[Closed] Private woodland. Is it possible to make money out of riders?

This is completely hypothetical as I don't own a wood.

[img] [/img]

I'd be willing to dig as long as it was a not for profit operation. I'm conscious that with private land there is an element of owners making money from volunteers. I have a fear about this at Gisburn where a visitor centre might attract a purple mountain type café which profits from the trails that volunteers have built a proportion of and maintain.

It might just be me, but I'm surprised that Drumlanrig attracts volunteers given the cost of entry, which must make the owners a tidy income whilst the trails seem to be mostly natural.

I ceretainly would not pay to ride. Trails are best built by volunteers or aere based on motorcross trails like nearly all of thetford forests single track. I mostly right of way and bridleways for XC rides anyway. The only rides I drive now are races, petrol has become too expensive to keep driving to trail centres.

Bm0p - most trail centres are miles from nowhere and yep, fuel is becoming prohibitive.

So, if really good, quality trails were created in or around big city's or towns it would save people driving. They would save loads of erosion over the winter months too.

But if you owned a decent piece of land and were not into bikes, realistically you would want to at least cover the costs of looking after your land.
I think Drumlanrig falls into this category. Looking after that house and all that land takes money.

The trails at Drumlanrig seem 'natural' because that's how they're designed, it's a heritage woodland, grey council paths with berms and rock features for the stormtropers to ride round just wouldn't be appropriate. Hand dug trail isn't hand dug by the rabbits and wee folk y'know it costs peoples time, and there's a good lot of the trail is digger dug but using as dug material so seems natural..

Also, the spend on maintaining the trails and the wee bit of expnsion that happens here is only just covered by the total income from mountain bikers paying at the gate. So there's definetaly no 'tidy income'
It costs peoples time to strim back the trail edges and replace bridges that wear out, it costs peoples time to go round brashing up all the short cuts people insist on taking in their need for a fast lap or something (kinda missing the point of riding a route isn't it really), it costs to provide good clean toilets and showers and safe clean car parking.

Guys, get real with how much really it costs to build and run trails and civilised facilities. If it wasn't for the bus tours and families that cross subsidise the rest of the facilities there would be no trails at Drumlanrig and we still get people who 'only want to ride the trails' so let me in cheap.. What about the Grannies who only want to visit the gardens - well there are a whole lot more of them so actually they're probably paying more for you to ride the trails....

It's gonna have cost £20+ in petrol, you're more than likely riding a £1000+ rig and you can get a good two hours of riding or more if you go another couple of laps for a measly £6, what do we have to do????

Are you detecting a note of frustration here??? The FE have built a rod with which they beat their own backs IMO giving away millions of pounds of investment way too cheaply or even free (oh boy do they regret that now) unfortunately the same rod beats everyone trying to make something good happen in this 'business'

OK - calm down Rik - go dig some trails or something - breath deeply -

Pow'r tae yer pedals everyone - sorry about the rant 😳

The other problem that Mugboo would have is that the local area is full of fantastic quality single track riding anyhow.

I could see a local development working in the winter though when local trails become a mud pit.

Rik - having ridden your trails once a few years ago (in winter and oddly, no method of paying, we asked if we could donate but were told not possible), they are superb and thankyou.

As a SingletrAction trailbuilder and organiser I have every sympathy. £6 doesn't even buy a pair of Superstar grips!! Mind, at least you get that. Up at Stainburn we don't even have a donation box..

Funkydunc - don't get too hung up on which wood, just run with the concept. Although as you say, there is plenty of the year when all those lovely woods are minging, God bless the Swampthing 🙂

The trails at Drumlanrig seem 'natural' because that's how they're designed

Then that's a testament to the quality of your work and the thought put in to the trail design. Personally I thought £5 to ride the trail was a reasonable amount to ask, my discomfort comes from volunteers working on trails that might benefit a private enterprise, but then that's my issue and if people are happy to volunteer then that says alot about their selflessness.

Good work all the same.

scu98rkr - Member
Old east Midlands Quarry perhaps ?

slainte 💡 rob

The way that it works at Drumlanrig is that if you join the Rik's Bike Shed/Drumlanrig Club you get access to the trails and limited facilities (car park etc but not the gardens and play park).

The club get the membership fee which is slightly cheaper than a Drumlanrig season ticket due to the lesser access (last year we had access to all, so our membership was the same as the estate season ticket).

The club 'volunteers' then do some of the maintenance on the trails - barrowing in gravel if required to strengthen the surface on clay areas, knocking out puddles etc and we get to build some new hand built stuff - which obviously benefits the local riders more than most. If I'm supervising these digs then I'm volunteering too as a club member.

Most of the maintenance is done by the ranger service - the strimming, grass cutting and windblow clearing etc. Anything technical will be a combination of me and the ranger service - stone pitching / woodwork etc.

If budgets allow (based on numbers on the gate) the estate might employ me to build some new sections or last year for the first time in 10 years rebuild a section that got severely frost damaged in the really cold winter.

We'll probably be in clearing brash off the top section soon as the estate are clearing out the 'big' windblow now, some of that trail might need rebuilt after the forwarders have been in.

The club will use the funds to support coaching and equipment for the local kids and also it can be used for match funding if we ever get around to applying for a grant (I'd like to get a nice swoopy singletrack green/blue trail for novices/families)..

It's a partnership between the ranger service, the local riders and rik's bike shed and it's what's put the trail network on the ground. We are just about tolerated by the powers that be - but there are plenty of nay sayers who would rather see the woods go back the the hunting shooting and fishing brigades and any sneaky peripheral parking is noticed and always gets flagged up at estate manager meetings as a reason not to invest. So please don't and please disuade others if you see them as it's a big issue.

Pow'r tae yer pedals