BCM Journal, Isle of Wight Edition 2023

Isle of Wight
Mountain Bike
The Isle of Wight Mountain
Bike Centre was set up after the
NatWest Island Games in 2011.
In September 2017 it came under new
management and is run by two friends
on a family farm. Sam Hodgson and
Matt Townsend have built all the trails
here. Based at Cheverton with woodland,
open fields and amazing views it now
provides the Isle of Wight with a place
where people can go to ride purposebuilt
mountain bike trails.
According to Sam “It was never about
just making something for pros – our
goal has always been to get riders of all
ages and genders progressing together.”
BCM have been helping them to realise
their plans and, helpfully, they were
awarded a British Cycling and Sport
England grant which they’ll be using
to build lots of new descent lines over
the coming year, with grades from
blue to black, as well as adding linking
sections to connect the existing trails
scattered across the farm. BCM were
instructed by the clients to gain full
planning permission. This was not
an easy task – the scheme had several
challenges including having to consult
with a number of third
parties throughout the
planning process such
as ecologists, Arborists,
Public Rights Of Way
experts, Archaeologists,
Engineers, Area of
Outstanding Natural
Beauty and Historic
England.
BCM were duly granted
planning consent on
behalf of the client on
28th March 2022.”
The Centre isn’t like your typical bike
park. Not least because it’s built on a
working livestock and arable farm that
Sam’s parents still run, and secondly
because the layout is different. The
rolling nature of the island’s landscape
IT WAS NEVER
ABOUT JUST
MAKING
SOMETHING FOR
PROS – OUR GOAL
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
TO GET RIDERS
OF ALL AGES
AND GENDERS
PROGRESSING
TOGETHER.
means there isn’t one big obvious hill to
build on, so instead Sam and Matt have
criss-crossed the 730-acre farmland with
many shorter descents, which soon, with
the link-up trails they’re making, will
all be rideable in big
loops. It appears so far
that the cows and bikes
can coexist perfectly too
because Sam and Matt
are creating their biking
paradise on the steepsided,
wooded valleys
of the farm that aren’t
suitable for pasture
anyway.
They have a cafe which
serves burgers made
from beef reared on
the farm, a shop and offer bike hire too.
With Sam’s knowledge of flow and what
makes a good jump, combined with
Matt’s building skill and planning vision,
we can only see this farmland bike park
going from strength to strength. It’s
every kid’s dream to make something
like this in their parents’ backyard, and
it’s awesome to see these two making it
happen – although not without some
serious graft and dedication. Future
plans include a pumptrack, dirt jumps
and skills area. The Centre reopens on
18th February 2023.
Cheverton Farm, PO30 3JE
www.isleofwightmountainbikecentre.com
Photos: contributed
26 BCM Journal BCM Journal 27