Chopwell Woodland Park
OS Grid Reference: NZ137585
Chopwell Woods’ 360 hectares include some real treats for mountain bikers. There are numerous forest tracks suitable for bikes, including a railway path trail, but the icing on the cake must be the extreme black grade technical trail – new for 2007.
Mountain Biking UK recently said of the local trail-building volunteer group’s activities: ‘Chopwell Mafia are an example of triumph over adversity. They claimed the local woods, brought bike-hating dog walkers on side, raised money and built a trail.’ The Powerline Trail is ‘hopefully the start of the epic yet to come…a mix of perfectly flowing berms and twisting singletrack.’
Enjoy!
Powerline Trail – 3.5km
A fast, technical, testing trail with flowing berms and twisting singletrack.
The route travels from the main car park towards the river Derwent. It is suitable for proficient, fit mountain bikers with good off-roading skills. The Powerline trail should take you about 45 minutes to complete.
High Voltage Trail – 0.3km
New for 2007, this awesome severe grade technical trail was created by local volunteer trail-building group ‘the Chopwell Mafia’ to complement the red grade Powerline trail.
Running alongside the Powerline trail, it is suitable only for expert riders used to prolonged effort, riding quality off-road mountain bikes. It should take you about 20 minutes to complete.
Outside Line Trail – 5.8km
This way-marked trail follows forest roads and takes you around Chopwell Woods, showcasing some of its finest views.
Bear in mind that it’s a shared trail, so please respect other users. Allow yourself 30 minutes to an hour to complete the route, depending on your levels of fitness and expertise, and how long you’d like to spend gazing at the scenery!
Festival Trail – 2.5km
A real family-friendly, feel-good trail, Festival is a way-marked route that winds along an old railway line and offers lots of scenic views and green, leafy escapism.
It’s a shared trail, so please respect other users. Festival is suitable for beginner and novice cyclists in good health, with basic bike skills. It can be tackled by most mountain bikes and hybrids.
Chopwell Woodland Park
Recreation Ranger,
Forestry Commission England
Tel: 01434 220242
www.forestry.gov.uk
www.nefa.co.uk
Tourist Information Centre
Gateshead Information Service
Tel: 0191 4784222
Email:
tourism@gateshead.gov.uk
Get on two wheels...
Chopwell Woodland Park is a beautiful 360 hectare mixed woodland near Gateshead, alive with an amazing variety of plant and wildlife. It is a fantastic place to bring your bike, with over 11km of cycle trails for you to explore.
Click here to download your guide
How to get there
The entrance to the wood is located in the southern end of High Spen village, off the B6315.
Transport
To plan your transport route call Traveline on 0870 608 2608 or visit www.travel-line.co.uk
Access Points and Car Parking
Two car parks signed off the forest road, both with picnic tables.
TRAVEL GUIDE ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION
Facilities
Information, parking, disabled access
Bike Hire
Whickham Thorns Outdoor Activity Centre
Market Lane
Dunston
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
Tel: 0191 4335767
Map
OS Explorer OL 307
Consett & Derwent Reservoir
£7.49 from all good bookshops
or call 0845 200 2712
ordnancesurvey.co.uk
