Viewing 40 posts - 121 through 160 (of 313 total)
  • Groups riding CRANHAM WOODS
  • correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Had a nice email yesterday directed at NE for its heavy handed approach in trying to stop us riding in the woods. Awaiting NEs response. The banter about the Tysons is a bit unnecessary really as thsir land is just part of the bigger issue. Yes I will be pushing NE for an update soon again. I have no reason to believe at this stage they are purposely delaying things. Roger.

    Bushwacked
    Free Member

    Fair enough Rog – I suppose you got to expect it on STW to a degree, especially as this has distrupted some of the best riding in the area.

    Personally I don’t mean them (Tysons or NE) any harm, we just want to continue riding where there has been riding for many years.

    You know we’re behind it as no one’s riding up there but even I’m itching to get back up there.

    I’m sure we all look forward to a swift and positive response from NE.

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Bushwacked said it all there really!
    Got a new bike on its way and am going to have to choose routes round the side of them to get to Painswick beacon. No biggie but can’t wait to ride the shrine descent again!

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    mrmo
    Free Member

    db100, sorry to bring bad news, but unless the Tysons have a change of heart the Shrine is closed, NE have no control over their section of the woods. If you look at the plans linked to in their planning application their plot is marked.

    Now how the Tysons or NE intend to keep bikes out if that is their decision, i have’t got a clue.

    As for delaying things, it is winter and it makes sense to keep out of the woods at this time of year anyway, the tracks just don’t respond well to riding through the mud season. Now when the tracks dry out and the blue bells start to poke through my attitude might change.

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    We requested an update from NE this week and set out a schedule for agreeing to ride in the area again. We have been informed that NE are meeting up with the local land agent “…towards the end of January so we should be able to give you a decision soon after.”

    As ever please keep up the good work and steer clear of the woods. Thanks again for all your great support.

    v666ern
    Free Member

    good work chap – fingers crossed

    sorry about the earlier banter, for what its worth ‘mr’ looks like a big time lawyer so id stay well away from poking them with a big stick!

    dobiejessmo
    Free Member

    Racetrack looks wrecked anyway at present.Rest looks slick as hell.Thats seen from the road on a road bike.Cranham takes a on time to dry out at the best of times.
    Maybe we should buy horses they are still charging through there Hay Ho.

    Bushwacked
    Free Member

    Yeah, Racetrack looked like it was a mess when I went past in the car recently. May have to go for a walk sometime and check it out. Hopefully it’s only superficial.

    mrmo
    Free Member

    Hopefully it’s only superficial.

    I have had a look and it appears to be mainly wood on the top, but some of the debris is quite big. It wouldn’t be that hard to clear the majority, might be hard to clear some though.

    shaunthesheep
    Free Member

    Racetrack wouldn’t take long to clear when we get OK to go in. Was up there on Saturday morning for a run and checked out Shrine, One Who Waits and the Racetrack. Was good to see the Shrine has been left alone by bikers but at the same time sad to see it covered in leaves and “resting”.
    Bumped into 2 riders on the GP2 and stopped and had a chat. One lives in the Birdlip area and was unaware of the current issues regarding biking. I did not see any signage on the Tyson’s plot to inform uninformed riders.
    Hope there is some news soon fromNE as I would hate to miss the first bluebells of 2012.

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Cheers for chatting to the two riders. Hope they moved off the track straight away. Any signage has been posted on already existing Natural England information boards.

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    We received an update from Natural England on 27.01.2012. Our main NE contact met up with the local land agent for the woodland and said:

    “had a very useful meeting yesterday and discussed the possibilities for cycling in Buckholt Wood. We have both come away with a few points to follow up.
    When we’ve done that we can send you further information on how we see the way forward. We anticipate we will then be in a position to meet in early March.”

    Granted it is not a formal confirmation of how we may work together in the future but I still believe it is positive progress. We will be pushing for a meeting with them before their requested early March. This is quite some time away and riders who have so far been great at supporting our voluntary avoidance of the area might start getting itchy cleats…..

