Verderers Trail and the skills area at FoD’s Cannop Cycle Centre have both reopened following extensive maintenance work. Check ’em out.

Read more: Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire trail centre guide

As with any reshaped tracks, please take care when riding the new sections; sections of the trails have been completely re-shaped and will be unfamiliar even to regular visitors. If you are planning on visiting Forest of Dean then also please follow the government’s guidelines on social distancing.

Forestry England have invested around £80,000 to carry out improvements which include a complete rebuild of both the final descent on the Verderers Trail and the advanced skills area. The work was completed by Back on Track with additional support from the Dean Trail Volunteers.

The Verderers Trail was ridden by around 65,000 riders last year and with the growing popularity of mountain biking this year, the final figure for 2020 is predicted to significantly higher. This recent repair and reshaping work are intended to future-proof the trails and ensure their viability for years to come.

Foresty England: “A thank you goes to visitors and members as income generated from car parking and membership helps make these kinds of investments possible.”

Kate Thoday, Cycle Ranger for Forestry England in the Forest of Dean: “We are really pleased to be able to re-open these trails and see riders enjoy the results of many months of hard work. We are fortunate that we have been able to carry out this maintenance despite the challenges we have all faced this year.

“These upgrades will boost our already impressive cycling offer here in the Forest of Dean. We have seen record numbers of visitors to Cannop Cycle Centre this summer and it is great to see so many people enjoying the trails and discovering what the forest has to offer.”