 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hi
I am going for a ride in the peaks tomorrow.
Does anyone know whether Chapel Gate is open to cycle up?
Paul
Can't see why it wouldn't be?
For snow and conditions etc I'd take a look at [url= https://twitter.com/kofthep?lang=en ]keeper of the peak[/url]
Thanks. I cannot either, but I read in a few areas it closed for repairs a couple of years ago. I guess it should be fine then!
Paul
Part of the Rushup Edge descent was vandalised by DCC a couple of years ago - and remains in that state - I guess that bit of track depends on whether you call it Rushup Edge or regard it as the extension of Chapel Gate.
Chapel Gate itself was sanitised about ten years ago and so is now just a convenient climb rather than the true trail it used to be.
Chapel Gate was more 'needing' of repair, but just flattening the whole thing was still unnecessary. All it really needed was a load of bedrock lumps chucking into the ruts/gullies that you could actually hide a person in and it would have done the trick. Instead the excuse was used to sanitise it out of existence as a mountain bike trail.
The vandalism of Rushup was halted by an outcry 2/3 years ago, but not before DCC had deceitfully dumped a load of out of character kipples across all the rock steps. They practically sneaked up there and tried to do it before anyone would notice. 🙄
It's a bloody bastard to ride up though, I just use it as a push-up!
It is just unremittingly steep now, though.
It used to be impossible to ride up and challenging (bordering on dangerous*) to descend.
*That will be 'danger' entirely entered into of my own accord and accepting of a level of risk - I wouldn't want my use of the word to be taken out of context by the likes of DCC and used as an excuse to bulldoze the tops off of the all the hills and use the rubble to fill the valleys to make it 'safe'. 🙄
The official chapel gate actually includes the old sunken road with the natural bedrock steps in it.
The sunken road section is still technically closed by virtue of a TTRO (temporary traffic regulation order). However, there are no physical barriers unless you count the loose shite dcc dumped all over it (which is now, in my opinion, the most dangerous aspect of that section).