In general, mountain biking doesn’t shy away from a bit of attention. Brands spend big promoting their products, and apparel manufacturers emblazon their logos all over their clothes. Pro riders these days try to outdo each other on social media just as much as between the racecourse tape, and even us average schmos often feel weirdly compelled to shout about where we’ve ridden on Instagram and Strava. But there’s one branch of mountain biking that still has a very clear interest in keeping a low profile. You might only be aware of their presence from a fresh line in the dirt, skidded earth on a trail exit, or a concealed stash of rusting tools.
This is the world of the illegal trail builder, where fame and recognition are more likely to be shunned than sought. Constructing tracks without permission is a hugely controversial subject, even though it’s been part of mountain biking for decades. In the UK, it’s often at odds with the conservation aims of landowners, and tends to be portrayed by non-riders as vandalism: simply someone wrecking an environment for their own personal satisfaction.
But for many riders, it’s not as clear cut. Not just because it generally takes months or years to bring new official mountain bike trails to life, but because in the absence of things like risk assessments and third party liability insurance, unofficial trails can provide the extra challenge that some riders crave. And unofficial trails aren’t a fad that will fizzle out: anecdotally at least, it seems this year has been the most prolific one yet for sneaky trail building.
We were recently contacted by one such shadowy figure, who had some insights into his world, as well as some things he wanted to get off his chest.
Get to know your builder
While a lot of trail building is definitely down to younger riders looking to make their own local spots, some of it is the work of people who are more likely to have kids of their own. Our builder fits into the latter category, having started to dabble in trail building well into his 40s. Another misconception is that an unauthorised mountain bike trail involves building the largest jumps you can get away with. Here our man is keen to correct the record:
“My own style of building is mostly using pre-existing shapes and features as subtly as I can. Round here most of the woodlands are old stone quarries so there’s material in abundance.”
“The different seasons often reveal the lines – the way the leaves settle or the outline that the frost presents. I feel very strongly that a trail or feature should sit as naturally as possible in the woodland, so that means as narrow as possible with as little unsightly borrow pit digging as possible. Lines of sight and crossings over existing paths are things I consider very carefully before I begin.”
This isn’t to say that his trails are beginner-friendly. It’s clear when talking to him that one big reason he builds to push his limits as a rider.
“My first couple of attempts made things easier to ride, till it clicked, I wouldn’t get any better as a rider by making things easier. With jumps, especially gap jumps, it’s really obvious when something is out of your league at the moment. Sometimes trails are too. It would be a dull world if every trail was rideable by everybody, wouldn’t it?”
Drama in spades
Although our builder seems to have put in a substantial amount of work into his trails, the threat of them being discovered and destroyed doesn’t seem to deter him:
“I am careful when and where I dig. It’s another reason I build like I do. That way, even if it is discovered it can’t easily be destroyed. I’ve found that one decent sized piece of stone, half-buried with another piece on either side can form a great lip that can’t be changed with a pick and shovel. Bringing a big bag of rubbish back out of the woods with you is great cover too, if anyone were to stop me.”
However, riders modifying his trails to make them less intimidating are a pet hate:
”I’d like you to think before you alter a trail feature or cut a corner. If that drop is too big at the moment go practice on a smaller one and get that skill dialled. By the same token, not every corner needs a berm, because where’s the skill in that? If you can’t make that corner go away again and practice till you can.”
Aside from the trail sanitisers, the other unwelcome intruders into his domain are the amateur vloggers who feature his trails in their social media posts.
“I accept that this is a new and unstoppable force, and often done in a well meaning way, but I implore them to think about a few things very carefully before posting. Unofficial trails aren’t surfaced and therefore can’t take the beating a trail centre trail can, so sometimes it’s better to avoid them in the worst of the weather. If you post the location in your video, not only will the trail see more traffic than it can handle but often the location can’t handle those numbers either. If that peaceful corner of the wood ends up packed with dayglo-helmeted enduro dudes every weekend, the landowners may have no choice but to remove said trail.”
Some YouTube posters have even used other social networking sites to pinpoint his trails exactly, which meets with predictable dismay:
“Including the name of the Strava section makes it too easy to find trails. In the future it will be another stick that is used to beat us with. In some parts of the States it already is. Searching for lines or being shown a trail by a friend is part of the rites of passage of becoming a rider, surely?”
Nor is he a fan of the tendency for social media users to over-hype unsanctioned trails by using terms like “bike park”:
“The definition of a bike park is somewhere where they have permission, and where you pay to play. So please refrain for calling everywhere by that name. In most locations our presence is only tolerated at best and it doesn’t take a lot to spoil the status quo. We have no right, even on trails built by riders, to expect walkers to not be there and to jump out of our way.”
Stealth singletrack solitude
If the idea of sculpting lines in the woods sounds like something youyou want to help out with, we’ve got some bad news: our man likes to work alone.
