Venues – Hadleigh Farm
A new Mountain Bike course will be provided in Hadleigh Farm, Essex, with temporary grandstands and facilities to be built in the run-up to the 2012 Games.
Key facts
Sport: Mountain Bike
Location: Hadleigh Farm is to the east of London, in Essex.
New or existing: New
Permanent or temporary: Temporary
About Hadleigh Farm
Hadleigh Farm in Essex was chosen because it fulfills requirements as a technically challenging course.
Hadleigh Farm is owned by the Salvation Army. The venue covers a 550-acre site including beautiful grassland and woodland. It also includes the surrounding countryside of Hadleigh Castle Country Park.
The terrain is hilly with open grass land covered by low shrubbery. The site offers some fantastic gradients for mountain biking – with an escalation of 70 metres from bottom to top – and great viewing opportunities for spectators. The course will be set against the backdrop of the 700-year-old ruins of Hadleigh Castle.
Essex County Council’s planning application for this venue is available on the Castle Point Borough Council website
During the Games
Spectators will be able to watch the action along a course winding through woods and parkland.
After the Games
The temporary structures will be taken down. We will work closely with our partners, including Essex County Council and the Salvation Army, to explore what course will be left in place for future use.
