THE Hadleigh Downs have known two great days in recent years.

One came during the 2012 Olympics, when top mountain bikers from around the world converged on the specially-created hillside track.

The other great day was yesterday, when the park opened to the public. A key factor in the Olympics plan was, of course, the promise of an enduring legacy.

Hadleigh Park fulfils that promise. The site has been transformed from a bespoke Olympic venue into a people’s park. The project shows how well the Olympic investment can work for everybody, not just the competitors. The thousands of cyclists set to use the site may never have any ambition to win a medal, but they will now be able to access and enjoy one of the most magnificent mountain biking sites in the country.

The park performs a further service by opening up an Essex beauty spot, complete with historic castle and views over the Thames Estuary, that has been something of a wellkept secret until now.

The Olympic TV cameras gave millions of viewers around the world their first glimpse of this setting, and an insight into what Essex has to offer in terms of landscape.

The transformation of this landscape into a park should encourage a range of outdoor activities beyond mountain biking. Runners and walkers are also likely to find Hadleigh Park a magnet. If it succeeds in encouraging all these activities, the park will also fulfil another legacy role of the Games – to inspire more people to take up sport.