Yep, I can’t believe those figures either. I have been a regular weekday visitor in winter when there’s less than ten cars in the car park and no one in the cafe. And that’s more often than not

Actually now I come to think of about it, I remember talking to a certain (7stanes) project manager a number of years ago, summer 2007 I think, and he mentioned that Glentress got as many visitors as all the other stanes put together; and that the number was in the region of 128,000 – which I felt was far more believable than what was being claimed.

Mind you we can speculate all we like, T+E are best placed to know the visitor numbers to a cafe and how that has grown, presumably their bid was based on experience and reality, we’ll have to see what happens.

Actually now I come to think of about it, I remember talking to a certain (7stanes) project manager a number of years ago, summer 2007 I think, and he mentioned that Glentress got as many visitors as all the other stanes put together; and that the number was in the region of 128,000 – which I felt was far more believable than what was being claimed.

I think thats more believable and probably also true regarding all the other stanes coming to less than Glentress, I’m sure I read that Mabie gets around 25% the number of GT and is the second busiest

What are the other “new” mtb center’s like? I know that Purple mountain getting Kielder got a lot of stick as they were not local and the guys at the existing hire place did a lot to help build the trails.

I was just interested how “involved” the businesses that reap the benefit of the improved facilities are?

bellerophon – Member
Mind you we can speculate all we like, T+E are best placed to know the visitor numbers to a their cafe and how that has grown, presumably their bid was based on experience and reality, we’ll have to see what happens.

Get the point? How many folk don’t go to the Hub cafe at the moment because it is simply over-crowded, or they don’t like the food on offer, or the prices, or the fact that it is full of dirty mountain bikers???

Get the point? How many folk don’t go to the Hub cafe at the moment because it is simply over-crowded, or they don’t like the food on offer, or the prices, or the fact that it is full of dirty mountain bikers???

Yep, I understand that and should have worded my post in the manner you corrected it, in fact I probably shouldn’t have made reference to their customer base at all.

Of course, that said and here I agree with you, there is nothing to say the new tennants won’t attract more customers from the current visitor pool and may well increase the visitor pool per se depending on their offering; what I was trying to point out is that the visitor numbers quoted by FCS are no where near the reality.

It will be a sad end of an era I will miss the Hub cafe – and I wish Emma and Tracey well with whatever venture they undertake in future.

Hopefully the roads will be good again and a few of the supporters will come down for the Christmas dinner evening on wednesday – I’ll check this weekend that it’s still on and post up nearer the time.

A (bit of a one-sided) article in todays Scotland on Sunday

http://news.scotsman.com/inverness/On-your-bikes-Hub-pair.6650392.jp?

The pair claim up to 30 jobs will now be lost at their award-winning café, bike-hire and coaching business.

But surely there’ll be at least as many “new” jobs created?

i wonder if the FC has taken into account that without mtb their would be no GT and you cant rely on the red socks walking brigade to spend money at the new cafe.

I was up at Glentress today (lots of fun in the snow !) and the chap behind the counter said it is unlikely the Hub will be open on wednesday night as planned. Was very quiet out there…