Slieve Bloom trail centre

Biopace wrote: »

It is very diffcult to judge a trail based on a few photos, for instance, this is the Half Nelson Trail in Squamish
Looks a bit sh1t eh?
Of course we won't be getting to the level of that trail, but I would have great faith in Niall and the BPI lads to build something pretty good.

Hey, the steps onto a Ryanair flight are just like the steps onto an Emirates 1st class cabin, though one is vastly superior to the other, chalk n cheese!

booooonzo wrote: »

you Can have accessible blues/reds to the masses that also are a whole lot of fun to ride at speed for experienced riders.

QFT; one of the most fun trails I have ridden (and continue to ride) is graded as a blue trail ("Blue Steel", Sheffield, UK), but built in such a way that whilst very accessible for beginners, the faster you try to ride it the harder it gets, with plenty of opportunity to get airborne whilst trying. Not every trail needs to be rocks, roots, mahoosive drops and punji stake-pits to appeal to more advanced riders, they just need to be fun. Sometimes simple, unadulterated fast flowy trails are as appealing as something out of a Yoann Barrelli "Into the Gnarr" video from Squamish (although, mere mortals may ascribe those trails as akin to sheer terror followed by elation at having survived more than anything else)

Also you have to remember this money is given mainly on the back of increasing tourism in rural areas.

That means making it appealing to over seas visitors.
The standards expected from overseas visitors is not basic gravel paths.

These are the people who will spend the most money whether its a family that want fun easy blues along with challenging reds or an experienced group that just want challenging trails BUT the trails have to be right.

The lads on a stag or whatever may rent a few bikes but they prob wont be getting local accommodation or eating locally or having coffees or doing a second or third day

building a brand and a good name is whats needed for repeat visits etc..

The bigger picture is often overlooked and the excuse of "mountainbikers just want gnarly trails for themselves and are never happy with whats built, these trails are for the masses" just isn't true.

xxyyzz wrote: »

Having said that Coillte's idea of a blue trail is very different to a bikepark's

I think you've put the core of the issue in one line of print, which chimes with what boonzo has said below;

booooonzo wrote: »

That means making it appealing to over seas visitors.
The standards expected from overseas visitors is not basic gravel paths.

.. namely that Coilte don't understand their target audience/market and continue to refuse to listen or engage unless and until dragged by the nose after the fact.

prunudo wrote: »

But maybe their idea of target audience/market is families with kids who can potter along handy trails like a gravel version of the Westport greenway but built in the mountains. Therefore they must be mountain bike trails in their mind.
Its certainly not taking people away from visiting lift accessed alpine resorts.
I'd love to know what their actual plan is, at present it seems very vague.

The thing is, as I have heard Coillte say many times. they are a timber company first and foremost.
They are custodians of the land these public trails are being built on and the even though their recreation department are making efforts to catch up to wales/Scotland etc... they have a ways to come and need to realise their shortcomings..

The 13 million that as been awarded is a significant investment and should be handled and delivered using a clear strategy that is progressive, just like scotlands.
I've yet to see Coilltes new one. should be interesting.

Failte Ireland are involved and they should have some clear deliverables in what they require and with some small research they will soon realise it is not only families with kids who spend money.

From my own research it's young males who have already significant investment in biking who are looking for challenging trails who will stay over a few nights that spend the most. will need to dig out the breakdown again.

^^^^^^
I think part of the problem is that the trails have to be sustainable.
If they didn't put down a good base, there would be a lot of erosion.
Having said that, there're ways around the problem.

Eamonnator wrote: »

^^^^^^
I think part of the problem is that the trails have to be sustainable.
If they didn't put down a good base, there would be a lot of erosion.
Having said that, there're ways around the problem.

I am not a fan of gravel and think its used far too readily as a crutch for being lazy with planning & building, doubly so when I see pictures of -or end up riding - MTB trails containing gravel, more gravel, and nothing but gravel. Yes dirt requires periodic maintenance, but not as much as you might think when you have built your trail well. It is also possible to build all-weather trails without using much in the way of gravel at all; another trail quite near me falls under that category: Parkwood springs in Sheffield - yet another public trail maintained by volunteers in cooperation with the local council.

So decided to take a trip up to these trails during the week.

To start on a positive the pictures I've seen don't really do the "trail" justice

• Fun fast and flowy
• some decent berms
• a couple of dubles and whoops
• climb up is grand not to taxing
• setting is great
• plenty of parking

Now on to the negatives

• Where the hell have they spent the money
• Only one trail officially open
• trails under construction could be opened ground is compacted well and riders clearly riding it
• No over all map
• Did I mention where's the money being spent??
• A drawn out meandering trail to the start of the climb which is already being short cut
• featureless trails
• no drops
• no rock gardens
• decent banked berms in some places and then crap flat berms in places you'd rather see the banked berms
• trail surface is liken to concrete in places
• Trail is overgrown with thorns & nettles in places already
• I'm sure there are others such as where is the money being spent!!!!

Now in saying all of that the location is excellent and it could genuinely be a mini squamish if it were done right but for some reason they've ignored almost every single natural feature. I do honestly hope they make some decent tech trails.

The one trail they have open isn't terrible but it's only a blue trail, fair enough when it opens it's full length it will probably be a red/blue trail but it certainly will not draw visitors.

