I’m doing a bit of research, looking for an MTB trails/pump/BMX track site that ticks MOST of these boxes:

1) Is close to an urban centre
2) Is in the grounds of an old country house
3) Features a cafe, play area etc
4) May hold sporting events, coaching and/or competitions
5) Is council or privately owned, not National Trust

Do you know of one?

Google isn’t quite up to the job when it comes to this, hence asking you lovely lot!
Many thanks.

Intrigued… Why not National Trust? (I can think of a NT site that is getting a skills loop built and ticks all the other boxes)

Callender Park in Falkirk ticks most of those I think.

Drumlanrig?

Parkwood Springs, Sheffield, ticks 1 and 5, maybe 4

Drumlanrig, Dumfries, ticks 2,3 and 5, maybe 4

I thought of Drumlanrig too but it’s hardly urban 🙂

llanhydrock ticks all that apart from the urban centre.

bodmin is many things but urban isn’t one of them…

Pollok Park in Glasgow.

I like your thinking.

Let me think.

Ashton Court, Bristol

^My first thought too but isn’t something already happening there?

http://www.1sw.org.uk/experience/trail-hubs/ashton-court-leigh-woods/
Maybe an opportunity there to expand and integrate with 50 acre Wood if they haven’t already

Castle Drogo? but it’s 16 miles from Exeter? NT

Hagley Hall/Clent Hills? – nr Dudley, Kidderminster and Birmingham, Stourbridge on the doorstep. Smallish and quite boring terrain tho

Chatelherault

1) Is close to an urban centre – Tick
2) Is in the grounds of an old country house – Tick
3) Features a cafe, play area etc – Tick
4) May hold sporting events, coaching and/or competitions – Nope
5) Is council or privately owned, not National Trust – Tick

Temple Newsem, Leeds. A small but quite good MTB track in the woods between the football pitches and the running track.

1) Is close to an urban centre – yep
2) Is in the grounds of an old country house – yep
3) Features a cafe, play area etc – yep and yep
4) May hold sporting events, coaching and/or competitions – Has cyclocross events there.
5) Is council or privately owned, not National Trust – yep

Not quite country house, but does the Lee Valley Velopark work?

Margam Park?

Thanks for everyone’s replies so far!

The only reason I say not National Trust is because of their unique financial advantage. Which one is getting the skills loop built?

Hadleigh Park (Essex)has all but item 2.

Plean Country Park…Callander Park…Mugdock Country Park maybe?

Cathkin braes, Glasgow meets all the criteria except a cafe.

Cathkin braes, Glasgow meets all the criteria except a cafe.

Apart from not being in an the grounds of an old country house.

Scotroutes has it, Callendar trails, Craufurdland in Kilmarnock too.

Ashton Court in Bristol.

Big house that holds weddings etc
Cafe
Purpose built mtb tracks as part of a larger network (Leigh Woods etc)
Holds MTB race events
Few minutes from Bristol city centre
Pump track just down the road on the way to the city
Owned by the council/city

Nobeer, he didn’t say the house had to still be there. Castlemilk house was demolished in 1969. The stables are still there.

https://goo.gl/maps/yBUeunB3DCP2

doh. missed the all important not.

ignore llanhydrock

Osterley Park down in that there London has just had planning approved for some pathway improvements and a skills area – not exactly sure what it will look like though…

Minley Mannor
http://minley.co.uk/

Trails are cheeky-ish, but do host the Gorrick races.

Swinley, ticks all apart from the big house part.

1) Bracknell, Reading, Camberley, Farnbrough
2) Nope
3) The lookout
4) Not any more, but previously Gorrick races, but there’s still running and dog sledding.
5) Council own the car park and cafe, CE own the trails.

QECP, hampshire

1) Is close to an urban centre ISH
2) Is in the grounds of an old country house NOPE
3) Features a cafe, play area etc YES
4) May hold sporting events, coaching and/or competitions YES
5) Is council or privately owned, not National Trust YES

Why all these specific requirements?

As suggested above Margam by Port Talbot is bang on.
Big country house with play areas, go-ape etc
Owned by NPT council.
Right next to the urban sprawl that is Swansea/Neath/PT.
Existing built ‘world cup’ XC course and a bunch of natural stuff
Plenty of mtb races and running events held there previously

Why all these specific requirements?

I was wondering that myself.

The only idea I had is that the OP is thinking of starting a new sport of MTB Urban Fox Hunting.

Needs to be in an urban area for the foxes.
Needs to be in a stately home to attract the toffs and lend a bit of gravitas.
Needs a cafe for when it’s Pimms o’clock and can’t be on NT land as they don’t like fox hunting.

Ashton Court, Brizzle… But the pump track isn’t within AC grounds, but is just down the hill. 😉