As proud supporters of the British Mountaineering Council’s campaign to the APPG Inquiry on Access to Nature, Peak District MTB is demanding urgent action to address the unfair and outdated restrictions on cycling access to the countryside.

Greville Kelly, Chair of Peak District MTB, said:
“The Peak District is a national park in name—but not in access. Just 11% of trails here are legally open to cyclists, compared to 22% across England. We need legislation that reflects how people actually enjoy the outdoors today. That’s why we launched our #22PercentCampaign: to challenge outdated rights of way law and give responsible mountain bikers the access they deserve.”

Peak District MTB’s submission calls for:

• A legal right to ride suitable footpaths already in informal use.
• A national target for all National Parks and Local Authorities to open a minimum 22% of rights of way to cyclists.
• A legal duty on the National Trust, water companies, and other landowners to publish Rights of Way Improvement Plans.
• A review of HMRC tax relief schemes to ensure access agreements with landowners are legally enforceable, include cyclists, are developed with local user input, and are transparently monitored to guarantee the public benefit promised in exchange for taxpayer subsidy.
• Recognition of mountain biking’s value to health, rural economies, conservation, and land stewardship.
• Support for MTB volunteers who maintain and repair trails.

From defending Rushup Edge to building partnerships around the Hope Valley, the Roaches, and beyond, the group has shown how responsible cycling access can benefit walkers, riders, landowners, and nature alike.

The post Peak District MTB Joins National Call for Better Cycling Access to the Countryside appeared first on Peak District MTB.

In May, a fire the size of ‘325 football pitches’ caused extensive damage above Errwood Reservoir in the Goyt Valley, and a part of Froggatt Edge was alight in a blaze thought to be caused by discarded litter.

The landscapes damaged by these fires take years to recover.

Caption: The scorched landscape after a large moorland fire near Errwood Reservoir in the Goyt Valley, near Buxton in the Peak District. Derbyshire, England. 3rd May 2025. Credit: Alastair Johnstone-Hack

Earlier in the month High Peak Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council both approved Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) giving police and council officers additional enforcement powers to help protect areas from some causes of wildfires. The PSPOs apply to areas of the Peak District National Park within the council borders, and join a similar order already in place by Derbyshire Dales District Council (with an ongoing consultation for extension and expansion).

Under the orders, lighting fires, barbecues, stoves, fireworks and sky lanterns, as well as carrying items which officers think will be used to do so, are banned. Anyone breaking the orders is committing a criminal offence and could face a fine of up to £1000.

Scenes after a fire, reportedly caused by discarded litter, on Froggatt Edge in the Dark Peak. 18 May 2025. Credit: Alastair Johnstone-Hack

With the trails and hills so dry it’s vital think about the potential consequences of wild fires and to remember to:

• Never BBQ or light fires in the open countryside
• Take all your litter home
• Not smoke on the moors

And spread the word!

If you do see a fire or smoke when you’re out riding call 999. If you see a potential risk such as BBQ or other open fire in the countryside of the Peak District you can call Firestoppers on 0800 169 5558.

Further Information:
Note that land managers may perform “controlled burns” (attended and managed by their staff) of heather or grass land as permitted during the burning season: 1 October to 15 April in upland areas. 1 November to 31 March in other areas.

Preventing and fighting wild moorland fires – The Peak District National Park Fire Operations Group is made up of 6 Fire Services, gamekeepers, National Park Rangers, National Trust wardens, water companies, major landowners and a local helicopter company. FAQs – Wildfires

Scenes after a fire, reportedly caused by discarded litter, on Froggatt Edge in the Dark Peak. 18 May 2025. Credit: Alastair Johnstone-Hack

The post Moorland Fire Risk in the Peak District appeared first on Peak District MTB.

In the White Peak, the Pennine Bridleway passes a busy working dairy farm farm east of Buxton. A number of incidents at the farm involving walkers, runners and cyclists had led to a proposal to publicise an alternative route away from the farmyard to the north of the property – principally during milking time when cows partially block the surfaced track near the farm.

The redirection proposed would have seen bridleway users advised to take a diversion up and around the roads whenever milking was taking place. This would have seen the route through the farmyard effectively blocked to riders for up to seven hours a day.

Access being at the heart of what we do, and a firm belief that dialogue and positive actions work better than restriction and ‘Plan B’, committee members Dave Finch spoke with the farmers and Nick Blaney with both the farmer, Pennine Bridleway team and a representative of the British Horse Society. Our suggestion was to ask riders to simply be responsible – be nice, say hi. Or moo. As a result, Peak District MTB will provide signage leading into the farm advising of the responsibilities of those passing through the farmyard. An offer we would be happy to make to other farms.

Importantly, the plans to detour have been dropped and the farm has welcomed our proactive approach in trying to find a way to satisfy everyone.

In addition concerns raised about running and riding at night and the, sometimes serious, impact on livestock were raised. So the best advice is, when riding near livestock or farms at night, is to dim your lights, turn off your helmet light if you have a helmet/bar combination and keep the noise levels low.

“Nobody wants to cause a problem when they’re out for a ride,” says Nick Blaney, PDMTB committee member. “So if we can help riders understand the challenges farmers face – especially at milking time and when dark – we can help everyone get on better on the path.”

A recent incident involving a rider on the farm itself has emphasised the need for this better understanding. Soon you’ll see some signs on then path in our familiar grey and green politely asking riders to respect the farm as they pass through. It’s a simple thing, but one welcomed by the farmers, other groups and the Pennine Bridleway team.

Peak District MTB. Better representation. Better mountain biking.

Further reading: Useful Info : Night Riding

The post Be nice, say MOOO – Farms, Cows & Night Riding appeared first on Peak District MTB.

The British Horse Society (BHS) have written an access manifesto calling on the Westminster Government to increase the opportunities for more, safe off-road equestrian access. Taken directly from the BHS documents, the points below are equally relevant to the mountain bike community:

1. To repeal the 2031 cut-off date – 78,000km of off-road routes are at risk of been (SIC) extinguished and lost for ever. These are public routes that exist at present but are not recorded and will be extinguished on 1st January 2031 if the cut-off date is not repealed.
2. Ensuring that permanent and permissive public access options are embedded in the Environmental Land Management Scheme paying landowners also to improve and enhance existing bridleways and byways (such as rolling green lanes or leaving cross-field bridleways uncultivated) and to create parking places so that people can access and enjoy those opportunities.
3. Extending the right of access, under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, to Access Land to equestrians and cyclists.
4. Stop the surfacing of definitive bridleways and byways with tarmacadam unless they are within an urban environment and already tarmacked.
5. Recording suitable recreational trails on the definitive map as bridleways. Currently a lot of these trails have not definitive status. Recording these as bridleways on the definitive map would ensure that they are available to more users and therefore of benefit to more people.
6. Ensure that local authorities prioritise the determination of Definitive Map Modification Order applications which seek to record bridleways and byways so that more users benefit from these determinations.

This is what mountain bikers want too. If you’re lobbying your MP for better access, it’s worth focusing on these shared aims that will benefit multiple user-groups. As we’ve said before, Strength in Numbers.

Thanks to Peak District MTB member Nick Doran for sharing this info. Nick is a keen outdoor enthusiast who enjoys taking to the trails on wheels and hooves.

The post Shared aims of mountain bikers and horse riders for off-road access appeared first on Peak District MTB.

Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Annual Summit in Valpashiavo (Switzerland), which was based around the dual themes of sustainability and diversity. I had been invited to present material from my new book Mountain Biking, Culture, and Society. In IMBA’s promotional material, the Summit’s aim this year was articulated as follows:

“To challenge the preconceived ideas of what mountain biking is and for whom. It’s rethinking our relationships with nature and how we use the word ‘sustainability’ in everything we do – from trails, to tourism, rural development, the way we travel to participation and behaviour. It’s about reflecting upon the level of use that an area can receive without suffering negative impacts to its environmental resources or the visitor experience”.

Despite a late flight, and very little sleep the night before, I arrived at the Summit excited about the prospect of two days of riding hand-built trails (no use of machinery to build trails here!), talking about current policy and practice, and reflecting upon the future of mountain biking both at home and abroad. Having read the pre-amble and put the finishing touches to my own presentation, I was already beginning (in my wife’s own words) to feel ‘like a pig in shit’. Suffice it to say, the Summit did not disappoint.

Day one got started with Matt Harrington from the Warburton MTB Project in Tasmania. As well as having an aspiration to build one of the biggest purpose built bike parks in Australia, Matt provided some interesting insights into their approach to building trails and engaging with the local community. Here, he pointed out what many at the Summit were keen to stress, which was that despite misconceptions from landowners that trail builders (and riders) want to bulldoze trees and wildlife, they have evidence to the contrary which suggests that looking after tree roots, protecting local waterways, and building long lasting trails is now central to the trail building ethos. This was echoed in the following talk by The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (no less!), who recognised that, when driven by an ethic of care and responsibility, mountain biking can play an important role in growing local economies, protecting the environment, and fostering community participation. This was the first of many things at this Summit that made me feel good about where MTB is heading.

Next up, Tom Campbell and Martin Wyttenbach presented two different takes on the notion of ‘sustainable’ trail building. Echoing my own views, Tom started by suggesting that mountain bikers are constantly on the ‘back foot’ regarding their use (and supposed abuse) of natural space. Yet, he stressed that research on ‘damage/erosion’ is usually limited by a lack of long-term evidence and no consideration for human behaviour. As such, as well as recognising the inevitable short-term damage that our mountain bikes might do, Tom was also keen to point out that we are also part of a ‘holistic’ solution is of benefit to people, places, and economies. A more localised (albeit controversial) solution to addressing our ecological footprint was then presented by Martin Wynttenbach, who introduced us to findings from a pilot scheme in Switzerland that limited (off-piste) mountain biking to particular ‘corridors’ of activity within a popular forest. Doing this, he suggested, introduced established rules and waymarked trails, the upshot of which was a more ecologically friendly form of riding, and a show of willingness on behalf of the mountain bike community to be proactive in their protection of certain environments. This seems very similar to what one of our own members, Dave Finch, has been trailing in Macc Forest to good effect, and I wondered whether lessons could be learned from both such projects.

The final session of day one was more practically orientated, allowing delegates to take the knowledge from the morning sessions (how to grow our sport sustainably and responsibly) and apply these in the beautiful foot hills of the Livigno Alps. At this point, I got the chance to have a go on a fascinating new app which has been designed to facilitate and track trail inspections /maintenance. As well as the obvious benefits to trail builders (I thought of our resident trail sprucer James Irwin and the unenviable task of tracking the work he does over the many ,and disparate, parts of the Peak District National Park), I wondered whether such an app might help PDMTB to log what we do on a regular basis and present this ‘quantifiable’ evidence to land owners, other advocacy groups and UK councils etc to evidence the important role that we play in outdoor spaces. But then again, maybe data doesn’t tell the whole story?

What do you think? Can mountain bikers play a wider role in society (i.e tourism, nature protection, addressing climate change etc.)? Are riding corridors a useful way to limit our impact on the environment? And can GPS and data tracking help us to evidence play more of a role in mountain bike advocacy?

Let us know: info@peakdistrictmtb.org

Stay tuned for the next part.

The post We went to the Biggest MTB Summit in the World (IMBA Summit 2023). But What Did We Learn? – Part 1 appeared first on Peak District MTB.

In 2023 mountain biking is mainstream. Warner Bros through their Discovery Channel will soon begin broadcasting world cup downhill, XC and enduro for the next 8 years. Most mainstream bike brands have an array of mountain bike makes and models to suit the requirement of most riders, and research from Tredz in 2022 showed that mountain biking appeared in three times as many internet searches as road biking. The same research also revealed that depending on where you live in the UK, between 10-15% of the population cite cycling as their favorite sport.

What could go wrong?

Here in the Peak District the prime challenge we face today remains around access to trails. Compared to the rest of the UK, the Peak District has around half the available paths to ride at just 11% of the rights of way network. The ‘we’ referred to is our estimated 1.5 to 2.25 million mountain bikers who live within 1 hour of the Peak District.

Looking ahead another 40 years to when mountain biking hits 80 years of age, the big question is what kind of experience will riders, walkers and horse riders face without increasing access to trails for all users?

There are a number of factors which are likely to see mountain biking continue to grow in popularity, some of which can also be applied to other trail users such as walkers and horse riders e.g. general population growth. This growth in trail users will however bring an increased risk of friction between trail users unless change is brought about that sees an equivalent growth in trail access over the next 40 years.

Put simply, continuing to restrict a growing number of mountain bikers and horse riders to use broadly the same number of trails as were available in the 1980s is simply not sustainable.

So what are the factors that are likely to influence a continued growth in mountain biking?

1 – Increasing UK population
The UK population has grown by 19% since the first mainstream MTBs were made available in the UK, with little evidence from recent years that the growth in the UK population is likely to ease. A similar growth in the next 40 years could see an additional 3.8 million people live within 1 hour of the Peak District, and up to 427,000 of these people take up the sport of mountain biking (assuming the percentage of people interested in the sport across the general population remains static).

2 – Increasing interest in mountain biking from the general population
The investment being made into Mountain Biking through Warner Bros / Discovery, the diversification in mountain biking into sub-genres to appeal to different consumers and the likely ongoing growth in online media (Pinkbike, Singletrack, EMTB / GMTB) will only further raise the profile of the sport across the general population.

3 – An aging population of mountain bikers, living longer with access to increasingly advanced and capable bikes
Despite recent small decreases in average life expectancy in recent years, average life expectancy in the UK has increased from 74 to 80+ in 2020 with ONS forecasts showing that this will continue to increase. As for the bikes, consumers now have access to bigger wheeled (creating less impact), more capable bikes, with an increasing number featuring pedal assistance through advances in e-bike technology.

Given these factors around a growing population, exposed to a sport with an expanding media profile, combined with an aging population, living longer, with greater access to more capable bikes, the onus on Peak District stakeholders, landowners and authorities to progressively and sensitively open up trail access has never been more critical.

Climate Change

The impact of the changing climate must also be factored into our thinking when considering trail access. We are already seeing an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events here in the UK and around the world. Compared to the 1980s when our sport first started to develop, there are three times as many extreme climate events today as occurred 40 years ago. Our sport has a role to play in adapting our trails to these conditions, and supporting stakeholders to mitigate the impact of climate change through more projects such as Cut Gate, that deliver sustainable trail features that create the win win of improved trails, enhanced experience for users whilst mitigating the impact on climate change from peat erosion.

So what is the solution?

A progressive, sustainable and managed Increase in access for all trail users across the Peak District is essential. To deliver this change strong leadership, bold and creative thinking coupled with new investment will be required.

Programmes like the recently launched ‘Trail Pot’ concept will prove essential in delivering sustainable models for creating a professionally managed and developed network of trails that reduce pressure on honey pot locations, spreading the impact from all trail users and reducing potential for conflict between trail users (through spreading the load).

Failure to act now to sustainably grow the network of trails in the Peak District will be a loss for future generations of trail users. It will also be a missed chance for the Peak District National Park and their partners to use the opportunity that mountain biking as a sport and recreation provides to deliver on its aim of ‘diversifying and re-awakening public support and love of national parks’.

The post Life Begins at 40 – Future pressures and opportunities for Mountain Biking in the Peak District appeared first on Peak District MTB.

Mountain biking has grown exponentially in the UK in the last 20 years, and even more so under lockdown conditions. With travel restricted, people have looked to their local area for leisure and recreation and they have discovered the joys of riding a bike off-road.

We have a lot of new friends on the trails.

But with it has come an increase in demand, conflict and impact. With more people competing for time on the same patch of dirt, it’s perhaps inevitable that there will be an increase in impacts on the trails. Two things emerge:

These aren’t new arguments – but their relevance has never been more stark than it is now. The calls for more access for mountain bikes on our trail network is a regular one, and advocacy groups like ours have emerged making the legitimate argument that the community is willing to take care of where we ride – and proof of that will is long documented.

So what’s missing? Well, it feels like if we are to unify behind “a” purpose we need both that singular unifying purpose defining and then perhaps more importantly, the financial clout to make it happen.

Peak District MTB and Keeper of the Peak have championed mountain biking advocacy and responsibility to great effect. Our actions have become a catalyst for changing perceptions of mountain bikers in the area. Maybe we can change some perceptions of what we can collectively achieve here too. And beyond.

Filling the Pot

We propose a financing model for a national investment fund. A model where with a very small outlay from a lot of people, the fortunes of the access argument can be turned around and the collective might of the mountain biking community can be united to improve the current paltry access provision for riders in England.

Call it the trail pot, the investment fund or whatever, with enough engagement, the name is immaterial – it’s the results that will count.

The model is simple, scalable and perennial – it would be constantly financed and, with diligent management, could be used to change the face of the currently under-funded mountain bike advocacy world.

And by funding and professionalising advocacy, the community could step out from the fringes and rightfully place itself as a valued and important voice in the access world.

Of course, though a cynical and somewhat depressing fact, money talks.

Money pays for tools, materials and signposts on the paths. It pays for new gates, slabs and mattocks. It pays for wheelbarrows, spades and rakes.

But it also pays for posters, web domain subscriptions, leaflets and adverts in magazines. It pays for t-shirts for volunteers, flags that just sit there while they dig drains. It pays for printing of proposal documents to get grants for work, it pays for online subscriptions to software which makes us look like we’re pros.

Money talks.

And if there’s enough of it, it could truly professionalise advocacy. With enough we could employ someone to make the legal argument; someone to prepare the map modification, someone to do the rounds of landowners to change the perception.

So how would it work?

Simply put, through both/either a yearly subscription and a charitable top up approach, we could fund an investment fund – a Trail Pot – which could fund the kind of projects required to change the face of mountain bike access in England, and Wales and Northern Ireland.

There would be three types of project:

• ‘Big’ project: significant, large, collectively supported access projects. Trails for Wales is a good example. Could be wholly or part funded.
• Professional investment: Less obvious needs; maybe a national MTB access champion? A DMMO admin?
• Pitched investment: the grassroots. What do our community need? This is the core of the fund: reinvestment in our advocacy community – the very people who are fighting for better access, one path at a time.

With a clear objective – increased access – selecting projects would be straightforward.

Raising funds

Of course, getting the cash in first is the most challenging aspect, but there are ways. Let’s be honest – people don’t like spending, so it has to be small amounts, from a lot of people, with some kind of reward; even if that award is assuaging the guilt of damaging the trails when we ride. Some options:

We believe this approach would satisfy the need to professionalise the world of advocacy and provide a regular funding stream to the local mountain biking community.

It is a win:win

The challenge will be in establishing it. The MTB advocacy community is a voluntary one so populating a panel may be a challenge. In addition, determining how the trail pot is reinvested may cause some argument; but this is a reason for having clearly defined principles around the reinvestment and a well thought out panel of representation.

And how that money is managed and gathered too are a point for debate – realistically establishing some form of charity would be the only way.

Perhaps most significantly, we’d need buy-in from a network of supporters; bike shops, coaches, frame builders, MTB guides. They are the ones who are going to take this message out locally; they are the ones who are going to help get the pot going by asking businesses to support it. But importantly, they are the ones who will chip in a few pennies or pounds to make it work.

We’d need buy-in to make this work. We need a number of ambassadors to go and sell it. And up front we’d need investment to advertise and fund it – infrastructure WILL pay for itself, just not immediately.

Small acorns

It won’t immediately happen. It’ll take time to build a network of supporting businesses and for donations to start coming in. We haven’t worked the numbers yet, but in year one we believe totals will be small – but reinvested, that money could immediately start doing good work for advocacy groups – those little necessary things we all need like promo materials, web subscriptions, insurance, tools. And of course some to push the idea further.

As the pot grows, some reinvestment could broaden the reach and in year two we could realistically see project investment happening; match funding, direct investment, supplies.

By year three, who knows how big a national pot there could be? With other groups having seen the great examples of support elsewhere and those supported groups reaping the benefits of initial investment – maybe we could aim high and start on some big projects which could fundamentally change the face of MTB access in the country.

Are you in?

Think about it.

This is an opportunity for the MTB advocacy community to professionalise and drive access for the benefit of all. This is an opportunity to put some power to our arm and really drive forward who the MTB community are.

More than that though, it’s an opportunity to make possible hundreds of mountain biking projects up and down the country…and all for a few pennies spent.

We just need to get it going. Are you willing to have a go? Get in touch and we’ll work it out together. Bike shop Maybe? Cafe? Coach? Maybe you could pilot it with us?

I can invest in a purpose like that. I’m sure thousands of others could too.

Think it’s a good idea? So do these lovely folk

“Finding a way to consistently fund advocacy is tough, but tiny amounts on a massive scale is a no brainer. I’ll be trialling this at Bike Garage and encourage others to do so too. It could be huge for the MTB community.”
James Irwin, Bike Garage, Peak District

“Adding the option to allow riders to add a £1 payment to their booking that goes 100% to advocacy to create an enhanced and maintained trail network would be priceless.”
Ben – WeRide MTB Guiding and Coaching

“It’s a great idea – very big and bold. Would require a lot of work, but I think there are definitely people out there to take it on.”
Gordon McMinn, Ride Kirklees

“It’s seems so simple in principle and I’d be happy to contribute in some way, either direct debit or other. Companies often talk of how they support advocacy. What better way to show it than this? Schools could support on trail work…there’s real potential; some down the line, some now. But all exciting stuff.”
Adam Simmonite, Trail Advantage MTB Coaching

“I like the pound a year idea. Surely this is something that people can get behind?”
Jason Ashworth, Singletraction

“It’s workable. About the only thing I pay cash for these days is a haircut and everything else is a swipe of the phone. I don’t even carry a wallet most of the time! This money would get stuff done and would increase the visibility of the efficacy of advocacy work.”
Steve, rider & former coach, Derbyshire

“What a fab idea. It’s MTB crowdfunding. We can get behind that big time.”
Chris Heseltine-James, Alliance MTB

“I’m getting very positive vibes and I think it’s definitely worth exploring further. I like the idea of professionalising the advocacy movement. I believe this would generate further respect and give extra umph.”
Adam Parker, Singletrack Scene MTB community

“Big idea. Wonderful thinking. Personally I’d happily pay a yearly subscription to a focused fund.”
Nick Howarth, Rother Valley Riders

“Round the pound would definitely work ‘cos it’s not a massive outlay is it? Then people are happy to pay when they can see where it’s going”
Anon., trail builder, Peak District

“If it can roll out nationwide, it’s a winner”
Anon., trail builder, coach, Yorkshire

The post The Trail Pot – A Blueprint to change the fortunes of Mountain Biking in the UK appeared first on Peak District MTB.

