• Nearest station: York
• Guidebook: N/A
• Trails: Purpose-built pump tracks and skills lines
• Other attractions: York, if you’re into old buildings. Occasional wildlife (squirrels, birds and the odd fox)

York: It has a Minster, some very old walls, two decent universities, a Viking centre that smells of pig crap (deliberately), and a lot of geese. It’s been my home for long enough that I feel kind of old thinking about it.

I didn’t come here for the biking. That’s not to say that York’s badly-placed for it; the Dales, North York Moors and Peaks aren’t that far away, and there’s good riding to be had just a little further west. York itself, though, is flat, as are its surroundings, and aside from the odd dirt track and a few unofficial jump lines, it’s historically not had much to recommend it for mountain biking. Fortunately, that’s changing.

On the way upriver from York proper, the tarmac bike route (Sustrans Route 65) takes you past Rawcliffe Country Park. With a name like that, you might expect some sort of Capability Brown masterpiece, with topiary, ornamental carp ponds and maybe a contingent of peacocks; in fact, it consists of a field and some small woods near the Park & Ride (and unfortunately also near the sewage works). What it does have going for it is an ongoing bike trail development, two sections of which are already fully rideable, and good fun.

Phase 1

Phase 1, the original pump track at Rawcliffe, was built by contractors a few years ago. It consists of two loops, both made up mostly of rollers and designed to be ridden clockwise (the outer loop also has a small tabletop and an small optional rock step). The inner loop is meant to be more advanced, with bigger rollers and tighter corners, while the outer is ideal for learning how to pump (a skill that’s definitely worth learning if you don’t have it already; it’ll make your trail riding flow better and feel a lot smoother).

Phase 2

Phase 2 is the first volunteer-built section of the Rawcliffe development, and the only one fully completed at the time of writing (work on Phase 3 is under way). Along with a more varied, multi-line pump track, it also has a couple of skills lines (built with coaching in mind, but good fun to ride solo), and a row of tabletop jumps. Unlike Phase 1, this track was built mainly using hand tools, by a group of volunteers who are frankly some of the most awesome people alive, who you should definitely give free drinks and cake if you meet them (full disclosure: I may be one of them…).

Phase 3 (work in progress)

The third and (so far) final phase is still under construction, though it’s taking shape nicely. Rocks are the theme so far, with a nice steep feature known as “Mount Rawcliffe” and an “evil” rock garden. Another jump line is also planned. All in all, Phase 3 should be excellent when it’s ready; if you’d like to come along and help dig, the work’s coordinated via a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/513974435317218

What’s it like to ride?

Pretty much like this. This video isn’t meant as a “how to” (I’m no expert), but it gives an impression of what the tracks are like: