Cycling News

£1.2m website to put woods on the map for cyclists

Can't see the wood for the trees? New search tool helps to pinpoint cyclist-friendly woods

An online database of over 24,000 publicly accessible woods across the UK is to be created by the Woodland Trust.

The web-site, to be called VisitWoods, will feature clear symbols to indicate to cyclists which woods are suitable for bike users, as well as have car-parks, toilets and free public access.

The project has taken a giant leap forward after securing grant funding of £1.2 million awarded by Natural England through 'Access to Nature' - funded by £25m from the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme.

This funding has enabled the Trust to recruit a specialist team which has been tasked with creating the gwebsite by autumn this year.

Dave Bloor, from the Woodland Trust's corporate partnerships team, said:

"This service will help cycling enthusiasts find new, exciting and appropriate places to ride their bikes.

"They will no longer have to scour an out of date map of the local area, but simply type into their computer where they live and let the VisitWoods website find all of the woods near to them.

"The Trust's aim is for VisitWoods to become a vital public service brought to life by an inspirational communications campaign promoting woodland to millions of people.

Published Thursday 28 January 2010