Look what they have they done to Carron Valley!

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Look what they have they done to Carron Valley!

136 posts & 57 voices | Started 2 years ago by dmiller | Latest reply from GiantJaunt

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Anyone know when all trails will be open again?

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dmiller - Member

Carron Valley is my local trail center - its where I first went mountain biking, its the first red I ever completed, the first place I did a night ride, etc. Long story short Carron Valley has always been a bit special to me.

Carron Valley was a red (mostly easy) but with one superb feature called Kelpies Staircase. Kelpies was the reason that CV was a red - a nice rocky steep bit. Actually a lot easier than it looked (once you have the bottle - took me a while!) and good training for harder rocky stuff (laggan etc).

This is how it used to look:

The forestry commission have recently "improved it" and the approach to it. The new approach has a few drop offs (roughly the size of a kerb!) and then this is the new kelpies:

They have killed it! It has TWO chicken runs and the actual feature has been removed and buried.

I nearly cried on Sunday when I saw this

Feckers.

Posted 2 years ago #
GW - Member

boo hoo

Posted 2 years ago #
Stu - Member

WTF is the point of a chicken run on that?? Let alone two of them...

Posted 2 years ago #
2tyred - Member

Yup, was up there Saturday morning for the first time in a while and was disappointed when I saw what had been done. Hardly bodes well for the work being done to the runway section.

Posted 2 years ago #
Shackleton - Member

As one of the more tame trail centres that was one of the few bits that I looked forwards to. Never exactly top of my list of places to go but good for a blast when up visiting the inlaws.

Humph. I fail to see what they have achieved really. Put a chicken run in if you must but there needs to be something to justify a chicken run. Not 3 flavours of dull.

Posted 2 years ago #
dmiller - Member

WTF is the point of a chicken run on that?? Let alone two of them..

This puzzled me. Why two? I just don't understand...

Posted 2 years ago #
cullen-bay - Member

that looks horrendous.

Posted 2 years ago #
nonk - Member

nightmare.take it the swear filter is bust then

Posted 2 years ago #
treka - Member

In the previous Grand Scheme of things Kelpies Staircase was to become an uphill climbing section instead of a downhill- maybe that explains the regrading and the other options?

Posted 2 years ago #
robgarrioch - Member

Only did a few laps of CV once but that staircase was the one 'challenging' section. Dumbing down of the highest order.

Weren't they doing something to 'runway' as well, presumably to slow down the air-hunters?

Posted 2 years ago #
Kojaklollipop - Member

Erm ... which one's are the chicken runs then, they all look more or less the same to me?? Apart from the right one having a bit of a dip in it??

Posted 2 years ago #
dmiller - Member

Weren't they doing something to 'runway' as well, presumably to slow down the air-hunters?

It was all fenced off with no entry signs - I'm not the kinda guy that can ignore them

Plus I didnt want to see after kelpies...

Posted 2 years ago #
StirlingCrispin - Member

Cripes!
My three-year old could ride that and then announced he's bored.

Try skidding your back tyre, that'll open it up nicely!

Posted 2 years ago #
slowjo - Member

I think you'll find it is in response to OGB37 by which the FC are introducing standardised trail grading across the UK estate. Everything more than mildly interesting has to have alternative (chicken) routes so peeps don't get nasty surprises once they have committed themselves to a section. At least that is the FC take in my area.

Posted 2 years ago #
dmiller - Member

Try skidding your back tyre, that'll open it up nicely!

hehehe - I actually think that given a good winter the outside chicken run might turn into a swamp anyway

Posted 2 years ago #
chvck - Member

Is that part of a climb or a descent?

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

PLaying devil's advocate here but...

"Carron Valley was a red (mostly easy) but with one superb feature called Kelpies Staircase. Kelpies was the reason that CV was a red - a nice rocky steep bit."

"Only did a few laps of CV once but that staircase was the one 'challenging' section."

If there's only one feature that made the route a red, or which is significantly above the difficulty of the rest of the trail, it makes sense to squash it. Having one harder part in an otherwise easy trail is generally a pretty bad idea, it doesn't even need to be hard to catch people out once they've mentally reset the difficulty level to "easy". I guess this could be with a mind towards regrading the whole trail, or could equally just be about levelling the difficulty across the trail.

Having said that, the best solution to that's to signpost it and if need be chicken run it, not to demolish the whole thing I looked at a video justnow and it looks like there was an unofficial chicken run formed down the left hand side already, FC absolutely hate that, and tend to treat it as riders voting with their tyres and saying "We don't like this section"... But it shouldn't have to be all or nothing. It doesn't even make much sense since it'd be less work to build a clear, well surfaced chicken run and bash in a couple of posts.

