Lancashire County Council planted trees on the site in the 1960s on the spoil heaps of the old colliery when it became known as Bickerstaffe Colliery Wood Plantation.
Bickerstaffe Parish Council secured a grant from Lancashire Environmental Fund in 2013 to provide the cash needed to create the runs and make the site safe and functional for visitors. The Trails were set up originally as a joint venture between Bickerstaffe Parish Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Environmental Fund, the brainchild of parish councillors who wanted to create something to do for the young people of the area.
The Trails have gone from strength to strength since then, and now have over 2,500 followers on the Facebook page. A group of enthusiasts called” Bickertrax” volunteer to look after the Trails, picking litter, keeping the tracks safe, and clearing fallen branches etc.
If you are a mountain-biker, the Bickerstaffe Colliery Cycle Trails are all of varying difficulty to suit both experienced cyclists and those new to mountain biking.There is for a short XC Red Trail of 780m, a Black Line (including an easy push-up track) of around 220m, and a Jump Line of around 110m long. All of the trails are fairly short, but are packed with features like berms, rollers, doubles, jumps, step-ups, and step-downs to perfect skills.
