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UK drop-offs

26 posts & 21 voices | Started 5 hours ago by pjacko | Latest reply from colournoise

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pjacko - Member

Anyone know why you rarely see large ladder drops (or any other drops) at UK venues?

These features are one of my favourites to ride (probably as you can scare the pants off yourself, but realistically it's more confidence than skill that results in success!)

I've done quite a bit of riding at various spots in England/Wales/Scotland and trails seem to rarely feature drops when compared to places abroad (e.g Andorra, French Alps)

Is it a land owner liability thing or am I just riding in the wrong spots??

Posted 5 hours ago #
philjunior - Member

Edit - was misinterpreting the features you were talking about!

Not sure, they have something similar on the Fort William course - or they did last time I rode it (several years ago now).

Posted 5 hours ago #
submarined - Member

I know when our little club that rents a bit of land had to take theirs down it was definitely a liability thing.

There are some at Stile Cop, but they aren't huge.

Posted 5 hours ago #
cyclelife - Member

It's down to the landowners public liability insurance, so most drops are natural therefore not compromising their insurance. Easy to conceal a natural drop compared to an obvious construction. FC has a policy to knock down wooden features.
Big ish drop (Peatys) at the bottom of the Steel City DH in greno woods Sheffield.

Posted 5 hours ago #
rossburton - Member

Like this from Gawton?

Posted 5 hours ago #
Stevet1 - Member

Havok bike park has a couple as well, although the bigger ones are only open to riders who can demonstrate they're capable of riding them to the staff.

Posted 5 hours ago #
JonEdwards - Member

Chicksands used to have some. Not been there for a while though.

All about insurance and landowner liability.

There's a good few natural rock lines about the place if you keep your eyes open though, although both run in and landings can be shady!

Posted 5 hours ago #
pjacko - Member

Like this from Gawton?

Exactly what I'm talking about- I clearly need to plan a trip to Gawton then

Posted 4 hours ago #
tpbiker - Member

The Fort Bill drop isn't open to mere mortals as far as I am aware..

Not that I would have done it anyway.

Posted 4 hours ago #
chakaping - Member

I'll let you go first on the Havok drop OP...

Posted 4 hours ago #
tomhoward - Member

Shame the photographer missed GW pinning it off that on his CXer

Posted 3 hours ago #
andysredmini - Member

We used to have some decent sized ones at kinver until the new land owners removed them in the name of health and safety. I can understand why but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. Funny thing is there are much bigger more dangerous dirt features.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwFNBCUjzA

Posted 3 hours ago #
alexpalacefan - Member

Try the "Mushroom Farm" north of Nottingham, just what you're after.

APF

Posted 3 hours ago #

tjagain - Member

There used to be some in the pentlands that someone had built - dunno if they are still there and glentress used to have them ( does it still??)

Posted 2 hours ago #
pjacko - Member

Thanks for the tips all. This year will be the first year in a while that I'm not heading to the Alps so it'll be good to find somewhere more local to scratch the itch! Havok and gawton are definitely on the list now, although neither will quite hit the spot the same as this did last summer...

Still I can't stay young and irresponsible forever!

Posted 2 hours ago #
SaxonRider - Member

There used to be some at Cwmcarn, weren't there?

Pretty much abandoned now, I think.

Posted 2 hours ago #
haystack - Member

Got anymore info on this Mushroom farm place?
Leicester based and never heard of it.

Posted 2 hours ago #
taxi25 - Member

There used to be some at Cwmcarn, weren't there?

Used to be a triple thing, three drops side by side of varying heights. Knocked down now, I think the air ambulance got fed up with attending

Posted 2 hours ago #
sobriety - Member

Got anymore info on this Mushroom farm place?

Bestwood by the look of it, if I ever dig my big bike out again I'll have to give it a go...

https://skyaboveus.com/cycling/The-Best-Mountain-Biking-in-Sherwood-Forest

Posted 2 hours ago #
philjunior - Member

The Fort Bill drop isn't open to mere mortals as far as I am aware..

Yes, I didn't mean the road gap, but there are some (much smaller) ones elsewhere on the course IIRC.

I may not RC!

Posted 2 hours ago #
sideshow - Member

Liability I think

And social network effect - one big landowner decides against them and others follow suit

Yes natural drops can be more dangerous, but that danger is 100% generated by the rider choosing to drop off it. Ladders OTOH have to be built and maintained well, if somebody is injured because a ladder collapses the landowners are scared that a lawsuit would come their way. Presumably you could defend by having regular maintenance inspections in place, but that's not going to be free... and I wonder if by the same sort of reasoning a landowner has a greater duty of care on woodwork that extends to people falling off it as well. IANAL.

Posted 2 hours ago #
Marin - Member

Farmer John's has some decent drops. At least I poo it going off them. Stockport way.

Posted 2 hours ago #
Stevet1 - Member

Where are you based pjacko?

Posted 1 hour ago #
chiefgrooveguru - Member

There's some fairly big stuff at Steyning and at Wind Hill Bike Park.

Posted 1 hour ago #
pjacko - Member

I'm in Bristol, so no excuse not to have checked out gawton and wind hill!

Posted 51 minutes ago #
colournoise - Member

Behold the awesomeness of the mighty Badger Drop in our local woods!

www.vimeo.com/99053173

Posted 13 minutes ago #

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