Local Outdoors Charity Launches Refreshed NI Wide Mountain Biking Hub

NI-based outdoor specialist, Outscape, formerly Outdoor Recreation NI, has unveiled a new iteration of its MountainBikeNI.com website which showcases over 150 miles of mountain biking trails situated across numerous trail centres in NI.

The site serves as a hub which allows riders across NI to source information about trails which originate from several official trail centres, as well as every pump track and skills course in Northern Ireland.

The official trail centres include Davagh Forest in Mid Ulster, Gortin Glen Forest Park outside Omagh, Castlewellan and Rostrevor which are in Newry Mourne and Down, Belfast’s Barnett Demesne and Fivemiletown’s Blessingbourne Estate, amongst others.

MountainBikeNI.com also provides an interactive map which details all the trail information, including length, difficulty, on site facilities and downloadable GPX files, which allow riders to open a live map of the trail on their navigation device when out and about.

The site also lists all accommodation and eateries that are situated close to the trails, which is set to drive footfall to local businesses.

Mountain biking has seen an increase in popularity across Northern Ireland since the development of the country’s first dedicated trails in 2013, with engagement of the sport surging during the pandemic.

Ethan Loughrey, Communications and Training Executive with Outscape, said: "We're delighted to be able to share the new MountainBikeNI.com website with the public. A huge amount of work has gone into ensuring it is as user friendly and durable as possible, allowing for integration with more modern Geographic Information System developed mapping.

“We have also added a number of trails, and all of the pump tracks and skills courses in Northern Ireland to the website. These sites provide an essential outlet for outdoor opportunities for local communities and their benefits - everything from increased physical and mental health to substantive reductions in antisocial behaviour - are widespread."

To discover more, visit: https://mountainbikeni.com