Proposed Borders 220

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Ray Young
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Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

In an effort to attract more people to the group start i'm proposing adding a shorter route. The group start will be the same day, time and start point as the 350.
Day one is much easier heading straight to The Broughton Loop. The big Devils Beeftub Bikehike is still in. After Moffat it heads directly towards Craik forest using The Romans and Reivers Trail and misses out Over Phawhope Bothy. This means Greensykes Bothy is achievable on the first night. The only other change is to miss out the Eastern loop. Borders 220 - 6885 metres of climbing, Borders 350 - 10,628 metres of climbing.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1938400409

If you want either route gpx directly from me then contact me at borders350ittATgmailDotcom saying which one you want.
ScotRoutes
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by ScotRoutes »

Just a thought, but if you want to attract more folk, why not choose a rideable route? I know that HAB is sometimes unavoidable but the prospect of travelling a decent distance and dedicating a weekend to then do a route that involves a large amount of walking isn't exactly appealing - and I don't live that far away.
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Ray Young
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

The Devil's Beeftub is in because I think it's a fantastic bit of scenery and the only way to it without long road sections is up the HAB bit. It took 3 years to develop this route and I thought long and hard about its inclusion. The start of the route has several bits that I wanted in and they naturally led towards The Devils Beeftub. Don't know what all the fuss is about really, only takes me three hours, :wink: .
restlessshawn
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by restlessshawn »

Ray Young wrote:The Devil's Beeftub is in because I think it's a fantastic bit of scenery and the only way to it without long road sections is up the HAB bit. It took 3 years to develop this route and I thought long and hard about its inclusion. The start of the route has several bits that I wanted in and they naturally led towards The Devils Beeftub. Don't know what all the fuss is about really, only takes me three hours, :wink: .
If you want any input I live IN the Borders and won't ride the route because of the HAB. I love hill walking, I hate hill walking pushing my bike.
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Ray Young
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

Hi Restless, the route is now finalized and will not be changed. Thanks for the offer though
restlessshawn
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by restlessshawn »

Aye I didn't mean that how it might have come out, I wasn't having a pop.
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Ray Young
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

restlessnative wrote:Aye I didn't mean that how it might have come out, I wasn't having a pop.
No offence taken Shaun ( is that spelt correctly?), just saying I'm happy with the route as it is.
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fatbikephil
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by fatbikephil »

After doing the bit from Fruid to Moffat last year (and moaning quite a lot at the time) I looked to see if there was a better alternative and came up blank (apart from the A701) so its put up and shut up people :lol:
To be fair the scenery is good, I just couldn't see it.....
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by AlasdairMc »

htrider wrote:After doing the bit from Fruid to Moffat last year (and moaning quite a lot at the time) I looked to see if there was a better alternative and came up blank (apart from the A701) so its put up and shut up people :lol:
To be fair the scenery is good, I just couldn't see it.....
I did the Fruid to Moffat bit en route to the winter bothy meet in 2016 when heading down from Edinburgh, but cut down the middle of the Beeftub instead of climbing up. Unless this extra part is awful, then it wasn't absolutely the worst thing I've ever taken a bike through, although admittedly it took a wee while anyway. I did get a nice wee descent off the pass too. 2.5hrs from Fruid to Moffat, done completely in the dark. I'm sure it's picturesque :lol:
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by fatbikephil »

AlasdairMc wrote:
htrider wrote:After doing the bit from Fruid to Moffat last year (and moaning quite a lot at the time) I looked to see if there was a better alternative and came up blank (apart from the A701) so its put up and shut up people :lol:
To be fair the scenery is good, I just couldn't see it.....
I did the Fruid to Moffat bit en route to the winter bothy meet in 2016 when heading down from Edinburgh, but cut down the middle of the Beeftub instead of climbing up. Unless this extra part is awful, then it wasn't absolutely the worst thing I've ever taken a bike through, although admittedly it took a wee while anyway. I did get a nice wee descent off the pass too. 2.5hrs from Fruid to Moffat, done completely in the dark. I'm sure it's picturesque :lol:
I think that's where I had my sense of humour failure - on the Annandale Way heading west to the road. I rashly assumed that being on a waymarked trail the going would be good. I was wrong....
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Ray Young
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

There is another way down called Strait Step and it's fantastic. Takes you right inside the The Beeftub with great views, a bit of exposure and a scaryish scramble. Not a place to loose your bike over the edge as you'd have a real hard job getting it back. Would love to have included it into the 350 but after descending from it you pass through two gates very close to some houses and some people may pass through late at night with lights blazing. Starts at NT 065133.
These pics don't do it justice.
Looking back to the start in the gully.
ImageBeeftub 023 by youngray50, on Flickr

The scramble. Doesn't look much but 6 foot deep, 10 feet across and the ground slopes off camber. Takes a bit of thought tackling it loaded and solo especially if like me you suffer from a degree of acrophobia. This is looking back after crossing it.
ImageBeeftub 021 by youngray50, on Flickr
Last edited by Ray Young on Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ray Young
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

Now this picture does do it justice. Can't believe I did it with my condition, :o .
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=devil ... Q-M:&isa=y
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pushbikemike
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by pushbikemike »

Having done this route when you first planned your Borders350 and the current route, this one going into the beeftub gets my vote. Makes the hike a bike worthwhile :grin: But and it is a big but that is a tricky step to negotiate loaded and after a good few hours on the move.
jameso
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by jameso »

You've grabbed my attention with this one : ) amazing what a couple of pics can do. 220 or 350. Starting to see why 350 has a 'rep' - is it 350 of largely that kind of terrain?
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Ray Young
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Re: Proposed Borders 220

Post by Ray Young »

jameso wrote:You've grabbed my attention with this one : ) amazing what a couple of pics can do. 220 or 350. Starting to see why 350 has a 'rep' - is it 350 of largely that kind of terrain?
The pics of the above are are not in either. I'd loved them to have been but with the start at Peebles it would have meant some people may have been going through this section late at night and there are several houses just after this that you would have to pass through and there are three gates right by them. Wouldn't be good for relationships. A circuit of The Devils Beeftub is still in though.
Here's some other pics of the route.
Image166 by youngray50, on Flickr
Image164 by youngray50, on Flickr
Image161 by youngray50, on Flickr
Imagecheviots 016 by youngray50, on Flickr
Imagecheviots 010 by youngray50, on Flickr
ImageBorders 005 by youngray50, on Flickr
ImageBroughton Heights 006 by youngray50, on Flickr
Image3 days in The Borders 028 by youngray50, on Flickr
Image3 days in The Borders 015 by youngray50, on Flickr

The 350 rep has come from lots of climbing, lots of "just rideable" terrain and lots of pushing from both bikehike and steepness of climbs. Parts of it also ride a lot slower than you think it should from looking at a map.
The 220 as well as being shorter cuts out some of the hard stuff but the big bikehike up to the Devils Beeftub is still in.
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