AOL

Our second day's riding on the 7stanes took us further west to Dalbeattie, where there are green, blue and red trails on offer - with some daunting black-graded optional sections on the latter.

We opted for the 25km red-graded Hardrock trail, which offers a mixture of technical and flowing singletrack and lumpy exposed rock features.

The riding starts out tame enough, with a flat boardwalk section and some gentle climbing - but gets more serious when the red route parts company with the blue and green ones.

"Moyle magic" snakes it's way across an open hillside before entering the trees for a sharp climb, some nice, wiggly singletrack and then a steep and long drop back down again for the start of the "barnbarroch loop" - a tight, twisty and technical stretch of singletrack with a few black-graded optional sections involving steep drops and big rocks.

Next up is Dalbeattie's most-(in)famous feature, "the slab". This steep, 15-metre rocky outcrop is an extreme test of nerves and skill - and only one of our group attempts (and clears) it.

After this the trail is mostly fast but gently pitched singletrack or gravel road, with some challenging technical sections and a few man-made beams and timber sections for the adventurous to try further down towards the car park.

Visiting on a Wednesday with fairly good weather, we were surprised we didn't see any other bikers for the duration of our journey - which was delayed by repeated mechanical problems.

Dalbeattie has a more man-made feel than some of the other stanes, but provides an enjoyable day's riding and offers some extremely testing sections for the braver rider.

Related: Mountain biking glossary
Search: 7stanes | 7stanes Dalbeattie