hey, I’m planning on building trail, most of it is planned out but the top section will involve a short blast through some heather. I basically just want to clear a line through it and ive seen other trails where people have cut it down. I was just wondering what tools/methods you would recommend. Thanks

brush cutter or hedge trimmer at a push.

How long are you expecting it to stay clear and rideable? Other than digging out the roots you are into very temporary solutions.

so long as it gets ridden regularly it’ll be fine.

Just ride it and get a bunch of mates to do the same regularly

Remember that the soil that heather is bedded on is generally very poor – as soon as you start riding it its likely to start cutting up and before you know it you will cut through the surface and end up with either a soggy mess or a gully that starts scouring out

get your angles right and keep it to less than half the sideslope

its this type of stuff that creates most conflict with landowners and spoils it for everyone else so be careful

Brushcutter then keep riding it, as long as you keep riding it, it’ll stay clear.

Or alternatively leave it alone and don’t destroy habitat

Yes good idea nobody ever rode a trail that had destroyed habitat .

Or alternatively leave it alone and don’t destroy habitat

Get a shit present for fathers day did we? 😀

Do you have permission to do it?

Train a few sheep to follow the route you are after?

Do you have permission to do it?

This, and why through heather?
It will probably become a bog.

I can see this depending greatly on the type of heather habitat you are planning on destroying, more specifically, the underlying soil type and depth. Heather (Calluna vulgaris) grows on a range of soil types, from deep soft peats, to loose fine sand, or coarse sand overlying shallow bedrock. They vary from being great to ride on, to absolute gubbins.

Personally, I think you might want to be careful thinking about hacking up sections of heather, as much of it (upland moorland, lowland heathland) is a strictly protected SSSI habitat. It also does a great job holding our very fragile upland soils together, by preventing soil erosion. These soils have only formed in the last 6,000 years and are now being irreversibly lost at a rapid rate, so the small piece of damage you do to create your new trail could end up causing lasting harm.

Not something I’ve done myself but I’ve seen it done at the golfy, they’re basically just establishing a clear line with a brushcutter then wheels establish it more permanently. The roots give it quite a good basement, but it’ll be dependant on good dirt underneath