Apologies if this topic has been done to death, but im after some advice on the 7 stanes.

 I'm off there for a weeks holiday next week, we'll be starting at glentress and want to also fit in kirroughtree def, then i think we'll be moving camp to near dumphries & galloway area.

can you recommend 2 good camp sites that have shower facilities, and near a good real ale pub? (pref no caravans) 

also any must do trails? glentress red & black, dalbeatie and kirroughtree are my main hit listers. 

any general musing on the subject are welcome  

Hi Ads

The Rosetta campsite in Peebles is really handy for Glentress and Innerleithen. It is about 10 mins walk into the town centre and there are really good restaurants and pubs in Peebles. In fact we went into a pub which did really good ale - can't remember what it was called but I will ask Gavin. You need to book though as they allocate pitches and get full up quite quickly.

http://www.rosettacaravanpark.co.uk/

As for Kiroughtree we stayed here:

http://www.lochkenholidaypark.co.uk/

It was a really nice campsite but about 45 mins drive from Kiroughtree. Don't think you can be as fussy as no caravans as they all seem to be caravan parks in this area.

There is also a good campsite in Sandyhills and I think there are a couple of sites in Kippford- both handy for Dalbeattie and about 45 mins from Kirroughtree. Kippford has a good pub- The Anchor- which does good food and I believe good ale too. You will struggle to get a campsite for no caravans but certainly at Sandyhills the tents are separate from the caravans. It also has very good hot showers although there are only 2 in the ladies block so there might be a queue at peak times. 

My riding recommendations would be Glentress and Kirroughtree. Other than that I also really like Mabie but it's quite short. It takes less than 2 hours go round the red and the black is north shore style circus tricks and well beyond my abilities. I believe there is new stuff at Dalbeattie which has improved a previously slightly-duller-than-most Stane although I haven't ridden it since the new bits were added.

I would avoid Kirroughtree on Saturday 12th as there is a 10 hour race going on and some of the trails will be used for it.

Another place that is vastly overlooked is Drumlanrig. It's not a Stane but has waymarked trails in the grounds of a big country house, near Thornhill not far from Dumfries. There are black and red options and it's practically all singletrack. It gets a bit slippy in the wet but doesn't get too muddy. There is a bike shop and a bike wash and I think there is also a cafe but if it's shut Rik in the bike shop will do you a cup of tea.

Enjoy your holiday!

Thanks Under dog! thats really handy information. much appreciated!

 found a site earlier called tweed valley caravan park, which looks alot cheaper than rosetta but still gonna keep looking about.

 glentress red and black, mabie, & kirroughree all look amazing! so excited i just hope teh weather improves by sunday when were planning on heading off there.

Just realised I could have posted the link to their website which gives a bit more info on some of the trails:

http://www.drumlanrig.com/pages/content.asp?PageID=144

If you're up at Glentress it's also well worth popping down the road to Innerleithen (about 5 miles down the road from GT), the Traquair Trail there is excellent.  A couple of big drops at various points but all well marked and there's chicken runs too.  A lot of the trail is used during the Selkirk round of the Merida 100.  It tends to be a lot less busy than Glentress too but doesn't have cafe/shower facilities, you either need to pop into nearby Peebles or Glentress.  There's often downhill racing going on there so it might be worth checking that it's free if you're there on a weekend.  There's some really nice natural riding out the back of Glentress too if you fancy a change of scenery.

I reckon Kirroughtree is far and away the best of the 7 Stanes but it's close to Dalbeattie and Mabie so lots of variety there.  As mentioned above, avoid the place on Saturday 12th, the 10hr Enduro event there uses a lot of the trails which will severely restrict your riding!

Not sure about campsites, I've always stayed B&B up there.  Very good place in Castle Douglas called The Break Pad, it's run by the 2 girls who run the bike shop at K'tree.  Try VisitScotland information (phone/online), they were great when I needed accomodation at Fort William at very short notice and they're sure to know all the good bike-friendly B&B's and campsites.

Oh and if you're camping, take loads of midge repellent!