Prompted by the forestry sell off thread and a weekend walk, I was wondering how many people rode trails they knew they were not meant to be riding? I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves accidentally on foot paths, but does anyone knowingly ignore those no biking signs?

Found some great looking trails whilst dog walking on sunday, but they are part of a nature conservation area and are specifically marked as not for bikes. Couldn’t spot any tyre tracks either. I’d probably not ride there but it is very tempting for a cheeky night ride!

DSCF0026 by lowey.com, on Flickr

I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves accidentally on foot paths

Er.. yeah thats right…. accidentally……

I think it depends where you are… on the right forum or the wrong one.

Round our way, Bradford you pretty much ride where you like an no one takes offence. In fact if you stuck to BW’s you wouldnt get very far.

Usually I’m not too bothered and if the trails look like they’re up for it I’ll ride them. The nature conservation place did worry me though as a load of knobbly tyres tracks would make quite a mess.

Lowey, was that a night time covert operation?

FunkyDunc, makes me wish I lived up north.

cheeky trails… do you use them?

Yes – pretty much on every ride I do.

I take a pragmatic view.

If I am likely to be encountering lots of walkers then I avoid them. If not I use them. Pretty much the way I treat bridle ways really.

Well this was quite a large area with a lot of good looking unmarked trails, as well as the marked ones. Only saw about 4 other people in an hour and a half of dog walking. I might have to give it a go!

You have to ride them if you want to get anywhere around where I live. Never been challenged yet in a little over 2 years of riding around here.

if there are hoof prints I’ll ride it. even if it is a footpath.

“Oh look, horses have been this way, it must be a bridleway” 😉

but yeah, what FunkyDunc said.

I take a pragmatic view.

If I am likely to be encountering lots of walkers then I avoid them. If not I use them. Pretty much the way I treat bridle ways really.
Likewise. I rarely see anyone on the bridleways I use and have never (as far as I can remember) seen anyone while, err, ‘lost’.

FunkyDunc and john_drummer +1

I ride where I want to ride. If it’s cheeky it’s to establish ‘prior use’

Just checked this place out and it’s owned by the wildlife trust. Got directions on how to get there by bike so they must want you to ride it… right? 🙂

Also if it’s somewhere you could legitimately end up when lost (i.e. not having had to throw your bike over a 10ft fence to end up there) then it can’t be that bad I suppose.

Round our way, Bradford you pretty much ride where you like an no one takes offence.

I think that’s probably more down to your attitude FunkyDunc. I live near Bradford and inclined to think that it’s no different to anywhere else. Personaly, I take a view of most others, pick and choose depending on time of year, day of week, hour of day. I wouldn’t ride the fragile footpaths on top of Ilkley Moor in winter. I probably wouldn’t ride a popular footpath in St Ives Park on a Sunday, certain other stuff I’d only ride in the dark.

I like the hoof thing. Do tend to look for any tyre tracks and if I see any then it’s fair enough. Could do with another sprinkling of snow, found a few new trails that way last time out.

How can we imprint this into the conciousness of all riders?…
“pick and choose depending on time of year, day of week, hour of day. I wouldn’t ride the fragile footpaths on top of Ilkley Moor in winter. I probably wouldn’t ride a popular footpath in St Ives Park on a Sunday, certain stuff I’d only ride in the dark. “
Closely followed by open access 😀
Ahh,the impotence of dreams

does anyone knowingly ignore those no biking signs?

Yes.

Beginning to wonder if anyone is going to fess up to not having blatantly ignored “no riding” signs on the majority of their local rides?

mrblobby – Member

cheeky trails… do you use them?

almost exclusively.

i get shouted at for riding on the road.

i get shouted at for riding on byways.

i get shouted at for riding on bridleways.

i get shouted at for riding on footpaths.

i don’t often get shouted at for riding on footpaths, because the paths i ride are very quiet.

food for thought…

http://www.cheekytrails.co.uk

After 6pm every trail is available to bikers

Before 6pm caution is to be advised

Restraint is to be observed in sensitve areas eg. National Parks

Restraint is not to be observed in areas that no one else ever uses eg. ugly countryside

Skids are for kids

If the trail has no classification but walkers have been seen on it then it’s fair game

Mind the English daffodills and bluebells (only wreck the Spanish ones)

When encountering walkers behave like we are meant to do on bridleways (but seldom do) ie. stop and yield trail unless they’re the landowner in which case you flee asap

If you continue to encounter walkers reconsider the value of the said cheeky trail and when best to do it if at all

The closer the cheeky trails are to civilisation the more acceptable it is to ride them

The fewer the amount of bridleways an area has the more right we have to get cheeky wid it

Alarmingly garish clothing is to be discouraged

Squealing brakes are not allowed

Do not ride where and/or when your presence will be easily detected

At no time should the cheeky percentage of your total ride total more than 50%

Do not hang around on the cheeky trails

Do not race on cheeky trails, just pause and enjoy the cheek instead

Stop looking so guilty!

