About IMBA-UK >> Updates >> Update 58 (Feb 2009)
Forestry Commission Scotland's Ae Line Trail at 7Stanes
Welcome to the IMBA UK February 2009 update.
If you have information, news or events for the next email update, please by Wednesday 25 March. I look forward to hearing from you.
IMBA UK has been positively assisting in the establishment of a pan European IMBA to support mountain bikers across Europe. Our belief is that the UK can assist European mountain bikers to develop sustainable trail systems that reflect local needs whilst based on a commonly agreed body of good practice and experience.
Between the 22nd and the 25th May we will be meeting mountain bikers from around Europe in the Czech Republic with a view to establishing an IMBA Europe. If any members wish to contribute to the debate a facebook group has been set up and is looking for input and ideas.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/IMBA-Europe/123053965530.
'JustRide Exmoor - Mountain Bike Adventures' is opening its doors for the first time on the 1st March. Not only do they offer guided rides and cycle hire but they also have a café, bike wash, workshop and a range of spares and accessories.
Owner, Adrian says "We ride ourselves so we know what riders want. You'll find a warm welcome, a decent cup of coffee, a workshop (for those last minute disasters) and somewhere to clean your bike before your journey home! We're also looking into GPS hire to try and make mountain biking more accessible for all."
Based in Lynmouth on the North Devon coast, JustRide Exmoor is the ideal place to start and finish your ride, and the guys there are only more than happy to point you in the right direction! For more info go to www.justrideexmoor.co.uk or call on 01598 752529.
After a difficult year there's finally some good news for the trails in Thetford Forest. The Forestry Commission have renewed their commitment to make a significant investment in the trails and will be surfacing 2km of the red route bringing it up to an all weather standard. The local trail group "TIMBER" will be supporting the FC where possible.
Contractors will be on-site from the beginning of March and the FC will soon start tree thinning to make way for them. For work to happen safely the FC have little choice but to close the popular red route. They plan to try and reopen it again in time for Easter if the conditions allow.
We ask that no one tries to ride the closed off areas (which will be clearly sign posted) or any of the new trails as soon as they've been built. New trails need time to settle, harden and normalise before they can receive any load. Experience shows the trails will last longer if they're not ridden too early. It's the difference between a trail lasting 10 years and a trail lasting 2 years. Thanks.
Keep an eye on the TIMBER forum for more news: www.timbermtb.org/forum.
The 3rd annual Ballater Bike Bash takes place Saturday 18th April at Cyclehighlands. This year will feature demo bikes from Rocky Mountain, Cove, GT, Turner, Kona, Mongoose, Charge, Felt and Haro alongside the usual all-day BBQ. A skills course on site plus a guide service to a nearby test area will be open from 10am. The shop will feature bargain bins and 5% discount on accessories to IMBA members. Please contact Richard or James at cyclehighlands for more info or visit www.cyclehighlands.com.
The first meeting of the Scottish Mountain Bike Consortium was held on Friday 30 January. IMBA UK was invited to be a member of the SMBC, and Kenny Wilson attended the meeting to represent IMBA UK. There was no agenda for the meeting, but the meeting provided an opportunity for a number of organisations to come together to discuss in broad and general terms the issue of mountain biking in Scotland. A document, The Sustainable Development Of Mountain Biking In Scotland - A National Strategic Framework - Draft Framework and Implementation Plan, formed a focus for the discussion. This was produced by Genesis Strategic Consultants. IMBA UK will continue to work to represent mountain bikers on the SMBC and will seek every opportunity to contribute to any future development. There will be further updates in future e-newsletters when more information becomes available.
Following a number of members enquiries from around the UK, regarding the current MoU with the Forestry Commission and its support for the aims of IMBA and mountain biking, IMBA UK would like to provide some clarification.
The MoU replaces a GB-wide MoU that was signed between IMBA and FC in 2002. The current MoU relates to Forestry Commission England. Similar MoUs have not been signed with Scotland and Wales.
www.imba.org.uk/About_IMBA_UK/MOUs/fce.html.
It is important to note that the MoU does not represent FC policy, more it reflects a positive statement of intent. We will be contacting the Forestry Commission to seek further clarification regarding their ongoing commitment to the MoU.
IMBA UK has been contacted to find out if there are any enthusiasts in the Llandovery area who might be able to have a look at a piece of land and its potential for development as a mountain bike trail. The co-owner would like to explore the opportunity of collaborating on the designing and building of a trail, if it is feasible. If you would like to be put in touch, please and I will forward your details.
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is to invest £3.8million of regeneration funding into Bury to transform 73 hectares of brownfield land into community woodland.
The investment is being made through the NWDA and Forestry Commission programme Newlands, which has been billed as land regeneration for the 21st Century because of its focus on the economic and social benefits that can be delivered through environmental improvements.
The site to be regenerated is in the Prestwich area of the Borough and is known locally as Waterdale and Drinkwater Park. The land, which makes up part of Red Rose Forest (Greater Manchester's Community Forest), is owned by Bury Council and was partly improved in the 1990s. However this new phase of development work under Newlands, (informed by extensive consultation with the community, local agencies and businesses) will include 13.7km of new foot and cycle paths as well as extensive habitat management and development. The feasibility of developing a technical mountain bike course on site is also being explored.
The investment will fund 20 years of long-term management by the Forestry Commission on site and the Forestry Commission will manage the site for at least another 80 years thereafter from its own resources, to ensure the project's initial benefits are sustained and the outcome is a sustainable one for the local community.
The site had previously been home to bleach and dye works, chemical tip, various farming operations, excavation arisings and a smallpox hospital. It is currently classified as brownfield land by the NWDA.
The new community woodland in Bury will form part of a larger project to create a major community woodland across Salford, Manchester and Bury. This ambitious project is known as LIVIA (Lower Irwell Valley Improvement Area), and has already created 97 hectares of community woodland in the Agecroft area of Salford, including an outdoor classroom, climbing boulders and play area, new foot and cycle paths and considerable habitat enhancement. The investment announced today for Bury will directly enhance this existing work (which was delivered through £4.7million of NWDA investment awarded in August 2004) as the two sites are connected. This takes the total number of hectares to be turned into economically viable community woodland as part of the LIVIA project to 170 hectares.
A new leaflet and guide has been produced called - "The Baltic States by Bicycle - 2009", covering Klaipeda, Vilnius, Riga and Tallin. There is lots of information on the website, and if you are considering visiting this area between the Baltic Sea and Russia then you will find lots of information here. Visit www.balticcycle.eu.
South Lanarkshire Consultative Draft Core Paths Plan consultation. This consultation is informal and is designed to glean feedback from land managers, access-takers and other interested residents and visitors to enable the plan to be amended prior a formal core paths plan consultation.
The plan covers the entire local authority area and includes all urban and rural communities. Comments must be submitted by 31st March 2009, either online or by post.
All the maps and additional information can be found by visiting - www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/portal/page/portal/EXTERNAL_WEBSITE_DEVELOPMENT/SLC_ONLINE_HOME/PARKS_COUNTRYSIDE/COUNTRY_PARKS/COUNTRY_PARKS_RELATED?CONTENT_ID=18313.
The Hub in the Forest - Peebles - The Hub is located at the trailhead of the most grown up trail centre in Scotland: Glentress. We are a café and bike shop that have become part of the furniture in the living room of the Tweed Valley. We love our trails and don't much venture out of the Shire. Check out their website - www.thehubintheforest.co.uk.
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