Lady Cannings Trail is now open
The wait is finally over! This Tuesday Steve Peat and Annie Last joined Ride Sheffield, Go Outdoors and friends to officially open the Lady Cannings Trails on the edge of Sheffield. From the cutting of the ribbon to well past sunset it was then christened by the riders who have all dug into their pockets to raise over fifteen thousand pounds; making the UK’s first ever crowd funded trail a reality. And given the buzz up on the trails it has been a resounding success!
Ride Sheffield worked collaboratively with a number of key Sheffield businesses, organisations and individuals to bring the project to life, including Sheffield City Council, Cotic Bikes, Avanti Conveyors and Norton Mayfield Architects.
Following its two year crowd funding journey, Sheffield based outdoor retail chain Go Outdoors invested the final 5K to see the completion of the project and have also committed an overall 60K to support the further development of more trails in the woods over the next couple of years. Local trail builders Bike Track worked with Sheffield City Council to build the 1.4km blue trail that seems set to be a classic of its type; an archetypal flow trail that can be ridden with barely a pedal stroke and enjoyed by riders of all abilities
“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. Well done everyone. Cheers”
Steve Peat – Santa Cruz Syndicate
Situated on the edge of Houndkirk Moor close to the Peak District National Park, the trail is directly connected to the city via the Peak District Cycle route; a mere 20 minute ride from Sheffield centre (coming down and a little longer going up!). The trail is testament to the city’s passion for mountain biking and the growing momentum of Sheffield’s profile as The Outdoor City.
“The new trail at Lady Cannings is great. It is a great example of how local riders have come together to create an awesome new track. Creating a new trail through crowd funding shows how strong the MTB community is in Sheffield. The trail caters for all abilities; it can be ridden by novices or families but also has been built to cater to the needs of experienced MTBers. It is easy accessible from the city and is the perfect gateway to the peak district, with great bridleways leading into it from the city centre and out of it onwards into the peaks. The trail is fast and flowy and really good fun!“
Annie Last – Giant Liv
https://vimeo.com/133645766
A massive thanks to everyone who has been involved in the project: the core Ride Sheffield group and the riders who put their faith in them that they would put their money to good use from groms pocket money through to over £7500 worth of donations from a few local businesses. Jon Dallow from Sheffield City Council, who was instrumental in allowing us to build in the woods and has been a huge force in driving the project forward. Bike Track for their vision and creation of such an amazing trail.
The final MASSIVE thank you needs to go to Go Outdoors, who’s contribution allowed the completion of this project and has enabled the vision of the whole loop! So thanks everyone who contributed, either money or time, you all helped make this happen!
What is even more exciting is this is still just the beginning for Sheffield. It also shows that with a bit of hard work riders can have a huge influence on their local riding environment. What could it mean for your local trails?
