Havok Bike Park
Mountain Bike Rider|June 2020
The upper reaches of the West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley is home to a dedicated and diverse group of trail-building pioneers
Sim Mainey
Havok Bike Park

Perched on the edge of the moors that span West Yorkshire and Lancashire, Cock Hill Wood is exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find riders digging trails. Out of the way and tricky to access, from the valley floor its true size is hidden. The coniferous plantation is large and dense enough to conceal a network of trails, and with pliable dirt and a natural supply of materials on site, it provides the perfect canvas for trail builders to get creative with. Woodlands like this are a magnet for riders and there have been trails here in one form or another for years. These have evolved from under-the-radar lines in the soil to what is now an official riding destination – Havok Bike Park.

The journey from illicit trails to bona fide bike park began with Wayne Greenwood just over 10 years ago. Wayne wasn’t the first rider to sink spade into dirt in the woods, but he’s likely put more hours in than anyone else. This didn’t go unnoticed by local riders, who came and helped with building and riding Wayne’s trails, or indeed the company that managed the forest. It was while digging in the woods that men in hi-viz jackets approached Wayne wanting a chat about what he’d been up to. It came down to the fact that the trails had been built without permission and therefore they needed to be levelled. The easy way out at this point would have been for Wayne to apologise, walk away and hope that a claim for any damage done to the land didn’t follow. Instead, he figured it was worth talking with the land owners and managers and seeing if something could be done to keep the trails, with a view to making them official.

This story is from the June 2020 edition of Mountain Bike Rider.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 2020 edition of Mountain Bike Rider.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERView All
Best places to ride with your kids
Mountain Bike Rider

Best places to ride with your kids

Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
Mountain Bike Rider

CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2

It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
Mountain Bike Rider

100% GLENDALE GLASSES

When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
Mountain Bike Rider

DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE

DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Mountain Bike Rider

STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN

Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
STORM FORCE
Mountain Bike Rider

STORM FORCE

Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2023
SWEAT AND SLATE
Mountain Bike Rider

SWEAT AND SLATE

We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2023
HEAD SPACE
Mountain Bike Rider

HEAD SPACE

New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2023
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Mountain Bike Rider

LATE SUMMER LOVIN'

Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
HOT STUFF
Mountain Bike Rider

HOT STUFF

WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023