New site on Northern Ireland's many trails!

[rickmckeeman]

Northern Ireland has lots to offer mountain-bikers.

A new site of Mountain Biking Trails in Northern Ireland (http://www.mtbtrails.blogspot.com/) has just launched at http://www.mtbtrails.blogspot.com/

Have a look and see what you think. We make our own fun over here - none of this purpose-built trail to narrow our perspective! :)

[rockyrider]

Of course I'm a bit biased being of Scot heritage, but the mountain bike trails (http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/) in Scotland seem to be longer and better developed. :D ;)

It's good to see that there's active mountain biking development at the grassroots level with the support of local forest commissions, maybe that will set some more precedents for this side of the globe as well.

Check out this link for an example of the magnitude of the benefits to the local economies from mountain bike tourism. That's something that can likely translate into applying to almost any part of the planet that develops a mountain bike tourism economy.

http://www.mbta.ca/News/?sp=Sea_to_Sky_Economic_Impact_Study

[mimbresman]

Rocky...thanks for the link. I'll have to research some of those routes. I plan to tack on a few days at the end of my tour which was going to reserve for sightseeing in Edinburgh, but this trail looks killer (http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/forestry/achs-5rnffw). I need to do it!

[rockyrider]

anytime they name a trail The Doon Hill Extension, you know you're dealing with people who are comfortable with their language... It's in the Kirroughtree Forest.

[mimbresman]

It looks like these park areas are small enough where one could get a hotel in town, and go out and ride the trail system for the day and return to base. I might blow off Edinburgh all together!

[rickmckeeman]

Rocky, did you recognise the front image of http://www.mtbtrails.blogspot.com/ ? It's not Northern Ireland, it's the river stop at Kirroughtree! :)

[rockyrider]

No I missed that. Is it much of an ordeal to get across from Northern Ireland to Scotland by ferry? It looks like a fairly steep cost of about £80 for one car and one driver, you'd want to take a gang.

Do you have any pics of the trails you've established in Northern Ireland?

[rickmckeeman]

They run deals on the ferry to Scotland all the time. I can get 5 blokes and 5 bikes on the ferry to Scotland for a day return in me Ford Galaxy (3 inside, 2 on the roof - the bikes that is!!!), for £75 sterling (we have to pretend we are going to IKEA, ssshhhhhh), so £15 a head is pretty darn good.

We leave the house at 6:30am, boat leaves at 8, pedalling by 10:15, back at the car knackered for 4, chinese food and a beer, then on the boat for 8pm and home for 10:00pm. Tiring, but damnably good fun, as the trails are so good.

For pics of trails, there are a group of guys in the Mournes that call themselves Not the Sunday Run (http://www.notthesundayrun.com/). They post up all their stuff, some brilliant routes and photos to boot!

You can get some of their stuff, including links to them, in the County Down section. All the Rostrevor Forest stuff is theirs.