New mountain bike trail for Philips Park

Date published: 11 February 2012

Work will start shortly on a new 3km single track mountain bike trail at Philips Park.

The £100,000 project is funded through a woodland improvement grant from the Forestry Commission, and should be completed by June. It will follow a route around the edge of the park and start at the play area car park, which is to be enlarged as part of the work.

The work will require the removal of some small trees but, since the park is a local nature reserve, disturbance will be kept to a minimum.

Funding has also been obtained to improve the main circular walk around the park and improve wheelchair use of what some local people know as Anna Maria Philips walk.

The mountain bike trail will link to the one built two years ago by the Forestry Commission on the adjacent Waterdale site and to a wider network of trails in the Irwell Valley.