A BOOK has been printed about mountain biking around the region.

The book, Beyond Hamsterley, has been published to mark the completion of the £200,000 skills trail at Hamsterley Forest, in Teesdale.

Each route is printed on sturdy card held in a ring-binder.

Riders can then extract the route they want to follow and place it in the splash-proof plastic pocket provided,

The book has been produced by Lanchester freelance journalist, Neil Gander.

Mr Gander is also a member of Hamsterley Trailblazers, the volunteer mountain biking group at Hamsterley Forest, which is in its second phase of building world-class bike trails.

He spent almost a year researching and writing the guide, which has been published by Red Hot Poker Limited, of Stanley, County Durham.

Mr Gander said: "I hope this guide will persuade people to ride a little further afield and perhaps stay a bit longer."

The book includes 23 graded routes in Durham, Northumberland and North Yorkshire of varying lengths, map instructions, information on public transport, refreshments and local attractions and specially-commissioned colour photos.

The book costs £12.95 and is available at selected bike shops, Tourist Information Centres, bookshops and www.beyond-hamsterley.co.uk