Comments on: Sherwood Pines’ Visitor Numbers Are Up

By: Teifiterror

Teifiterror — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:05:45 +0000

Was at Sherwood today and must say how dissapointing it was. Rode the red route until we got sick and tired of all the mud which is outrageously bad and then the fact if you take a corner at any speed you get spat out into a ditch as all the corners are falling into the “drainage” ditch built on the outside of every corner creating a nice off camber! £400,000? What a joke, thankfully the “off=piste” stuff is still there and thanks to the red and blue/green routes they are used less and in pretty good nick but won’t be making a trip back with the peaks the same distance away and also cannock chase.

By: alex222

alex222 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:19:48 +0000

Why does every where apart from sheffield/north derbyshire get money to spen on trails. When will severn trent water let us on their land legit. Why does sh1tty flat sherwood get £400000 and wharncliffe get nothing, surley it would rais funds for the fc in south yorkshire. Also fed up with rights of way getting shut down constantly in derbyshire. What a load of old B@LL@CKS

By: robidoo

robidoo — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:51:04 +0000

I rode the Kitchener trail on Monday night and I can honestly say it was one of the worst rides I have done anywhere.
I dont mind a hard ride but 95% of the route was waterlogged and no fun at all.
As thefallguy pointed out this is to be expected on natural trails but this is supposed to be an all year round man made route, such a waste.
Were local riders consulted on their thaughts of the route?
Was the route built by riders or a contractor?
IMHO 90% of the loop needs to be closed off and made weather proof(throwing a few M of hardcore down won’t work as some of that has dissapeared into the mud allready) as the singletrack in some parts was 2’3 M wide.
As for a new rider visiting the Pines and riding the red trail it would probably put them off mtb for good.

By: Chainline

Chainline — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:57:58 +0000

I think some of the groans are a little unfair, I quite like the mud, makes for a challenge, some work has been done recently to alleviate it and I was a bit disappointed.

I see what you mean comparing to the chase, but on the flipside, the trails at the chase are very slippery on the stones laid to keep it in good nick so you can’t rail into corners in the same way you can on parts of Pines. I’ve lost the front may times on slick stones in wet weather.

By: Gravy

Gravy — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:30:11 +0000

I personally think that after the winter has gone and spring also, there won’t be much of the quickly constructed trails left in the badly drained area’s or reasonable area’s.
The family trail has probably helped to increase numbers to the park because it’s paved most the way around, (this must also cut down on the maintenance for this particular trail) also this trail is well sign posted and so easy to navigate.

I think you would be very lucky indeed to get Mr Bray out of his office to visit other similar parks and view what they have been able to achieve between the management, the fc and also rider groups (of which the Pines park does not have). I think at Cannock they have a working group of approx 60 worker/riders who along with the other parties are allowed to “improve” some of the trails so everyone benefits, not a bad thing me thinks.

Winter months though always bring with them the dreaded mud, some don’t mind it, some don’t like it but in the darker months it’s always going to be there. It will also still be with you/your bike when you get home because there is no longer a bike wash available at the Pines park, not such an expensive feature that will also increase numbers to the park as riders won’t get thier cars messy inside.

There is so much that could be done at “The Pines” but I think it will not be in the near future. I also think that the man made trails are what they are, a temporary fix just to get on the band wagon to get people through the gates pay the parking fee buy the bikes/parts feed their faces to show that some one is doing their job so well.

Derbyshire is pretty good though it has hills as well as mud too, and that is where I will be riding more and more often along with The Chase and various other trail parks, the Pines is just what it is, end of !

By: adey205

adey205 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:49:23 +0000

fallguy’s hit the nail on the head. don’t even bother riding in there if there’s been a mild down pour.
god knows what it’s like at the moment!

as with numbers, i wonder how many are folks reurning after being rather disappointed on their first visit

By: Zone

Zone — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:55:08 +0000

I’ve been riding there for nearly 30 years… the new trails are a shockingly bad designed … drainage is extremely poor… and trail profiles seem to stop you from carrying and reel speed through any of the sections.
The numbers may be up but I would say that’s not just riders….
Why they didn’t just get the guys that built Glentress to sort it… I will never know? I mean £400,000 ….It must have gone where the money that goes they are paid to re-level the fire roads after Rally weekends…. cos they never seem to get done either!

It would have been interesting to get candid opinion from Mr Peat!

By: james

james — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:48:42 +0000

I don’t mind the quagmire so much, its the trail falling into the ditch they dug the trail from and the ‘lumpiness/roughness’ on what could be very smooth and fast. Its like they tried to make some of it ‘pumpable’ but made most of it too small to be of any real use

By: chameleon78

chameleon78 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:45:12 +0000

My only problem with the Pines is the quagmire trails too.

By: Tracker1972

Tracker1972 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:16:49 +0000

BenjaminJDC, perhaps they are thinking it might take a short while for people to actually buy some passes before they get some money from them?

Never been but if somewhere local to me I think it could work, doubly whammy of making it easier on arrival and wanting to go in the first place to make my money back, and more…