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Ilkley moor is being 'improved' at a dramatic rate. The laying of stone flag paths that started on the top is trickling down the moor in several directions.
I have very mixed feelings over this. On the one hand it makes sense from a usage/impact perspective, it is a sensitive environment. On the other hand the world has enough pavement already without paving the great outdoors. It even makes walking my dog less fun up there. If only the 'Friends of Ilkley Moor' had talked to Singletraction or similar in order to learn about sympathetic multi-use trailbuilding techniques before they ordered so many flagstones.
Paving the countryside is an 'improvement'. Discuss.
It can be an improvement when it stops folk walking and cycling around muddier sections making them motorway width. It can also help the less able-bodied to access "wilder" areas.
. It can also help the less able-bodied to access "wilder" areas.
This works. Ok, not quite wheelchair 'DDA' standard but easier than boggy trails.
Not a great way to surface in IMO, horrible to ride and walk on, could've been done so much better. 😐
For me Ilkley Moor is a treat to be savoured when it's dry or frozen solid.
If / when the stones bed in it will probably 'look' OK, but yeah it looks stupid at the min. I only moved here a couple of weeks ago, but was surprised to find the whole route to Rombalds Moor paved, especially as I had worn fell running shoes.. My calves took a total battering.
Might weather and "look" OK but they'll still be shit to ride on.
& run on
and the rainwater runoff is likely to erode the edges more, which is hardly sustainable.....
its really expensive but its natural england who are at fault it is their hoops that the council have to jump through to get work done. Its crap and could be done lots better, we are putting a proposal to natural england on how to improve the dick hudsons path without paving it, bit they are really awkward and a pain to work with
Over 500 tonnes of stone flags have been airlifted into place by helicopter on Ilkley Moor. They have been for part two of thefootpath improvement/erosion restoration work on the Moor.Danny Jackson, Countryside & Rights of Way Manager for Bradford Council, said “Following on from last year’s work when some 300 tonnes of flag stones were airlifted onto Ilkley Moor, and again part of the Watershed Landscape Heritage Lottery Funded project (overseen by Pennine Prospects) and supported by The Friends of Ilkley Moor. The aim is to lay the flags on strategic routes on Ilkley Moor and prevent further damage to sensitive habitats.
The stone flags have been weighed, banded into pallets, transported onto the edge of the moor and airlifted into place by helicopter. About 500 tonnes have been lifted – one load going to the trig point and eastwards to the Dick Hudsons path near the Twelve Apostles, the other west to Crawshaw Moss near Rivock Edge conifer plantation. We plan to get the flags laid by the end of October. We may also fly in some of the stones to one or two areas identified by The Friends of Ilkley Moor and for the construction of a seat at the ruined lodge at the top of Backstone Beck.”
From Barry Wilkinson, Press Officer, The Friends of Ilkley Moor – Mobile 07831-505051.
For more information contact Danny Jackson Mobile 07582-102103.
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Ilkley moor is an 'Urban Common' though, officially.
The key advantage of course is the demarcation of the main trails - rather than eighteen foot wide morasses of people trying to find a path round puddles (trail creep) the flagging of the trail brings the majority of use onto a narrow corridor that is much more wear resistant.
Since the vast majority of the erosion on the moor was down to the combination of trail creep and water action, its got to be a good thing for both the moor, the wildlife resident there, and for us as a cycling community, since at the moment the small number of riders get most of the blame for the damage caused by tens of thousands of walkers
Airlifted! Well at least they didn't impact the 'environment' by driving over the moor...
Simon has this spot on. My view is it is somewhere to ride bone dry or frozen tundra.
My deliberately sporadic visits up there do show up the motorway width paths that are being ever widened by users of all types, and the boardwalk was a maintenance nightmare really... BUT the flagstones are not a fantastic solution and there are a few starting to sink and rock in the wetter parts. And are shit to ride on... One wonders if that might be a convenient by product of that type of surfacing.
Tricky... The friends on likely moor have had a stab at improving a situation, but I cannot help agreeing that a bit of consultation with some local trail builder chaps who know what they are talking about would have been good.
Some stone flags on Ilkley Moor earlier today............ 😐
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Good news is some of the old, nice to ride, hardpack rocky paths are still there parallel to the new flagged sections and they've flagged across Red Bog too.