Posted 2 years ago #
elliptic - Member

The outer chicken run in the photo looks to be blind and off-camber with a sharp drop into the streambed if you run wide.

No nasty surprises for anyone there

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Oh, does anyone know if there's a downloadable copy of OGB37? If you request it from the FC you have to give a reason and "pure nosiness" might not cut it!

Posted 2 years ago #
bigsi - Member

Looks like they are preparing it for road race duties

Posted 2 years ago #
dmiller - Member

Is that part of a climb or a descent?

Its a descent. Or at least it used to be.

If there's only one feature that made the route a red, or which is significantly above the difficulty of the rest of the trail, it makes sense to squash it. Having one harder part in an otherwise easy trail is generally a pretty bad idea, it doesn't even need to be hard to catch people out once they've mentally reset the difficulty level to "easy".

I see your point, and it makes sense, but they could have put a chicken run beside it without killing it - also the red grading was probably including the funpark as well.

Posted 2 years ago #
slowjo - Member

Northwind... I had a pdf somewhere.... I'll try ad dig up a copy for you.

Posted 2 years ago #
davidrussell - Member

what a forkin joke - you could take 3 quad bikes down that and not hit each other.
simple joyless bypasses
is probably about right for that.

most of the people now using the chicken run will crash because the M25 has opened up in front of them and they dont know which lane to be in...

Posted 2 years ago #
davidrussell - Member

ps. they were worried about folk landing in the burn? imagine the 3-bike pile up when folks try to race round the corner and end up bailing into there.

Forestry Commission, removing the fun from trail centres since 2007.

Posted 2 years ago #
bigsi - Member

On a slightly more serious note it looks to me like the original feature already had a chicken run

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

slowjo, that'd be cool... If you find it could you email it to andrew@blackjack.f9.co.uk? Cheers!

Posted 2 years ago #
davidrussell - Member

Wow, just saw the FC plans for the Runway...

Posted 2 years ago #
davidrussell - Member

OGB37? If you request it from the FC you have to give a reason and "pure nosiness" might not cut it!

FOI? No need for a better reason than nosiness.

Posted 2 years ago #
thebikechain - Member

Bear in mind a lot of people looking at it from an experienced rider point of view will see it as easy.

Those new to the sport (which the FC does a fantastic job in welcoming and recruiting) will find features like the original quite intimidating.

If you want bigger stuff then go to Innerleithen and Laggan. Easy.

Lets have more beginner freindly stuff out there to get people into the hobby/sport. Thats surely the best way to spend the FC money non? Making it more accessible.

If its so easy for people then make it harder for yourself by taking a different bike, a CX would be a laugh. In fact i may just do that next weekend.

Posted 2 years ago #
davidrussell - Member

If you want bigger stuff then go to Innerleithen and Laggan. Easy.

why should riders have to travel to one end of the country or other to ride "bigger stuff"? And how does this square with the sustainability and environmental aspects of MTB. Creating Ghettos for noobs and people who like to emulate freeride stars is not a sensible approach.

Posted 2 years ago #
robgarrioch - Member

Having one harder part in an otherwise easy trail is generally a pretty bad idea

I see the sense there Andrew, & I guess the stair was a bit of a departure from the preceeding mile of trail. I think it was well signposted though, & it was a decent climb up some twisty s'track before a section of fire road to get to it. Could, however, imagine a few 'offs' occurring; sure I did a stop & look before tackling it the first time.

Posted 2 years ago #
slowjo - Member

blackjack ygm

Posted 2 years ago #
thebikechain - Member

I think ghettos is an odd word to use. Facilities would be better.

There is just simply not the space/funding/scope to provide every grade at every facility.

It seems people only get huffy with the FC when they create something to include new people into the sport. Picture it from the other side - you want to get into it and you think they are just building red's and blacks all the time. We need all grades.
If they have to be built in different areas then so be it. Admittedly there is an environmental impact but there are few 'outdoor' sports that do not affect the environment.

If anything this could be argued as a positive thing for the area at least. It will bring people in (hopefully!) and attract investment to the area.

The vast majority of leisure cyclists do not ride red and black trails, there is no reason why the FC shouldn't build/change things to suit.

Posted 2 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Slowjo, I do indeed- thanks!

Oh, on the subject of the runway, the FC website says it's resurfacing, adding new jumps and stone drop-offs but removing "some of the short double jumps". There's space for a multitude of sins in that but it doesn't sound like it's just a steamrollering.

Posted 2 years ago #
Dougal - Member

The wall at Inners received similar treatment this year. Pics, and response from the FC can be viewed at the following: http://s2.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=49727&threadid=2046860

Posted 2 years ago #

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