I found a few of the unofficial trail and they were good craic, I could see myself going back with someone local as there seems to be a good few unofficial trails that are good and I'd say you'd get a good days riding in.

From an insurance point of view what they've opened is poorly finished in sections and you can pick up some speed on the flowy bit at the end with trees either side. Also a lot of trail sides stumps which are overgrown.

Would I go for a spin there tomorrow probably not but genuinely hope work is expedited and trails improved because at the minute it seems like a waste of money. Also not one person working on it during the week.

To finish on a positive the pictures released do the trails no justice from what I've seen. I took a few but they're no better looking it's hard to give a decent perspective on camera.

Could you stick up some of those pics anyway?

covey123 wrote: »

Could you stick up some of those pics anyway?

A few pics I took and keep in mind I wasn't out on a photography spin just a few things that caught my attention there were other features such as berms etc that were done well which I didn't take pictures of. All the blue paint seems to be planned alterations to the trails which look to be making them less straight line and more slalom like.

I'll probably take another spin up there over the next few weeks I'll try get better pics. I've also heard rumour that there are more trails further up the hill but I didn't see those or any sign of them. I also didn't see any of the BPI signs which I saw posted on FB so that'll give an indication as to how observant I was being.

A shame they didn't incorporate that natural drop off behind the unfinished bridge.



Surface hard packed gravel not entirely terrible probably nasty to take a tumble on.



I can't recall why i took this perhaps a double.



A nice little rolling piece that could be doubled.

top down



Bottom up



The top of this particular trail you can see the number of tyre marks and unfortunately this section looks freshly cut so will get thorn up. An indication of some of the berms which are done quite well in places.

Iwillhtfu, now that you've tried the trails how far would you travel before you'd deem them not worth visiting?

I know there's not much open but if it was longer with the same sort of finish would you travel far to go there?

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Looks alrite, though I don't fancy having to get across that bridge if there's a wind out..

Certainly one for the MacAskills out there. Who'd have thought an unfinished feature would be the most challenging one.

xxyyzz wrote: »

It's a trail center though

The problem is it isn't. At the minute it's just a half opened trail that's taken at least a year if not longer.

iwillhtfu wrote: »

The problem is it isn't. At the minute it's just a half opened trail that's taken at least a year if not longer.

Just to add to this, I find this notion of "oh it's just a trail centre" to be missing not just the boat but the peer, booking office, and travel agency all at the same time.

At risk of sounding a bit repetitive, this keeps coming back to the "we want to compete against internationally well established trail networks for tourism" malarky. Why? Glentress & Innerleithen - to pick two very well known international rivals in Scotland - are "just trail centres" and they are used often for national Enduro races. You will find more than a few squeaky bum moments on those "just trail centres", and you can be riding them within two hours of getting off a 45 minute flight from Dublin to Glasgow (to include getting out of the airport).

Trail centres should be catering to as wide an audience as their topography, aided by some creative and clever trail design & building if need be, will allow. Anything else is a missed opportunity.

xxyyzz wrote: »

It's a trail center though, it was never going to be for gravity riding. There's room for both, I still enjoy a spin around ballyhoura every now and then especially during the winter when you want to get a few miles in the legs on weather proofed trails. Having said that, there is definitely scope for making the trail center a lot more exciting.

But would you travel from another country to ride Ballinastoe or Ticknock? The trails being built in Slieve Blooms or other places were supposed to bring 'international tourism' hence why I asked, it's not to do with the length open, I asked because if you judge what's there, and assume that they will be the sort of trails that will be in place, would you travel from afar to visit?

xxyyzz wrote: »

To be honest at this stage I couldn't give a monkeys

I'm with you on that one, couldn't give a Fig roll about the "national" trail centre... or any of them, I only go to Ticknock because it's in Dublin not because it's good or interesting.. I may go to see this new trail centre if it ever gets built, but once I've seen it I probably won't use up the Diesel to get to it again..

It's a shame to see Coillte make cut n paste trail centres and spend(waste) all that money, would rather see money going to the MTB clubs to maintain and build trails that actual Mountain bikers want to use every day...

I think when they're new like that, they're very raw looking, once the greenery comes back they'll start looking more natural. Also I'd imagine the old saying of trails never looking as steep on videos or photos is also true here.

xxyyzz wrote: »

Kinnitty https://imgur.com/gallery/i0dLU95

It looks they've done some work since I was up there the stone looks fresh.

prunudo wrote: »

I'd imagine the old saying of trails never looking as steep on videos or photos is also true here.

The trail isn't steep at all it more of a flow trail

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Signage is one thing, and you can never have enough in places like Ticknock, however if the trails looked less like walking trails then we don't need to have such great signage to tell people it's a MTB trail....

To be fair as much as they look to be a walking path it's pretty obvious they're intended for MTB even without the signs.

As said though the signage is very good and walking trails are clearly marked also.

Claude Burgundy wrote: »

And almost 2 months on, still we wait.

It's ridiculous at this stage. How many times has the opening been delayed at this stage? At least before they were communicating - not a word now for months. I'd imagine the bike hire people down there are livid!

covey123 wrote: »

Is there even some of the trails open to the public?

4km ish i believe. Not worth traveling for that.

xxyyzz wrote: »

There's plenty of good natural stuff there if you're strava-savvy, I wouldn't say it's not worth the trip.

I'm sure in this context it means "not worth the trip" for the trail center they're building...