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Compare and contrast - a quick guide to the 7stanes trails by trail grade to help you decide where to ride.

Trail grades are a general indication of difficulty.  There are easier and more tricky options available within each grade, so we've listed the trails in what we think is the order of difficulty, with the easiest trail first in the table and the most difficult trail listed last (Disagree? Let us know). 

This should help you decide which trail to visit, especially if you want to move up to the next level of riding.  For more information on what the different grades mean, see the trail grades page.

See also: 7stanes trail profiles.

Cross country (XC) singletrack trails

Green-graded trails (easy)

Trail	Distance	Details
Newcastleton Skills Trail	0.4km	100% singletrack
Glentress Skills Area	1.5km	90% singletrack with optional practice features
Ae Valley Route	9km	30% singletrack, 1 - 2hrs to ride, with ideal picnic stop
Glentress Green Route	4.5km	60% singletrack with great views.  20mins - 1hr to ride
Kirroughtree Bargaly Wood	6km	10% singletrack, 0.5 - 1 hour to ride
Glentrool - The Glen	6km	35% singletrack, 1 hour to ride
Mabie Big Views loop	8km	30% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride
Dalbeattie Ironhash trail	11.5km	5% singletrack, 1.5 - 2 hours to ride.  Dalbeattie skills area also has a green-graded singletrack loop
Glentrool - The Palgowan	14km	10% singletrack, some climbing with good views and a long descent.  2 hours to ride.

Blue-graded trails (moderate)

Trail	Distance	Details
Ae - Larch View Route	4.5km	30% singletrack, 0.5 - 1hr to ride.  Ride in combination with the Ae Valley Route (gives 13.5km ride in total)
Newcastleton Caddrouns Blue	5.5km	10% singletrack, 1 hour to ride
Kirroughtree Taster Loop	2km	50% singletrack, 10 - 15 mins to ride
Mabie Woodhead Loop	10km	25% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride
Glentrool Blue trail	9km	65% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride
Dalbeattie Moyle Hill Trail	14km	40% singletrack, 2 - 3 hours to ride.  Dalbeattie also has a blue-graded singletrack skills loop.
Kirroughtree Larg Hill	10km	50% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride. The Doon Hill Extension to the blue trail is 4km, 15% singletrack, 0.5 hours to ride. Kirroughtree also has a blue-graded singletrack skills trail.
Glentress Blue trail	8km - 16km	Length of trail depends on start point. 60 - 80% singletrack depending on start point. 1 - 2 or 2 - 4 hours to ride, depending on start point.  The Glentress skills loop also has a short blue-graded section.

Red-graded trails (difficult)

Trail	Distance	Details
Newcastleton Red Trail	10.5km	60% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride
Mabie Phoenix Trail	17km	82% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride
Kirroughtree Twister Trail	17km	85% singletrack, 1 - 2 hours to ride. Kirroughtree also has a red-graded singletrack skills trail.
Glentress Red Trail	17km	65% singletrack, 1.5 - 3 hours to ride.  The Glentress skills loop also has a short red-graded section
Dalbeattie Hardrock Trail	25km	65% singletrack, 1.5 - 3 hours to ride.  Some black-graded sections.  Dalbeattie also has a red-graded singletrack skills loop.
Ae Line Scottish Power Renewables Trail	24km	65% singletrack, 1.5 - 3 hours to ride
Innerleithen XC	19km	75% singletrack, 2 - 4 hours to ride.  Has optional black-graded features at Cadon Bank and a 1km, 100% singletrack section at Plora Craig.

Black-graded trails (severe)

Trail	Distance	Details
Kirroughtree Black Craigs	31km inc Red route	75% singletrack,  2.5 – 4 hours to ride.  Kirroughtree also has a black-graded singletrack skills trail.
Glentress Black route	30km	75% singletrack, 3 - 5 hours to ride.  The Glentress skills loop also has a short black-graded section

 

Non-singletrack trails

Orange grade - Bike park / Downhill

Please note that the difficulty of these trails is subjective and so they are not listed in order of difficulty.

Trail	Details
Glentress Freeride Park	Three dedicated trails: The Unnamed (jump features), Cycopath and Essentials (aimed at novice freeriders).
Ae - The Shredder	Designed for beginners - a good introduction to the Downhill discipline
Newcastleton North Shore	Around 500m of North Shore timber trail.
Mabie Kona Dark Side	3.8km of 100% North Shore timber trail.
Innerleithen Downhill	Four dedicated downhill routes plus other 'classic' downhill routes.  Uplift service on selected weekends
Ae Downhill	A total of almost 2km of downhill trails, uplift service occasionally available (pre-booking required).

Ungraded - forest road or similar

Trail	Distance	Details
Newcastleton Linns purple route	8km	100% on forest road with some fast descents and good views.
Mabie Purple trail - Lochbank loop	23km	Mostly on forest road with some on b-class road.  Has its share of climbs, rewarded with great views. Not a technical route but higher level of fitness advisable.
Glentrool Big Country trail	58km	Mostly on forest roads and some minor roads. No singletrack, 3.5 - 7 hours to ride. Strenuous.

For more information on what the different grades mean, see the trail grades page.