Could Northamptonshire Be Your Next MTB Destination?

providing a duel directional to aid flow and connections within the site

That sounds a bit dangerous 😉

Could Northamptonshire Be Your Next MTB Destination?

Speaking from some-one who lived there…Let’s hope not, eh? I mean I don’t wish this project ill, and I’m sure the locals will be grateful, but lordy, I can’t think there are many counties lower on my list of “places I want to visit to go to ride”

As a local(ish) rider I’d really welcome this. If you search Google for “Map of UK Mountain Bike Trail Centres” there’s a black-spot that surrounds my house for about a 50 miles in every direction. This would be slap bang in the middle of that.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the trails that we have here (Woburn, Rushmere, Chicksands) but variety = spice of life and all that.

Northants, ok-ish for xc, anything else will be a bonus to be honest.

There’s a lack of bridleways on that map, sure, but even if there were bridleways I’m not sure they’d be much cop to ride! Anyway, I really applaud these efforts. I’ve been guilty of joking about the “world class bike park” but they could create something that is a really good asset to local folks. It’s a pretty big population within 30odd miles and very little to ride.

I will be round for a play when it’s done and in the meantime will see if there’s a way I can support what they’re doing. Bravo.

@-m-
Ooh.. Used to love riding at Hardingstone… Shame it got destroyed really.
Fingers crossed the new proposed park will be decent.

Sounds very much like the proposal in my ends, in not a million miles away from Northampton, Leamington Spa.

We’ve had a lot of vocal opposition mainly coming from a particular dog walking campaigner who would deftly pounce on any possible angle she could and use it as a weapon against the proposals.

In fact, in the planning stages I came on here and asked folks to help support the idea by registering a vote of support on the council planning pages.

She actually then used that list of votes against it by claiming that our little town was going to become a ‘destination mountain bike park’ with hordes of bikers from all over the UK descending on the former golf course.

As if a tiny little hill in a Midlands town was ever going to rival Whistler! 😂

Planning has now been approved for the Leamington one but that’s kind of the last I’ve heard about it. Sounds like it’s at a similar stage here.

Hopefully they’ll happen, as really, anything that encourages exercise in the outdoors is a good thing and kids will love it.

Tearing up a golf course to make way for bike-related activities will ALWAYS get a thumbs-up from me.

Same, and I lived there.

I’m sure those that are very local have been keeping an eye on this, but for the benefit of others, this is actually happening… Evidence of trail building has been going on for a while, and even the Northampton Chronicle has started getting interested.

Article suggests completion around August. Might be interesting for STW to check-in with the team for a low-down.

Oooh.

Disappointingly we’ve already seen video of those Sur-ron plonkers trashing it. Wonder how that kind of thing can be policed to avoid it falling quickly into disrepair.

Looks pretty cool.
Will have to go down. 😊👍

Cool. Great to see any new cycling provision.
Hopefully the one down the road from there in my ends (Leamington) gets done soon.

Well, you can consider me impressed with what talented and motivated people can achieve with a patch of land in an industrial park in a flat and heavily populated bit of the country. I will be back there plenty. A few folk out this evening and a nice atmosphere. It is a joy to see people brought together like this and to enjoy a real community asset. Let’s hope it thrives. Hats off.

The red line is a good jumpy line I’m some way short of plucking up the courage to ride properly. I’m not obsessively “wheels on the ground” – I can make the landings on the first few jumps but from halfway down I’m coming up very short, and will need to progress a fair way before that changes. That’s kind of nice – it gives folk like me something to go at. The (left) black is not something to be scared of riding, it’s all rollable and it still rides well but it is something I’ll probably never do properly.

I wonder if it’ll all stay smooth like this – how will that surface hold up over time?

Was it busy?

The main line was busy but I pootled off over to a couple of blue trails and almost had the place to myself.

It’s small. Good as a local edge of town facility but there isn’t all that much of any one thing; it isn’t extensive like a woodland facility – I’ll take my 8yo when we’re nearby but not travel far for it – I wouldn’t take him down red or black which only really leaves 3 short blue lines and a little skills loop.

Most people are walking up, so I don’t imagine a tow would be an issue, but it’s very short anyway. And the other up for the gentle trails seems hardly used.