Does anyone here want to fess-up or grass on the 20 to 30 mountain bikers who scared my neighbours half to death last Friday night by riding through their back garden?

They were on a track which goes to Gelli Neaudd farm which is just off the Llyn Cowlyd road above Trefriw (Conwy Valley, North Wales)and fairly isolated. The track provides access to the farm and is a footpath but is not a bridleway. It’s also pretty much unrideable after the farm, so there’s not much point in doing it.

They steamed through with lights blazing at around 10.30pm. Gladys & Aneurin are both in their 70’s and were terrified.

This kind of stuff does nothing for the image of mountain biking and as a local rider makes my life really uncomfortable.

I am struggling to imagine how it would have been very different in terms of terrifying the elderly inhabitants of Trefriw if they had walked along the footpath with similarly powerful torches.

[edit]: That isn’t to say it wouldn’t be alarming at 10:30 at night.

I am struggling to imagine how it would have been very different in terms of terrifying the elderly inhabitants of Trefriw if they had walked along the footpath with similarly powerful torches.

1. I don’t think I’ve ever met 30 rambers with 450 lumens each.

2. I think speed may have a bit to do with it. I don’t think they were carrying their bikes along the footpath…..

Fair points both. 🙂

Who goes out in groups of 30 (apart from SFB)? 😯

There’s some suspicion that it might have been RAF or army. Both have adventure bases close by and are not always the most responsible when let loose in the countryside.

Who goes out in groups of 30 (apart from SFB)?

is he schizophrenic?

By 10:30pm, time the old dudes were in bed asleep… 😀

There’s some suspicion that it might have been RAF or army. Both have adventure bases close by…..

Can’t see that to be honest.

The quality of the MTB’s provided at MoD adventure training centres isn’t very high and I don’t believe, unless things have changed dramatically recently, the budget would stretch to decent night lights for 30 odd riders, nor would the very prohibitive procedures in place for allowing adventure training likely allow organised night riding.

Still, its interesting to see the military blamed for something other than murdering babies in Iraq.

Ps, I posted a link to this thread on the RAFCC site to let them know they are having the finger of suspicion waved at them by some Trotskyist.

As long as they keep the baby murdering out of Wales. Old people hate to see babies being murdered, especially late at night, or with cluster-bombs. 😉

Why would you find a bunch of people on bikes with lights alarming?

“There’s some suspicion that it might have been RAF or army. Both have adventure bases close by…..”

I’d be very surprised if that were so. My experience (of the RAF at least) is that they’re very aware that their behaviour on expeds reflects on the service. I’ve never known them to act irresponsibly or even inconsiderately. Apart from wearing that hideous lycra strip of theirs…

scaring grannies, radasaurus MAX

Who goes out in groups of 30 (apart from SFB)?

I think our maximum count for a night ride has been 18, and never in Wales…

Apart from wearing that hideous lycra strip of theirs…

No lycra here (not much speed either).

TBH, if you have a right of way running through your garden you should expect to see people on it. And if it’s dark, expect them to have lights.

coffeeking – Member

Why would you find a bunch of people on bikes with lights alarming?

city dweller?
UP there you don’t see many visitors of any sort let alone at speed at night. Makes you wonder what the hell is going on. Oldies especially may be wondering what sort of people are legitimately out at night. Round here its common place, if its not cyclist its poachers, the lesser of two evils. Up there may be sweep thieves, an illegal rave or some one dumping a car. not surpirsed they wre spooked.

mattsccm – definitely not a city dweller 🙂

If I lived with a right of way through my garden I’d not be surprised to see people using it, day or night?

20-30 mountain bikers, night riding in the middle of no-where. Seems a bit implausible to me. Not saying it didn’t happen, but it’s easy to over estimate these things.

Maybe they were mountainbike riding sheep rustlers?

I’m going for aliens…

?? 😀

oldies are prone to exaggeration…

There’s some suspicion that it might have been RAF or army. Both have adventure bases close by and are not always the most responsible when let loose in the countryside.

