Trail Talk 🔴 Live!

Barnsley’s Youth Activity Park is moving ahead next to Base71 with the pump track and skate bowls now installed. The council says the bike area is beginner friendly and due to open in Spring 26. We’re still waiting on surfacing details, layout plans and whether it will offer progression for more advanced riders. Updates to follow once the full spec is published. Share if you know more?

Fireride Festival UK Jam has opened ticket sales for 10 to 12 July 2026 at Twisted Oaks Bike Park in Ipswich, with riding, comps, camping and a full weekend programme now confirmed.

Partington’s new all-wheeled sports facility is now open, bringing a full asphalt pump track, beginner loop, advanced jump line and a learn-to-ride area. Designed and built by Velosolutions the site is fully floodlit, includes a secure bike store, and features planting and drainage designed for long-term sustainability.

Havok Bike Park is running its Turkey Burner on the 27th and 28th, with two days of post-Christmas riding and a full day of tunes on the hill. 

A positive plug of our recently updated NI trail listings brought a strong rider backlash on Social Media - and a clear picture of how tough things feel on the ground. Riders pointed to long-term closures, storm-hit forests and trail-centre features that now feel dated or neglected, with several centres still dealing with the impact of recent storm damage. So we decided to dig deeper with a follow up feature with insight from local trail communities.

Read our feature and if you ride in Northern Ireland - trail centres, natural trails or volunteer-built spots - we’d like to hear your experience also.

iBikeRide has rolled out five clear categories across the UK MTB Trail Index – Bike Park, Trail Centre, Wild Trail Network, Urban Bike Park and Pump Track – so trails are now ranked alongside similar spots. The same system will power Trail of the Year 2026, with category awards and an overall Top 10, so every rating and review you leave from now on feeds straight into both the live Index and next year’s campaign.