Kirroughtree

Kirroughtree Forest is located near Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland and overlooks the Irish Sea. It is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland and is part of the Galloway Forest Park.[1] It has been developed as a centre for mountain biking trails.

Kirroughtree
Cycle Trail in Kirroughtree Forest
Map
LocationDumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Coordinates54°57′14″N 4°25′18″W

Palnure Burn is a small river which runs through the forest and on into the River Cree. The forest is home to red squirrels, red deer and ospreys.[2]

Tourism

Kirroughtree atrracts about 78,000 visitors a year.[3]

Mountain biking

Kirroughtree is a mountain biking centre, which is one of 7 venues of the 7Stanes project throughout the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.[2] 7stanes was started by the Forestry Commission in 2001.[4] Chris Ross of the Forestry Commission led the design and construction of the Kirroughtree trails.[5] Glentrool is another 7 stanes site within Galloway Forest Park, an officially designated Dark Sky Park area.

The Gem Stane at Kirroughtree

Known as the 7stanes because each venue features a 'stane' (Scots for stone), created by artist Gordon Young. The 'Gem Stane' at Kirroughtree is a 1.75 ton stone sculpture made from Scottish pink quartz. Kirroughtree's trails are known as the 7stanes' hidden gem, and the forest is close to the Creetown Gem Rock Museum.[6]

Kirroughtree was winner of MBR Trail of the Year in 2010.[7] A new trail centre with restaurant and bike shop/hire was opened in 2014.

Kirroughtree has several cross-country XC trails (graded for varying levels of experience) and a skills area for practising mountain biking techniques:[8]

  • Bargary Wood: green (easy), 3.8 miles (6.0 km), 10% singletrack
  • Larg Hill: blue (moderate), 6.3 miles (10.0 km), 50% singletrack, with Doon Hill extension: 2.5 miles (4.0 km), 10% singletrack
  • The Twister: red (difficult), 10.6 miles (17.0 km), 85% singletrack
  • Black Craigs (an extension to The Twister loop): black (severe/expert), 8.7 miles (14.0 km), 75% singletrack. The highlight is the unique 'McMoab' granite outcrop, with its huge slabs and ridges linked by boulder causeways. McMoab is named after the world famous mountain biking area at Moab, Utah in USA. The gruelling climb of 'Heartbreak Hill' leads on to several downhill sections including the challenging 'Hissing Sid'.
McMoab at Kirroughtree MTB Trail

Long distance cycle route

National Cycle Route 7 (running 200 miles from Glasgow to Carlisle via Dumfries and Glen Trool) winds through the Forest Park.

Fishing

There are several locations for fishing in the Forest Park (mostly for brown trout and pike), at Loch Braden, Loch Dee, Black Loch, Spectacle Loch and Garwachie.

References
  1. "Galloway Forest Park". Forestry and Land Scotland. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  2. "Kirroughtree Visitor Centre - Forestry and Land Scotland". forestryandland.gov.scot. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  3. "Investing and growing the visitor footfall and the profile of the National Forest Estate". Forestry and Land Scotland. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  4. "7 Stanes Phase 2 Evaluation" (PDF). Headwater Economics. October 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  5. "Who designed and constructed the 7 stanes?". Singletrack. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  6. "The 7stanes / Scotland, 2008". Gordon Young. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  7. "Kirroughtree - MBR Trail of the Year". 7stanes.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  8. "7stanes Kirroughtree Trail Map Info" (PDF). Forest and Land Scotland.
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