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Our last day's riding on the 7stanes falls on a Saturday, when we tackle the best known of the trail centres at Glentress - nestled in the Tweed Valley close to Peebles.

In marked contrast to the rest of the week, where we've hardly seen a soul, the car park is rammed and there are dozens of riders out on the trails.

At the suggestion of our local guide, we decide to ride a mixture of the red and black routes - hopefully taking in the best of the singletrack and cutting out some of the worst climbs.

Following the red route to begin with, the first half hour is pretty much solid climbing, sometimes on gravel roads and sometimes up switchbacking singletrack.

Eventually things level out and we coax enough energy out of our wobbly legs to enjoy the swoopy "Pennel's Vennel" singletrack section, before another climb brings us to our branch-off point.

A short link path takes us from halfway around the red route to halfway around the black route and things start to get more rugged - with the trail changing from well-groomed dirt to a proper mountain path.

We leave the crowds behind as we tackle the "Boundary Trail", a fast and narrow descent strewn with rocks which makes those of us without rear suspension seriously think about buying a new bike.

Narrow rocky chutes twist down through the trees before we contour out around an exposed hillside, testing our nerve as well as skill as we ride as fast as we dare - mindful of the steep drop to our side.

Next up is "Deliverance", another big rocky descent reminiscent of riding in the Peak District. As the gradient lessens the trail gets twistier and follows a burn to the start of the "Redemption" climb.

This is where we pay for all the altitude we just lost, with a steep, zig-zagging 130m of ascent taking us back up to meet the low clouds.

At the end of this slog we arrive at the notorious "Ewok Village", an optional playpark of raised timber obstacles among the trees. We attempt some of the woodwork, but give the see-saw at the end a miss.

From here it's downhill all the way, with a few black sections - throwing more man-made features such as log drops and large berms into the mix on the steep and rooty trail.

We rejoin the red route in time to enjoy the smooth and swoopy "Magic Mushroom" and "Falla Brae" sections, an enjoyably frantic end to an enjoyably mixed day's riding.

Related: Mountain bike glossary | The HUb in the Forest
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