Alright, here's my educated guess at the routes for those that are interested. Keep in mind, beer goggles now in full effect and it's not like I know my way around Arran. Anyway, first up, the Brodick loop (8.3 miles apparently).
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=14218
Met up with the Arran MTB lads and Mr Panda at the pier. Good turn out, I think we started with 15? Easy enough start, with a bimble along the front, turning right and cutting through the golf course and then out onto the Corrie road for about a mile. We turned off the road just after the Brodick Castle entrance, heading up a nice and wide Forestry track. Gazz and Jimi soon set the pace for the climb. Things started out pretty mellow, with the track in excellent condition thanks to a tractor and roller coming the other way flattening everything out!
A big dip in the road was a wake up call, and we eventually ducked off onto single track at Merkland Wood, stopping for a break at a bridge by a burn. A couple of the Arran lads gave the burn a go - some nice big rocks on the bottom meant wet feet. The climb got a bit steeper and muddier from here on, but the SS boys continued to keep a move on. First casualty of the day, with Mr Panda coming off while fording another burn and skinning his knee.
A couple of nice but short bits of downhill (first roots of the day), exiting the woods and stopping at a picnic area on a point. After this, we had the highlight of the ride (for me at least). A great piece of fast, bumpy downhill that had a little bit of everything with overgrown vegetation (jaggy!) on either side. Apparently we passed a waterfall, and Gaz was raving about the great view on the way down - Me I was too busy not taking my eyes off the trail :roll:
Regrouped at the bottom stopping to mend a puncture, while Kaiser was almost moved to poetry (see picture of deep contemplation) by the awesomeness of the downhill.
Then a rolling ride up and down slogging through some of Arran's finest mud. At least one steep section here which I think pretty much everyone walked? Then back into the trees for a couple more short downhill runs, then out onto the tarmac for the short hop back to Brodick, avoiding shouty day-trippers on the beach.
Urggh, getting late, I think I'll do the Lumlash loop tomorrow.