan 13, 2004)

I did CyB in June and while I enjoyed it, I'm wishing I'd have gone to the Stanes. Now I have to plan a trip there next year! Wales is beautiful! Enjoy your trip.


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## JWB (Jun 14, 2006)

I have just got back from a long weekend in Scotland and all I can say is FANTASTIC.

We rode Ae, Kirroughtree and Dalbeattie and it was some of the best riding I have done for years.

Kirroughtree and Dalbeattie are just superb and well worth a visit.


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