Davagh Forest Trails NOW OPEN

Cookstown District Council is delighted to announce that the much anticipated Davagh Forest Trails powered by Chain Reaction Cycles are now officially open for use! 

This network of purpose-built trails includes over 10km of family-friendly green and blue grade mountain biking trails as well as an exhilarating 16km red trail, suited to more experienced riders.  

Current Irish X-Country Mountain Bike Champion, Gareth McKee, who is a sponsored rider for Chain Reaction Cycles, officially opened the trails and says "It is really exciting to see a mountain bike trail centre like Davagh Forest being developed in Northern Ireland. The red trail complete with the massive drop offs is an amazing challenge whilst the green and blue trails will provide the perfect introduction for beginners."

With 12,000 people expected to visit the Davagh Forest Trails in the first year alone, Cookstown District Council Chairman Cllr Tony Quinn believes this trails development opens up some fantastic opportunities for local tourism businesses and will provide a significant boost for the wider economy in the Sperrins region.

Cllr Quinn explains, “From the initial conception of this trails development right through to the appointment of Olympic and World Cup trail designers, Architrail, Cookstown District Council has always been focussed on providing the highest standard of mountain biking trails here at Davagh Forest.”

Cllr Quinn continues, “When you couple this world class trail design with Davagh’s breathtaking rural scenery, there is no doubt that these trails will attract large numbers of high spending activity enthusiasts who will stay over in the area, eat in the local cafes and restaurants and drink in the local pubs.”

The Davagh Forest Trails have been constructed by FP McCann with funding from the Rural Development Programme through the South Western Action for Rural Development fund and Cookstown District Council with support from the Forest Service of Northern Ireland.

Chris Scott from MountainBikeNI.com explains, “We are delighted to be working alongside Cookstown District Council and official trail sponsors Chain Reaction Cycles to pro-actively promote the Davagh Forest Trails to an eagerly awaiting target market of mountain bike enthusiasts.”

“Together with new trails centres in Rostrevor and Castlewellan, the Davagh Forest Trails are a key location in making Northern Ireland the next must visit mountain biking destination in the UK and Ireland” adds Mr Scott.

Cookstown District Council is hosting ‘Davagh Delivered’ on Sat 20^th and Sun 21^st April which includes a variety of public events on offer including a demo day with trail sponsors Chain Reaction Cycles, a social ride with the Northern Ireland Mountain Bike Alliance and the first ever Davagh Enduro, a competitive event with a mix of timed uphill and downhill sections. Outdoor Concepts will also be offering free mountain bike hire and skills courses over the course of the weekend. 

For more information, click here.