IMBA Goes to Britain, Part 1: Wales
October 22, 2002
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"The trail centers in Britain are above and beyond anything we have ever seen in North America. This is some of best new trail in the world. There is something for every rider. From the swoopy, serpentine, singletrack in Wales, to colossal granite slabs in Scotland the UK offers something for everyone." - Joey Klein, IMBA trails specialist IMBA trail specialists Rich Edwards and Joey Klein just returned from a month long tour of mountain bike trail centers in the United Kingdom, which is fast becoming the hottest mountain bike destination in the world. Klein and Edwards assessed dozens of sites in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The trip was part of a new Memorandum of Understanding between Britain's largest public land agency - the Forestry Commission - and IMBA. Forest Enterprise, a division of the Forestry Commission, is the single largest provider of open access and outdoor recreation facilities and opportunities in the U.K. During their visit to Britain, Klein and Edwards visited four separate nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - each distinct in the mountain bike opportunities they provide. Over the next month, imba.com will provide reports on our visit to each of the four nations. In this first installment, we cover our visit to Wales. Wales has some of the best mountain bicycling in the British Isles, featuring trails that leave the visitor satiated. Mountain biking in Wales is big business. Tourism to Forest Enterprise centers accounts for approximately 3 billion dollars - about 7% of the country's G.D.P. |
