Av. Trail Rating:
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Description:-
Just done this today 6/1/13 and is probably the best mornings MTB I have had.
This is the excelent red cross country trail + combining the Make or Brake downhill trail.
Starting at the car park u are straight in to the hard stuff with a small but steepish climb to strat with then along a forest track(FT) then into some uphill single track(st) which has some small rocky steps to test ur skill's(can b frustrating!! loose traction on a stone u then have put ur foot down!! ).
then short section on a FT take a left and up on to a ST down a little with a couple of rocks just to test u. then take a left up an old looking FT this is fair climb to the next ST to ur right. this takes u along and down to the short quarry section to test ur nerve!! which shoot to go down? It is ur choice, then across a small wooden bridge with small jump of the end and down a steepish shoot on to the FT. the Soutern Upland Way U are then on this for a longish climb to where you meet/cross the Soutern Upland Way(SUW) as the XC trail is closed of just now due to forestry work it is a left turn on to the SUW and up a bitch of a climb chalenge here is to stay on the bike and not to get off and push!! cross a FT 3/4 way up the gradient eases a little until the last small part on the SUW. Its then a right and down on to the excelent ST climb(this never feels as though ur climbing!!) on to the top of Minch Moore. a wee break and then ur one of the best downhill section I know fast flowing and with a couple of optional small but easy drop off/jumps. crossthe SUW and down some even better ST and more rock jumps. then right on ST with no jumps but fast narrow sectiondown to the FT.
We the went along the FT but past the start of the ST section on the right for the normal route of the XC trail. Keep on the FT track and take the next left fork and bike up this to the push up path for the downhill tracks.
This was my 1st time for a proper downhill rated track and did not realy know what it would be like but after reading this discribtion i found on line(innerleithen uplift site) I thought it would be worth a try.
""""Voted one of MBR magazine’s top 10 descents in the country in 2005, this trail is totally different in character from the natural tracks at Innerleithen. It's wide and fast, stacked full of jumps, drops and huge flowing berms – big grins guaranteed! Confidence with jumping at speed will help get the most out of the track, though first time down and for those less comfortable jumping, we recommend that you keep your speed under control and your wheels on or close to the ground (most features can be rolled through). From the start a series of gentle turns leads into several steeper, tighter banked hairpins. Carrying some speed out of the last one sets you up nicely for two floaty double jumps. Catch the right hand berm and you’re at the upper road crossing. Off the road, the trail falls steeply away. Momentum gained, you’re quickly onto a series of jumps in quick succession. Keep it low through these and you’ll have the speed needed to clear the final big double jump. The trail then flattens for a while before breaking out of the trees. Over 25 jumps are packed into the next section, which dives and weaves down the open hill through big ‘g-outs’ and bermed corners. Tabletops, doubles, hip jumps, step-ups and step-downs all feature. A little way down, there’s an optional section, Double D. Here the jumps are bigger still and upramps even steeper. Enjoy! ((AA)) Crossing the lower road, the final section is shared with the infamous Caddon Bank. Negotiate a couple of rocky steps and you're onto the first of three (optional) rock drops in a row – the third is the biggest at nearly 4ft, though the trail falls away steeply allowing for some considerable air time! Round a 180 turn, over a cheeky rock step and it’s into a series of 10 big rollers – like being on a rollercoaster, but on your bike! Check contents of stomach are intact, then it’s across a bridleway and into the lower section((BB))). Down a rock chute and over a couple of smaller jumps you soon pick up speed. Two small rock drops fly quickly by then it’s into a big 180 turn, through some massive bombholes, then three doubles back to back. From here, things can get ridiculously quick over several wide step-downs, the last of which fires you into a big tabletop. Through two turns, then a couple more rock steps follow. Off the brakes here, pedal hard and you’ll clear a step down into a flippin’ huge bombhole, which spits you out over two more tabletops. Two final turns, a couple of jumps and you’ve made it to the finish! There are also a plethora of old race tracks and unwaymarked trails to discover! """"""
when we reached ((AA)) lower road we then back tracked back up the FT to down the section of the XC trail we had missed out it is worth going back to do. once we had done this it was back down to the lower road at ""AA"" but we where shown a small unmarked trail to the right of the edge of the bigger trees next to the start of the rock drops. It was good tight technical test of ur balance section in the trees u then join the rest of the make or brake DH at ""BB"" wich is really fast with optional jumps on the way down to the car park.
As I said before the best day on a bike I have had.
Murr B