Long-awaited bike and skate park beginning to gather speed

The dreams of Fort William riders are finally coming true as construction work gets under way on a new bike and skate park.

Contractors arrived on site this month to commence ground works on the new multi-purpose recreational ground adjacent to Lochaber High School.

Fort William Bike Park will feature a championship pump track, a BMX park and an adaptive pump track for individuals of all abilities.

Developers estimated the project would cost in the region of £250,000 to complete, however, the price tag has now risen to around £600,000.

The venture has been seven years in the making for the charity Lochaber Wheeled Sports Society.

Last year, officials were aiming to open the park by this month.

However, the gates are scheduled to open in August in time for the 2023 World Championships on Friday the 4th.

Chairman Gregor Muir says he is thrilled to finally see work on the project commence.

He said: “Seven years it’s taken to get here. When we first started it was an undertaking – we were looking at £250,000 originally which we thought was huge – now we are at £500,000 to £600,000 to get the park built.

“It’s been a long time coming and it seems to all be happening now, which is really great.”

The charity launched a campaign to fund the expensive venture in 2016 after being blown away by facilities offered in Inverness.

Contractors from Velosolutions have been brought on board to construct the pump track as Concreate brings the BMX track to life.

The venture has been made possible thanks to funding from a host of organisations and sponsors.

MULTI-PURPOSE: An aerial view of the new pump track currently being constructed.