The 1SW Project's development plan for Bristol's trails recently received its official launch, at an evening attended by the project staff, trail designers, and a cross-section of Bristol's MTB community.

If you're not already familiar with the 1SW initiative, for the past year, a partnership of the Forestry Commission, Bristol City Council, the National Trust and trail design company Architrail have been designing new and improved trails, consulting with local riders and other user groups, getting the necessary permissions from environmental and planning agencies, and tenders have now gone out for the actual building work.

The developments comprise a substantially overhauled trail for Ashton Court and a brand new trail for Leigh Woods. The routes of these trails will be familiar to anyone who knows the local trails well, but the new and remodelled trails are going to be a step up from what's there currently.

Ashton Court

^{Plans are taken from 1SW's consultation documents, with a few annotations.}

The trail is Ashton Court is going to be given a major facelift, with the current unsurfaced sections replaced with a durable all-weather surfaced trail built by professional contractors.

Due to environmental constraints (much of the estate is legally protected) the trail is going to stick to a similar route to present. However the trail corridor marked on the map above is just a starting point. The trail on the ground is going to be built section by section with as many twists, turns, berms and jumps as possible while still keeping a flowing experience that will be rideable by novices but fun for more experienced riders too.

There will be optional red graded sections, and a brand new downhill section in the middle of the estate.

In order to get some downhill in the mix, the trail is going to keep going in the current direction. However it's going to be rebuilt in a much more flowing style, without the continuous gradual climb that makes the first section of the current route hard work.

To complete the picture, there are plans to redevelop the current golf course cafe to have a bigger capacity and more facilities for bikers.

 

Leigh Woods

Leigh Woods is going to finally get an official mountain bike trail, graded red/blue. As with Ashton Court, the trail marked on the map is a corridor rather than a final line - the builders are going to have a degree of flexibility when the trail is put in on the ground.

The trail is going to make many of the worn out cheeky trails across the top of the wood redundant, and make the muddy hell of winter riding a thing of the past. There's a skills area planned for the section on the East side of the wood that was clear-felled a few years ago, with learner jumps, drops and other features to practice on. There's going to be no systematic policy of decommissioning older unofficial trails as the majority of riders should be kept happy by the new trail.

Getting this trail design finalised has been a really complex process, partly because the woods are a nationally important environmental site. Some sections of the trail are actually going to have to be built by hand because the surroundings are too sensitive to use machinery.

 

Other trails

While the two new trails above are going to be the main focus of the project, there are a few other developments planned to keep everyone happy.

50 Acre Wood is going to be kept as a rider-built trail, with repairs and development carried out by the people using it. If you find yourself hankering for roots, rocks and mud, you can head over there to enjoy the sort of unpredictable natural riding that keeps you on your toes.

The Cumberland Basin is the proposed site for a new pump and jump track which will be built with 26" and 20" wheels in mind. The track is planned as a beginner-friendly site where people can practice their jumping and cornering skills on the way to and from the trails - or just head out for a quick workout when time is short. Funding for the project is coming from Cycling City.

Providence Plantation (Popularly known as Still Woods) is still closed as of writing, and negotiations are ongoing. The land is owned by Bristol University and the Athletics Union is negotiating for it to be reopened as a training ground for the Mountain Bike Club, but with public access, and setting aside part of the site for the benefit of the local community. More news to hopefully follow soon.

Where's the money coming from?

The project is being funded by the Rural Development Agency, on the grounds that more mountain biking facilities will increase tourism in the South West. For the future, there is the possibility of funding for repairs and improvements from sources like car parking fees, bike wash tokens and shop or bike hire franchise fees. At the recent meeting to unveil the plans we stressed how difficult it is to keep on top of repairs with the current limited budget - hopefully the message got through.