The trail in 50 Acre Wood in Bristol is going to be closed in mid-April, to allow forestry operations to take place. It’s expected that the closure will last around two months.

In the meantime there will be a diversion along the bottom of the wood. They’ll be using some serious machinery in there, so please be sensible and respect the closures. If you can help get the word out that would be much appreciated.

How long is it going to take MrA? Approx like.

The diversion being the gravel family track?

To quote from my post:

It’s expected that the closure will last around two months.

😉

Kingtut, yes, the Yellow family route, a.k.a. the motorway, will be the diversion while the trail is closed.

Kingtut, yes, the Yellow family route, a.k.a. the motorway, will be the diversion while the trail is closed.

Oh great.

Yes, Mike, because gnarly technical trails are your lifeblood. 😉

I’m a bit gutted this is happening now, when the trails over there are riding quite nicely, but it’s been in the pipeline for a while, and it’s only for a couple of months.

Oh yeah

Jeez, paragraphs man 😉

you going to try and persuade them to lend you the machinery for a bit to make some technical bits? 😉

Also I suppose all the spare wood could come in handy for balance bars etc 🙂

Yes, Mike, because gnarly technical trails are your lifeblood.

Gnarly technical trails in 50 acres?

Well they are when you’re riding your flat bar/barended xc speed machine…

Roadie Mike, Roadie Mike, etc 😉

::finger::

Rich, sadly I think it’s a commercial deal and they’re taking to wood away to sell, rather than leaving it for us to build stuff with. I’m not sure what the machinery they’re using is good for other than cutting down trees, but I’ll be talking to the ranger once details are in place and seeing if we can work it to our advantage.

I thought 50 acre was too far gone for them to be able to physically get machinery in and that was why we were allowed to mess about in it.

ADH, happy now? 😛

I thought 50 acre was too far gone for them to be able to physically get machinery in

No, they can get the machinery in there (how do you think they moved all that stone around for us?) but they haven’t done any thinning or harvesting over there for some time, I’d guess because it was bordering on uneconomical. It is a commercial wood though, and apart from logging there is no way they are going to get any financial return from it.

I’m pretty sure that any work over there is going to be thinning (i.e. taking out trees selectively, rather than nuking the lot) so it shouldn’t be too badly affected – if anything it’s been rather mismanaged over the past few years, judging by the number of crappy spindly little trees over there.

Cool, could be a good thing if they are going in to thin it out. Its like a bleeding jungle in parts.

I like the place, it grows on me as I spend more time over there. But it isn’t earning the FC any money (they are supposed to be financially self-sufficient) and it ain’t no beauty spot, that’s for sure.

cool, I need to get my arse out and help with the trail building especially as I am starting to actually use the trails a few times mid week now.

a little skills area would rock

Rich, if you’re interested we’ll be doing a little low-key dig up there on Sunday 18th, whcih should include building some skillzareeeea type stuff.

cool, I take it you will be posting up a reminder closer to the date and I will try and make it for once.

Shame they’re doing work in there….i’ve been riding out to Ashton Court and 50 Acre 2 or 3 times a week from Lulsgate for the last few weeks.

It’s riding great now too. Well done to the trail guys for the latest work. That section after the first entrance onto Weir Lane is appalling though. Feels like you need trials like skill to smoothly ride through that!

If it rains alot then the logging will turn it into a real mess again.

How sympathetic will they be towards the trails?

Nickegg, I can’t really guarantee that the trails are going to escape unscathed, but the FC ranger is going to go up there with the contractors beforehand, talk them through where the trail is, and explain that they should avoid damaging it if possible.

Some bits of the trail may get a bit mashed where it’s crossed by the access tracks, but there are only a couple of places like this. I think they will also be putting down brash (small springy branches) to protect the bits that need to be crossed.

I hear you re the Weir Lane bit by the way, that’s definitely on the hit list for a future dig day…

Oh well, lets hope for the best.

If you can do as good a job as you have on the other, most recently done section then that Weir Lane bit will be sooo much better.

Anyway, looking forward to another trash around there tonight with the Bikestyle (Clevedon) gang.

They will crucify them… 🙁 Which might be a good thing.

Think of the new track you could plan 🙂