Yair Forest Red Trail

Yair Forest RED Trail

The Route:

You can access the route from Galashiels, Selkirk or Innerleithen by following the A 707, the car park is situated across the bridge inside the forest entrance.

Head into the forest and turn right at the first fork, start the climb up the fire road. Its quite a hill but only lasts for about 1km before levelling out. Keep on this road and take the first hard left at the next fork. Head up this fire road until it ends. Take the left path at the end (its hard to see but is there). This path is maintained by the Selkirk Mountain Bike club and is great single track through the trees with twists and turns across roots and down steep slopes. Turn left at the bottom and head back onto the fire road for a short few hundred metres until you come across a turn to the right onto another great bit of Real singletrack. This twists its way through some old woodland. At the bottom there are two gates to go through, then follow the path down towards Yair house and follow the signs for the Southern Upland Way. You should reach the start or a newly laid path (about 1m wide) head up here for about 1km where it crosses a fire road and continues up ! Its quite steep here but worth the effort. Turn right at the top onto the fire road.

Keep heading up the fire road (don’t worry - you will be flying down the S-U-W soon enough!). The fire road goes straight, then round to the right for approx. one and a half kilometres. There’s a gradual descent, followed by a steady incline that continues for about another kilometre round to the left. You will come to a junction, take the left fork. Carry on straight, enjoying the incredible vistas to your right, until you reach the next path on your left. Turn left there, up a short 100m steep climb, and turn left when you reach the edge of the forest on to the S-U-W.

Your conquest is nearly in sight; head up this 200m section of S-U-W, and at the top admire the incredible views from “The Three Brethren”. Pat yourself on the back for reaching the height of 464m, and prepare yourself for 464m of downhill (well, almost..).

With the cairns to your right, and facing south towards Selkirk take the left hand path - not the one which is over the gate. This path is immensely enjoyable, but very bumpy; the sort of terrain that repays investment in bicycle suspension. After about 800m the path verges left and joins with the S-U-W. Be careful of walkers (because by now you should be at break-neck speed), and of drainage bars which cross the path - you’ll either need to slow right down, or skilfully bunny-hop over them. The choice is yours. This path is not as hard packed as the first section, so take care.

Slow down as you come to the intersection, and turn right onto the fire road (your momentum should carry you most of the way over the short climb) Continue straight down, being careful to ease into the corners as the surface can be loose and dusty, for about 2km. Pass a road on theleft, keep going until you come across a small track to your hard left. Head down this narrow slippy path down another fast descent.

When you reach the car-park head onto the road and through the traffic lights to the left. Keep going towards Yair house and follow the road towards Peel. This is a hard packed farm track for about 1.5km and can be covered quite fast, keep following this back and turn sharp left at the end where you should see you car.

Congratulations, you did it!

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Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland