Back on track - Building better trails in the UK

by Tyler Maine
Feb 23, 2010 at 9:28

Source: Back on Track

We're getting more and more official trails now in the UK, the forestry commission and councils are funding cross country trails all over the country as the mountain bike boom continues to grow and become more mainstream.

It's all good stuff, however how good these trails actually are comes down to who designs and builds them. Details and videos inside,

Photo courtesy of cloverleaf.pinkbike.com

Back on track have earned a reputation as one of the best in the business creating super fun XC trails packed with new school features, big berms and rollers and you always end your ride with a grin when you've ridden one of their trails. Lead by elite racer and Orange bikes rider Rowan Sorrell and with ex dirt team member Rob Breakwell and elite racer Nikki Whiles are all part of the team, they know a thing or two about riding and creating sick trails. These Gawton tracks are part of three DH runs developed in the South West of England and they are one of only a handful of official downhill spots in the UK with uplift. We'll let the guys who built them do the talking and show you how fun they are- go check them out!

Back on Track - Top to Bottom, HSD, Gawton, Devon:
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Back on Track - Top to Bottom, Super Tavi, Gawton, Devon:
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Videos shot by mtbcut.pinkbike.com
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41 Comments

  • + 7
flag nige-dh (Mar 3, 2010 at 11:09)
 Rowan Sorrell 'designed' a dh track near me, basically he took our track that we built and made it worse, we wern't allowed roots or decent sized drops due to health and safety, every jump that was built had to made so xc'ers could role down the other side, i mean why cant they just stick to the xc track if they cant do the jumps and basically they have ruined our track and go and knock down anything we build away from this track even tho the land is used for erm.. f*ck all
  • + 3
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 3, 2010 at 11:35)
 happens alot to my dad he has to go back and change jumps and stuff because so non mountain biker tourist fell of and broke his arm and stupid thing like that
  • + 4
flag bigburd (Mar 3, 2010 at 14:00)
 removing of roots is why these very man made tracks fall apart so fast , roots = corner for years , no roots = well ya know
  • + 2
flag TrailsGuy (Mar 4, 2010 at 9:05)
 I'm a trail designer here in BC and I have to deal with exactly the same thing... the riders want gnar, the politicians want safe and are worried about liability because they don't understand. Politicians win. It's frustrating, but "safety above fun" is the phrase for everything these days... The key is to design trails that appear safe but cause instant pucker when ridden at speed lol
  • + 2
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 4, 2010 at 10:05)
 yh the wrest thing in the uk is that even the "black" runs cant be to challenging which is stupid because it a black run and then when you go to franc there blacks have gaps and drops that you have to clear and cant be rolled ect. i guess its like that i BC and whistler as your trials can put most of ours to shame in just how gnar some of the feathers are but hopefully as the sport get more popular the demand for bigger trials will bet bigger as well Smile

maybe geltress will be like whistler one day Big Grin
  • - 2
flag diggerdave (Mar 6, 2010 at 4:57)
 I have been to a few of the dig days at healey nab and you are confusing a black xc track with a dh trail here nige. The council will not give any permission for downhill, And there were never originally Any plans for a black trail but rowan talked them around so it catered for us with something slightly more technical but it's still an XC Trail, which is fun on a hardtail or trail bike and was never intended to be a downhill run. I know rowan has been talking to the council about trying to get a dedicated downhill area somewhere else- ie. Not in the nab. I think you fail to understand how the council and forestry operate? Your digging and lack of understanding has put the use of the woods by mountain bikers at risk as the council have stated if they cannot control your use they will remove ALL trails and you will ruin it for all of us. We should work together not against each other? Maybe ride a hardtail there until the downhill venue can be set up in the future?
  • + 1
flag nige-dh (Mar 6, 2010 at 13:06)
 You say we should work together and not against each other, but im guessing they didnt think of the people who already rode there on their track and was having great fun and then they just went and knocked our down, i cant see why they couldnt of kept our dh seen as it wasnt in the way of the xc track.
  • + 4
flag Coll-V10 (Mar 6, 2010 at 13:47)
 Totally agree with nige on this one. The DH track was up years before anyone started sniffing around the nab for a "legal" trail. There must have been a good 10 - 15 riders who used to go and ride regularly up the nab without any complaints what so ever. I've personally never even seen rangers up there and it's not as if the track used to be hidden or anything. So all us DH riders were pushed off the hill and the track bulldozed to make way for things my 80yr old granny could ride on a penny farthing, hmm so ye really sounds like mountain bikers working together on that one. Conclusion, a good, fun, technical track flattened and left flat so 5yr olds can "have a go". The nab is possibly one of the worst tracks in the N.W of England, it truely sucks.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag morewhitenoise (Mar 3, 2010 at 8:55)
 would be nice if you mentioned woodland riders and the dedicated team that are behind getting this trail centre built and maintained.
alot of people i know have put lots of man hours into this place, even ive put in a few hours spade time!
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  • + 1
flag nsbichboy (Mar 3, 2010 at 12:41)
 It is good to see more and more trails in the UK and mountain biking as a sport becoming more main stream. I aim to contribute to increasing the amout if trails in the North West with imput from me and afew of the guys at North West Riders. We have afew projects currently in progress, also a random mention for Phil "Hudu" Charnley (I know he isn't so much MTB) but this guy has been involved in BMX from day 1 in the UK and his track building company http://www.dirtworksbmx.com/ has contributed alot to UK bmx.
[Reply]
  • + 2
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 3, 2010 at 7:34)
 my dad builds mountain bike trails for a living more xc as Rowan builds most of the downhill stuff but my dad build the uci xc course for the opening round Smile

