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.
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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-orientated 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 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, who have 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.
Please share in the comments below your thoughts on this news.
Update 24th Nov:
From Firecrest Mountain Biking facebook page:
From Monday 8 December, forestry operations will commence at Rushmere Country Park. As part of these works the Rushmere Ride Riders - Downhill Zone volunteer‑built jump area will be cleared to create vehicle tracks, extraction routes and storage, and GST management have reviewed and decided the jumps will not be reinstated after felling.
If you’re concerned, you can write to GST management to voice your objections. You can either draft your own e-mail or use the sample e-mail below. Don't forget to add your name at the bottom! Thank you.
Please add the following GST email addresses and send as soon as possible.
paul.hirst@greensandtrust.org
dan.doyle@greensandtrust.org
gill.welham@greensandtrust.org
Dear GST Management Team,
I am writing as a regular user of Rushmere Bike Park to express my profound disappointment at the decision to remove the jump area during the planned forestry operations. Rushmere Ridge Riders is far more than a set of features; it is a community. Families, juniors, volunteers and everyday riders have invested time, skills and care into building a supportive space where people learn, progress and look out for one another. Removing the jumps severs that community fabric and will cause real stress and loss for many who rely on Rushmere as their local place to ride.
Rushmere’s accessibility is central to its value. Many riders’ cycle to the park rather than depend on car journeys, making it uniquely inclusive for local younger riders and families. The jumps and progressive lines provide essential, everyday opportunities to develop skills that feed into more advanced riding elsewhere. Replacing them with distant, destination trails does not serve the same local population.
I am also concerned that the decision appears to underestimate the social value of what has been built here. The volunteers who created and maintain these features do so with care and a focus on safety; their work underpins a thriving, community led stewardship model that benefits both users and the wider site.
Please reconsider the plan to demolish the jumps and/or to not reinstate them once the forestry operations are complete.
I urge the Trust to engage properly with the volunteer community and explore protective or reinstatement options so that this vital local facility and the community it supports can continue. The long term social and developmental value of Rushmere far outweighs any short term convenience of permanent removal.
This decision feels like a clear sign that management do not understand the mountain bike community or the way these grassroots projects foster inclusion, community and stewardship. It also sits at odds with the Greensand Trust’s charitable aims to promote access, education and community benefit, and it will have lasting, damaging consequences for the riders who regard Rushmere Ridge Riders as their local riding spot.
