Press release: November 2005

Beyond Hamsterley – A New Mountain Bike Route Guide For County Durham

Neil Gander Freelance Journalist A member of the NUJ 10 Hollinside Terrace Lanchester Co Durham DH7 0RQ (01207) 529650 07985 321203 Email: gandern@tiscali.co.uk

Published to mark the completion of the new Skills Loop at Hamsterley Forest in County Durham, “Beyond Hamsterley” is a superb new guide to mountain biking in and around County Durham.

The book has been produced by County Durham-based journalist Neil Gander, who’s also a member of the Hamsterley Trailblazers. That’s the volunteer group at Hamsterley Forest, now into the second phase of its ambitious programme of building world-class mountain bike trails.

It’s a new concept in mountain bike route guides. Each route is printed on sturdy card, held in a ring-binder. There’s no need to take the whole book with you. Simply extract the ride you want, slide it into the splash-proof plastic pocket supplied and ride.

The book includes:

• 23 graded routes in County Durham, south Northumberland and North Yorkshire, from quick after-work jaunts to full-on days out

• Genuine OS maps and full instructions for every route

• Options to extend or shorten your ride for most routes

• Information on public transport, refreshments and local attractions

• Specially commissioned colour photographs.

Neil spent almost a year researching and writing the guide. The book has been designed by Red Hot Poker Ltd of Stanley, Co. Durham. Between them they feel they’ve created a guide that every mountain biker will want to own.

Neil says: “With the new developments at Hamsterley Forest more people will be coming to the North East for the quality riding on offer. I hope this guide will persuade people to ride a little further afield and perhaps stay a bit longer! Whether you’re a visitor or live in the North East of England, “Beyond Hamsterley” will open up miles of great riding, all within easy reach of Hamsterley Forest.”

The book is on sale on the Beyond Hamsterley website www.beyond-hamsterley.co.uk and will be available through selected cycle shops, Tourist Information Centres and bookshops, at £12.95.

Contact Neil for more information, or call:

Adrian Foster at Red Hot Poker Ltd 01207 230333
e-mail adrian@redhotpoker.com

ENDS