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Anyone know anything about this?
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">It's my very local trail (I live at the bottom of Beet Lane) but I've not been out for a few weeks for one reason or another. Just been out for a quick blast to find that the entire top section (all the offroad bit after the last house to the PBW junction at the top) has been completely flattened into a smooth motorway!! Gutted. The offending machinery is still up there (mini digger, dumper truck and roller)</span>
A bit of Googling didn't bring back anything about any works agreed, but a few mentions from the horserists in the Peakhorsepower newsletter about them pushing for repairs for years (apparently funding for which was approved 2015/16).
I did wonder if it could be the farmer and that route is perhaps just a permissive route on their land? I could accept that better than Derbyshire CC wasting more of my council tax on this type of sh*t! It is shown as a green dot on the OS map which the legend says vaguely "other route with public access". Anyone know any more? It did say in one of the Peakhorsepower newsletters Google returned that DCC had agreed they were responsible for repairing it when lobbied by them.
Here's a map:
I'm probably coming across a bit ranty, it is only a short section (and we do have plenty to go at in the area) but I've been here over 3 years now and it's like my own little playground I've ridden so much. It took me a good while to clear it and i still didn't every time but was getting to know every rock and section so well, and now it's just gone 🙁
We use that regularly, I know no more than you.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">I do know that a farmer uses it, maybe he's levelled it.</span>
Oh well, it'll be easier on the cross bike then. Thing is, it's done. You can't undo it. And you can't sue anyone for loss of entertainment. If it's any consolation, the durability of trail repairs round here is pretty limited. Give it a few years and it'll start falling to pieces again. But you have my sympathy anyway.
Oh well, it’ll be easier on the cross bike then.
A BMX would probably be best right now, smooth as a baby's bottom. But I guess they'll finish it with that horrible black road planing, go so fast you drift into the wall, type stuff.
Thing is, it’s done. You can’t undo it. And you can’t sue anyone for loss of entertainment.
But yes, wise words, thank you. I've got over myself a bit now, removed the back of my hand from my forehead, woe is me etc. After the few weeks I've had of everything else being chipped away at a bit and then FINALLY making it out on my bike for a quick 'un, to find this awaiting me up the hill all felt a bit personal.
A very healthy reminder that just because I have so many great trails around me doesn't mean I have any right to expect them to remain as they are.
But still, grrrr.
Will be interesting to see what the rain does as that’s what destroyed it a few years back as well as the 4x4s, I’ll have a ride up at weekend and see what they have done.
or should I come down it and see how much faster you can go...
A very healthy reminder that just because I have so many great trails around me doesn’t mean I have any right to expect them to remain as they are.
But still, grrrr.
I get it, really. But I've hit a sort of wall of sanitisation fatigue as a Peak local mtber since the early 1990s. I can still remember the moment, a decade or so back, when we hit the top of the campsite descent above Hayfield to find the whole thing had been flattened out of all recognition - ironically it's far better today than it ever was.
And then there was the Roych. Robin Hood's Picking Rods track, which in the first V-Pubishing Peak guide was listed as one of the top sections of singletrack (it wasn't, but still), Chapel Gate (repeatedly), Aspenshaw Hall (again repeatedly) and loads more, Roman Lakes (a lot) etc. Just about the only decent trail restoration I can think of was the original work on Cut Gate.
If it's any consolation, nothing I've seen has ever stuck long term. It always disintegrates into rocky doom given time. The Broken Road above Castleton is living proof that it's pretty hard to build a sustainable track round here.
Anyway... I guess you're based somewhere around Chinley / the Wash / Chapel. Loads of great riding on and off bridleway. See you on the trails some time 🙂
WOW that's smooth, PBs all the way down and i didn't really try as I was unsure if it was finished all the way down or if they had anything blocking the road.
If they leave it like that i'd guess it will wash away over time.
You only have to look at what the rain did to it years ago when the road got washed away.
At least it isn't that 'resin gravel' they have used around Roman Lakes.
Well it isn’t yet, let’s hope they do no more work on it.
Proper smooth, and they've continued up towards South Head.
It all seems to be done with local materials too.
@BadlyWiredDog your counselling is appreciated. I'm a relative noob and this is my first, got my first bike 5 years ago and moved here 3 years ago.
Didn't get to ride Rushup or Chapel Gate before DCC had their way, but rode Chapel Gate for the first time in a couple of years a few weeks back and it's already far more interesting than it was the first time I rode it (flat out gravel DofE student skittles).
Proper smooth, and they’ve continued up towards South Head.
I wondered if they'd carry on and flatten the bit up to the gate too, I've seen that deteriorate massively in the time I've been here.
Oh and it is DCC, I found it on their roadwords website, scheduled to run till the 24th:
https://roadworks.org/?106584434
Still, I had a play on Chinley Churn today and then headed over Rowarth/Mellor way where I've not been for a bit and had a blast so it's not all bad 😉