Woburn is gone!

A friend of mine posted some photos on facebook and I have just been onto their facebook page and plenty of people have posted photos, they have been along with the diggers today and flattened the lot!

Although I dont ride there it does seem very out of the blue! I’m sure there is a few of you who ride there and will be interested to see what happens to it in the future…

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WSbikepark/

Wonder what caused that then? Not the diggers, the decision to bring them in?

looking at the facebook page the DH stuff had been undermining tree roots.

not sure if there’s permission to rebuild or not but they all seem quite calm about it?

thats very sad

I’m not much of a dirt jumper, but this does seem sad as it was or at least seemed like quite a big part of the UK DJ scene.

I hope this is to rebuild from scratch for sustainability issues or something similar?

AFAIK you were allowed to build stuff within the bike park areas. Outside no trail building allowed at all but inside the bike park I think anything apart from wooden structures where OK?

Its my regular riding spot in the winter (mainly XC rather than DJ) and didn’t notice any signs. Was I just blind or have they done a stealthy manoeuvre?

Saw this earlier, absolutely gutted as it looks like they’ve got rid of some of my favourite jumps at the end of transfer line as well, not just the DJs. Woburn is/was my local being 5 mins away from work and I’ll miss it! Hopefully we’ll get permission to build stuff there again though. Looks like the only nearby alternative is Chicksands now which isn’t nearly as good 🙁

Is it because they are building a Centre Parks?

Nah, that place is open in a few months.

Gutted about this. Apparently it’s due to tree felling do a statement from the landowners says on Facebook.

link to story.[/url]

The dirt jumps were always morphing but the sheer amount of work in them was incredible. Such a shame.
I think it’s easy to forget that it was in private land and this can happen at any time.

Hopefully this’ll get sorted and it’ll come back stronger.
🙁

Allegedly for tree felling, though there has been a hell of a lot of felling elsewhere in the woods…so.
Permits/insurance has always been an issue. The warden tells me hardly anyone buys one or has one. I know riders seem to have an issue about the whole permit thing, but I think here its more of a token thing i.e you buy a pass, I’ll let you play in my garden, so it’s a two way thing.
Parking was another issue, but that was the highways.

Posted as “Official” on the Facebook group but I can’t voucher for its provenance;

“- The bike park will remain open, but due to tree felling activity and heavy machinery being present it is advised NOT TO RIDE THERE for at least 3 weeks.

– All dirt jumps have been flattened, and by the looks of it they are working there way up the hill into the DH areas too

– There is NOT ONE PERSON OR GROUP to blame – this was a collective negative against the park over many years, and was due to happen at some point

– Tree felling of dangerous trees in the bike park will start this week, unfortunately this has led to tracks and jumps being destroyed for access

– Most of the trees along the cliff edges are being removed, along with many scattered around the park (hence other parts being flattened)

– Please NO ONE do any digging/building in the park – this will be a WASTE OF TIME and will get demolished

– A proper COMMITTEE will be formed for the bike park, to ensure that future endeavours in the area will be governed, allowing positive progression for the park

– ALL IS NOT LOST!! its devastating too see that so many years of hard work can be pulled down in a day, but it was overdue, and now is the time to change the way things are done to prevent this from happening again!!

There will be a group of us locals that will correspond with the land owners and the greensands trust over the next few weeks to make a start on rebuilding!!

PLEASE ALL BE PATIENT AND IF WE WORK TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A BETTER BIKE PARK!!”

Chicksands will be a busy then.

Sadly given the indiscriminate building over many years it was only a matter of time.

Hopefully with a sensible approach working WITH the land owner something positive can be done for the future

Such a shame. I’ve never ridden there but have seen pics and vids and it looked like a really fun place to play.

A similar thing happen over in Belfast. We had a great little spot with a decent gradient and amazing soil that we worked on for many months sculpting several lines of dirt jumps and pump lines. Shortly after it was completed a well known Welsh trail designer along with some of the local council were shown the area and within the week it was all flattened.

It was eventually rebuilt ‘properly’ at huge cost and it’s much the worse off for it.

Chicksands will be a busy then.

Slight irony is my Facebook today is full of pictures of trails/jumps being built at Chicksands mixed with pics of trails/jumps being bulldozed at Woburn.

I fully understand that some work needed to be done and the jumps etc were in the way and had to come down. but this could have been communicated a lot better. eg A few signs put up. Also talked to the rangers a few weeks ago while renewing my annual membership and they said nothing about it.

It looks heartbreaking to see all the jumps flattened, but you have to be impressed at the sensible and thought out ‘official’ response on the Facebook page. Forming a committee/group and approaching the landowners officially about future projects is always the best way to do things.

I was about to renew my membership, the warden I spoke to two weeks ago didnt mention anything.

Still, the rest of the XC trails will live on and those were the ones i rode. Im not too got at 360 tail whips 😉

Diggers knocked them down, surely diggers can knock them back up..

yep but I don’t think any one is going to pay for the diggers’ extra time to put the jumps back up.