Posted on 06 Oct 2022
Work has started on an exciting upgrade to the White Wood Bike Park at Lochore Meadows.
Over 1,000 metres will be added to the mountain bike trail, woodland regeneration work will be carried out and a new group shelter and bike wash & repair station will be installed!
Created in 2010, and then upgraded to a cross country mountain bike trail in 2016, it has become a well-used and much-loved feature of the Country Park. Coupled with the success of the Meedies Bike Club, it is now a popular mountain bike destination across Fife and beyond.
The trails are regularly enjoyed by Outdoor Education Fife, local clubs, schools, Scottish Cycling and the wider local community. The bike park has hosted a round of the Scottish cross country mountain bike series for the last six years and, more recently, hosted the prestigious British series.
In recent years the trails have been badly damaged several times due to storm damage. Despite the best repair efforts from park staff, local volunteers and community groups, an overhaul and revamp of the facility is now needed.
Thanks to support from the Sport Scotland Cycling Facilities fund, Fife Environment Trust fund and Fife Council an upgrade to the bike park at Lochore Meadows is now on the cards. The park’s Outdoor Education team worked with the Meedies Bike Club to secure the funding.
The upgrade consists of four key elements:
Trail upgrade & extension: As well as repairing and upgrading some of the existing trails in the bike park there will be some new and exciting extensions added. There will be more technical sections introduced to allow users to up their skill levels whilst still allowing novices to have fun and ride safely on easier skills trails. Over 1000 metres of newly designed trail will be added to the park. And the first ever Adaptive 'Flowtrail' in the UK will be built. This will be specifically designed to be inclusive and used by riders with adaptive bikes such as side by sides, tandems and recumbents.
Group shelter: Over the years, a big positive from the bike park has been its communal outside 'meeting space'. This included various seating areas for groups to come together and enjoy including a firepit and outdoor BBQ area. We aim to recreate a similar area which will include a vandal proof covered group shelter. This will be a welcome addition to give user groups a sheltered place to come together - whether it’s on organised club rides, coaching courses or just local dogwalkers looking to shelter from the rain.
Bike wash & repair station: A new public bike service station will be installed at the start of the trails outside the Outdoor Education Centre. This will include a tool stand, bike parking and a bike wash. It will be open and free for public use.
Woodland regeneration: Unfortunately, parts of White Wood have suffered badly from storm damage over the years. With support from park staff, countryside rangers and community involvement from Benarty Primary, St Kenneths & Lochgelly High School planting work has already taken place to breathe new life into some of the wood, allowing smaller more native trees to flourish. The lower half of White Wood still consists mainly of windblown trees or dangerously heaving tress that are sooner or later going to fall down. These dangerous trees are all non-native and will be removed to allow the area to be replanted.
The park’s trails continue to be open, but users may experience some disruption to their ride as work is carried out. The upgrade is expected to be complete by January 2023.
