I found out over the weekend that after accident after accident and trail abuse through persistent littering the Dirt Jump Zone in Sherwood Pines is to shut. A real shame as definitely gave what is otherwise a rather tame set up a neat bite.

I do wonder if the increase of folk on the trails since Covid and more the as good increase of walkers out on the forest as everything else shuts and we seek to balance out lives with space and air, has led to a more sanitising approach by the authorities generally across the UK. Need to be careful though as if you don't build it and manage it tightly then it just goes underground. Not excusing the littering and abuse as largely as a community there is within us a small contingent of respectless riders we seem to turn mostly a blind eye to and we need somehow to address this collectively through fines, banning, calling out, etc. I'm more stating the obvious and inevitable consequence of these types of actions.

Does anyone know what this means for the downhill lines they used to have?

Here is the announcement from Sherwood Pines - Forestry England:

We will shortly be removing the Dirt Jump Zone. This popular area was originally built for experienced riders aspiring to an elite level of technical ability, however, the number of inexperienced riders now using the dirt jumps and having accidents has reached a point where it is unacceptable to us and local emergency services.

This area has also become a litter hotspot from the many people gathering around to watch so we’re hoping another benefit of removing these jumps will be reduced antisocial littering. Removing the bike jumps is another tough decision we’ve had to make recently and we know many of you will be disappointed but we are still investing and committed to improving Sherwood Pines, watch this space as there are some exciting developments to come.

Check out the Sherwood Pines trail listing here on the site.

Published: 13/12//2020