Well that really was a cracker….
7 of us assembled at the Wallace Monument Car Park and headed off about 740 – warm and pretty sticky as we weaved up through the University Campus and onto the singletrack. The usual hikey bikey bits for most of us, although Sanny, Dene and Euan cleared more than the rest of us. Just before 9 we got to the summit, a brief pit stop, knee pads adornded and let rip down the way. Totally phenomenal descent – most of us taking different lines and no major stacks. I had a front wheel wash out and a body surf on some grass, but thankfully it was a soft landing. Back down and Graham led us off into some new stuff in the adjacent forest that Stirling Bike Club have been building – quite like some of the twisty rooty Mugdock trails, but with timber chutes and ramps, made all the more interesting by the settling dusk.
We eventually arrived back at the cars just before 1030, tired, dusty, hungry and well stoked – it really is a lovely hard and techy ride, and on a warm summers evening the views are spectacular. Added bonus of the M80 being fully opened brings it within not much more than 30mins of Glasgow too.
Cheers Iain,
Yeah, it was definitely a cracking night. Here’s the link for all that were out to the movie Stu at mtbcut made which was part filmed at Dumyat. Danny’s climb up the rock face is very neat, particularly when you see it in the flesh – http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=402387528740
cheers Dene
Indeed! An amazing night of riding. Really varied – from forest singletrack to open moors and rocky, loose descents, a few bits of boardwalk chucked in for good measure and a twisty narrow piece of singletrack through rhododendrons just like Voodoo Hill. You know it’s a great ride when folks in front and behind are whooping their way down the hill. It made the few bits of hikey bike worth it. The descent from the top really is a beauty; fast, flowy, a bit techy in places. A highlight for me is the view from Wolf’s Crag clifftop out over the Wallace Monument – and what a cliff! It makes the clifftop near Carbeth look like a wee step!! And there’s more woodland sngletrack to explore in some woods we never made it to. Given the nearby options of cafes in Bridge Of Allan, Causewayhead or Blairlogie and I reckon we should get a Sunday ride up here sometime soon!
Some pictures fom the ride (before it got too dark) can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neologic/sets/72157627364706824/detail/
I’d like to try this one Sunday, ‘away’ rides on a weekday evening are difficult for me.
Perhaps towards the end of the month? Or maybe early/mid Sept?