Dr Tom Campbell BSc (Hons), PhD, FHEA, is a lecturer in sport and exercise science and academic at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland. His applied work centres around innovation and enterprise across the mountain bike sector and the field of dual career athletes. Most recently, Tom led the project DIRTT: Developing Inter-European Resources for Trail-builder Training. In the 3rd of 3 articles, Tom sits down with Peak District MTB committee member Jim Cherrington to discuss the importance of looking after mountain bike trails. You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

JC: So your research shows that riders want to look after the environment, but how do you ensure that everyone buys into that idea?

TC: It’s about how you capitalize on that goodwill and translate environmental attitudes into positive action and also how you can monetize it to promote sustainability. So absolutely, from all the riders who participated in our research there is an inherent desire to protect and look after the environment, and I think you can do that in several ways, but how do you actually monetize that. Up here in Scotland there is generally no charge for accessing trails, no paid for parking etc. so landowners, trail centres and trail associations are thinking ‘how do we monetise this to invest back into the trails?’ ‘We can’t tell people to pay for it, so we maybe need to focus on the benefits of them doing so voluntarily; the carrot rather than the stick. My experience here is that there’s almost a tipping point where people suddenly realise that there is so much going into the trails and so much maintenance going on that they start to take note.

A lot of the repair work is unseen, and people don’t really notice that. But where I ride in the Tweed Valley, there’s such a volume of riders now that people are starting to see the difference that the trail association makes. It was interesting to see the effect of storm Arwen which hit us really badly up here. It completely closed all of the forests and there was hardly anywhere left to ride and a lot of people suddenly realized okay there’s actually all of these other stakeholders like FLS (Forestry and Land Scotland) and the trail associations that are so important in terms of us being able to do what is it we want to do.

And the local trail association worked together with FLS in order to get trails up and running as quickly and as safely as possible. Personally, I was upset at the loss of a couple of the local trails but they they’ve come back and have been come back better with diversions and reroutes being built in a sustainable way. So, I’ve kind of gone from being quite distraught at the thought of never being able to ride my favourite trails again to thinking ‘oh that’s better’ and knowing that the local trail association have done this.

It’s kind of human nature, suddenly you see that there’s a lot of work going in here, so you want to contribute. I think there’s also something around societal norms whereby if a couple of members in a riding group start contributing financially or attending dig days then others start to as well, and then incrementally people who have been promising to get involved eventually do. Everyone else is saying look at least I’m paying into the trails and it puts a little bit of pressure, people start to think that this is a normative thing and I should probably need to give something back.

It’s important to think about where that message is best coming from. So, if formal organisations are saying we need money to fix all this stuff people might not pay much attention but when it’s from within your riding group, or the wider MTB community I think it’s easier for people to get on board with it. But it’s not actually that these are really distinct groups, because the folk doing the digging and building and maintaining the trails are all riders as well. It’s just often when it is disseminated officially through organisational channels it’s received very differently.

JC: I guess it must be really hard to try and unite people, given how diverse our community is.

TC: Yeah, oh for sure, and I see that here as well. So, although there’s a definite trend towards people riding more demanding and enduro style trails, riders can have very different opinions on how tracks should be built and maintained. And while you can never please everyone, it can be problematic if riders feel the investment of time and money is creating the wrong type of trail, or where sustainable trails are assumed to be “sanitised” or to have become easier trails. Conversely, if most of the resource is being poured into the enduro trails then I can see why this might alienate the riders who don’t want to ride this stuff.

It’s been interesting in terms of the evolution of the Scottish trail associations in this respect and there’s been a relatively deliberate adoption of existing trails to date. Particularly ones that have been repeatedly used in races and they have been able to ensure the sustainability and ongoing safety of these trails. I think another valuable function of local trail associations lie in their capacity to provide a mechanism to attract external investment, often from within the mountain bike industry, which can only benefit trail offerings for a wide range of riders.

There is definitely still digging going on out with the official trail associations which I can fully understand, and I think this is where the DIRTT project is potentially already having an impact. There have already been a number of pilot training sessions delivered across Scotland to groups of volunteers providing them with the knowledge to start building in a safe and sustainable way, so hopefully that will have an impact.

