Newcastleton's red route provides fast, narrow singletrack, bridge crossings and boardwalks. Its exhilarating final descent of Swarf Hill descent is the ideal finish, while the North Shore section will test your skills.
The Hidden Valley and North Shore
A brief forest road climb from the car park takes you to the start of the singletrack trails, and the entrance to the Hidden Valley.
Immediately, the extreme-graded North Shore presents itself as an option for the more adventurous, running to the right. It's a technical challenge, with sections of North Shore, drop-offs and balance beams.
If you opt to stick to the red route, the first section is less technical but no less exciting. This narrow trail swoops down through the forest in wide, sweeping hairpins, winding through the trees and ending in the Hidden Valley, where it’s joined by the end of the North Shore track.
The next section is more level. There are tree logs to bump over near the start, but these will help you to negotiate some boggy ground. Continue along the forest road towards the Linns and the first climb of the route.
The Linns
The long climb up the forest road from Hidden Valley is known as The Linns. After a couple of kilometres, you reach the next section of singletrack at The Bog, which dips back into the depths of the forest.
The Bog
No prizes for guessing where this section takes its name! The Bog's singletrack traverses sodden ground, after starting with a crossing of the Tweeden Burn. The brave can splash their way through the burn, but the arched bridge provides an easier option.
Some North Shore carries you on over the bog, then there’s a steep climb, still on beautiful singletrack, to re-join the forest road.
Dead Man's Quarry
Cross the forest road and join another singletrack climb that takes you up towards the evocatively named, Dead Man’s Quarry. This is a high, exposed lunar-like landscape which provides a marked contrast with the earlier forest-bound trails.
Swarf Quarry
A short descent drops you back onto forest road before another singletrack climb, this time up Swarf Hill, on a section known as Swarf Quarry. This is a rollercoaster trail that runs parallel to the forest road, climbing up and then swooping down to end where you started: at the entrance to the Hidden Valley.
Distance: 10.5km
60% singletrack
Estimated time to ride the route: 1 - 2 hours