UU have finally got round to making the Hurstwood car park Pay and Display. The massive sum of 50p for 2 hours or £1 all day. Word is that Rivi will be set up by next Easter.

Just another stealth tax really, as Gordie oh Gordie wants to control water prices (and everything else) so UU look for other ways to increase income, to meet the investment that Gordie oh Gordie wants.

I think it's disgusting that having paid £10K or so for a car to carry my £2/3/4K bike, I then have to pay £1 or £2 to park it. Disgraceful. Come the revolution this will all change.

Don't rely on some obscure outdated wording in a deed of gift 150 years ago to stop it happening – it won't!

I think it's disgusting that having paid £10K or so for a car to carry my £2/3/4K bike, I then have to pay £1 or £2 to park it. Disgraceful. Come the revolution this will all change.

😆

…..and waits for the folk who do mind paying!

Hurstwood near Worsthorne?

Hurstwood near Worsthorne?

That's the one. Been there this afternoon. Not sure how big an area is subject to the fees. The machine is in the small far bit, which has a gate. There are signs that the gate is locked at 5.30, presumably when the days takings are collected. The bits by the picnic tables may not be included. (Is this the dogger's bit?) I parked there and had no trouble. Depends how far UU's control extends. Who maintains the area?

Not got an issue paying for parking to be honest, it is private land after all that they have openned it up for public use and provided us with somewhere to park. I saw the UU ranger very near there on Saturday and have seen her chasing down motorbikes illegally riding on the bridleways before now.

There are plans to eventually charge for parking at Gisburn Forest as well, with the intention of the revenues going into trail maintenance. We should be thankful that these organisations don't charge admission as well as parking. Why should it all be free when it's cost them to provide and maintain the carparking?

^^^^^Totally agree, but it's not a popular stance in miserly mountain biking circles.

I am outraged!

Yep is no biggie I think as long as its not ridiculous – I mean a quid for the whole day? Quick get Mervin King on the phone I need a loan!

just park on gorple road at worsthorne just like i did monday 😀

butttttt i dont mind paying for parking to be fair

Or up at the carpark on the Long Causeway near the windfarm 😉

Or up at the carpark on the Long Causeway near the windfarm

That wouldn't have been much use today, I was off over Top Withins and back on the new stretch of Pennine Bridleway. Sorry, no I wasn't. Top Withins is a footpath, so didn't go!

yep i was just about to say park near the winfarm….
failing that if you dont want to pay for the car park…why dont you just cycle up there and cycle home like i do ! lol.. yep that ride for me is about 3 and a half hours long. …from sunny 'Tod' to 'Widdop' up the switchback to Gorple Gate, down to the limestone Hushings at Sheddon…and further on you come out at the windmills, then its the tarmac haul over near the Bridestones and back to 'Home' of 'SingleTrack' land… 😉

CHATSWORTH :That wouldn't have been much use today, I was off over Top Withins and back on the new stretch of Pennine Bridleway. Sorry, no I wasn't. Top Withins is a footpath, so didn't go!

lol so where did you go ? ive been over to Top Withins a few times now and its a bridle way….(packhorse route) new stretch of Bridleway ???? is there ?

I went from Hurstwood to Widdop, then to Walshaw Dean then up Top Withins. The route is up the Pennine Way which IIRC is still a footpath. It would have to be a very good rider to clear that stretch! Then down The Height to come to the road at Ponden Resr. Tarmac I'm afraid past Water Sheddles, then turn off just before the bend to go past Boulsworth Dyke. Into Thursden, past the old ruin. Down the hill and across the cattle grid.

THEN>>>from approx GR 907346 there's a brand new trail that works over Extwisle Moor. Make sure you get the turn to cross Swinden Water and you come back out on the original Pennine Bridleway just above Thursden. You'll pass it on the way out. The last section isn't marked on any maps, and AFAIK isn't officially open. There's a couple of very steep – get off and walk – pulls on it.

Can send you a gpx/mmo if you want.

I wouldn't begrudge £2 to park all day, in fact I'd be very cheerful about it.

I would however begrudge paying £7-8 per day (Thetford). That is a gigantic mickey take IMHO.

I have never took my car to Rivi with the bike in ,just ride over ,its 11 mile there for me but reckon its still quiker riding over than messing about loading the car ,also charging people might ease the traffic on the roads up there so I am all for it

I don't mind paying in such places. Although sometimes I don't have any cash on me and the nearest cash point is miles away! :-/

That is a good point, got caught like that a couple ofweeks back parking at the new childrens hospital (which is a totally different rant), £ 10 for the privilege of parking whilst my 18 month old son was having surgery. I thought I'd be OK, brand new multistorey, ticket on barrier, pay at pay station before you leave job. Great thinks I they're bound to take credit cards. Nope, didn't even take notes, needed £ 10 in change and it didn't take 5ps either (and I had exactly £ 10 including 2 5 pences) so I had to go off and buy something to pay.