    Cheers, Roger.

    don_don
    Free Member

    Sorry I’ve come to this quite late. Like some others here I have been riding solo and with other mates in the area since 1987. I have been steering clear so far and will keep an eye on the forum. E-m address in my profile. Many thanks Roger.

    Don

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Don, you’re down on the mail list for updates. Cheers.
    Next meeting with NE definitely going ahead first week of March. Representations from Cheltenham & County, Bigfoot and Slam69. We intend to try and have responses to most scenarios that might be presented to us at the meeting so as not to drag on the issue into many more meetings. Need to get something in place. We suspect that not all the tracks we have traditionally ridden will be on the table for continued use but we’ll have to see. We have done our best to get a position statement out of them that gives us some specific details but sadly not. However their responses do seem to give a hint to some tracks being allowed, but only hints at this stage. Please, please continue to keep up the great work of avoiding the area. All good things come to those who wait (…one who waits??…)

    DarrenH
    Full Member

    Is the wall trail still okay to ride?
    I rode up the buckholt road today and there was a lot of tire tracks at the start of the wall climb.

    CraziScot
    Free Member

    Correctiveroger can you add me to the mailing list, email in profile. I ride with a group from the Wiltshire area and have been watching the regular posts about this area and the problems for a while. Only just found this thread though.

    Dimmadan
    Free Member

    I have noticed an increase in tracks over the last few weeks. Looks like people are getting frustrated and started to head back.

    As far as I was aware the cotswold way upto the top of the wall and the wall run were all out of the scope of the land issues.

    DarrenH
    Full Member

    Cheers Dan, I’ve been avoiding all the cranham/buckholt trails just to be safe.
    Saw a lot of bikers between painswick beacon across towards birdlip, I guess some people are getting itchy feet.
    Can’t blame them, it was great up there yesterday.

    dobiejessmo
    Free Member

    The wall and the Cotswold way are fine or not?Cotswold way is a footpath after all.But then again most of Cranham woods are private and most of us have been riding them for years!!!In my case 22years. 😯

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Essentially for the good of the negotiations that we are doing our best to progress please just stay away until we have some form of actual agreement. Tempting as it is, if our good work collapses now it will simply give NE to potentially offer us less. We need to show them we can all pull together. I hate it as much as any other rider but no pain no gain. Come on, keep it up peeps!!

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    CraziScot. Added you to our email list.
    Those involved with the face to face negotiations with NE are having a get together this week and I’m sure that potential increases in activity in the area will be discussed. Not a lot we can do but to appeal for all that know of the situation to stay on board and stick with us. Anyone riding there knowing the appeal to stay away will only have themselves partly to blame if we receive reports from NE / land owners that rising has continued.

    peteimpreza
    Full Member

    Can you add me to the email (in profile) list as well please?

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Peteimpreza, just added you and you should receive a copy of the latest update very soon… a repeat of above essentially.

    DarrenH
    Full Member

    Cheers roger, I’ll continue to keep well away (hard as it is!).
    Leckhampton and standish are filling in nicely for me right now but a few riders I know have been grumbling and getting impatient.

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    They’re impatient…. we can only do what we can do. And we’re putting the effort in for all out there. Unfortunatley doing this the mature way takes time.

    DarrenH
    Full Member

    Exactly, cheers for all the good work Roger

    mrmo
    Free Member

    if people are going back into Cranham at this time of year when conditions aren’t great, i am finding it ever harder to guess how anyone is going to enforce any ban?