“A question I get asked a lot is ‘can I help?’. My answer is thank you but no. For me it’s a therapeutic moment of peace, fitted in where I can, in between all the family duties and our proper jobs.You could consider volunteering at your nearest trail centre or one of the many local official developments that are cropping up. Even rights of way maintenance can be very satisfying. Definitely learn the concept of ‘kicking a drain’ and carry a folding saw to keep the branches out of our faces.”
Apart from time to himself, our trail builder’s ultimate goal seems to be increasing his skill and getting outside his comfort zone.
“Most riders want to see or feel some progression. My own building is inextricably linked to this desire. There’s another local builder who creates trails so sketchy that only a handful of people can ride them but I hope one day to progress enough to try!”
The debate over mountain biking’s relationship with illegal trail building isn’t going away. We’ve recently seen controversy over the appropriateness of building extremely challenging features near the peak of a pandemic, as well as examples of builders crossing the fence and trying to work more closely with other user groups. Some riders view it as actively harmful to the sport, damaging our image as responsible users, but it seems unlikely that this will deter the builders from doing their thing. For our builder, and others like him, official permission isn’t important as long as you follow your own rules.
Is our mystery trail builder a saint or sinner? Let us know what you think in the comments.
I agree with pretty much all the sentiments here. As a trail builder myself, I’ve (almost) single handedly created trails for myself and others and to then find parts of your trail that you scoped out and directed in a specific way, for specific a feature and challenge, changed to make it easier is so dispiriting. Especially as it then takes usually an hour or two to rectify and return which is time not used elsewhere.
I’m currently in the big process of rebuilding trails after bushfires in Australia and the huge regrowth that has occurred in the year since.
The work, especially just after the fires, was probably the most effective way to manage the mental health stains from last year. And as a bonus there’s something rad to ride afterwards. Long live the sneaky builders, many places wouldn’t have a scene or trails without them
100% agree with this, even the digging alone thing, and taking home the bag of rubbish! I much prefer riding the features that exist naturally without building heckin great berms and jumps, I stay away from SSRIs and nature reserves too. Keep it stealthy and secret and there’s no harm done.
Absolute saint!
People like these are the reason why mountain biking is so popular. They have created a network of trails and features all over the country that would otherwise be a boring footpath or bridleway. They have single handedly encouraged the progression of riders and equipment as a result. They should be celebrated and not persecuted.
This is the correct way of trail building imo. No one is wanting to take away from kids building jumps but there’s a big leap from a small kicker to a 20ft gap jump in the middle of a bridleway. Building like this allows us to appreciate the areas and outdoors while not upsetting land owners. It allows people to move on and come back to areas if there is anyone upset and not leave large swathes of foot deep rutted berms across the hillside.
I would happily buy this person a pint as thanks for all the work they have done (and I would encourage others to do the same). But I cant…
Problem is like everything. At a certain level, in a quiet place with no litter, fires and big features most landowners would turn a bling eye. Aside from massive wooden structures, litter and conservation constraints the issue is the occupiers liability act and for builders the construction, design and maintenance regs increasingly. It’s on the landowner in this country who owes a duty of care to people on their land, even if they’re trespassing. If someone wrecks themselves on a built trail there’s a squeaky bum period for a landowner, their insurer etc. I’ve been to woods to investigate deaths on wild trails and been told “oh yeah, there was a guy broke his back here last month, air ambulance is here all the time” as soon as I know that anything that happens is foreseeable and the landowner is at risk in court, has a legal and some would say moral responsibility to others who may try out that line. A lot of sanctioned trails start with a qualifying feature to keep those who don’t have skills off that trail. The majority of wild trails don’t. I think a lot of landowners would be happy to work with trail builders where they can agree principles but the issue is always finding someone who’s happy to be the responsible person, and take on the CDM issue and get insurance to cover the occ liability issue. Not always but mostly bikers don’t want the cost and hassle, why would they? Ask the follow on question – why then would the landowner? Things work better when the landowner has a chance to make a few quid in rent or from a chargeable car park next to the trails but even then things aren’t easy. Building is at an all time high due to lockdown, bikes are more capable and landowners are struggling to deal with it I’d guess. Not good for either side.
Unfortunately, birds, animals, and other flora and fauna don’t just exist in SSSIs and nature reserves. There is a good reason why most developments have to undertake an extensive survey by professionals and experts before being allowed to go ahead. The aborted Radmires trails are a good example – nesting nightjars (secretive rare birds) would have been unlikely to be noticed by stealth trail builders. And as the chap in the article himself notes, it’s social media and the associated numbers of riders which exacerbate the issue greatly – a couple of kids messing about in their local woods really isn’t much of an issue and has been going on forever, but Audis full of Strava-wielding stormtroopers on 160mm bikes can have a very negative impact, both on the environment, the wider locale and the reputation of mountain bikers as a whole. I am aware I am definitely in a minority on this issue, but I can’t understand the mentality which thinks it’s OK to go and dig up someone else’s property.