I would have thought credit card machines were ideal in remote places, no issues with change, less money to get robbed out when no one is looking and would require emptying less often 🙄

Wahey, there's a rant in me for everything tonight.

I wish they'd get a big barrier at Glentress to stop c***s from parking and not paying… And then moaning that the car park's too full of course.

great rant!

as Gordie oh Gordie wants to control water prices (and everything else) so UU look for other ways to increase income, to meet the investment that Gordie oh Gordie wants.

Is this an individual? I'm just checking because I know most of the UU directors and none of them are called anything like that. You realise UU is a privately owned company regulated by a publically responsible ombudsman?

thing is when i go riding i always look for pay and display, i have a good 5 hours of something to do and i dont begrudge paying a few pounds for the pleasure

Hey Chatsworth is that new trail over Extwistle a bridleway? I see a footpath mentioned there on my old OS map.

Yep, It's the new Pennine Bridleway. Even some small berms on it, but it's bludie steep in parts.

They wouldn't dare charge parking fees on my land 😛

Please can I buy a parking permit off you?

Chatsworth, that's great, thanks for the info, need to get myself a new map, was cycling up Eringden way at the weekend and there were parts of the Pennine Bridleway that were signposted and made for good riding but were also marked as footpaths on the map.

The footpath marked on my OS maps bears little relation to the track on the ground, which is largely completely new. There is one small stretch on Extwistle Moor itself which corresponds to the map, but you soon turn off it, at a junction that you can miss if going at speed.

looking at the OS online the bridleway just stops on the top of the moor, does it in fact link up with another path or is the map up to date do you know?

From the road junction at the grid ref mentioned above^^^ the trail goes West of South to join up with the existing Worsthorne – Widdop bridleway at approx GR 898323. It is nearly all newly constructed. I can send you a mmo/gpx, or a screen shot(if I can work one out!) of where it goes.

Thanks again, no need for further info can see the sort of route on the map. So it comes onto the downhill from above Widdop just before the gate where you turn left to go down to Hurstwood (if you're coming from Widdop). I suppose it's too much to hope that there's something new that goes on Widdop Moor on the other side of Widdop Road and loops back across to one of the bridleways on the Walshdean estate…

comes onto the downhill from above Widdop just before the gate where you turn left to go down to Hurstwood (if you're coming from Widdop).

Yep, that's about right.

I suppose it's too much to hope that there's something new that goes on Widdop Moor on the other side of Widdop Road and loops back across to one of the bridleways on the Walshdean estate…

From what I can see the Pennine Bridleway is being directed past Boulsworth Dyke. There's quite a bit of improvement and signage on that stretch. Don't think anyone in their right mind would think of putting a route over Jackson's Ridge; that's an execrable place!

Thanks, the path that goes from Coldwell reservoir via Boulsworth Dyke is pretty interesting though, shame I cannot get a smaller loop that takes in the descent from Widdop without me having to go along the Long Causeway for a bit. Cannot have everything though.

You can cut the corner off and miss out Coldwwell Res. From Thursden head just East of North. That too is an improved track. Haven't seen any signs, but the construction methods are the same, so I assume that it too is part of the PBW new bit. Still shown on the map as a footpath, but I think the map has a lot of catching up to do round here.

Goes past this oddity (Not the bike)

Thanks, I see the footpath on the map, will check that out too. Now I need something to miss out the road to Standbury so I can get on the road by Leeshaw Reservoir, didn't see anything obviously bridleway like last time I was along there though.

Re rivi – I've no problem paying a small parking fee if they do something with it. Repair the gates. Fix the loos maybe. Repair any sections of walking trail required, protect some bits of land. But if they just do it to line their pockets I find it a mild irritant. Lets hope they dont use it to tarmac over all the good trails and keep the bikes out.

Now I need something to miss out the road to Standbury so I can get on the road by Leeshaw Reservoir, didn't see anything obviously bridleway like last time I was along there though.

Where are you trying to get to/from?

I'd like to get from say Thursden along the Pennine Bridleway up towards Stanbury direction and then get onto the Howarth to Midgehole bridleway. At the moment I'd just go along the road for most of it.

HHMM! Can't really help much I'm afraid. I don't know of a way over there that isn't a messy trudge on foot, and almost impossible to ride. I bite the bullet and use tarmac, or cheat and go somewhere different. Sorry.

No, that's what I figured, the road's not too dreadful though.

I ride there from home and Lowey lets me ride for free so i dont care it may just become a local trail for local folk 😆