MTB: Fochabers Monster Trails Blue x3

About trip

All three blue trails at Monster trails Fochabers linked together. First the accent up to and then down the Haggis, then back to GordZilla, back up to do the Soup Dragon and Tail,  plus a little bit extra too get the few from Thief's Hill.  

The accent to the trails is quite a climb, approx 2 miles to the Haggis (1.8mls to the Dragons tail) with total elevation gain of approx 176m. It is well worth it though. 

The Haggis is a lovely flowing trail. The features are not to technical for the newbie taking it slow, but can me taken at speed to make the jumps and corners more interesting. It does contain a small climb towards the end of the trail, just before the last down hill and finishes with another climb back to the top about 3/4 mile gaining 65mtrs.

Gordzilla was very disappointing. It starts of quite promising but then surprises you by going in the wrong direction down a fire road. Sticking with it, it does turn back and start to promise good things. But then before you really get into the flow of it does the same thing again. Not quite as long this time before it turns back into single track. Just as you think "this is it" and you can really get into the trail it spits you out onto a 1mile fire road decent way all the way to the bottom losing all that valuable altitude gained by your hard work. I would not recommend doing Gordzilla, not unless you have already had so much fun and just can't bear the thought of any more fun and just want to get back down. 

The soup Dragon (& Tail) is a much better way to finish your time on the blue trail. Offering a 2 mile decent very similar to the Haggis in flow and features it leads you all the way back to the car park. I would recommend climbing the extra few meters to include The Dragon's Tail in the Soup Dragon as its not that much more work but, offers a lot more fun for the decent. Again very suitable to all abilities as speed will determine how much technical skill is required. 

Before having all that fun descending down the single track its worth climbing a little bit further to take in the views at the top of Theif's Hill just past the Haggis. 

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Monstertrailsmapwithkey.pdf/$FILE/Monstertrailsmapwithkey.pdf