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So, has anyone of you actually ridden it (or the fox) since the "sacrilege" took place?
I've lived in the lakes on and off for the last 30 odd years, and seen a lot of this sanitation work going on. I dont really get it, but it seems to be the way that the national park is moving. The paths see an unreal amount of traffic, and so some repair work is inevitable. Big fills like this are questionable, especially as most of it will disappear into the beck or the bottom of the descent with a shitty winter.
Im not trying to yuk anyones yum here, dont get me wrong - However (unpopular opinion probably), all those "classic" lakes rides like parkamoor, kentmere, borrowdale bash etc are all massively over rated.
They might have been fun and challenging in 1995 on sketchy 1995 tech, but on a modern bike they are mostly super easy. Leaving difficulty out of it, the descents themselves dont really offer that much fun for the amount of effort/road/gates to do them - parkamoor for example, bit of bed rock, but mostly loose gravel meh. Garburn pass, just bouncing down a big ol pile of rocks. Top of kentmere has been wrecked by people dragging their brakes down peat bogs in wet weather and is just a pile of ruts that gets bigger every year.
Dont get me wrong - theres amazing riding here, but bang for buck, parkamoor is not among them.
However you view it, it'll be back to normal in a couple of years - in the meantime, try something else!
my view is the same mate, live here and hardley ever ride any of those you mention as there is so much other better stuff to ride. also like you say parkamoor will soon be back to normal, that stuff wont last long.
Parkamoor was one of my first lakes descents, around 2011, aye it's not techy, but it's one of those that are a nice transition for some, an introduction to lakes type riding, I'd say the same about garburn and castle crag to be honest.
I've a certain fondness for it because of that.
@fizzer
Yes, this afternoon. Rode up it, it's totally shit. Harder to ride up than the bedrock it's covered. It's not graded stone like a path, it's quarry spoil that ranges from dinner plate size down and moves all over the place when you're on it. Shit for biking on, shit for walking on. The farmer uses the track over bethecar, why the **** would he drop down to Nibthwaite and climb back up again? If it is kankku who've kicked this off then they're total knobbers and if they've knackered the fox too then they're dodeca knobbers. Quite a few local riders, who use it as a good way in and out of the forest are pissed off about it and quite rightly.
Why are you on a mountain biking forum if you clearly don’t actually enjoy or go mountain biking? And no, gravel isn’t mountain biking. Neither is riding your turbo trainer.
Ooh, the trolls are out today 🙂 I'd show you my Strava if I gave a shit what you think 😉
A good trail has fast corners in it. We have loads of strips of rock down hillsides in South Wales, and to me they are a chore and a waste of altitude. Give me a sinuous singletrack ribbon any day.
pissed off about it and quite rightly
Every reason to be disappointed, no reason to be pissed off.
As far as Kankku go I do wonder if some pissed up idiot on a stag do* has caused a bit too much trouble with a land owner and this is their penance/way of making it go away.
@molgrips one of the best bits on the track was a section of zigzags with drops, that's gone
Quite a few local riders, who use it as a good way in and out of the forest are pissed off about it and quite rightly.
And quite a few are not.
Ive never ridden the trail in question but surely if its a bridleway then it should be suitable for a horse to use without breaking a leg.
Jesus. This place.
@molgrips one of the best bits on the track was a section of zigzags with drops, that’s gone
I'll swear it was there yesterday afternoon but perhaps the trail fairies straightened it overnight
The corners are there, the drops are under 30 tonne of tip spoil
Harder to ride up than the bedrock it’s covered.
By the **** lad I'm genuinely impressed if you've got a clean ascent from nibthwaite on your CV. Chapeau.
At least this will erode, whereas all those rock staircases 🙁
I rode/pushed up the fox yesterday and It’s only been resurfaced on the flat middle section where all the big puddles were, possibly 200m or so. The rest has had a few holes filed in. It will still be be a fun fast decent.
It looks like they’ve only done this to remove the felled trees from the fell. No sign of any machines or heaps of stone, so I don’t think any more work will be going on. I have pictures but no idea how to post on here now!
By the **** lad I’m genuinely impressed if you’ve got a clean ascent from nibthwaite on your CV.
not many of our lot can clean it, i've managed once. legs have ussually had enough on the last rough rocky section, thats if they haven't given up on the one before.
Does the farmer always come in from Bethecar? Parkamoor farm is being rented out as a holiday let from Nibthwaite farm and they drive punters in by 4x4 - is that related?
https://dodgsonwood.co.uk/lake-district-accommodation/low-parkamoor-cottage/
Love it in its previous state, but the bedrock was never rideable as an ascent (even for proper fit xc racer types - back to 1989 in my memory). Doubt they've improved it in that respect but will send the lad down and back up to investigate next time we are in the area.
Back in 89 the bw from Parkamoor farm across The Park and into the forest was a trackless push across bog and forest windfall. Sometime in the 90s they put the big current stone track in - hated when they did but it weathered in very quickly and was a big improvement.
No fan of Kankku but presume they get grief to go fix their damage.
Everything changes and gets sorted by a good winter. I'd much rather they do this than mess with the bedrock.
