THE NUMBER of visitors to a Ribble Valley beauty spot has rocketed because of new mountain biking trails.

Staff say they have been 'overwhelmed' by the number of riders coming to Gisburn Forest, which is fast becoming one of the country’s top mountain biking centres.

The new trails, which were only opened in September, have already attracted 20,000 visitors.

Andy Banks, from the Forestry Commission at Gisburn, said work was underway to improve the facilities, including expanding the car park, to cope with the influx.

He said: “To have such an overwhelming public response to the new trails at Gisburn is brilliant, and great reward for all the hard work put in by staff and trail building volunteers “Because there are a range of trails we hope to make Gisburn a must visit outdoor destination for cycling families and experienced mountain bikers alike.”

There is an easy eight kilometre ‘blue’ route for families and beginners and a 22 kilometre ‘red’ course for more experienced and expert cyclists, including tricky downhill sections and views over the Forest of Bowland and nearby Stocks Reservoir.

The trails were completed thanks to a £60,000 lottery grant from Sport England, and the same amount was contributed by a number of bodies including Ribble Valley Borough Council, United Utilities and the Forestry Commission.

A group of volunteer riders called the Gisburn Forest Trail Builders have helped on a number of volunteer trail building days and also by hand-building over 1,000 metres of new trail.

Organisers say the number of annual visitors to the forest will increase from 30,000 to 70,000 because of the new development.