Got an idea to improve the Hill? Got a spade? Then why not build a sick new line? I mean - who’s going to know?

It should be obvious that any sort of rogue building in a fenced-off, well-recognised and maintained bike park is not the cleverest thing to do. Riding on illegal trails in a bike park which is insured, monitored and regulated is a surefire way to piss off the people that look after it. Crashing on illegal trails in a bike park which is insured, monitored and regulated is a surefire way to begin the process of closing it down.

All in all, it’s pretty stupid.

This is why it was a surprise to find some illegal trails built on the Hill. Not only were they obvious for all to see, but the builders had taken the trouble to bring tools up to actually build berms and lips. That’s a lot of effort to do something stupid.

Let’s make something very clear. Illegal building on the Hill will not be tolerated. Anyone caught building illegal trails will be banned. No ifs, no buts - banned. There are too many people that have put too much time and energy into Aston Hill to have it threatened by a selfish few.

All the trails at Aston Hill fall into the strict guidelines set by the Forestry Commission, which are there to protect everyone. All legal trails are monitored and maintained to keep the quality high and the risk of injury as minimal as possible. Running an ‘extreme’ venue is something that involves a lot of paperwork to minimise risk in the eyes of insurance companies and the government. It’s annoying, but also very necessary.

So, have you got an idea to improve the Hill? Excellent! Tell someone by commenting on the website or even become part of the Aston Hill Committee; everyone at Aston Hill wants to hear new ideas and see the park improve.

Want to learn how to dig? Cool! Ian, John and Rich would love to share their experience and show you how to build and maintain excellent trails on the monthly trail care days.

What we don’t want to see is Aston Hill getting closed down because someone believes they have the right to build where they want, when they want. By digging and trail-building illegally on the Hill you could be responsible for the closure of some of the best legal riding in the south of England. Do you want to be responsible for that? No? Then leave the spades at home and enjoy riding your bike.

Images from geocaching.com and socaltrailriders.org.

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