Pay
Report
Apply
Date: 07 May 2024
Barnett Desmesne mountain bike trail in Belfast has been highlighted on the refreshed its MountainBikeNI.com website, which showcases over 150 miles of mountain biking trails situated across numerous NI trail centres as popularity in the sport surges.
The site serves as a hub which allows riders across NI to source information about trails which originate from several official trail centres, as well as every pump track and skills course in Northern Ireland.
The official trail centres include Barnett Demesne in Belfast, Davagh Forest in Mid Ulster, Gortin Glen Forest Park outside Omagh, Castlewellan and Rostrevor which are in Newry Mourne and Down, and Fivemiletown’s Blessingbourne Estate, amongst others.
MountainBikeNI.com also provides an interactive map which details all trail information, including length, difficulty, on site facilities and downloadable GPX files, which allow riders to open a live map of the trail on their navigation device when out and about.
The site also lists all accommodation and eateries that are situated close to the trails, which is set to drive footfall to local businesses.
Mountain biking has seen an increase in popularity across Northern Ireland since the development of the country’s first dedicated trails in 2013, with engagement in the sport surging during the pandemic.
Councillor Micky Murray, Chair of Belfast City Council’s People and Communities Committee commented: "Barnett Demesne is a real urban oasis for mountain bike enthusiasts. And it’s great to see our pump tracks at Ormeau Park and Pairc Nua Chollan featured too. We’ve made a commitment in The Belfast Agenda to make outdoor recreation more accessible, so I’m really pleased to see this newly updated MountainBikeNI.com website helping to attract both residents and visitors to enjoy our beautiful city and its stunning natural setting."
Ethan Loughrey, Communications and Training Executive with Outscape, said, "We're delighted to be able to share the new MountainBikeNI.com website with the public. A huge amount of work has gone into ensuring it is as user friendly and durable as possible, allowing for integration with more modern Geographic Information System developed mapping.
“We have also added a number of trails, and all of the pump tracks and skills courses in Northern Ireland to the website. These sites provide an essential outlet for outdoor opportunities for local communities and their benefits - everything from increased physical and mental health to substantive reductions in antisocial behaviour - are widespread."
To discover more, visit: https://mountainbikeni.com