We (the army cycling union) was at capel cruig and as far as im aware the mtb’ers all went home on thursday night and there was only 7/8 of us max.

i feel highly offended that we (the armed forces) are getting the blame again!! even if it is some thing as niff naff as this.

shaun

It’s also pretty much unrideable after the farm, so there’s not much point in doing it.

More mystery – where did they go after the back garden then??

Perhaps they could do something similar to this Welsh person who grew tired of aircraft, though with a cycling related name.

No lycra here (not much speed either)

You’re out of uniform, where are your RAFCC bibshorts? If you didn’t want to wear uniform you should have joined the Army

worrying sheep – ‘spect

@mattsccm – wtf is a “sweep thief” ?

@mattsccm – wtf is a “sweep thief” ?

Obviously, a thief who steals small children to take to London for the purposes of sweeping chimneys.

I was thinking more like Sooty & Sweep ?

i feel highly offended that we (the armed forces) are getting the blame again!! even if it is some thing as niff naff as this.

It’s not my supposition, it’s the word on the street (well, in the valley anyway..)

You don’t do yourselves many favours sometimes……

Last weeks local paper.

As for the RAF, there was a complete arse doing the Merida’s a few years ago in full RAF kit. I seem to remember some threads bemoaning his behaviour on here at the time.

TBH, if you have a right of way running through your garden you should expect to see people on it.

Point is, it’s a footpath not a bridleway.

Point is, it’s a footpath not a bridleway.

Apart from the somewhat bizzare law that whilst bikes and walkers took part in the mass trespass and only walkers got more access rights, what’s the distinction between the two? Just wondering like….

and so it begins… 🙄

Indeed, and whilst it is in a National Park, most of the rangers are too busy being Nazis about Snowdon to care about the odd ride on ‘lesser’ paths.

Point is, it’s a footpath not a bridleway. What’s the distinction between the two?

One you can ride on, one you can’t.

Unless you live in Hebden Bridge! 😀

Indeed, and whilst it is in a National Park, most of the rangers are too busy being Nazis about Snowdon to care about the odd ride on ‘lesser’ paths.

Oh dear. This really wasn’t a post about access as we clearly have some stupid laws and the sooner we (in Wales) are able to change the law to be more in line with the Scots the better.

The point is, that if you currently live with a FOOTPATH through your property, is it unreasonable to have a mass tresspass of bikes at 10.30pm on a Friday night?

I’m certainly not averse to doing the odd cheeky trail myself, but there’s an etiquette to consider which I think has been broken in this case.

I love that pic sooty 🙂

mmmm .. can see both sides of the debate here. As someone who lives in one of those more remote parts of Snowdonia, with a footpath running through the field and past our front door, I guess I’ve tried to think about how I would have reacted. For me, it wouldn’t have mattered if they were bikes or hikers (or fell runners, returning climbers etc), any large group coming by late at night (and yes up here 10.30 is kinda late!) with bright torches would have been disturbing – it would have got the dog barking her head off, if both me and my partner had been here we would have probably stuck our heads out to see what was going on, but if I’d been in the house along I would have been a wee bit unsure. Would I have thought ‘they shouldn’t be there’ erm no – it is a right of way (and as far as I’m concnerned it’s open to all non-motorised users despite the fact that it’s a footpath), and we knew that when we moved here. But, I would also think whoever passed by in a large group, late at night, with full lights next to a house were pretty inconsiderate and unaware of how disturbing that would be for those people who live soemwhere which is usually silent.

Oh, and yes I too wish Wales would change the law so we can have the same access rights as in Scotland …

But, I would also think whoever passed by in a large group, late at night, with full lights next to a house were pretty inconsiderate and unaware of how disturbing that would be for those people who live soemwhere which is usually silent.

Really – i’d be alot more concerned about people passing the house without lights at that time of night. What would you expect people to do, considering that there was no one outside the house, turn off there lights everytime they come to a house, car, other group of people so as not to scare potential people passing??. Surely that would be worse!!

i know if i was in a group like that or even by myself at that time of night i’d have my lights on all the time. My main concern would be my safety, not others ( loose dog about/ fox on path / tree in the way / sharp drop on path)