Glentress to be expanded

[Steveb]

New and better facilities for MTBers are planned for Glentress Forest, near Peebles, after Forestry Commission Scotland acquired a 12-acre site close to the existing facilities. A new visitor centre is being proposed, along with a bigger hire shop and cafe. Glentress attracts 250 000 visitors a year, most of them heading on to the MTB routes and North Shore areas.

Forestry Commission Scotland 'Scottish Borders District manager, Christina Tracey, said:

"Glentress Forest has been a fantastic success as a visitor attraction, drawing 250,000 visitors a year, but it is becoming more difficult to provide a quality service to the growing numbers of visitors with the tight space we are operating from at present."

"We have been very fortunate to acquire 12 acres nearby with panoramic views of the Tweed Valley, where we are planning to provide more and better facilities and overcome the space restrictions that our present site imposes."

"We'd like to hear what comments and suggestions local people and forest users have about our plans, so we're holding an open weekend on Saturday and Sunday the 15th and 16th of October for the public to come along and see what we're planning and ask us any questions they have about it."

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

[Pete 36]

Brilliant


What about NI? :rolleyes:

[graeme]

This may or may not be a good thing
theres already a shop bike rentals toilets showers and cafe there
purpose built place may not have the same atmosphere as the hub

[Rick]

mm.. if only we had such problems to consider - to expand or what....

we don't even have a helly hanson hut (see v trail glentress) to rest in on the gruelling jourmey round the NI north shore xc black grade trail....

[Rick]

amazing what 3 years can do - first time I was there only the small toilet block at the red squirell car park existed now a shop and hire and next ...


progress in the 21st century....

meanwhile back in the C17....

..BALCAS ...BALCAS... BALCAS.....

[andyh]

most significant I thought was this bit

"We'd like to hear what comments and suggestions local people and forest users have about our plans, so we're holding an open weekend on Saturday and Sunday the 15th and 16th of October for the public to come along and see what we're planning and ask us any questions they have about it."

The first time I rode in GT there were actually no official MTB trails and we were riding forst rodes and some trails we came across with a little insider knowledge. That must have been about 8 years ago. At that time the best places as I recall were Mabie and Ae.

We came across some people doing a survey for FC finding out what people were doing in the Forest with a view to it's future development. Somewhat of a contrast to what happens over here !

[timH]

The current facilities are pretty good, they should spend the money making more trails, maybe a new red route and some more family stuff.

[andyh]

I would imagine that facilities do include more trails but I guess that is the point of the consultation.

Haven't been to GT for too long but The Hub and the Car parking were always cramped so I'd be supportive of 'appropriate' development of those facilities too.

[Conor]

We parked up at the Buzard's nest car park. Would be nice if there was running water and toilets up there... but that's hardly important as the hub is a 5min drive down the lane.

A DH track would be good though... or even a good long caddon bank descent. I know there's spooky wood but it's a bit short and slow.

[graeme]

Conor in terms of the 7 stanes Glentress and Innerleithen are counted as 1, under the name Tweed Valley.
Glentress is more for xc trails, Inner for DH.
Innerleithen has had a new black DH run built and an easier one, the I line which is a bigger version of spooky wood.
There are also a lot of older DH tracks through the forest.
Think the plan was to build 5 new DH tracks so guess we've got 3 more to look forward to!
There were also plans mentioned for a larger freeride area.

[Rick]

they will have more in those 2 forests - than exists throughout NI!!!

- re consultation - we were at Mabie the day they officially opened the trails - the Forestry Ranger was keen to get our views on the mtb trails - they were proud of their role in trail development...

as can be seen today - it has all been worth it - even despite problems the bonuses are clear to the local people, local economy and the forestry...