Possible Bike Park near Belvoir Castle, Nottinghamshire, UK

[steve_sordy]

Possible bike park near Belvoir Castle!
Yes, we all know that Nottinghamshire is flat, don't we? It is in general, but there are some bits that stick up. Belvoir Castle is sat on the top of one of them and in fact is visible for miles around. There is a massive escarpment there that all the locals know about. So we know they have the elevation, the steeps, and the woods. But what is going to be done about it?
This was posted on Facepuke:

ANNOUNCEMENT! Our proposed bike park will be called Belvoir Bikepark. Nestled in the Vale of Belvoir on the border of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.... | By Creation Cycles | Facebook

They plan to open with ten trails from Green to Pro Line. Trail lengths 2.5- 5km. There will be an uplift. Cafe, toilets and other stuff to follow.

I have watched the videos via Facebook (I am not on FB, so I doubt I saw all the content) and they seem to be going ahead, but that may just be them being positive. I can’t tell the date of the videos so I’m unsure how long ago they were made, but the news has broken. They are being coy about the location, but it is definitely on the Belvoir Estate and I’m sure I know exactly where.

 

[Jurassic]

Purpose-built mountain biking trails could soon be on town's doorstep

Mountain bikers in the Grantham area could be in seventh heaven if a project for an off-road cycling facility goes ahead in the Vale of Belvoir.

www.granthamjournal.co.uk

 

[RustyMTB]

Can't beat stuffing your way up a Belvoir.

 

[johnc]

80 meters descent over a 3k track. What do we think?

 

[The Hodge]

80 meters descent over a 3k track. What do we think?

Epic..

 

[yorkshire89]

Looking on a map I can't see the trails being much longer than 1km.
Certainly not golfie style but if it's designed by the Steel City people it could be fun.

 

[Jurassic]

If it's down that escarpment thing then it is quite steep (albeit not very long).

 

[johnc]

Looking on a map I can't see the trails being much longer than 1km.
Certainly not golfie style but if it's designed by the Steel City people it could be fun.

3k was based on the blurb, Trail lengths 2.5- 5km. Straight line top to bottom is 1km and elevation 80 meters. According to Komoot . So a bit of traversing needed me thinks. Its never going to be the Golfie, but we have to take what we can here in the flatlands!

 

[steve_sordy]

On the other side of the escarpment (not on Belvoir estate land), it is just as steep. There are a few footpaths that a mate of mine and I thought we'd have a go at. This was in my pre-emtb days. It started off OK, the grass-hidden ruts caused a few sphincter tightening moments. Then the trail turned left then right before going down, really down. My mate was in front and he met a walker coming up on all fours! The walker just had enough time to get out of the way when my mate yelled out that he couldn't stop. I yelled that there was a second bike and I had just enough time to bid him a pleasant good morning before I too shot past. The scary steep stuff soon passed and was replaced by a fast descent.

The next time we tried it was a year later, but the motorbikes had been using it and the ruts were impassible, to us two anyway.

If anyone is familiar with the 18-mile local trail called the Belvoir Loop, access to the footpaths is off the last flat section along the top of the escarpment before you descend into Stathern village.

 

[johnc]

So Steve is it part of the Belvoir est.

 

[B1rdie]

80 meters descent over a 3k track. What do we think?

Carry speed?... er...Keep momentum? ...er... EBIKE!!!!

 

[yorkshire89]

3k was based on the blurb, Trail lengths 2.5- 5km. Straight line top to bottom is 1km and elevation 80 meters. According to Komoot . So a bit of traversing needed me thinks. Its never going to be the Golfie, but we have to take what we can here in the flatlands!

You could be right with the traversing, I was just trying to base it off OSmaps looking at the area.
The black closest to the edge of the woods seems to follow this sort of path if I've worked it out right (1km grids for ref)

 

[steve_sordy]

So Steve is it part of the Belvoir est.

It has to be if the Duchess is involved. I am fairly sure where the trail centre will be, based upon the terrain I have seen and access to public roads etc. If you ride along the road in front of the main car park for access to the castle, with the castle on your left, the road follows the estate around the left towards Knipton. It climbs a bit before eventually falling off quite steeply. At the top you can look down and I have always thought it would make a great location for a trail centre. I have just looked on an old OS map and the steep terrain there have names: one is Blackberry Hill and the other is Windsor Hill. They are seperated by Carlisle Wood. As I say, I am only fairly sure.

 

[johnc]

Steve.This is the map from the guys showing the proposed tracks. It’s upside down so I’ve reversed it to match Google. It’s off the last bit of the
ridge before you go down Toff’s Lane back to Stathern. Are we talking the same place?

 

[steve_sordy]

@myapes said "It’s off the last bit of the ridge before you go down Toff’s Lane back to Stathern. Are we talking the same place?"

I know exactly where you mean, we have ridden along that ridge a few times. It indeed scary steep down there. We both had a look at it and decided that "we weren't feeling it that day". That and the fact that there appeared to be nowhere to go once we had survived to the bottom. If you remember, the clay-like soil there compacts and is like wet ice when damp and also when dry!
My doubt is based upon the fact that the car park is shown as coming off that ridge, when currently it's just a muddy track about 6' wide. I agree that it could be upgraded, but that is not an insignificant cost. If that is where it is then it's an excellent place. It is the steepest and longest descent for scores of miles (in addition to the one I mentioned earlier). I had not realised that area also belonged to the Belvoir estate.

But is not where I meant in my previous post (also scary steep), which to me looks to be a likelier location, if only because properly tarmacked public roads already exist. It is a bit closer to where the duchess lives, so she might not like that; bikers being all sweaty and rough looking.

Overall, I hope it is the place you identified; the views are brilliant.

 

[johnc]

I don’t think it belongs to the Belvoir estate. Again in their FB blurb they don’t mention the Belvoir estate or the duchess. Just the ‘land owners’. This has to be a good thing given her reputation. £6827 so far. Still a long way to go. I not convinced it will get of the ground, sadly.

 

[johnc]

@myapes said "It’s off the last bit of the ridge before you go down Toff’s Lane back to Stathern. Are we talking the same
My doubt is based upon the fact that the car park is shown as coming off that ridge, when currently it's just a muddy track about 6' wide. I agree that it could be upgraded, but that is not an insignificant cost.

There is a lane to the area proposed for car park from Stathern, Wood Lane.

 

[steve_sordy]

I'm fairly sure that I know where that is. The cycle lane starts at that bend in Wood Lane. There is a locked gate and those double lumps of wood to haul the bike over (for those that can't jump it!). We normally come hurtling down Wood Lane from the bottom of that picture (in post #17 above).

I had thought that the trail centre was much further along the cycle track.

 

[G-Sport]

If they can build something fun that works in any weather then that would be great. Only an hour or so from mine so happy to bung them £20 and cross my fingers.

 

[johnc]

There is a locked gate and those double lumps of wood to haul the bike over

Not quite. The gate is before that. The entrance we go down is across Wood Lane. We used to go the left arrow then we started going to the right arrow through the trees.

 

[steve_sordy]

The light dawns. I was thinking of a completely different place! I know exactly where that is now.

Now I can see how the car park access works. But I have no mental image that the designated trail area is as steep as the various other places where I thought it was. When the mud season stops I must check out that area.