There’s no doubt that builders have made an enormous contribution to the sport, since the early days. And in those (unfortunately rare) occasions where private landowners or local authorities have seen the positives and adopted trails or relaxed restrictions, it’s great. But I fear that the sport has just got too popular now – there are so many of us – that the days of the ‘pirate’ trail digger are numbered. Plus, if the evidence in my local woods is anything to go by, “…kids digging in the woods…” has gotten way past the occasional kicker over a 2ft gap. If the council find the jump lines they’ve built (and they are very impressive) they’ll have no alternative but to bulldoze them.
All fine, nice and dandy – apart of bit of “mememe” attitude – but we are not living in ideal world when everybody is sensible, knows own limitations, in general behaves nicely and is familiar with term “responsibility”, with all it limitations and perks package…
Cheers!
I.
burko73 and tlr – some very good points in those comments.
This chap reached out to us as a builder, so the piece is definitely a bit one-sided. This article from the magazine a couple of years back has more input from land managers and presents more of a rounded view. https://singletrackmag.com/2018/11/singletrack-122-build-it-and-they-will-come/
I was caught red handed by a couple of Forestry England rangers a few years back. Trail was only a bit of singletrack with the forest debris cleared away and rollable features.
To my astonishment I was invited to carry on with the understanding that jumpy stuff was taboo along with disturbing roots of live trees.
At the end of the day, if you want something for just you and your mates, don’t tell anyone about it. A fair few good, bad and brutally honest points through this article, but probably best not to even mention it, especially in a biking magazine, if you want to just keep doing your thing.
Thanks Antony, I hadn’t read that article before. There still seemed to be an astonishing level of entitlement on behalf of the builders/riders in that piece though. The prevalent attitude seems to be ‘exactly what I want doesn’t exist exactly where I want it, so I’ll do what I want to create it’. I don’t live near a race track or rally course, but folk would be rightly upset if I used that as an excuse for racing on public roads or across local farmer’s fields. Access law in Scotland is different though, so maybe it would be acceptable….
I live on the edge of Salisbury Plain, which is having a clamp down on illegal 4×4 and Motorbike use, which has increased over the last few years, as they have increased in popularity similar to Mountain biking, is the sense of entitlement to ride/drive which also comes through in this article. People need to remember all land in the UK is owned by someone and unless you own the land or have permission from the land owner, you have no right to dig, ride or even be on the land in the first place. I am not a lawyer but it is at probably least trespass. Cheeky trails have always been a thing in UK in Mountain Biking, however we cannot complain when they get taken down, over populated or changed, yes it is frustrating but part of it, we can’t be taking the moral high ground, we just have to accept it and move on or go buy our own land
Not a fan of the term ‘wild trails’ as it starts to build the a language where wild becomes equated with problematic or causing issue.
Martin B, playing devil’s advocate here, but are you familiar with the work of Guy Shrubsole?
No I hadn’t Antony but just looked him up, will have a look more into his work. Here in Wiltshire land owners are very precious about ‘their’ land, they like putting signs up all over the place to tell you that us plebs aren’t welcome
Building unofficial trails was how mountain biking started and progressed.
We’ve not always had trail centres.
I think that it is tragic that there aren’t more opportunities for kids to dig in the dirt. It seems to be one of the best ways to inspire a sense of stewardship of the land in future generations. I am looking forward to the day where football pitches have become trail centers with an active cadre of youth builders and maintainers. Where terrain is a little more wild, the objections to rogue trails because of disruption of the natural environment seem generally overblown and without consideration to the positive benefits of the trails and trail building.
I’ve been building trails in my local forests for something like twenty years. When I say “building” what I really mean is scoping out, clearing and maybe throwing in the odd skinny bridge or two to get across otherwise uncrossable gullies. I don’t go big on the whole bench cutting thing, as for me some of the most enjoyable stuff to ride is basically “off piste” but with a few offending branches removed – stuff like that.
What I have noticed, especially this last year, is that where there was originally a serpentine descent there’s now a new chute, straight down the fall line – or, conversely, where there was a drop down over some rooty steps now there’s a new sanitised route off to one side. It seems some people are never happy to ride what’s in front of them but rather have to modify it to suit them….
Now that I’m old I get almost as much pleasure from finding new places to ride as from actually riding them – but I’m really only doing it for me (and maybe one or two others). A lot aren’t viable for lots of use, which has been another thing over the last year – far more use than normal.
Yes, I know – just more random stuff from an old man….
“We’ve not always had trail centres.”
And many of us don’t want to be restricted to trail centres also. Doesn’t mean tearing up every inch of countryside digging trails and huge features everywhere though (like bits of Surrey Hills arguably), but subtle work on natural tracks to join dots or avoid conflict with other users on main paths, use of natural features for technical fun, is fine by me even if not technically authorised. Bearing in mind walkers enjoy a lot of trails that aren’t right of ways, sometimes clearing paths themselves where overgrown.
Thank AdH, just ordered the book.