Forestry Commission - News - biking project notches up another gear

Scottish mountain biking stepped up another gear today with the launch of a red-hot new trail in Ae Forest, just outside Dumfries.

The Ae line - Scottish Power Renewables Trail is 19km (12 miles) long and is packed full of tight, twisty singletrack, jumps, berms and lung-busting climbs.

The trail is part of the European-funded 7stanes project, which is building seven mountain bike centres in Forestry Commission Scotland forests right across the south of Scotland.

The launch of the new trail coincides with celebrations marking the end of the project's first phase, which has been running for three years. Already, the 7stanes has received many awards for building top-class trails, and the International Mountain Bicycle Association (IMBA) says that Scotland is now one of the top five places on the planet to go mountain biking . The association described Scotland as "one of the hottest places to ride in the world".

The 7stanes trails are major attractions for tourists, and estimates suggest that Ł3 million is already being pumped into the south of Scotland economy through the project. When all the centres are fully up and running the income generated could bring in more than Ł6 million to Scotland each year.

Launching the trail, Colin Palmer, chairman of IMBA UK, said:

Mountain bikers are delighted to learn of the opening of the Ae Line trail. IMBA believes that the foresight shown by Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Executive in creating the 7stanes project has created a world-class Scottish facility for the recreation of mountain biking. And English riders are particularly envious as they travel north to pit their skills on a trail network that they can but dream of south of the border. May their red-hot brakes continue to glow as they enjoy the challenge of this latest trail."

The trail, to be sponsored by Scottish Power, is graded as a red route, which means it is geared towards experienced mountain bikers, and there is a very difficult, black-graded section called "The Omega Man" for those who like their biking fast and very steep. This section features 3km (1.8 miles) of fast riding on huge, sweeping berms and tabletops, guaranteed to get riders airborne.

The south of Scotland is getting an international reputation for its mountain biking. Karl Bartlett, manager of the 7stanes, believes the area is mountain bike heaven:

"Over the past three years there has been a tremendous effort by a range of highly motivated people who have made the project a huge success," he said. "We are learning all the time how to build better trails, and our trailbuilders continue to produce mountain bike trails that riders love to ride. We've now come to the end of phase one of the project, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we are successful in getting more money for a second phase that will add more facilities and allow us to make mountain biking accessible to more people."

"There is definitely a buzz about riding the 7stanes trails, and this is largely down to the enthusiastic mountain bikers who travel to the south of Scotland. Not only are they generating a great atmosphere, but they are also, importantly, helping to boost the local economies near the trails. For this reason the bikers get a big pat on the back from the 7stanes."

Mountain biking has become a very popular sport or hobby to many people, and this is an area which VisitScotland aims to capitalise on, as Delia Holland, area director of VisitScotland Dumfries & Galloway explained:

"Forest tourism is crucial to the economy of Dumfries & Galloway. It is wonderful to have initiatives that aim at encouraging young people to the visit the region, and we are delighted to work closely with our partners at Forestry Commission Scotland on such a project. We welcome projects such as the 7stanes, because they contribute greatly to our task of putting Dumfries & Galloway on the map as a high-quality, must-visit destination."

To date there are 7stanes trails in the Tweed Valley (at Glentress and Innerleithen), Mabie Forest near Dumfries, Dalbeattie Forest, Kirroughtree in Galloway, and Newcastelton on the Scottish Border. A long-distance touring trail, quite different from the other 7stanes trails, is expected to open soon in Glentrool.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Quality picture of mountain bikers on the new Ae line - Scottish Power Renewables Trail are available by calling the Forestry Commission Scotland press office on 0131 314 6507. For more information on the project log on to www.7stanes.gov.uk
According to visitor monitoring surveys carried out annually by Forestry Commission Scotland, visitors to all the 7stanes centres are showing an overall increase. However, the surveys count all visitors including walkers, mountain bikers and other forest visitors. Before the 7stanes, the total figure of visitors to all the seven locations stood at about 240,000, but this has risen to 420,000. At Glentress Forest, in the Tweed Valley, which is the flagship 7stanes centre, visitor figures last year rose by more than 90,000, the majority of whom will have been mountain bikers.
The 7stanes project is being managed by Forestry Commission Scotland with partners Scottish Enterprise Dumfries & Galloway, Dumfries & Galloway and Scottish Borders Tourist Boards, Scottish Enterprise Borders, Scottish Borders Council, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Solway Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. All the partners joined forces to raise Ł1 million towards the initiative, and match funding from Europe brought the Ł2 million project to life. The Scottish Association for Mental Health has also been supporting the project.
Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Scottish Executive's forestry department. It manages 666,000 hectares of national forest land owned by Scottish Ministers for multiple benefits, including timber production, nature conservation and public recreation; supports other woodland owners with grants, felling licences, advice and regulation; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Ministers on forestry policy. For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Forestry Commission Scotland - press office 0131 314 6507 or, on site on Monday, Steve Williams, mobile 07771 730509;
IMBA UK - Colin Palmer, 07906 964702.