Trail Works Complete

We have now finished the resurfacing works at Phillips Park MTB trail in Whitefield, Bury and we’re super chuffed with the end result. If you missed our last post, Dirt Factory was tasked with resurfacing and reshaping the existing trail, which was in need of much love.

This project was a bit trickier than a new build. What made the project challenging was the tight budget, extremely dry weather (dry dirt is difficult to compact) and the constant motocross bikes, and we’re sad to say mountain bikers too, who forced their way past the site fencing and completely ignored the construction signage to ride the new bits. This meant our trail crew and volunteers were continuously repairing berms and jumps where big tyre marks and ruts had been left in the soft dirt. Despite this, it was a great project. Big thanks to everyone who resisted the temptation of riding while we were working.

We’d like to give a huge thank you to the twenty plus volunteers who came to the meeting and dig days to help out. Without the volunteer days, we’d no doubt still be on site repairing damaged trail. The volunteer turnout was amazing and is a testament to the local community spirit around Bury. Moving forward, the trail is going to need ongoing maintenance, so if you’re interested in joining the volunteer trail crew, please get in touch with Carolyn at Nationwide Cycling Academy by email at [email protected]

The south loop is going to remain closed until more signage is in place, but should hopefully be ready to ride soon. Keep an eye on the NCA social media channels for the opening date. We will be bringing our air bag down to the launch event, so look out for the date and get yourself down there.

These next few sentences are for anyone interested in trail maintenance. The bottom line is that trails need regular maintenance, especially in the UK where we have seasonal weather. At Phillips Park, one of the major reoccurring issues has been falling leaves, which if not taken care of will over time result in trapped water (puddles) and blocked drainage routes. These issues gradually worsen the trail tread further and the whole situation snow balls quite quickly. In short, proper maintenance support should be built into the build contracts and/or a community of volunteers given the ownership to take care of the trails. A good way to train volunteers the right methods of trail care is one of IMBA’s Trail Schools which teaches sustainable trail building.