Reflecting on My Time with DMBinS — What a Ride!

As I wrap up my time as Project Co-ordinator with DMBinS, working on the North East Adventure Tourism (NEAT) Project, I’ve been reflecting on what a whirlwind these past 20 months have been — full of bikes, trails, maps, dig days, good people, and unforgettable experiences.

When I first joined the team, I couldn’t have imagined the vast variety of work I’d be doing - from designing and hosting trail education programs to attending global MTB summits, hiking up mountains to look at shared paths, from coding mapping systems to running women’s dig days. No two weeks have been the same, and that’s what made it such an incredible opportunity.

One of the proudest moments for me has to be designing and leading the Trail Academy pilot- a collaborative effort with partners from across the Aberdeenshire MTB scene. Watching young people engage with trails, develop skills, and see a future in sustainable trail work was incredibly rewarding.

On the ground, I’m proud to have supported nearly 600 hours of weekday trail maintenance, and attend many more weekend digs, getting tools in the ground and supporting the cakes and coffees for the crews. Much of my work supported the brilliant Aberdeenshire Trail Association (ATA) — from campaign support to behind-the-scenes planning, helping their committee navigate big changes and continue building momentum.

More widely, I helped bring visibility to the work of other Scottish trail associations by facilitating the creation a giant map that celebrated and connected their work, displayed at the Scottish MTB Conference and is now on permanent display in the Scottish Mountain Bike Centre. Becoming Scotland’s only female DIRTT Tutor also felt like a meaningful moment - not just personally, but in showing what’s possible for women looking to get into the MTB and trail building industry.

Working with DMBinS opened opportunities for me to join the steering committee for IMBA Europe’s Women in Mountain Biking Network, to host webinars on key discussion points and present at the Reframing Mountain Biking conference discussing women in trail building and advocacy spaces and I am excited to see what the future looks like in this space.

Another major part of my role has been leading the pilot Sustainable Trails Plan project - a huge undertaking that’s quietly been a keystone piece of work during my time here. With support from the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project and Forestry Land Scotland, this pilot aimed to audit and map Aberdeenshire’s trail network, looking at everything from hazards and felling plans to grading, usage, and environmental sensitivities. I was lucky enough to present the project in real time at the Scottish Mountain Bike Conference in November and gain valuable feedback from national and international attendees.

Overall, the project has taken time;, learning, planning and creating, as well as deep partnership work to get to the point where some exciting news is right around the corner!

The project will now continue through the DMBinS team and I’m hopeful it will lead to more sustainable, strategic trail maintenance and development across Scotland and the UK.

What makes the Aberdeenshire MTB scene so strong is it's people. From events, bike shops and trail crews, to coaches, guides, and hospitality providers, everyone plays a role. I’ve been lucky to work closely with many of them, with shared learning and supports across the board. The ATA have been fantastic collaborators, and it’s been great to support their growth as a committee and community force. Big shout-out to everyone who I have worked alongside in this role in the amazingly supportive mountain bike community of Aberdeenshire.

With me stepping out of post, I hope the community and industry continue to rally behind the ATA as they go through a period of change. Their work is so important, and ongoing support from volunteers and partners will be essential. I also hope for continued support for the work of DMBinS and NEAT in Aberdeenshire into the future.

I want to thank DMBinS and Opportunity North East for believing in the project and giving me the chance to run with it. It’s been full-on, but brilliant and I’m so grateful I took the leap when the opportunity came. Here’s to the next chapter and to keeping the trail development momentum rolling forward.