Thanks to Tom for spending time with Jim to discuss some familiar and important issues for mountain bike advocacy. Don’t forget you can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

Please let us know on our Facebook group what you think about the issues raised in these articles.

The post The Importance (and Challenges) of Working Together to Look After Mountain Bike Trails appeared first on Peak District MTB.

Dr Tom Campbell BSc (Hons), PhD, FHEA, is a lecturer in sport and exercise science and academic at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland. His applied work centres around innovation and enterprise across the mountain bike sector and the field of dual career athletes. Most recently, Tom led the project DIRTT: Developing Inter-European Resources for Trail-builder Training, which has received global attention. In the 2nd of 3 articles, Tom sits down with Peak District MTB committee member Jim Cherrington to discuss the most important riding trends in mountain biking. You can read part 1 here.

JC: A big part of that research was about user attitudes and mountain biker preferences. What do you think that the emerging trends are in the sport right now, and what do you think some of the challenges might be moving forward for advocacy groups and trail associations?

TC: As part of our DIRRT project we conducted a rider survey. The data from this survey shows that people are often going to ride what they want to ride and perhaps we need to accept this and start looking at the nuance underlying that and thinking about how we can capitalise on environmental attitudes that are fundamentally positive. Working out how you can reconcile that with a desire to ride steep natural trails that can potentially cause some degree of ecological, localized ecological, environmental damage.

Here in Scotland where we have some of the most progressive access laws in the world, allowing riders to access a lot of the countryside, provided they do so responsibly. And I guess wild or natural trails are the thing that people want to ride now. And I think that this is the biggest shift for me in what we’re seeing within mountain biking. Trying to work out why this has happened is interesting but for me the technology of the bikes has played a big role. The rate of change in the last 20 years means that you can ride stuff now that you could never ride before – innovation in mountain biking in this time has been astounding. You could still have ridden these trails in the past, but it maybe wouldn’t have been a super fun experience. This changes our competence and capability so that that people can ride steeper and more, I guess more, technically demanding stuff with a degree of safety that you couldn’t before. We also have the emergence of ebikes that allows people to get to trails and areas that they couldn’t previously get to, and that adds another layer of complication obviously. There is certainly a lot of enjoyment to be had in riding more technical stuff and pushing your boundaries a little bit and just seeing what you can do. I’ve witnessed much more of a move towards that enduro type stuff, for sure.

And this was one of the interesting things to come out of the research was the distinction between what people are riding and their motivations for doing so. We found that if you ask people what trails they ride the most they will probably say cross country or trail centre stuff. Cool, but is that because you want to ride that? No! That’s because it’s what’s there! And that’s where you potentially have an issue with people who say well that’s not what I want to ride so I’ll go and dig the stuff that I do want to ride, and I can see that, from an advocacy and trail association point of view, that that can become problematic. I think that comes back to this point about ‘let’s try and have a more mature conversation about this’.

I fully appreciate the complexity and the difficulty of that, especially for trial associations in terms of land ownership and all the other stakeholders and the conflict that that can bring with other groups. But I think it’s a case of engaging with them, or at least trying to explain by having conversations and saying ‘look actually we’re out there for pretty much the same reasons, we enjoy being in nature, walkers enjoy being in nature. I’m a mountain biker and on any given day I might be on the bike, or I might be out for a walk or out running, But I’m outside enjoying nature and our research showed that’s actually the main motivation for riders being there.

And then, in terms of the attitudes, we found that riders want to really look after the environment. I think it’s a powerful kind a message coming through in terms of just demonstrating that, actually, we are more similar to other users than we are dissimilar. So, I think it is important to understand that yes, we have these positive attitudes, but then for the trail associations the question is, how do you capitalize on that? How do you get people to go beyond just saying ‘Yes, I care for the environment, or I want to care for the environment but I also want to shred my bike and that’s possibly going to damage the trails.

So, the question is, how do we reconcile those two things? It’s arguably still controversial to accept that trails will get damaged by riders but I think that stems from looking at sustainability through a very narrow lens, focusing on erosion and localised damage. But then you’ve got to consider how does that trail fit within the wider trail network and the wider ecology. I think there is an argument for accepting that there may be a certain amount of erosion in a certain area but it might actually be good to keep people in that area, as you can therefore control it and manage it and minimize damage and it keeps people out of other more sensitive areas.

It needs this more holistic approach. What’s happening on one, localized, trail is something, but what’s the impact of that on other trails? Does it mean that they’re going to last much longer and kind of considering things from that broader perspective and being mindful of how it all ties in is, from a trail association or advocacy perspective, the way that I would like to see things going.

