Time To Refurbish The Nova Trail
Work starts this November to refurbish Ashton Court’s Nova Mountain Bike Trail.
We need YOU to join our Dig Days to make it happen.
We need volunteers to lend a hand on the 10th, 11th and 12th November.
Our dig days are free to attend, no training or specialist equipment is required and you’ll be provided with everything you need. It’s a great chance to help your local trails, spend some time in the woods and shape the future of Bristol’s mountain bike scene.
Each day will be split into two sessions, morning and afternoon, and you’re welcome to join for as much or as little as you can.
Simply sign up here on Ride Bristol’s Eventbrite to join the party.
So What’s Going On?
The Big Nova Refurb is thanks to Stif Mountain Bikes who have just donated £5,000 to RideBristol – making their donations a total of £18,000 over the last three years.
This £5,000 donation will be matched by another £5,000 from RideBristol and another £5k worth of ‘in-kind’ contributions from Plantforce and ETM.
All of this will be used to refurbish an almost 1km stretch of Ashton Court’s Nova trail, including ‘Sourcy Fields’ and some of ‘Beggar Bush’. The work will repair worn sections, build new features, replacing the eroded surface and giving the trail a significant overhaul.
Work will take place 6th and 12th of November – with volunteer dig days on the 10th, 11th and 12th of November (sign up here to get involved).
Our automated trail counters recorded 150,000 laps of Beggar bush between 2021 and 2022. That’s a massive amount of riders.
This huge volume of traffic has taken its toll on the trails and this work bring them back up to full health. They’ll feel more fun to ride, they’ll flow better and they’ll feel safer and grippier, making them more suitable for more people.
And Who’s Behind All This?
The work is being delivered by Ride Bristol volunteers and VelosolutionsUK with the help of Stif Mountain Bikes, ETM, Plantforce and Bristol City Council.
Ride Bristol will provide 3 days of volunteer power – shoving barrows, swinging shovels, trimming pushes, slurping tea and munching cake. We’re also match-funding Stif’s contribution with our own funds, raised thanks to donations from the public.
All machine work, design and technical stuff will be handled by the master mountain bike trail builders at Velosolutions, who are providing the work at an ‘our local trails’ rate.
Plantforce is providing free-of-charge machinery to the project and ETM is providing free-of-charge Type 1 stone, used for the surface of the trail. These contributions are worth around £5,000 – a significant amount and a real boost to our cause.
All work is done with the support of Ashton Court’s landowner, Bristol City Council.
And, of course, it’s all being paid for by Stif‘s generous donation, matched by RideBristol’s funds.
Get Involved Or Donate
Remember – we need YOU to make this happen.
No volunteers, no trails. Without Ride Bristol’s volunteers, the trails won’t receive any funding or maintenance and they’ll fall into disrepair.
You can sign up to join us for the Stif Nova Trail Refurb here on Eventbrite.
Can’t make it? You can donate money to Bristol’s mountain bike trails here.