​The Greensand Trust has confirmed that the jump area in Rushmere Country Park will not return after upcoming forestry works, signalling a shift in focus toward family-oriented cycling and further development of the X-Trail. The announcement follows senior management discussions by The Greensand Trust and comes as neighbouring Woburn prepares for a major rebuild led by The Bedford Estates and Matt Jones.

Contractors begin work on 8 December, with machinery access routes passing through the jump area for extraction and storage. The Trust said it considered safety, reinstatement costs, revenue levels, recent incidents, non-payment of riders, and verbal abuse toward staff and volunteers before deciding not to reinstate the jumps.

The previous shared economy of scale between Aspley (home of Woburn Bike Park and Trails) and Rushmere is no longer in place. With The Bedford Estates now developing a larger, well-resourced MTB facility at Woburn, Rushmere will focus on improving its family-oriented cycling offer rather than competing directly.

The X-Trail will be temporarily diverted from the Wild Things section down into the valley and across the bottom before rejoining the usual climb toward Lords Hill. Additional short closures will be required as tree work moves close to the cycle and horse trails.

A refund policy will be introduced for jump-area permit holders, cancelling permits and refunding pro rata for the remaining duration from the date the area closes. Details and instructions on how to claim will be published on the Rushmere website closer to the closure date.

The announcement was shared by Firecrest Mountain Biking, which has coached extensively at Rushmere. They confirmed that the DeVo youth development programme will continue as normal through the felling period and will move to Aston Hill once that site opens in the spring. 

The news has prompted a wide range of reactions from riders and volunteers, particularly those who have invested significant time in building and maintaining the jumps. Many have highlighted the loss of a long-standing volunteer-built facility, while others point to the difficulty of sustaining such areas without dedicated on-site management.

This change at Rushmere comes alongside the major redevelopment at Woburn, where The Bedford Estates and Matt Jones plan to rebuild the site into what Jones describes as the “ultimate official bike park”. Full details on that project can be found here: https://ibikeride.com/news/matt-jones-returns-to-rebuild-woburn-bike-park-into-the-ultimate-official-bike-park

More information:

Rushmere Mountain Bike Trails

greensandtrust.org

woburn.co.uk/the-estate/woburn-bike-park-and-trails

iBikeRide's statement: Of key concern is that the local community appears not to have been consulted, and that this decision leaves riders without a comparable progressive MTB facility within an accessible distance. The area has been built up and maintained over many years by local volunteers, at their own cost and in their own time.

These facilities give young riders a healthy outlet, a safe place to develop skills, and a strong sense of community cohesion. They are precious community assets and an important part of the local outdoor offer.

Removing them in this way risks taking the rug from under the very community that created and cared for the trails. We call on the Greensand Trust to work with local riders and residents to develop a plan for reinstating this MTB facility in this area once the forestry work is complete.

Make sure your voice is heard. Sign the petition now.

Update 8th Dec:

Some positive news from the Greensand Trust who have softened their position. Big thanks to everyone who wrote and filled in the petition. 

“Greensand Trust: We will be redeveloping the Downhill Zone once the Tree Management work has been completed we will consult with professionals on how we can develop cycling in the Downhill Zone area, and during the process there will be opportunity for our cycling community to feed into that process”

We’ll have to wait and see about the fate of the jumps and features during the forestry works, but it sounds like GST have softened their stance and that some trails will replace the Downhill Zone once the work is completed.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported the campaign by signing the petition or writing to GST it’s clearly made them soften their stance and guaranteed something for the future."

Update 10th Dec:

Two days later, a fresh statement from Rushmere Country Park lands very differently, closing the door on the existing jump area. For many riders and volunteers this may read less like a “positive change” and more like the official full stop on a community-built jump spot. At least there is more clarity and a commitment to developing the Downhill Zone, with The Greensand Trust saying it will consult both professionals and the riding community as part of that process. Hopefully, the start of a conversation that needs to include The Greensand Trust, local riders and volunteers. See the statement: 

"Rushmere Country Park: Vital woodland management work at Rushmere Country Park has necessitated the removal of the bike jumps within the Downhill Zone. In reviewing all activities and trails at Rushmere Country Park, our initial assessment has identified that some elements of the cycling Downhill Zone, in particular the more extreme jumps, do not meet the requirements needed to justify their restoration. The jump elements, significantly increase the risk factors for the Country Park and set this activity at a level that causes concern.

When looking at all our activities in the park we need to be certain that the risk factors are at a manageable level, as well as ensuring that the activity can be managed with the resources that we have at our disposal. We have to seriously consider issues around safety and all activities at Rushmere need to be at a level that is reasonable in a Country Park setting with robust processes to mitigate risks.

We will be redeveloping the Downhill Zone once the tree management work has been completed, and we will consult with cycling professionals for proposals on how we can redevelop cycling within the Downhill Zone area, focusing on lower risks and emphasising skill building whilst still providing riders with a challenge and maintaining fun. During this process there will be opportunity for our volunteer community both existing and new to be involved.

We understand the strong feeling that our decision has evoked and we are totally sympathetic to the cycling community who use our facilities, especially the volunteers who have given their time as Trust Volunteers who have helped us provide safe facilities for the public . We believe that the review of cycling in Rushmere Country Park will be a positive change, that offers more opportunities for exercise, skill building and fun for the current and future bike riders visiting the park."