It’s difficult because any perceived damage occurring in any environment is a sensitive topic and it’s certainly the case that purely by being we are all having some impact on the environment, but minimizing it, controlling it, or being able to measure, plan, and intervene is important, and not just having this attitude that by being there and causing any erosion at any point in the environment is inherently terrible. So yeah, I don’t know, I think we need to try and get to that point where riders accept that if they want to use the environment, they should consider how they can also care for it.

Thanks to Dr Campbell for taking time out to talk to Jim about these interesting and sometimes challenging topics. Click here to read part 1 of this interview. Look out for the final part of this interview next week, and please let us know your thoughts on any of the topics discussed on our Facebook page.

The post MTB Trends and the Challenges for MTB Advocacy appeared first on Peak District MTB.

Dr Tom Campbell BSc (Hons), PhD, FHEA, is a lecturer in sport and exercise science and academic at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland. His applied work centres around innovation and enterprise across the mountain bike sector and the field of dual career athletes. Most recently, Tom led the project DIRTT: Developing Inter-European Resources for Trail-builder Training, which has received global attention. In the 1st of 3 articles,Tom sits down with Peak District MTB committee member Jim Cherrington to discuss the importance of understanding what makes trails sustainable. 

JC: Could you tell me a little bit about the work that you do at the Mountain Bike Centre Scotland?

TC: Sure, the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland is a project hosted by Edinburgh Napier University to provide consultancy and research to the cycling industry in Scotland. To date we have facilitated 200 collaborative ventures and assisted in the development of £16m of cycling related projects. We work across areas of innovation, sustainability and health and wellbeing under the lead academic, Professor Geraint Florida-James, who happens to know a thing or two about mountain biking. I’m the lead for the sustainability theme, which is where the DIRTT project fits into the work we are doing.   

JC: How did the DIRTT (Developing Intereuropean Resources for Trail building Training) project come about?

The DIRTT project has been a long time in the making. There’s been years of discussion at our own conferences and other mountain biking conferences, and a bunch of like-minded people have essentially come together to realize that there’s a need for something here. There was a desire to ensure that we promote quality of trails and, conversely, to avoid poor quality trails.

For me it ties in so closely to wider societal agendas, particularly around increasing participation and the health benefits of mountain biking. I mean, as mountain bikers of all kinds we understand the benefits of biking both to our physical and mental health and how important that can be. And I think this is the impetus, as there’s a real need to ensure that people have a good experience when they first try mountain biking and so much of that can come from the quality of the trails. So, the overarching aim is to get a good quality offering whilst being mindful that good trails are so important for so many different reasons.

The concept is about asking ‘how can we start making sure that we are building better trails or improving existing trails?’ and I think there was a need for some form of quality assurance, too. The project partners are quite diverse in terms of the countries that are represented, and there is a lot of difference here. Obviously, what might make sense in Switzerland may be very different from what we’re doing here in Scotland. 

But what a lot of stakeholders were anecdotally telling us is that they were having difficulty ensuring they were getting competent and quality people into build the trails because you’re often mired in bureaucracy or stuck with a tender that is unfit for purpose. And there’s always that pressure to take the cheapest company. But these people aren’t necessarily delivering quality trails so that was one driver, enabling these people to show that they are competent, and are going to build good trails through some form of overarching quality assurance.

And this is really just a first step, I guess, in terms of moving towards that and sharing knowledge at a European level. Yes, there is a difference across all the nations in terms of access rights and that type of stuff but there’s also so much knowledge. So, it’s about pulling that together and identifying similarities and differences and working out what that framework might look like. And what would be a sensible framework that could ensure a minimum standard, and provide a knowledge base and education to enable people to train or upskill in order to have the right level of competency 

Global approach, local knowledge

JC: So, you’re saying that it’s important to have a European maybe even a global approach to how we build trails and making them sustainable but, whilst at the same time valuing local knowledge?

TC: Exactly, yes and the project has generated evidence to support this. It’s very easy to believe that “if you build it, they will come” and ride it.  But will they stay, will they come back again which ties into social and economic sustainability but also has considerations for the environment. I think we all know that what we should be doing isn’t necessarily always what we do. And I think it’s time to start having more mature grown-up conversations about this, rather than just telling riders what they can and can’t do.

Let us know what you think of these ideas on our Facebook group page. Keep your eyes open for the next part of this interview, when Jim chats with Tom about what he thinks are the most important riding trends in mountain biking.

The post What We Should be Doing Isn’t Necessarily What We Do appeared first on Peak District MTB.