Work has begun on the longest purpose-built mountain-bike trail in the Lake District at the Whinlatter Forest Park, near Keswick.

The 19-kilometre bike trail is part of a £500,000 project to improve the visitor facilities at the Forestry Commission's Whinlatter Forest over the coming year, and will involve building 15k of new single-track trail for families and hardcore mountain-bike enthusiasts.

The construction work is expected to take up to seven months to complete and the new bike trail will be officially opened to the public at the end of the summer.

Wheelbase in Staveley is holding a Big Demo Weeklend' on Saturday and Sunday when the UK's top mountain bike manufuacturers offer over 60 bikes to take for a test ride.