A new blue route has been opened by Steve Peat and Annie Last at the Lady Canning’s Plantation just a stone’s throw from Sheffield.

Lady Canning’s has long been a destination for mountain bikers near the city, but thanks to a successful crowd funding campaign, the wood now has a sustainable and legitimate trail to ride.

The crowd funding campaign was started in Febraury 2013 by Ride Sheffield who aimed to raise £7,500 by asking local mountain bikers to give £10 each towards the development of the trails. Over £15,000 was raised by August 2014 and and work began in January of this year.

Phase one of the build is the 1.4 km blue route. It may not sound long but as it’s so close to the city, it should be ideal for evening spins.

The Lady Canning’s plantation has a shallow gradient so should also be an attractive prospect to novice riders. Ride Sheffield is hoping to provide a similar experience to Sherwood Pines.

Steve Peat said: “Everyone involved with the whole process of getting Lady Cannings up and running deserves a huge pat on the back, I am impressed with how it has been handled and even more so with the finished product, the trail is awesome fun and will be a great learning curve for any level and age of rider.”

The crowd funding effort led to sponsorship of £60,000 by GoOutdoors. Using this money, Ride Sheffield hopes to populate the forest with a number of trails by the end of 2018.

Sheffield already has a great wealth of cycling trails with Greno Woods and Parkwood Springs nearby.

Video courtesy of Gee Milner: https://instagram.com/geemilner/