gotter say im proud
  • + 1
flag RaleighVoid (Mar 3, 2010 at 16:20)
 at dalby? aww wow i just noticed you surname! clixbys! great work ont dalby trails. i work at the bike shop up there, Purple Mountain when home from uni. im entering the 'dalby dare' at the WC. Big Grin... on this.
http://raleighvoid.pinkbike.com/album/sunn-xircuit-build/
  • + 1
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 4, 2010 at 0:04)
 Have fun
  • + 1
flag D-Owen (Mar 4, 2010 at 10:05)
 haha yah
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag vitom88 (Mar 4, 2010 at 1:42)
 north wales has goto b the shittest place for riding at times by how the commission are so strict against riding ghettinn some new dh trials has goto b the hardest thing ever Frown
  • + 1
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 4, 2010 at 4:41)
 you need to make a petition or something like that cus the forestries commission will only get one built if they can make money of it or they will let you build it your self
  • + 1
flag funkedafro (Mar 5, 2010 at 11:19)
 the welsh FC are very very hard to work with. the stuff that rowan and the boys manage to get built is a tribute to their diplomatic skills in dealing with these pricks, and for the machinery that lynn jones uses (spider walkers ftw)
  • + 1
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 5, 2010 at 12:50)
 be careful what you say mate lol
  • + 1
flag funkedafro (Mar 6, 2010 at 9:51)
 what do you mean?
  • + 1
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 7, 2010 at 11:26)
 lol i was joking but the gov can watch anything anyone say about them on the internet to stop crime and what not so the FC can do this as well

but i dont really think they will come looking for you or anything
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  • + 1
flag ianmctimoney (Mar 3, 2010 at 7:54)
 they are some the best trails i have ridden in the uk, you just need to build on more mountainous areas. keep up the good work. i live in BC now and these guys know how to build and ride trails.
  • + 1
flag tomboulter (Mar 3, 2010 at 8:41)
 we don't have any mountains!
  • + 1
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 3, 2010 at 8:59)
 winhlatter forest park is the first xc loop on a mountain in the uk
  • + 2
flag betsie Plus (Mar 3, 2010 at 11:22)
 in the UK!
We have the core path network up here in Scotland. Several runs to 3000ft, many to over 2000ft.
I would guess that Pitfichie is higher than 1600ft, BenAigen around that height.
Torridon up to 2400ft, CarnBanMor just over 3000ft, CarinGorm over 3000ft etc. etc.
  • + 2
flag aaronclixby7 (Mar 3, 2010 at 11:31)
 lol and you have chair lifts
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag surfersam333 (Mar 3, 2010 at 0:36)
 we have a something like this set up at our local tracks. see, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=40214627630&ref=ts
[Reply]
  • + 2
flag westbayrippa (Mar 3, 2010 at 13:25)
 we need more of this stuff in california.
  • + 1
flag RockyMtnSlayer (Mar 3, 2010 at 17:27)
 ya we do
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag markbowers (Mar 6, 2010 at 12:14)
 and another up lift service starting soon in the forest of dean. see dirt's website.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag Hamo84 (Mar 3, 2010 at 7:16)
 Look super fun to ride! I'll have to check the place out when I'm in the U.K. next year.
  • + 1
flag jesusrendon (Mar 3, 2010 at 7:26)
 I'll check the place when I'm in the UK this year!!!
  • + 1
flag mike-hight-wizz (Mar 3, 2010 at 13:06)
 they are supper fun only about an hour drive from my house
  • + 1
flag lewboy30 (Mar 4, 2010 at 9:26)
 great place to ride tracks are amazing.... also check out the old place in tavi as well good there to
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag RPereira (Mar 4, 2010 at 2:14)
 The dude in the 2nd video rides like me, super low gears Beer

Awesome video and trail, would love to see it as VOD Wink
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  • + 1
flag ohpaddler (Mar 4, 2010 at 15:58)
 Love the trail, is that lime green bike a specialized pitch?
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag xxxxJMxxxx (Mar 4, 2010 at 2:45)
 V O D

O O Camera

D O V
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag freerydscott (Mar 3, 2010 at 18:38)
 Nice trail guys, good work.
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag schwara (Mar 4, 2010 at 0:33)
 I love the XC trails on a video, awesom work!
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag laurencedube (Mar 3, 2010 at 19:16)
 does anyone know the name of the song from the 2nd movie????
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag danhalford (Mar 3, 2010 at 12:06)
 WOOOO more trails!!
[Reply]
  • + 1
flag Brokenarm (Mar 3, 2010 at 12:37)
 Wow, nice second trail!
[Reply]

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