My newsletter has turned up today and front page is taken up by the announcement of new cycling trails at two national trust properties.

Wallington gets a 6k blue and green route opening 28th and 29th may.

Nostell priory gets a 4k blue and green including two 1k bike only sections. Again opening 28 05 with a “celebration event” with games goody bags and cycle skills in association with Wakefield district cycle forum.

Being as I’m up north it only covers the Yorks/NE area so there maybe others due elsewhere too.

Interesting. Will do some googling to see if there are any plans down south

Yep the NT are getting more MTB friendly. Trail at Dudmaston and potential new trail at Kinver. The Worcestershire Council land that Kingsford bike park is on has been donated to the NT at Kinver, NT are keeping it and will keep an eye on the upkeep of the place, but, sadly due to insurance some of the big structures and jumps are going to be removed. I’m going to feel awful having to take them down, but it’s a small sacrifice to make sure the rest can stay.

Plymbridge and Lanhydrock too.
Stakeholder in Bristol trails too from memory.

Potential official trail in Kinver? What are the thoughts being bandied about on this? (location & length vs conflict of used it ‘may’ cause?)

in association with Wakefield district cycle forum

Bit odd that there’s no mention of this anywhere on their website or Facebook page

I hope they aren’t as badly designed (sorry Houns) as the one at Clent that lasts a maximum of 3 minutes which ends in the wettest part of the hills with the only permissible route out up a boring fire road climb that takes you away from the good (albeit “illegal”) trails.
It has also caused the “why aren’t you riding on the designated trail instead of here” comments from Rangers & walkers too

Good news, lets hope it expands

Kingsford!!
We used to BMX around Kinver Edge and used to push up to the top of the hill by what we called ‘The Rover Works’- the old military installation dug into the hillside.
I’m sure that was Kingsford.
Lived in Wolverley back then.

Aren’t a lot of the Surrey hills trails on nt land?

Nt are needing to get after the youngsters as the old stately home crowd are all shuffling off…

The difference between NT and FC though is that FC self insure so have been able to push the risk/ benefit thing much more without insurers getting involved and calling the shots.

You’ll prob see most if not all of any development at the family end of the market on NT land.

including two 1k bike only sections

That’s me scuppered – my bike only cost £900 🙁

Wasn’t it Wallington who used to give free entry if you turned up by bike but stopped doing so last year?

Too many cars with bike carriers parked in laybyes down the road…

There was a preliminary meeting at NT’s Lyme Park (Stockport) a few days ago about MTBing

Writing as one on the outermost fringe of NT involvement, I guess they will start with family-level stuff. If that’s correct, you can’t blame then for chosing that demographic, it matches one part of their membership. They’ll watch it carefully. A few loons hooning downhill could be bad news.

burko – I thing the old stately home loons are being replaced by retiring baby-boomers. Who may still intend to be active outdoors.

This is my own opinion, not the NT’s. We don’t always agree.

@antares I think I noticed something on one of there flyers picked up from anglers cafe the other day about the 2nd July. That could be it. Although it’s a month after maybe it’s delayed?

jkomo
I’m sure that was Kingsford.

it is… they built a short but technical DH track round the corner (below & a bit to the right of the water reservoir), from the rover/drakelow bunker, it was here when I started coming to the area 15 years ago, so you must have moved out a while back!

Longshaw Estate near Fox House has had a little MTB loop for ages. Nothing exciting and part of it is an existing bridleway but we often use as part of link ups of other more interesting stuff in the area. Car park and cafe handy too.

Car park and cafe handy too

Indeed, the NT always do good cake and free* parking is a bonus too!

Last I heard was that the trails at Kinver would just be existing paths/off piste paths that are currently being used cheekily, they would be marked up and warnings placed stating bikes only.
I helped build the trail over Clent too, it does the job…. Rather a proper trail be put in to take pressure away from more delicate/busy areas and encourage use there than enforcing a strict ban.

I can’t shake the impression that this is to they can control unregulated riding by offering alternatives.

Of course, since they don’t know mtbers motivations or the demographic, the alternatives will hold little interest for anyone bar family leisure riders, and then they’ll cry wolf about how terrible mtbers are by dint ofthe unused trails.

