How long have we “officially” been banned from riding along the main track to the trig point from Rowberrow Woods and on towards the masts ?Up there Thursday and this has been re designated a footpath it would seem ?

Hi Roland.

A few weeks. Although the top track has never been a right-of-way AFAIK – have a look at an OS map. The track aligns with the line of “beacons” i.e. the tumps you see at the side, which originate from WWII so I have always assumed that the top track also originates from then. Obviously it’s a very established route for horse, bike and foot. But technically only foot passage is permitted under the CRoW.

There are, of course, several fun non-bridleway trails on that hillside which don’t have new signs (if you know where to look). No-one appears to be paying any attention to the new signs on the top track. And it would not surprise me if they mysteriously disappeared one night.

Cheers Stewart carry on regardless methinks !

The idea behind these twee little signs is that we’re all lost fools that don’t know where we’re straying, thus, we can be corrected in our ways. 🙄

To be fair, the main drag has been heavily eroded this last 5 years or so, and this is the AONB’s low cost way of looking like they’re doing something.

There are a fair few dotted around now, but I can’t think they’re going to do anything other than concentrate wear onto fewer trails, which I guess can then be used as ammunition for whatever they choose to do.

Did you notice all the bags of stuff dumped up at the trig point and the lovely new paving? If they want spend money on paving why not repair 20 metres of trail?

Arses.

I think they’re trying to do what they think is right, but they’ve no money and are struggling with the pace of change in outdoor recreation trends/culture.

Nice as the consultation exercise was, its clear that no-one has been given an option to comment on any specifics, so its just a closed shop on what they’re up to. Thats the bit that annoys me.

They’re quite happy to ask for volunteer work, but its only to do what they want to do.

👿

They’re quite happy to ask for volunteer work, but its only to do what they want to do.

Yeah I agree the consultation was not productive in terms of user buy-in. Pretty typical top-down thinking.

Was up there just now and was surprised to see bikes were now ‘banned’ from the path from the masts to the trig-point.

Don’t think it’s been re-designated to Footpath status, as such, it’s just bikes are no longer allowed. There’s still a Bridleway across the top of Black Down (in fact Black Down is criss-crossed with Bridleways. No Footpaths at all), so you CAN legally traverse it by bike, it’s just you can’t ride to the trig-point directly from the masts or Rowberrow Woods any more. Mind you, *officially* you never could because none of the tracks that lead to it are PRoWs 😕

Hopefully, they won’t redesignate the ‘track’ that leads down to East Twin Swallet 😀 😀 😀 Currently it’s got no status other than ‘path’. There is, however, one of those new little markers at the top of it but it’s blank. Let’s hope it STAYS blank *crosses fingers*

Appalled to see what they’ve done to the trig-point mound, BTW. Crazy paving??!? Now that’s nasty…

I was up there this morning and spoke to a guy from some Trails group (forgotten the name of the group now,doah) they seem to be a bit concerned at what is trying to be done, seperating bikers / horse riders from walkers etc.

I rode the now marked bridle path from the gate that leads to the masts going in the direction towards the trig point, this track doesn’t take you anywhere near the trig point. Come the winter this path will be worse than the track across the top.

Not sure how they will be able to enforce anything i’ve been riding the trais up there for the last 20 yrs with no problems.

Irrespective of the signs, I’m disinclined to follow what they ask. I practice a (very) local version of ‘right to roam’.

We spotted these signs a few weeks back….needless to say we ignored them! If the path to the Trig point carries no RoW status then how can one user group be banned and not the other!!

I recall some attempts at better drainage on the path leading to the masts a few years ago. A night time blast down that path, having not realised they’d done anything, nearly resulted in me flying over the bars! They drainage channels were filled in soon afterwards.