Heard today Dowies area out for riding till August due to some sort of wildlife!!!!!!!!Any news on this cheers.

Not someone I’d ever thought of riding.

Not heard anything, I’ll ask around. Was riding there last weekend, chatting to Dowie (the FoD trail builder as opposed to Iain Dowie pictured above :-)), he didn’t mention anything about it.

Thats going to be a long summer if it is. Fingers crossed

My understanding was that it is the area around Worcester Lodge where there is some rare bird nesting or something. Mind you, the area around Worcester Lodge has always been a bit ‘delicate’ for MTBers.
Haven’t heard anything about Dowies area though.

There last night , ironically the FC are about to fell more trees in the wood. Surly this would have the biggest impact on wildlife

rode there Tuesday ,lots of trees marked for felling .as fodmtb says i would have thought all the tree felling would have had more impact .

But felling trees doesn’t count. 🙄

So if theres a big forestry commission sign saying ‘no trail building until August’ by Ellwood/Dowies enclosure, does that mean that trail-building there is normally fine, and sanctioned by the FC? I mean a lot of work goes into those trails, Dowies 3 popped up last year, and there seems to be some more new stuff appearing too. Massive respect to the peeps doing the work. If I had more time (can barely find time to even ride at the moment) I’d come and help build them myself to be fair. Just wondering what the arrangement is with the FC if anything?

A guy came into LBS in Cheltenham couple of days ago and said about it and he lived in Ellwood.Maybe he saw the sign.Dowies3 has been revamped brill.

Thats a strange sign doesnt mention Horse riders/Walkers/Dog Walkers and what you may disburb!!!!!!!!!very odd.

I think you will find that trail building there isn’t sanctioned so much as tolerated . the signs will be there to emphasize a need for it to be curtailed/limited for a while. Or just to remind people that they don’t want any activity. Many a time have I seen people treating no riding as an excuse to do something else there instead.
Slightly bemused by the idea of building those tracks. Dowies was an evolution of a good line picked, and rubbish moved to make it rideable.

Sadly of late the area has been attacked by those with spades but no common sense. Many bikes with spades on board come past my place on the way back from the Dowies area.

Last point. Our views don’t matter. We do not own those woods and if the FC wish to make daft and contradictory statements they can do so. Not our place to decide if we like some rules and not others.

Having said all that, as I do not regard the FC as fit owners of the Forest, I ignore the signs. However I don’t make a deliberate attempt to turn the place into a detonated mine field. Leave the tools at home and take it for what it is.

Oh yeah, dropping trees actually doesn’t have the effect on our furry friends that you might think. Its a day of noise to fell an area and maybe the same to clear it. Daily disturbance has far more effect. Except for the cute little birdies who live up said trees of course.

Good points. Human nature they get greedy and want more and start building more unnatural trails that get more noticed.

Does this cover the area of bluebell surprise as well (I assume it does)?

I take it the area to the north of the road is ok?

Going over there Sunday to see whats/what.

I saw two signs today both by each other.One facing the start of Dowies 1 and 2 and one going the other way on the track towards the back of the football pitch.
Bluebell was fine so was Dowies3 weird.Met some locals they dont seem to know much either.
They dont seem to be working :lol:One local said we will wait and see what the forestry man has to say.

Update – there was a sign up at high meadow as well, not the same as that one…will post a pic later but essentially;

‘welcome to high meadow woodlands
area of outstanding natural beauty

CYCLING
permitted on hard stone tracks
ONLY

please help us with the conservation of this protected area by adhering to the forestry commision byelaws (1982)’

this was a proper metal sign in the layby at the top. This’ll be another area out of riding then. shame.

There have been signs at Highmeadow for a while now.
It’s a tricky one, the ‘cheeky’ trails have become more widely used over the last couple or three years and MTBing has become very popular in the FoD.
Of course, the Forestry Commission have promoted the area, primarily the MTB Trails in Sallowvalets plus the Family Trail and links to various towns, and so it is hardly surprising that the area has seen a huge increase in use. I think the FC are now consolidating their position and just reminding people of the (longstanding) Byelaws of where you can and cannot ride.
A blind eye has been turned for a long time – best part of 20 years with regard to Dowies – but some of these areas have been getting a lot of new trails being made with more and more ‘manufactured’ features and more and more regular use. The original Dowies followed the natural lie of the land, the early monduro trails the same, Lawnmower, Dr. Johns, and others had few if any manufactured features. Newer trails have jumps, gaps, etc., being included and the FC are no longer turning a blind eye.
Right or wrong? Who’s to say?

Morning,

This is probably the wrong time to ask this due to the above posts but is anyone willing to show me around Dowies. I’ve been riding all the trails in Staunton and around Symonds Yat but I’ve never ventured over to Parkend/Ellwood. I live in Monmouth and can ride over the next few weeks- thanks to the teachers’ holidays!

Cheers,

Matt Lewis

Update on Dowies area. Apparantly there are Goshawks nestng in the area, a rare and protected species. Being protected, I understand it is illegal to knowingly disturb them.

I have seen a few Goshawks in the Forest over the years,but not in that area.Very fast birds not great if your a Blackbird etc.Be ok for MTBers.If they are nesting high up in the trees you wont know they are there.So if thats the case there should be a ban on everybody.

The reason why they are so rare in this country is because game keepers keep poisoning them for there Bloody pheasant shoots.

Matt Lewis,

email me your telephone number big*vern*52athomail*dot*com and i’ll give you a shout when im out there next – probably not for a couple of weeks though
if you mail me i can email you over some easy to follow instructions for the area if you’ve got sooooo much time on your hands – get and do some lesson planning!

Mark

Cheers Mark.

Much appreciated-just sent you my number. Evenings are good for me, once I’ve finished my lesson planning…!

Matt

Matt,

ive just realised i spelt my email wrong and cant see yours in your profile
try this
bigver+n52@hot+mail.com

(without the +)

Holy thread resurrection…

Somebody has been busy in the area recently…some proper big boy things have been built some of it not particularly subtle. Not sure on the jumps on bluebell either 😕

Gap jump on the new Bluebell trail is a fair way, nice bit down the plank and another trail to the right of that.They are getting keen around there might cause some problems soon maybe!!!

yeah

fair way

thats what i thought 😯

So how long has that trail been there between Merdocks and Dowies 3?Nice trail.New Bluebell half trail is good long as you go around all those big holes :lol:.Went over to those trails at Clemont end for the first time very good thanks to the 3 guys that showed me where they were.Top brokes.

According to a certain app last couple of months, though judging by the moss it’s a real old one. I liked a lot
Clements end, that’s not shut castle is it? I’ll have to have a mooch 🙂

Dont know what they are called sorry not far on from Dowies.I came to them that way.If you go in by the road and passed the green metal barrier they are just up the fire road in on the left.Not the easiest to find the start after that you can see the three trails no problem and they all finish by each other and its ok going back up the fire road for more goes.

They start by Little Drybrook looking at the OS map.

Sorry meant to reply sooner. Yep that’s the ones we know them as shutcastle and down to SAMs trail