BikePark Wales and Natural Resources Wales Sign New Lease to Rewild Mountain

06.08.2024 - 10:10 / breakingtravelnews.com

BikePark Wales, the UK’s premier mountain bike venue, along with Natural Resources Wales announce a stunning plan to transform 400 acres of Welsh mountainside.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), which manages the Welsh Government Woodland Estate, has worked closely with BikePark Wales since its first breaking trail in 2013, but a new lease set to be signed in June 2024 is an unprecedented step forward for both parties.

The new 33-year lease will see revenue from visiting mountain bikers invested in a Future Forest Vision that will see the vast majority of BPW’s mountain return to its natural state. The rewilding plan will see the site change in the coming decades from classic commercial forestry management to a regime that promotes biodiversity gains, improves the resilience of the forest and encourages the return of more ancient semi-natural woodland.

This lease also ensures that BikePark Wales will remain home to the UK’s best-known trails for years, it will add some new trails and also mean visitors can now stay overnight at the site.

In addition to the park’s existing 46 mountain bike-specific trails, visitor centre, woodland café, bike hire and bike shop, the new agreement adds planning permission for new trails (nine climbing trails, 27 downhill trails, seven linking trails, and two new skills areas), a bigger visitor area and sustainable accommodation in the form of glamping pods and chalets.

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Martin Astley for BikePark Wales says: “Our mountain is without a doubt a stunning area, and we already have a diverse range of broadleaf trees here on our mountain.  But there is also a lot of monoculture pine forest in South Wales, the result of decades of commercial forestry. The new lease changes the entire site of BPW, and aside from the mountain bike trails through the forest, we will be encouraging and assisting the forest to return to a more natural state with our colleagues at NRW. Because of the trails, this isn’t classic ‘rewilding’ but it’s as close as we can get, and the trails will allow riders to go deep into our wilderness. What is exciting is that no one has seen what the more natural state of these hills looks like for a couple of centuries. And now we’ll get to find out”.

Astley continues; “Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the new lease is the opportunity to work with NRW in a unique collaboration which includes turning parts of BikePark Wales into a seed bank for other potential sites across the country. And some of the income generated by visiting riders being funnelled into a “Future Forest Vision” plan.” Astley is excited about what the future holds. “The Future Forest Vision includes creating an arboretum, where we can let Cathedral trees reach maturity, and we can