Work Starts On North Lakes' Ultimate Mountain Bike Trail

A team of experts have moved into Whinlatter Forest Park, near Keswick this week to start work on the longest purpose built mountain bike trail in the Lake District. The 19 kilometre bike trail is part of a £500,000 project to improve the visitor facilities at the Forestry Commission’s Whinlatter Forest over the coming year, and will involve building 15 kilometres of new single track trail for families and hardcore mountain bike enthusiasts. The trail is being built by trail builders Clixby’s, who previously constructed singletrack mountain bike trails for the Forestry Commission at Dalby forest in North Yorkshire. They also built the recently upgraded sections on the Follow The Dog trail at Cannock Chase in the West Midlands, and have just finished building the new descent line at Stainburn, near Leeds. The construction work is expected to take up to seven months to complete and the new bike trail will be officially opened to the public at the end of the summer. New features will include rocks, drops and steps. There will also be lots of descents, jumps and rollers all linked together by singletrack. Adrian Jones, Recreation Manager for the Forestry Commission at Whinlatter, said: "It's really exciting to see progress being made on what will become the area's top mountain biking venue. "This new trail will allow thousands of mountain bikers and forest visitors to develop their cycling skills or simply go out and have fun." The new trail will be sponsored by British cycle clothing brand, Altura, and the bike hire facilities will be provided by Cyclewise from Penrith, who also offer mountain bike training. Ian Young, Brand Manager for Altura, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for Altura to be involved in what will undoubtedly be one of the best trails in the UK." "When I first visited Whinlatter forest, I was blown away by the perfect mountain biking landscape and amazing scenery. The location is hard to beat.” Natural features found in the forest will be will be merged into the trail, so that when it is finished, it will look as though it has always been there in just a few months. The trail surface will be made from locally sourced stone and look and ride just as any natural trail in the area. Hugh Clixby from trail builders Clixby's, said: "We've a wealth of experience building bike trails in other parts of the country, so we're looking forward to getting to grips with the Whinlatter site and making sure there’s something for everyone." "Whinlatter is a great location for a mountain bike trail like this, with its combination of varied terrain and magnificent open views. One minute you will feel you’re on the roof of the world, and the next be plunging into deep woodland – it's got to put a smile on your face!" As part of the wider development work at Whinlatter this year, a new Go Ape course is planned. The Go Ape high wire forest adventure courses include rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides up to 40 feet up in the trees. Customers are fitted with a climbing harness, given instructions, and then trek from tree to tree high above the forest floor. The project will lead to the creation of 10 new jobs as well safeguarding 12 existing jobs. The North West Regional Development Agency will also be helping to fund the construction of the mountain bike trail and redevelopment of the car park at the Visitor Centre. The Whinlatter Visitor Centre and Siskins Café will remain open to the public throughout the work, but access may be limited. There will be a designated parking area and a temporary access route to the shop and cafe, it is hoped that all the work around the car park and Visitor Centre will be finished in time for Easter. Visitors are advised to check before travelling by calling the Whinlatter Visitor Centre on 017687 78469 or visiting: Whinlatter Forest Park is England's only true mountain forest. Rising to 790 metres above sea level it offers spectacular views of the Lake District and into Scotland. More information about Whinlatter Forest Park can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/northwestengland.