Plan to connect woodland mountain bike trails into new network

A new visitor centre at South Barrule has been proposed under a future phase of the scheme

Plans to connect mountain bike trails through woodland areas into a single network to boost cycling tourism have been backed by the Manx government.

Under the proposals about 31 miles (50km) of existing routes in seven Manx plantations would be joined by around 8.6 miles (14km) of new trails.

Deborah Heather from the Visit Isle of Man tourism agency said the new network would broaden use of the routes.

She said the plan would help make the island a "cycling destination".

The plan, which includes South Barrule, Cringle, Stoney Mountain, Archallagan, Arrasey, has been supported by the government's Economic Strategy Board.

The Department for Enterprise is now looking for a contractor to start work on creating the new routes, subject to planning permission being granted, and improving the existing ones during 2024.

A spokeswoman for the department said a feasibility study had found creating the new network would help the island "compete with the best of what the UK has to offer".

'Accessible'

It is part of a three-phase project to boost cycling tourism and meet a wider government goal of growing annual visitor figures to 500,000 people by 2032.

Under a separate phase of the scheme, private investors would be asked to come up with plans for a new visitor centre, cycle hire and bike shop, and recreation hub at the South Barrule plantation.

A further phase could see private sector investment sought for luxury glamping facilities in the area.

Ms Heather said the current trails were not connected or well sign-posted, which meant they were currently "only used by a small percentage" of locals and visitors, and were "not readily accessible".

The new trails would be engineered to "create minimal environmental impact" and make them "accessible for everyone", she added.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2025.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]