The Greensand Trust is seeking a partner to rework cycling at Rushmere Country Park around an all-abilities XC trail, and has ruled out a return of the Downhill Zone.

The Greensand Trust is looking for "a competent and experienced partner" to redevelop cycling at Rushmere Country Park, near Leighton Buzzard, once its current woodland management work is finished. The Trust published the brief on 6 October, and proposals are due by 19 February 2027.

The brief rules out bringing back anything like the former Downhill Zone. The Trust says that decision reflects "risk management, insurance, supervision, site management and equal access", and that its insurance cover is limited to the cross country trail. Its governance board says bike park style riding "could be uninsurable, or would require a closed and staffed facility, which is not feasible".

What the brief asks for

The focus is on entry-level riding, family use and skills progression on a site open around the clock, where riders are unsupervised. It asks for proposals covering:

• A continuous cross country loop around the park with green, blue and red trails, so that newer and family riders can ride it safely and pick shorter sections, while keeping a challenge for more experienced riders.
• Skills areas where children and beginners can practise in a contained, visible space, with low features such as small rollers, berms and small drops or step-ups, laid out so they can be closed for coaching sessions.
• An improved pump track, with better shaping and surfacing, kept as an entry-level feature.

The Trust says Rushmere should complement the more specialist riding nearby, naming Woburn and Chicksands, rather than compete with it. That means Woburn Bike Park, where a rebuild is under way, and Chicksands Bike Park.

What it means for riders

Today Rushmere has a roughly 6km cross country loop, mostly blue with some red sections, plus a small pump track and a family loop. A cycle pass is still needed for the cross country trail.

The Downhill Zone closed for tree work in December 2025, and its jumps were removed. We covered that decision and the reaction to it in Rushmere to end jump area and shift to family-focused MTB. At the time, the Trust's statement of 10 December 2025 said it would redevelop cycling within the Downhill Zone area, focusing on lower risk and skill building "whilst still providing riders with a challenge". The new brief goes further: the Downhill Zone is not coming back in any equivalent form, and the challenge for experienced riders now sits on the cross country loop. The brief marks one area of the park as available for additional trails.

Our view

Credit to the Greensand Trust for setting out its reasons so plainly. Judged on its own, a graded cross country loop, skills areas for children and a better pump track is a sound plan for a country park, and in years to come plenty of riders may well learn to ride there.

It is harder to welcome given what came before. Rushmere built up a strong community of experienced riders, many of whom gave their own time to the old zone, and its jumps gave them somewhere to progress. In December 2025 the Trust said the area would be redeveloped with a challenge for riders. For many of them, this brief will leave a bitter taste.

The timing is difficult too. Of the two venues the Trust points riders to, Woburn Bike Park is around 4 miles away but still closed, waiting on planning decisions with no reopening date. Chicksands is open, but around 15 miles away as the crow flies, which is not an easy trip for younger riders without a lift. Aston Hill Bike Park, around 11 miles away, is still being rebuilt and has not yet opened. The brief promises a period of consultation with staff, volunteers and users, though it gives no details yet. We hope it gives local riders a real say in what comes next at Rushmere.

What happens next

The brief's timetable puts site meetings with interested parties in November and December 2026, with ongoing consultation in January 2027 and a consultation period that invites comment from staff, volunteers and users. The Trust expects to pick a proposal by 19 March 2027, then plan a phased build while it looks for funding. It has not given a build date, and work will have to fit around bird nesting season.

Anyone interested in bidding can read the full brief on the Greensand Trust's announcement. Riders who want a say should watch the Trust's news page for the consultation.

Image: The Greensand Trust.

Read: 1 times Published: 13/10/2026