The Sunday morning felt fresh as the cold air swam around my lungs. On a morning like this I wanted to take a stroll. St Catherine’s Hill was the perfect place for this, looming over Christchurch in all its tall wooded might. It had been so long since I’d been there last so I decided to take a trip down memory lane and make my way towards the mountain bike trails. A place I had spent countless hours as a teenager with my friends.

Half my friends now live in Bristol or are busy running their own business.

To my disgust the trails had been destroyed. You could see the evidence of a skirmish as hand built jumps had been removed and slippery mud thrown over the trails making them unrideable.

I was filled with sadness as the place I found so much joy was laid out before me, destroyed. A reminder of how quickly things move on. For me and my friends mountain biking was an escape. We were reckless teens searching for a thrill by hurtling ourselves down the side of a hill. It’s only now I can appreciate this quality time which today is rarer.

The destruction of these trails isn’t actually much of a surprise. There was always genuine pushback to us riding from the locals, to the surprise of all of us. Everytime we would cycle towards the trails, somebody would hurtle an insult or complaint towards us. They’d say we were in their way or disturbing their peace. I remember many years ago there was a time when me and my friends were approached by an older couple. They initiated the conversation by angrily ordering us to leave. We couldn’t take this so stood our ground and unfortunately unkind words were exchanged. In hindsight this probably wasn’t the best approach and today I’d be more inclined to find out why they felt so strongly about the situation. As youngsters we really couldn’t understand how we were offending anybody and we thought people might actually be happy that we were putting our energies into something positive rather than turning to something like crime or drugs. We were just looking to have fun while at the same time not cause any trouble. This is the case for lots of young people who ride their bikes on St Catherine’s Hill.

Bournemouth council’s position on mountain biking on St Catherine’s Hill is that it is illegal and dangerous to local people enjoying the area. It has been designated an area of special scientific research, a special protection area, a special area of conservation and a RAMSAR protected wetland site. Some have raised concerns about the nesting nightjars and the portfolio holder for cleanliness Environment and Waste at BCP council has even spoken of its damage to historical sites on the hill.

The council says that causing damage to a site of special scientific interest is an offence under section 28 of the wildlife and countryside act. Due to this BCP council, countryside rangers have been notified to keep an eye out for mountain bikers and point them away from mountain biking in the area. Police have often been called after reports of large groups of bikers using the area for biking.

I can find a number of issues within Bournemouth council’s stance on riding in the area. Firstly is their references to the damage of historical monuments. What they could be referring to is the network of trenches that was set up across the hill during WW1. They were designed to train soldiers in trench warfare before sending them out to fight in France and Belgium. The trenches were also accompanied by outlook posts and mineshafts. What the council fails to mention is that lidar mapping was done on the hill, finding out that the majority of the trench network was destroyed by the time the second world war rolled around. This might have been due to the tank warfare training undergone here just before the war with heavy machinery constantly running over the trenches leading to destruction. Parts of the Eastern end of the trench network still exist by leaving a faint trace in the landscape but this runs from East to West, parallel to the Christchurch bypass road. An area in which mountain biking trails do not exist.

Another issue is the irony in which the council have declared the activity in the area illegal. By their own statements they have broken their own rules. All it takes is to cross the sliproad into Ramsdown forest where you will find an open area of woods where the council bulldozed pre-existing trails to stop mountain bikers. This can hardly be benefiting the environment. It doesn’t stop there either as this is happening to mountain biking across the country. In Puddletown Forest near Dorchester (an ecologically sensitive area) trails are being bulldozed by Forestry England.

It seems like, on St Catherine’s Hill at least, this is a line the council have taken seemingly out of nowhere. People have been riding here for twenty years plus and have never been known to cause damage or leave litter. During Covid time, a petition was even set up to let people carry on riding on St Catherine’s Hill. The petition states “Due to the recent lockdown many people including myself of all ages have been mountain biking at St Catherine’s Hill for the last 20 to 30 years. People have been told to stop due to damage to the environment but people have occupied the area on their bikes and accommodation for the last 10 years so I and many people believe that we should be allowed to ride mountain bikes at St Catherine’s Hill, Dorset.”

The council’s line can make sense under the circumstance that there is clear evidence that riding mountain bikes is damaging the environment. I don’t get the impression that there is any of this evidence though, especially when you look at the statements made by Bournemouth council. It includes no clear facts. I find that personally the biggest threat to the local environment is how often dog poo in bags is being littered. It’s disgusting, it smells and it could cause damage to local wildlife. I think this is the bigger fish to fry for local governments.

A suitable middle ground for all parties is for the council to find a local spot in Christchurch where riding is legally allowed. Actual mountain bikers could help oversee the plans, ensuring that the riding is of a high enough standard and none of the wrong corners get cut. There has been recent development of Watchmoor Trails near Verwood, which has seen massive improvements to the area for riding. I was here on my bike not long ago and personally really enjoyed the jumps and the steep trails to fly down. This is a step in the right direction but for many mountain bikers in Christchurch who are too young to drive or can’t find the time to get out all the way to Verwood, this still isn’t feasible.