Aye, you've maybe seen some versions of this before elsewhere. Mostly they turn R at the edge of Cardrona and head up the relentlessly steep climb to begin the big descent back to Peebles.
This incarnation takes you further out. Descending Orchard Rig into the Glen below. This allows you to reach one of the most delightful parts of the Southern Upland Way where you'll find big rolling hills, great views and speedy open descents with good sight lines.
A wee heather bash in the middle reminds you what real mountain biking is all about. At its end, it lands you on a steady climb that takes you over some grand hill tops and more amazing views for some excellent descending back to Peebles.
With enough left in the legs the day can be rounded off by dragging yourself up to Spooky Wood and ripping down trails at Glentress. By that stage in the day they are usually are pretty empty.
The images below were taken on a series of visits. They say more than I could about the type of riding and atmosphere on the route. There's no doubt I'll be returning just as many times. It's a fantastic day out and I have to say a big thanks to Bill and Craig who first took me there all those years and all those bikes ago.
MBR 6 of the Best
The Birkscairn Beastie
Mountain biking is an adventure sport with associated risks. It is the responsibilty of all riders to be fully conversant with the risks to themselves and the risks to others. The activity also has impact on the land. This impact not only extends to wear and tear on trails but also how it affects agriculture and ecology. You must at all times be mindful of these factors. Any route suggested should only be accessed within the provisions of the Land Reform Scotland Act and conform to the concept of responsible acces within the terms of that act which spoecifies that any such access should be responsible. See http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/default.asp?nPageID=12&nSubContentID=0 for more info and guidance. No route published by Mountainbike Scotland should be undertaken without adherance to all f the foregoing.
