CountyDurham’s HamsterleyForest has received £130,000 to extend the red trail at the popular Northern England mountain bike trail centre.
The new loop, which is set to open in July, will join onto the existing 14km trail, making it one of the longest in the UK.
Funding has come from County Durham Environmental Trust (CDENT), Teesdale District Council, Hamsterley Trailblazers and the Forestry Commission.
Vicky Chilcott, from Hamsterley Trailblazers, an independent riders and trail building group which has worked to secure funding for new biking developments, said: “Over the past five years exciting new facilities have been created in Hamsterley including a £220,000 skills loop, a beginner’s trail and an upgraded black route for experts. But what’s missing according to the feedback we get is an intermediate challenge so bikers can take their skills onto a new level. That's why the new red trail is crucial. Ultimately we want to create one of the longest singletrack red routes in the UK, extending over 25km, which will have huge appeal."