Is there a nationwide forestry commission strategy for mountain biking?
PH: The general policy is that cyclists are welcome on hard tracks and roads, as long as they follow the code of contact we worked out with the CTC. Apart from that most development has been of a regional nature in areas like Wales and the south of Scotland. We try and respond to what people want in different areas, which is much more effective than trying to develop an overall strategy. BM: How much is the government involved or is this purely an FE initiative? PH: Specific mountain bike routes aren’t governmental but they fulfil a lot of the stated government targets. We’re encouraging health and well being, getting folk back into the countryside after foot and mouth, and we’re getting more people involved in what happens on public land. BM: Will all trails be set up for the same user groups or to address needs of different bikers? PH: We have to make sure that eveyone gets catered for, but again it’s often a case of regional demand. We’ve got all sorts of different models from Sustr
