Av. Trail Rating:
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Description:-
This is one of the routes often used by the ‘Ecurie Neep’ MTB club.
This version includes the run down to the ‘Shooting Greens’ which is a great little descent, but this can easily be missed out in order to shorten the route.
The trail starts out with a very short descent section between Tag1 and Tag2. This section starts out smooth and flat, then has a slight gradient and gets rooty and rocky. This is an ‘Moderate’ to ‘Easy’ section, but there are some rocks which form natural jumps if you fancy popping off them on the way down.
Then comes the boring fireroad climb up to Tag3. This climb is not really very steep at any point, but it does go on for quite a while.
From Tag3 to Tag4 the trail starts out as a ‘through the trees’ forest floor mulch (or mud on a wet day) section with loads of roots over a flat and quite pedally section. Then after passing over a fallen tree and coming out onto a more exposed section of hillside there is a descent down a very narrow single track rut.
From Tag5 all the way to Tag8 is another long decent, with crossings over fireroads at Tags 6 and 7. This is a very open fast decent. Some of it is on rough stoney paths, most of it is on a relatively shallow gradient, but you can carry your speed all the way down. Not too much mud until you get to the very bottom section between Tag7 and Tag8, and technically it is mostly ‘Easy’ and ‘Moderate’ in places.
From Tag8 to Tag9 is just a spin over some gently climbing fireroad to get to the ‘Shooting Greens’ forestry carpark.
From Tag9 to Tag10 is a nice interesting gentle singletrack climb over a natural rooty open forest section.
From Tag10 to Tag11 is an interesting and challenging climb over some seriously rooty roots. It is great fun (i.e. much faster and easier) in the opposite direction, but in this direction it is a challenge to clean this section without any dabs. Nothing too steep, it is just VERY rooty.
Tag11 to Tag12 is another fireroad climb.
Tag 12 to Tag13 is a pedally XC section through the trees. Forest floor mulch (so can be quite muddy), roots, and the occasional fallen tree (complete with stones to allow you to ride right on over). There are a couple of sudden steep technical climbs along this section (both rideable… just).
Between Tag13 and Tag14 is what some people refer to as the ‘Dike’ descent. This is a lovely technical tight twisty decent, with several jumps and drops etc. It’s steep in places and goes through the trees along the edge of a stone dike. Several of the obstacles on the way down here are ‘Hard’ or ‘Very Hard’ so be warned.
From Tag14 to Tag15 is a gentle climb on singletrack.
The final climb up Scolty Hill itself starts at Tag15. This is quite steep (particularly at the very start) but is rideable. The rough firetrack soon gives way to a wide rough singletrack all the way to the top.
The ‘Downhill’ tracks all start at Tag16. There are multiple ways down the hill from here (most of them are of a ‘Downhill Track’ type nature). This is definitely in the ‘Hard’ grading. Big rocks, exposed and washed-out trail, complete with drops and steep sections. This top section between Tag16 and 17 is all entirely rollable, but there are lots of ‘wheel stoppers’.
At Tag17 there are multiple options for continuing down, the option drawn on this trail goes past a massive 8ft drop. Unless you have a downhill bike, a full-face helmet and the skills, probably best to take the chicken run. The chicken run itself is actually in the ‘Hard’ category. From there down to Tag18 there are a selection of drops, jumps, berms, etc. See the ‘Downhill Track’ route listed separately for more info.
From Tag18 to Tag19 is a short fireroad, and then it’s the last singletrack of the day over a jump through some rocky stuff and round the path back to the carpark.