Think they come up through the woods across the road from the jetty to parkamoor farm. But mebbe.
Have cleaned it, but in my pomp, had a two dabber last year though - I'll settle for that
That track in the woods across from the jetty only used to go to their campground half way up. Probably 7 ish years since some friends rented the campground but it was still only narrow footpath up to Parkamoor from there then. We went up Nibthwaite on that occasion and I had to push a bit - but was on singlespeed 🙂
FWIW we rode Longmire, Skelgyll woods, Loughrigg tarn, Tiberthwaite, and down th Fox on Saturday as well. All have had work done on them and all have been whined about on here. Personally don't have a problem with any of it was just glad to be on my bike in a stunning setting riding super dry trails.
At least Shotgun Guy is history
Ask a ‘70s orienteer
I'm sure the current king on the Fox is a bit worried...
I’m sure the current king on the Fox is a bit worried…
I can't see much of an effect on the top speeds down either. Fox was a flat out plunge anyway, and the new gravel traps on the Nibthwaite zig zags will probably threaten to wash out faster riders. And if they've sanitised the pedally sections, then it will be like riding through treacle. 🙂
I hope they haven't touched Lawsons park. Work like this is a waste of money. Simple
It was a cracking descent when I was last up there - that's a real shame. The Fox descent too?
What I don't get is most the 'damage' to it is caused not by the access but by the 4x4/Kanku tourists (who were towing each other out of a big depression they'd created when we were on it).
I'm guessing Kanku keep their access by paying to repair the trails every so often but keep marketing their 'extreme' experience with old photos.
They resurfaced that about 15-18 years ago (I was living in Lancaster at the time, rode up there pretty regularly), went there one day and found a lot of gravel/slate etc all over it.
Yes - I remember it back then, then avoiding it as it was turned into a gravel fest for a few years before coming back.
@molgrips one of the best bits on the track was a section of zigzags with drops, that’s gone
That's the point - this was one of the more interesting descents....
Looking down the Kankku FB page, they seem to have some new vehicles, more like buggies/go karts - one seemingly based on a Twingo. Perhaps they are looking for some smoother tracks to go a bit faster on?
I can't see them being motivated to take all the technical interest out of their 4x4 routes unless there was something to benefit them.
3 pages 107 posts 57 "voices" only 2 people have actually ridden it and one of those went up.
Think we can draw our own conclusions from that.
Think we can draw our own conclusions from that.
Glanced at the news recently?
"Ive never ridden the trail in question but surely if its a bridleway then it should be suitable for a horse to use without breaking a leg."
This is not the case, the only duty for right of way maintenace is to keep it to the same standard as it was when it was declared a right of way of that level. If it was totally impassable safely to a horse at that point then bridleway or not that is all it needs to be.
My sincerest apologies there was I thinking I could go outside
Looks like they've been trail pixie-ing somewhere else. Byway at Knipe Fold/Iron Keld area? Highways must have money to burn if they are chucking it at these chancers.
Magic, be able to rattle down that at an awfa rate of knots now!
This is not the case, the only duty for right of way maintenace is to keep it to the same standard as it was when it was declared a right of way of that level. If it was totally impassable safely to a horse at that point then bridleway or not that is all it needs to be.
As an aside, this is why you end up with the daft rights of way system we have in England where historical rights and grading do not relate to what is actually on the ground.
You end up with "bridleways" that are rocky, boggy, narrow tracks in places that you can't legally get a horse or bike to anyway because the only linking tracks are footpaths and you get footpaths that are sometimes not much short of immaculate tarmac but which you can't legally ride a bike on.
Magic, be able to rattle down that at an awfa rate of knots now!
Not worried about that section (if it's where I think it is) - was always thus, more concerned about the bedrock bits further round as it goes past Tarn Hows, given their approach to Parkamoor.
@martinhutch Looks like Ickenthwaite, which has been done - again
Rode it the weekend before last and before that on the crosser, for fizzers benefit 😜
That's less of a problem then - wasn't much left on there to spoil! Wonder why they cryptically described it as 'not far away from Oxen Fell' on their FB then?
Oxen Park?
Ah, of course! <Puts on dunce's cap>
Not necessarily, could be the bit between high oxen fell and Hodge close, but I remember that having walls near it.. ?
I thought it was the bit just after the Knipe Fold climb where it descends slightly before climbing again to the Iron Keld turn-off.
Lake District riding - all looks the bloody same 🙂
don't think so, doesn't look like any of that track, its been a few months but i'm fairly certain there's walls, fences all the way along there. used to be a regular part of the routes on the tuesday night rides.
Happy to be corrected - I only ride it a few times in a 'normal' year. 🙂
No work being done from Oxen Park to Ickenthwaite and Ickenthwaite to top of Alpe d'Huez yesterday. Could be an old picture??
Stabilser, so nice of you to care
Came down Nibthwaite today and a week of rain has already improved it. Drops and the big slabby bit are still buried but bedrock reappearing in plenty of places. Winter will have it back to normal (maybe with the washed out rubble filling some of the puddles)
I stand corrected on Parkamoor farm access - massive new track has been cut to it. Can't believe I've never noticed it before.