Well at Kinver there are very few places you can officially ride, yes there’s the bike park and a small amount of bridleways but that’s it. What they’re saying is along the lines of “we know you’re going to ride here, we can’t stop you, so if we do this would you keep yourselves over this way to help reduce conflict” . The head Ranger is a MTB’er, so’s the head Gardener and myself and a few other volunteers too. We’ve also had a few meetings with a group of riders from the bike park to get their views and feedback, if the marked trails do happen then they’ll be consulted too.

The NT aren’t out to produce world class trail centres, they’re quite within their right to enforce strict no cycling on paths etc but they’re doing a bit to welcome bikers in places….. Slowly slowly catchy monkey

The retiring baby boomers like greens and blues for the most part. Greens and blues are great for getting non bikers into the sport and active. They’re might not be so much appetite for reds and blacks that the FC started off with all those yrs ago.

Also, if you think “free” parking is in the NTs business plan you’re prob not on the same page ( I’m sure there are some exceptions in underused car pks in out of the way places). If you think FC trail centres are expensive for parking last time I went to cragside (NT) it cost £27. 50 for me, my wife and our little one to get into the woodlands to use the play parks. If you wanted to access the house as well it was £42 or something.

It’ll cost a family £10 at bedgebury for a whole carful.

Just for disclosures sake I do work for the FC and I am now a NT member (that costs me over a hundred quid a yr!)

z1ppy, yeah I was in my teens, so it was nearly thirty years ago.
Next time I’m up to see my Mom I should have an explore.

Greens and blues are great for getting non bikers into the sport and active. They’re might not be so much appetite for reds and blacks that the FC started off with all those yrs ago.

This, in spades

In fact I think it’s bloody wonderful if people and organisations pump their effort into routes with broad appeal, and that introduce more people to mountain biking, rather than catering for the enthusiasts.

National Trust co-operated with Richard Kelly to allow the new (2yrs old) sections of Summer Lightning which start right beside Leith Hill tower and removed a huge amount of tension between walkers and Bikers by giving us our own way down from the tower away from walkers and despite objections from local horse riders and has proved to be a great success.

Here’s a first,I agree with ninfan,if we want to be part of a popular sport,then we need more easily accessible trails ,to bring the beginners in.

I agree with ninfan

I occasionally do this but keep it quiet.

That said I’ve been known to agree with jamba and junkyard before now so maybe my judgment is impaired.

Re “free” parking, you’re quite right burko but I do get a nice sticker for my annual fees.

It does make me smile though that on a website for audi driving wood burner enthusiasts mountain bikers we manage a notable percentage of people displeased about new trails to get beginners into the sport. I can’t help wondering if this happens when people build shallow swimming pools.

Well today Kingsford/Kinver bike park/DH track became the NT’s (Along with a fair chunk of land courtesy of Worcestershire council).
Sadly all woodwork jumps and berms have been removed now (some were in a bit of state anyway and wood was fairly rotten)

What I was pissed off about was the amount of litter, mainly energy drink cans and bottles and plastic bottles. 6 bin bags full I collected (in the pissing rain)
Still a bit of work to do, but the main concerns for the insurance bods has been done now

The NT closed the (official) trails at Penshaw in February because they were being used. WTF? Cycle trails in ‘being used by people on bikes’ shock 😡

Wasn’t it Wallington who used to give free entry if you turned up by bike but stopped doing so last year?

Yes. Didn’t know it had stopped. That’s a shame.

Probably won’t go again. I’ve been in the house once and that’s enough for me. It’s a nice place to get a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, but you have to pay admission to get into the cafe so won’t be doing that anymore.

The NT closed the (official) trails at Penshaw in February because they were being used. WTF? Cycle trails in ‘being used by people on bikes’ shock

My understanding was that the issue there was that the group who were working with the NT to build and maintain the trails drifted apart over time, without a group of riders to work with the risk profile for the landowner changes massively, and the option of continuing the trails unmanaged would be unsafe – a decision to close and remove trails on that basis would be entirely in accordance with published best practice.
Without being willing to step up to the plate of advocacy work, mountainbikers will remain their own worst enemy

Ninfan, don’t you come in here with sound and reasoned explanations, stw is no place for such things. To mums net with you.