• This topic has 20 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by tomj.
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  • Ilkley moor keighley masts paving slabs
  • Tess
    Free Member

    Utter devastation – the paving slabs. I know the moor has to be preserved and it stops terrible damage. I was totally distressed. All that beautiful single track gone……

    Simon
    Full Member

    The slabs are horrible to ride on, I can’t imagine it’s nice to walk on either, the only place I like them is over the Red Bog. It’s a shame it could have been done so much better and more sympathetically.
    Some of the old hardhack, rocky singletrack is still there parallel to the paving and I’m sure new stuff is appearing.

    russianbob
    Free Member

    Quite like it myself from 12 Apostles down to the stream. The stuff that replaced the boardwalk. Is that known as the red bog? After the stream the single track to the right down towards the cow and calf if nice.

    Simon
    Full Member

    I liked the boardwalk and the path leading to and from it. Agreed, the stuff on the right after the steam is ace.
    Red Bog the stinky bog that never dries out below the crag near the plantation.

    mattbibbings
    Free Member

    Totally agree. They have put very little thought in to making sympathetic improvements. Seeing as there now exists a wealth of expertise in the local MTB world when it comes to sustainable trail building it shows spectacular lack of insight that the the friends of ilkley Moore or English nature or whoever it was that did this failed to consult.

    I have heard answers about giving access to the countryside to all abilitys and needs but they could have done that without paving the damn place. 😥

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    The slabs are horrible to ride on, I can’t imagine it’s nice to walk on either

    …and certainly not nice to run/jog on, IMO more jarring on the limbs than tarmac. As Si says, there are one or two sections which never dry out where it’s actually vastly improved the situation, but in most places OTT and awful IMO.
    I’m not absolutely certain about this, but I think it’s more the doing of BradMetDistrictCouncil rights of way officer/ Natural England, rather than Friends of IM. I get the impression from my BMDC contact that there has been a fair amount of friction between FoIM and BMDC over this (my assumption within other general conversations rather than cold hard facts). These rock slabs appear to be what NE currently approve on this sort of terrain, it’s used quite a lot on similar ground in the Dales which are almost certainly under the umbrella of NE.

    trout
    Free Member

    Was a bit miffed last sat as took the Fatty up there and wanted to see how it coped across Red Bog
    onlt to find a load of slabs .
    however the Fatty rolled over ths slabs very smoothly with 7 psi in the tyres .

    grittyshaker
    Free Member

    Are these footpaths we’re talking about? If so, while not averse to the odd cheeky trail myself, the indignation expressed here is a bit rich.

    Simon
    Full Member

    Clive, Bradford Council allow cycling on Ilkley Moor, so riding up there is not cheeky.

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    Tess
    This is my circuit from 12Apostles stone circle on top of the moor, which (I think) makes best use of the summit slabs, I’m usually coming from Dick Hudson’s. When you set off on the slabs from the 12A stones, you almost immediately need to pick up the old path, ride that for a bit and then back onto the slabs for the climb to the summit trig (same on the return, but it’s less easy to spot). You def need to pick up the old ridge line path from the summit trig to the masts, it rides really nicely in that direction. I use the slabs on the return to the summit trig as it’s slightly uphill all the way from the masts and just a dif way/route.

    Tess
    Free Member

    Ta b.a.nana for your route suggestion, I was actually coming off the slabs looking for old bits of the former super flowy lovely techy route I used to ride and love. I am grateful I rode those routes a fair few times before the slabs were put down, I have my memories! I just hope they don’t start putting them down anywhere else or I really will cry.

    grittyshaker
    Free Member

    Thanks Simon. I had heard that there was some permissive access granted by BMDC to land owned by them but wasn’t sure of its extent. I’d also heard that it had been withdrawn at some point and then reinstated… Given the environmentally sensitive nature and shared use issues on the moor I’ve tended not to ride there. The main track from Dick Hudson’s to Ilkley can be pretty busy with walkers.

