Gear up for an exhilarating week of cycling fun as a pop-up pump track comes to Vickerstown Park on Walney Island.
The pump track will be FREE for people to enjoy from Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 August, 24 hours a day, with a variety of activities planned throughout the week that will welcome all abilities and ages.
Whether you’re a seasoned rider or a beginner looking to try something new, this track is designed for all skill levels. Activities include:
- Guided Balance Bike Sessions on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 August from 10am to 11am and 2pm to 3pm
- A celebration event including competitions on Friday 16 August from 1pm
- Make your own smoothie with fresh ingredients using the Smoothie Bike between 10am and 4pm every day
- Live street art on Friday 16 August.
As the pump track is limited to six riders at a time, the Council’s team will be on site from 10am until 4pm, Tuesday to Friday to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to take part.
Different sized bikes and helmets will be available to use each day during these hours, with people encouraged to bring their own equipment where possible.
Cllr Tony Callister, Chair of Westmorland and Furness Council’s Furness Locality Board said: “Thanks to funding from the Barrow Town Deal as a part of #BrilliantBarrow, we are able to welcome our local communities to the pop up pump track and bring families and young people together through a fun new activity.
“We look forward to seeing residents of all ages and abilities come together to enjoy this fantastic addition to the area.”
The track will be open 24 hours a day and users must take responsibility for their own safety abiding by the track rules. All users must wear a helmet at all times when on the track and children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
The pop-up event aligns with the development of a new outdoor community space that will be created at Earnse Bay, on Walney to connect people with nature and the outdoors as part of the Brilliant Barrow Community Hubs Project.
The latest designs for the site will see the creation of a space focused on outdoor activities, free to access trails and an opportunity to camp overnight in a purpose built and sensitively-sited area.
Residents across the town will be able to safely cycle, walk and wheel to the hub thanks to the Council’s upcoming investment in a new 1.4-mile active travel route on North Walney. Works will start in late August and will introduce a path that will provide a continuous, direct and safe active travel link from Vickerstown Park to Earnse Bay, facilitating access to the town centre, wider residential areas and schools.
More information on Westmorland and Furness Council’s Active Travel Programme can be found the Council’s website.
A ‘pump track’ is a purpose-built track for cycling. It has a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden by riders on bikes by "pumping" their way round instead of pedalling or pushing.
