QECP Blue Trail Update!

We went up to QECP last week to meet Simon from the Forestry Commission who looks after this region to talk through the Blue Trail proposals and walk the route. He’s a great guy and also looks after Stoughton Downhill and Rogate Downhill so already knows a thing or two about mountain bikers. We have had approvals from the other interested parties and were just waiting for FC approval before we could actually get stuck in.

The result of the meeting was that he is happy for the proposed route to go ahead! There is just one area of possible archaeological remains we need to check out but it’s a fairly small area and we can easily work around it if required.

This is the culmination of about 12 months of planning, preparation, back and forth and general uncertainty about if we were doing it right, so is a great result for everyone who was involved with the project. Simon said the proposal document was very well presented and contained all the information he needed, and was a lot better than quite a few other ones he had seen! Huge props to Scott and Spencer who did the lion’s share of the work preparing the proposal document and to everyone else who had input big or small.

The plan is to build the new all weather climb first to remove the crazy steep one from the existing blue trail. We need to plan the route in detail on the ground then will need to clear the route before deciding where we need to use a digger and what we can build by hand. There will be lots to do, exciting times!!

The aim is to make QECP more accessible at all abilities and make a fun trail all can enjoy (In the summer & Winter).

There will be lots of opportunities to get involve with Dig weekends ever 4 week. At the moment the plan is to start marking out the trail and cleaning scrub on 10th & 11th Aug.

If you want to get involve email me Scott(AT)qecptrailcollective.co.uk or check out our facebook page for updates.