Description
Bacton Woods, also known as Witton Wood, is a small Forestry England woodland just east of North Walsham in North Norfolk. Besides the waymarked walking trail and the wider paths, riders have built a web of tight, loamy singletrack through the trees, with small drops and dirt jumps. It is a short, hilly local network rather than a trail centre, with no waymarked mountain bike routes.
The Riding
The wood covers about 113 hectares of conifer plantation, regenerated ancient woodland and old heathland, and is crossed by three marked walkways and many smaller paths. The mountain biking is on those smaller paths. Riders describe twisty, tight trails on loamy soil, with a range of small drops and dirt jumps, and the terrain is surprisingly hilly for Norfolk. The trails are unofficial and hand-built, and nobody publishes a trail list or map.
Summer growth can overgrow the less-used lines, and the wood is popular with dog walkers, so ride considerately and keep your speed down on shared paths. The lines are not waymarked, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
Bacton Woods is a working forest. Forestry operations can close paths at short notice, so follow any signs and closures on site and give way to anyone working in the wood.
Other Riding
Families and gentle riders can use the wide, well-made main tracks, which keep away from road traffic, including the circular route from the main car park.
Getting Here
The main car park is on a minor road about 2.5 miles east of North Walsham, off the B1159 between Bacton and North Walsham, at NR28 9UE. There is no parking charge, but there are no toilets and no accessible parking spaces, and the forest is bin free, so take your litter home. Please do not park on or beside the road. The wood is open from dawn to dusk. North Walsham is the nearest station.
Nearby Riding
- Skillz Bike Park, Corton, near Lowestoft, about 25 miles to the south-east
- Thetford Forest, the nearest waymarked trail centre, on the Norfolk and Suffolk border
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- Photo: The Noisy Hub MTB