Rock don't Roll - Dalbeattie 7stanes
The 18 mile 'Hardrock Trail' is the first of the new 7stanes mountain bike centres to open and is already getting rave reviews from bikers all over Britain.
Dalbeattie's trail is graded as one for intermediates but there are some spine chilling sections for the experts. One of the most talked about features is 'the slab' which is a 40ft steep granite cliff face which tests the nerve of the most skilled mountain bikers around.
Riders will also be treated to a brand new skills loop to warm up on and further down the trail they'll come across challenging features including 'the terrible twins' and 'jacob's ladder'.
The new trail is part of the 7stanes project which is creating seven new mountain bike centres in key Forestry Commission locations across the south of Scotland by 2004. A range of partners raised £1 million for the initiative and European match-funding brought the £2 million project to life.
The Hardrock Trail is 18 miles in length and has taken 15 months to build by the 7stanes trailbuilding team headed by Andy Hopkins. The trailbuilding team had a massive challenge on their hands when carving out the trail due to the huge boulders and slabs which lay in their way. Instead of building around the rocks the team decided to use the natural features as part of the trail resulting in a truly unique mountain bike experience in Britain. Volunteers have already helped build totally new sections of the trail. At the first ever volunteer trailbuilding day over 40 people from all over Scotland and England worked with local mountain bikers to build new features.
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