Ride with a confident smile knowing that what you are doing is not wrong

If someone says “bikes are not allowed on here” reply with “yes, I know, silly isn’t it?”

does anyone knowingly ignore those no biking signs?

Yes +1,
To be honest, we don’t always ignore them… Sometimes we point at them and laugh. If you’re really lucky then they might also form a small obstaccle to make the path more interesting 🙂

Love the web site. Must memorise that response!

I even get shouted at for riding on canal towpaths sometimes, despite having slowed down to let walkers past.

I found the Cheeky web site last night, makes good sense to me. Never had a problem when i was a kid, as i was never aware there was a problem. Now we are older we seem to find more things stopping us doing what we want to, the joy of tinternet.

Seems that way, it’s some of the older riders that I ride with that seem the most concerned about straying into cheekiness. (Though I’m sure most on STW are frequently cheeky.)

I take a view of most others, pick and choose depending on time of year, day of week, hour of day. I wouldn’t ride the fragile footpaths on top of Ilkley Moor in winter. I probably wouldn’t ride a popular footpath in St Ives Park on a Sunday, certain other stuff I’d only ride in the dark.

Agree, it’s pretty much common sense and avoids any potential confrontation.

Same here, there’s some bridleways I wouldn’t ride in peak time even though bikes are allowed – it’s just not worth it, too much hassle and I don’t get to enjoy the trail.

As others have said, a pragmatic approach works best, there are loads of nice FPs near me that all become available at night!

I go on footpaths every time I ride locally. If I see anyone I’m disarmingly polite and jolly. Most of them don’t know the byelaws and if challenged, I am terribly apologetic and claim dyslexia or short sightedness.

gosh- is it a footpath? Sorry. i was just following my satnav . . .

I saw a sign on a trail once that said “No bikes”.
Luckily, I’d brought one with me.

Being foreign and very polite seemed to work well on paths in Chamonix. Not being able to understand the walkers responses also helped.

Don’t bother stopping, I know I don’t! I ride with much consideration to every other user – slow down, give room & all that good stuff. If they want to stop and berate me for being there, they’ll be talking to fresh air I’m afraid. If they want to chat and share jelly babies, that’s a different story 🙂

If someone says “bikes are not allowed on here” reply with “yes, I know, silly isn’t it?”

Must remember that one.

As it happens, last night I actually stuck to bridleways and tarmac all the way, but that has more to do with my binning it spectacularly on a sheet of ice not five minutes into the ride and deciding to take it easy for a bit, rather than any legal concerns.

I think ‘Local rules’ apply a lot of the time. Sections of the Penine Way I rode this weekend (quite high on the list of cheek) had quite a lot of other tyre tracks on it, the gates were very bike friendly (would cause horses difficulty) and not many Bridleways.

In some areas its tolerated more than others depending on what else there is around (sometimes).

Nature conservation is very important to me, as it should everyone. However, with consideration of such things, I don’t see a problem. Then again, I remember moving up to Scotland and realising I could ride anywhere. Bit mad to move for that reason but it’s definitely a factor. I’d never move back to Englandshire, yuk.

So conclusion: move to Scotland!!! We still get idiots yelling at us now and again but I don’t have time in my finite life to bother arguing or yelling back.

Yep pretty much every time. I come across a few who get the @rse but truly I dont care – I tell them what a daft law I think it is & carry on, normally leaving them renting the air with futile rage! Its a laugh & it never ceases to amaze me how folk get so wound up over such a trivial matter. Note to them: get a life, more important things in the World to worry about..

Yes!

I see it as rolling the ground damage that is being done by walkers 😛
As said above, it is down to when they are being used i.e. not when there are loads of people around or when the paths are knee deep in mud, when they are not busy and dry/frozen solid they are all open to be ridden on round here. Never had any issues with farmers or other users in years of doing it.

Without hesitation

Edit BUT I stop and often actually get off on the rare occasions I encounter walkers

and I don’t hoon it on blind corners

yes, normally when it’s quiet or dark cocked up over christmas and had an interesting chat with a Chris Bonnington Lookalike in the lakes, our bad was too cheeky for the day, most didn’t mind though. One said in defence of the 3 of us at least the one at the back is carrying his bike down!