    DarrenH
    Full Member

    Maybe the lure of snow and frozen Trails was too good to resist?
    We managed to have a great time up there avoiding all the no-go areas.

    alfabus
    Free Member

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA5HbqgCIUE[/video]

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Ok, discussions held tonight going through the various scenarios and offerings that we think NE might put on the table. It was agreed that there is a basic minimum number and location of tracks that we are prepared to accept before we agree to do antything in return for NE, eg promotion of any agreed trails, assistance with work parties to clear scrub etc. Be assured that we will not accept a simple A to B route that misses out some of our best trails. The Shrine area may be an issue, depends if NE and the land agent have managed to convince the Tysons to work with us and not against us. Whatever the outcome we intend to hold a gathering open to all as soon as we can to discuss the way forward with riding in the area.

    hishairyness
    Free Member

    Hi Roger, sorry could’nt make last night, sounds like you’ve covered what i thought anyway. so long as we can get this sorted before the spring we may have a chance but can’t see people staying away once the ground dries up and the sun comes out, this will be the prob if they drag their heals much longer. I’m sure we’ll manage to sort this as they seemed to sway in our direction after the last meeting and see that we have the same respect for the woods as them. For me there was one person we had to convince. Seems crazy that one man can deside the fate of all this. NE seemed quite willing to work with us. Keep it up Roger, we all owe you a lot mate. Now our shops sells more mountain bike brands we’ll see more genaral bikers so spread the word even more.

    lookmanohands
    Free Member

    I can’t believe that this is still dragging on, I’m glad I’ve moved away because I for one would have still kept riding selective tracks as I had done for the past 10+ years. Only over the last couple of years has riding in cranham started to become noticed by landowners and I would say this is down to unnecessary trail building and large groups (clubs) riding week in week out. I take my helmet off to corrective roger for taking on NE and so far they’ve managed to stop bikers riding cranham through the winter so it’ll be easy now to stop riding altogether. As mrmo says they are gonna struggle to enforce a ban though.

    dobiejessmo
    Free Member

    As you say Ian few riders whizzing through the trails no one bothers.Groups stopped chatting for ages with 10 or 20 gets noticed.When you think no one should be in there anyway.Not excatly intelligent. 🙄

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    The growth of riding has occurred for various reasons and many riders enjoy riding with clubs so unfair to critisise them too much. We are where we are and may be managing group quantities and sizes might be something for us to try and manage in the future.

    mrmo
    Free Member

    The growth of riding has occurred for various reasons and many riders enjoy riding with clubs so unfair to critisise them too much. We are where we are and may be managing group quantities and sizes might be something for us to try and manage in the future.

    Roger, you know my opinion on this, but club rides and Cranham IMO don’t really work, I know some disagree, and if NE says OK it is something to think about.

    Anyway has anyone been walking through the woods recently, just curious is any blockages have been put in place? logs, fences, etc effectively shutting down the trails before any “decision” is made.

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    I haven’t heard from anyone who has walked the trails recently. Might be worth a scoping though in the coming weeks in case there has been any trail vandalism.

    shaunthesheep
    Free Member

    Roger
    I might be up that way for a jog around on Saturday if not p***ing down. Will carry out a tyre track count and Let you know. Must admit as soon as the bluebells are out it will be really difficult for me to not go for a ride in what I’ve always condidered my backyard (after climbing up the Portway of course!)

    OneWhoWaits

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    We are planning to hold a meeting for all riders to attend as soon after we have met up next with NE (5th March). No dates or venue confirmed yet (in contact with the Royal William though as they have a function room there). I will of course advertise this as soon as we have a venue sorted.
    Whatever the outcome of our negotiations we feel it is important to discuss directly with riders, as there will be issues to overcome whatever.
    Cheers, have a great weekend and please do your Cranham riding in your sleep…. pleasant dreams.

    v666ern
    Free Member

    on Saturday if not p***ing down.

    looks out the window = pishing it down 😆

    correctiveroger
    Free Member

    Just come back from a two hour stroll around the trails. Not a single rider spotted and there doesn’t appear from the state of the tracks to have been too much recent activity. Spoke to a local couple who walk their dogs in the woods every weekend and they told we that they hadn’t seen any riders since the warning signs went up. May be the times I’ve been around there have not co-incided with riding activity, or it has generally ceased. Anyway, let’s hope that this situation can change soon and we can all get back out there with a workable agreement.

Viewing 40 posts - 121 through 160 (of 313 total)

The topic ‘Groups riding CRANHAM WOODS’ is closed to new replies.