    I’m going to have to have another look, I think. Still, grumbling about resurfacing of tracks to which there is no statutory right of access for cyclists… Perhaps it’s worth recognising that it’s good that there’s permissive access at all?

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    Clive, Ilkley Moor is BMDC open access land and MTB is permitted. Bingley Moor, Burley Moor and other Rombold’s Moor areas (Silsden?, Addingham?) are privately owned by the Bingley Moor Partnership. The Dick Hudson’s path is actually out of bounds upto the 12 Apostles stones, I think the only rightful access from Bingley would be at the Masts/Keighley Road. Someone off here (sancho?) has tried to negotiate Dick Hudson’s path access for MTB’s, but a number of issues has prevented this I think. The BMP gamekeeper I’ve spoken to, didn’t appear too concerned about MTBs , rather dogs roaming and being off the lead, altho it’s his job to enforce/advise mtbers. He certainly understood that bikers were of little or no threat to the ground birds, as we will always stick within the trail and are transient.
    As long as people don’t ride up there when it’s wet and boggy, I don’t see a problem.

    I think. Still, grumbling about resurfacing of tracks to which there is no statutory right of access for cyclists…

    I think repairing/surfacing the trail and selective slabbing in really bad places might have been the solution, but to lay miles of slabs seems overkill IMO. Certainly, I was speaking as a ‘user’ of Ilkley Moor, not as a MTBer. Go and have a look and see what you think, 12 apostles stones is a good vantage point to see it snaking off down to Ilkley and up to the summit trig.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    b.a.nana – can you get onto your route from the forestry bit it runs adjacent to on the west side?

    trout
    Free Member

    b.a.nana – can you get onto your route from the forestry bit it runs adjacent to on the west side?

    You can but its cheeky stuff with a massive stile to climb over
    the path intersects the bridleway through the woods and there has been lots of wood extraction going on there of late

    Sancho
    Free Member

    Same rights as walkers on the Bradford Council owned parts of ilkey moor, so nothiing is cheeky.
    Dick hudsons path, i agreed with the land owner that cyclist have permissive rights to use it.
    We wanted to make it official but Natural England didnt want to know, part of the agreement with the land owner was that we would volunteer to do some simple maintenance (singletraction style) to make the path passable all year round, but Natural England were so officious wanting detailed specifications, etc and would take six months to review it and if they disagreed with our propopsal then that would be it for good, they are just pathetic at NE, have no idea about the countryside.
    ive left it with singletraction as I couldnt deal with the officials at NE.

    Entonox
    Free Member

    I’m not a fan of the slabs but I do believe we’re fortunate to have such an amazing place for mountain biking.
    I’ve recently been exploring and the place is riddled with amazing trails I never knew existed.
    You can do small loops for days around and about the moor never going near those horrible slabs.
    Tip – Use Google Earth to plan a exploratory route.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    You can but its cheeky stuff with a massive stile to climb over
    the path intersects the bridleway through the woods and there has been lots of wood extraction going on there of late

    Don’t mind the stile, don’t want to get shouted at by forestry guys though! Looking for ways to extend a loop out from the back of Skipton towards Bingley, maybe do the bash and then head back.

    tmb467
    Free Member

    Likewise – although I’d be heading from Baildon moor over to there and then back…one to explore cos I’ve not really ridden over there at all

    pennine
    Free Member

    B.A.Nana: Cheers for putting up your route, I didn’t know about that little track, just north of the trig, to Whetstone. Rides really well & we enjoyed it. And those slabs are a bit tedious but I’ll put up with that to continue riding on the moor.

    btw we rode it today from Eldwick and over Bingley Moor

    tomj
    Free Member

    Well this thread is great news for me! Despite living v near Ilkley I had always assumed the moor was out of bounds. Looks like I’m off for a bit of exploring.
    Any suggestions for a good loop starting from Ilkley itself – which isn’t too technical. I don’t mind a bit of rock like the Stainburn Descent line but a full on rocky techy fest is beyond me.

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