Okeford Hill Bike Park

Okeford Hill Bike Park

Okeford Hill Bike Park is a private, uplift-served downhill park in the hills above Okeford Fitzpaine in Dorset. Sixteen marked lines run across three tiers, from red-graded runs and a dedicated practice jumps area, up through two tiers of black, to the Pro Line-rated Rocket Line, plus a 4X track. The park itself describes over 400 feet of alpine-style downhill terrain. A Land Rover uplift runs Wednesday evenings and weekend daytimes, and the site is also a base for Adaptiv Sports' adaptive MTB sessions. It suits intermediate to experienced riders rather than complete beginners.

The Trails

Red

• Flowter: the park's entry-level line, recently reworked, and a good introduction to riding steeper terrain without too many roots or unrideable features.
• Old Skool, Big Grin and Snakebite: three further red-graded lines. Big Grin has been redesigned with more jumps and hits.
• Practice Jumps: a red-graded area for sessioning jumps near the start of the hill.

Black

• Devils Dyke: rock gardens either side of a fire road crossing, bermed turns through roots, and a fast finishing straight with small drops into a road gap.
• Pic Nic, Adder, Mini Rocket and Pott Luck: four further black lines.

Black (double diamond)

• Darkside: the hardest of the double-black lines, reached via Wiggly Woo, with rock gardens, a 4 foot drop with a bypass option, steps, offset drops and a road gap to finish.
• HSE Drop: tabletops, a rock garden, drops, steep rutted corners and hips.
• Subo: a technical line of hairpin corners and root sections, with a short road gap and a small drop on the way down.
• Black Death and Extra Sketch: two further double-black lines for confident, experienced riders.

Pro Line

• Rocket Line: a surfaced jump trail built with Dirt Kraft, made up of doubles, shark fins and a significant step-up known as the Moon Booter. The hardest graded line on site.

A 4X track also remains part of the network.

Uplift and Facilities

Okeford Hill is one of the few bike parks in the south of England with its own uplift: an open-top Land Rover and bike trailer, with turning circles top and bottom that make around 20 runs a day realistic. The park is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, with tickets sold online through the website:

• Saturday and Sunday, year round: gates open 9:00am, uplift runs 9:30am to 4:00pm, gates close 4:30pm.
• Wednesday evenings, spring and summer only: gates open 4:30pm, uplift runs 5:00pm to 8:00pm, gates close 8:30pm. Check the website for exact seasonal dates before planning a midweek visit.

Riders under 18 need a parent or guardian to book. Car parking, toilets and a cafe are on site, and one-to-one and group coaching is available through Hammoon Cycles, who run the park. Okeford Hill also hosts Adaptiv Sports demo days and meet-ups for adaptive MTB sessions. As a downhill venue on flinty ground, a full-face helmet and knee pads are the minimum recommended protection.

Getting Here

The postcode DT11 0EF gets you to the edge of Okeford Fitzpaine village, not the car park itself, which sits a fair distance further on, so allow extra time and don't rely on the postcode alone. Come off the A357 and drive through Okeford Fitzpaine. As you leave the village, take the turning up the hill on the left and follow it to a layby at the brow of the hill. Turn into the layby, go through the gate onto the track, and follow it through the gateways until you reach the car park on the right. That is the park. For information, contact Hammoon Cycles on 01747 850 622.

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