What’s the problem with nature conservation and bikes ?
How does riding a bike cause more damage than walking ?

Yes, all the time. Never really had a problem over the last 10 years except for one occasion when I was stopped right on the ridge of the Malvern’s between Wyche Cutting & British Camp – it was a fair cop! I find if you are polite & considerate you won’t have a problem.

If you want a taste of how it feels from the other perspective, walk on the Malvern’s on a nice day and marvel at the skill of Bikers as they career downhill at top speed , barely in control of their bikes, jumping over ever small mound and watch spellbound as they add to the spectacle by coming very close to walkers, children, dogs etc! 😯

Yup jj55, I have been up ther with wife and daughter and been amazed at the lack of respect shown by groups of bikers to walkers. I will always yield to walkers and horse riders, we really have to if we want to co exist with them on their (currently) trails.

Pretty much ride where I like ….but use common sense and discretion

‘their’ trails… Do you really believe that? They’re the land owners trails, and the government, which we all voted in and out last time I checked, have legislated to provide access to certain classes of users. I’m glad they made use by other classes of users a civil matter because it means you’re free to ignore the fact that you shouldn’t be riding on someone else’s land and won’t get arrested for it 🙂

What’s a cheeky trail? I can ride pretty much where I like, National Parks and private gardens are no go. 🙄 Walkers often give a cheery ‘hola’.

Scotland.
Land of enlightened access.
🙂

About 50/50 BWs and non-BWs. Still finding new trail-bits on my local area. If I drew-up my top 10 local trails, perhaps 3 of them are BWs. I’ve had no trouble.

Discretion, scrupulous respect for others and a thick skin are key to cheeky trail riding.

I think you have to look at the area to decide. A wildlife trust reserve with specific ‘no bikes’ signs is a different situation to using a public footpath that is rideable.

One is using an existing right of way but with the wrong transport, the other is permissive access to begin with usually. I would probably say you shouldn’t ride it. The wildlife trusts are often doing conservation work, and there may be good reason for no bikes.

However, as mentioned above – if it is marked as open access land on the OS maps, then i would perhaps think differently about it. There is access for anyone on foot so why not on your bike?

On another thread, I’ve talked about the destruction of trails in a quarry and woodland near me. The cited reason is “disturbance of wildlife”. While I was nosing around the flattened berms, smashed wood and felled trees on Saturday, I observed into a large shooting party blasting away with shotguns. When the landowner says “wildlife” he means his game birds.

It seems hypocritical, but I’m not prepared to argue with country folks wielding guns!

Cheeky trail? Nope, not me, never, ever … wouldn’t catch me out there in the middle of the night. Nah…never.

Rambler: Hey you it’s illegal to ride a bike on the footpath
Me: Thats nothing, I murdered someone here last week

(thread hijack)
DJ are you still riding? it’s been a year since i saw you on a bike

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

FTFY

The only time I’ve ever had anybody complain on the Malverns I was on a BW.

Theres always ‘I no shpeik ing-glisch’ and ride on?

I got stopped on stanage edge by a peak park ranger last year. I pointed out it on his map as a bridleway, he then stopped telling me I couldn’t ride on the footpath