Fitness in West Park Garden Village

Creation of fitness facilities has been a long held aspiration for West Park Garden Village, enhancing existing trails and bringing the most out of the local landscape.

Walking

Pedestrian routes feature significantly within the Garden Village allowing residents to walk to local amenities via easy to follow, short, direct and secure footpath links. A new footpath route is being created around the perimeter of the development.

Artwork features along these routes as well as a nature trail, enhancing not only the wildlife but creating considerable visual appeal. There is also scope to improve the existing bridleways by providing better access links. Beyond the new development, pedestrian footpaths will link to Route 11 (West Park Nature Reserve), Route 10 (Cocker Beck Nature Reserve) and Route 12 (Branksome & Brinkburn).

Biking

Cycle routes have been incorporated into the West Park Garden Village Masterplan.
As well as providing new leisure routes through and around the development, links have been provided to existing routes including one that follows sections of the old Darlington to Barnard Castle disused rail track bed, one to the Cocker Beck Local Nature Reserve and one to Darlington's Town Centre.

West Park also has a purpose built bike track for keen BMX and mountain bikers. This is open to the general public and offers coaching lessons (4Motion, Darlington) as well as race events.

Play

Play items will be integrated
into the landscape and will draw upon the emerging art themes, again in the spirit of the exemplar play area at West Park.

Natural materials such as timber, rock and sand will be used, within a play strategy that provides a range of play experiences and opportunities for creative play for younger children and adventure play for older kids.