‘Mile Down’ at Kielder Forest will, when fully complete, claim to be the longest downhill trail in England with the lower half now open to riders.
Kielder Forest gains yet another feather in its cycling cap with the addition of, when complete, the longest downhill trail in England. The lower section of ‘Mile Down’ is now open and ready for traffic, so don’t be shy. Graded as a red trail but with black and double black options, there’s something for everyone.
Read the full press release below.
Photos by DWACO.
The new “Mile Down” trail at Kielder, created in collaboration between Forestry England, Velo Solutions and Northern Downhill (NDH) is a new, red-graded trail with both black and double black diamond options.
This new trail complements the new Blue mountain bike trails of the Lonesome Pine trail in Kielder, the Reivers Gravel Trail Network, and the 26-mile Lakeside Way, underlining a reinvigorated approach to the trail network in the UK’s largest forest.
The lower half of the Mile Down Trail is now open, with international riders Manon Carpenter and Adam Brayton joining riders to bed in the Velo Solutions-created section, which offers a truly progressive riding experience.
As Manon says “They’ve packed a lot of fun riding in with cool rock features, flow, jumps and techy sections. Great to ride and to see new trails on offer!” .
Adam Brayton was visiting Kielder for the first time, making the 2-hour drive from Cumbria, and was suitably impressed“Mile Down is a superb addition to Kielder’s trail network. It really does have something for everyone, and I genuinely can’t wait to come back once the top section is open!“
The full trail will be open in the coming months, and at 1.69 miles in length claims to be one of the longest downhill trails in England.
Alex Maclennan, Recreation and Public Affairs manager:
“This is such a key milestone for Northumberland; 20 years in the thinking! Carl Davison, Phil Grimes from NDH and myself held close that one day we would deliver one of the longest downhill trails in England.
Back in 2005 it was quite a challenge to set out how we would deliver the Kielder cycle trail network, back then there was no singletrack- mainly due to the very challenging ground conditions of deep peat!
Since then the evolution of the 26 mile Lakeside Way (multi user trail), Osprey, Lonesome, the newly upgraded more inclusive Lone Star, Bloody Bush and Deadwater in addition to the newly created www.reivertrails.com network is something we are all proud of.
For a number of us, the missing chapter was the trail sections we opened on 7th May, a higher grade of technical trail. When completed in the coming months, the top section of the Northern DownHill Descent trail (rightly named after all the amazing work put in by the volunteers from NDH), we think Deadwater can finally claim to be one of the longest downhill trails in England.
In collaboration with the Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust, Northumberland County Council, Visit Northumberland and wider partners of the north east over the last 20 years who have all supported the cycle trail developments at Kielder, I do feel quite humbled and honoured. This is a key milestone for the region.
In partnership with Team Cycles who now operate the Kielder Cycle Centre, I believe this is Kielder’s time- the nations largest forest where you really can get away from it all (and even stay overnight in a camper van!). Kielder can now rightly claim it is the venue for every level of cycling and all disciplines in the UK, including miles of road cycling on the roads to Kielder across both sides of the border.
We must not forget all those who have helped get us where we are today, Kielder Trail Reavers volunteers, event organisers – large and small – and also our local communities and local businesses, hard-working forestry staff who make it all happen behind the scenes.”
Jack Hyde, Construction Manager, Velosolutions UK:
Velosolutions is proud to have been part of bringing the Deadwater Mountain Bike Trails to life. This project presented some serious challenges, from machine- swallowing ground conditions to navigating glacial boulder fields but that is what shaped the trail you see today.
Opening day was a truly special moment. Seeing so many riders out there enjoying the trails was a reminder of why we love this sport. It’s amazing to witness people connecting with the outdoors on something built by the hard work and dedication of so many, over the years.
A huge thank you to Forestry England and everyone who contributed to this journey. We’re proud of what’s been created and can’t wait to watch the Kielder riding scene continue to grow.“
Kevin May, Forest Management Director (FMD) for North England Forest District:
“A great partnership between Forestry England and Velo Solutions has excellently delivered a long-standing vision for Forestry England and in particular, for my colleague Alex MacLennan. The Kielder Forest Deadwater ‘Mile Down’ Trail – with route options catering for all between red, black and black double diamond. Opening the trails were Manon Carpenter and Adam Brayton two of the UK’s top Downhill Mountain bikers who have competed at the highest levels across the world…and importantly, both excellent ambassadors for the sport. Riding with such amazing athletes and a wider mountain bike community was a sheer pleasure, with the weather making it the perfect day. For me, a perfect mix of business and pleasure with a love of mountain biking, only surpassed by my love for the Nation’s Forests. With more to come for this trail in the autumn…“
