Today was my first visit this year to the Chilts so just had to take in a fave bridleway descent – Warmscombe Lane leading to the B480 at Assendon.

Imagine my shock when approximately 75 metres before the road, slight turn in the track and there was a large branch placed across its narrow width. Couldn't stop in time (was fairly ragging it), ended up riding over it with twiglets getting caught in spokes. 😯

I must emphasise that this was not an attempt to cause serious injury (it didn't have a huge girth) but nevertheless it just is not acceptable.

As a matter of interest, on the rest of my route I came across other minor trail obstructions. Funnily enough some members of the public I encountered on the trails completely blanked my cheery greeting. 🙄

Has anyone else encountered problems? Are RoW officers aware?

Be careful out there!

I was attacked by multiple nettles on my usual loop today. Be careful out there 😉

Be careful out there!

I'm not going to leave the house. Branches on the floor? Outside? It sounds horrendous.

We ride the Chilterns all the time and the last few weekends we've only had to contend with hideous nettles no nasty ramblers yet! we'll let you know on the weekend

Couple of Sundays ago, we met some mountains bikes who seemed determined not to enjoy themselves, bless.

They especially didn't enjoy me singing at them…

Hey ho, can't please them all

There were 4 or 5 small branches across that bridleway about 4 weeks ago when I came down there, but nothing worse than an autumn gale would put across the trail. They did look like they were placed by the hand of a man, but you could ride through them no problem.

The fact that it is easy to rag it down there, yet you can't see round the corners and it is bridleway does mean that we should all be a bit more considerate to others. I have often met horses on that descent, but luckily always at points where I have had good visibility to slow down in time, but I'm sure there will have been occasions where bikers have not (either for walkers or horse riders) had enough time to slow down and be courteous. This is inevitably going to cause upset to some and is something we should all be aware of and considerate to. (Clearly not that I am condoning people placing objects however small on a bridleway).

Having ridden this are for the last 20 years, I know that the area is massively more popular with bikers in the past 5 years or so than it ever was before and so that could well be leading to some issues developing.

You need to be able to "stop in the distance you can see to be clear".

Those 'twigs' could have been my children FFS.

(will nobody think of the the children?)

Well, I'm glad you found my post entertaining.

Truth is I'm getting sick of local residents/land owners etc thinking it's OK to do this. On one of my Hampshire routes, on a 500 metre stretch I have to walk along picking up all the conifer branches that have been placed on the trail. They can not be ridden through/over.

Every time I used this trail, and it's not a popular one, I had the same scenario so reported it to the RoW people. I suspect it's more aimed at MX'ers.

Another Hampshire trail – I encountered pieces of wood, at regular intervals, a foot off the ground across the trail that was a bit like an embankment. There were trees overhanging so was quite dark. I could have been injured, so could a horse/rider, a dog, wildlife. Plain stupid.

TheGingerOne – interesting reply, thank you. I had assumed it would not be used by horses, never seen any, only ramblers! Mid-week trails are normally pretty empty but at a weekend, I would exercise caution.

What's with the massive tree trunks at the bottom of Pyrton Hill? Bang out of order. 🙄

Least you don't have to avoid a mad gunman

I assume the logs at the bottom of Pyrton Hill is to slow riders down as well. Once it opens out on the grass you can get a nice lick of speed and I guess the people who work or own the yard or whatever it is there can't be bothered to look right before pulling out. To be honest I found it more fun as it is more fun to get the speed right through a chicane of big logs than just hooning it full tilt in a straight line. Each to their own I guess.

To be honest, Warmscombe Lane is one of the more regular places that I meet horse riders.

Drac – couldn't believe that I stopped in Rothbury Saturday morning on my way back home and the gunman arrived the same day! Rothbury is such a lovely little place.

I don't envy the Police, it's a hell of an area to search, especially with the Simonside Forest. Have they got the dogs out there?

Drac, sort out that madman before i get to Rothbury please

TheGingerOne – I lost all my speed by slowing down at the logs! To be fair the trail was getting a wee bit narrow further up.

rOcKeTdOg – are you riding up there?

I had assumed it would not be used by horses

when talking about bridleways in posh rural areas – you are joking right?

Indeed, and a couple of times it has been mothers out with very young daughters on their horses, so I know to be even more careful down there.

when talking about bridleways in posh rural areas – you are joking right?

In this particular instance, the B road it leads to can carry fast traffic and does not link up with any nearby tracks. I am not a local so could of course be wrong!

I suspect it's more aimed at MX'ers.

Aye, saw a trio of MXers ragging around there a couple of Sundays ago.

The chicane at the bottom of Pyrton Hill didn't stop some daft bint complaining at us that we could have killed her children as we came past them…. 🙄

Summer, brings out the best in folk

CG

I do sometimes wonder whether the branches etc laid across bridleways are feeble attempts at jumps that horsey types put down to challenge themselves/their horses/ponies rather than militant walkers and land owners?

Incidently, did my first Chilterns ride last Sunday out from Henley and don't recall coming upon any such obstacles. Have to say I was very impressed with the riding, lots of flowing singletrack through old beech forests – fabulous 😀

A few branches don't make a conspiracy besides its meant to be mountain biking which to me implies its off road and you should expect the unexpected. 🙂 including horses and riders or whatever.

I live by the Chilterns (Wendover/Aston Hill) and recently had a serial "log placer", ahem, so to speak….for about a month the same route was getting bombarded with branches and logs. It seems to have stopped now but I always walk up my favourite descents before going back down, to check for any surprises.

Despite all this, I always get a cheery response from other trail users, especially the horsey crowd it seems. The occasional grumpy rambler but I just smile at them and ignore their dreary demeanor!

Yup agree Croc – sometimes too many righteous mountain bikers and walkers TBH. Pity we cant all just live together.

I encountered quite a few branches thrown across a trail just north of Goring Heath last weekend. Naturally I moved them, but that's the 2nd time this year i've seen this happen.

Of course it was wonderful to see the kites again. 😀

Just find it frustrating that trail users struggle to get along together and it does seem more pronounced in the Chilts.

Note to self: investigate once again getting involved in Local Access Forum. Quit moaning and be pro-active!

I often find branches across the trails in the Chilterns, but I reckon they're 1/3 dogs dragging oversized sticks on to the trails, 1/3 gravity and wind and maybe 1/3 deliberate to slow people down. Equally I've been tearing down a bridleway only to come unexpectedly across a jump someone's built half way down which must be pretty annoying to the non-cyclists. As a frequent user of the trails I'm used to finding fallen trees blocking my way (and I mean big things at handlebar height that you can't jump over), so as someone said always assume the worst and ride at a speed that lets you stop when that dog runs out in front of you.

the area is massively more popular with bikers in the past 5 years or so than it ever was before and so that could well be leading to some issues developing

Applies to the Chilterns as a whole – every path now seems to be ridden regularly whether legal or not and I can see trouble brewing if we aren't careful. At the moment I find walkers and horse riders are generally very pleasant (as long as you're not within 500m of a car park where the numpties are) but things I see like jumps built on bridleways and new lines that cut corners to keep speed up aren't going to endear us to the other users.

can see trouble brewing if we aren't careful

with whom? I very very rarely come across grumpy folk, but tbh they're everywhere in the rest of the world as well it's not just a cycling/ walking thing. Personally I've found the chilterns to be the most relaxed area I've ridden in in this regard. There's so much more hassle and ill feeling in places like the lakes and peaks. So much for the friendly north.

It was really windy (last weekend?). Summer winds bring down alot more brances because of the leaves. Did they have leaves on….

I very very rarely come across grumpy folk

I agree, and my point is that I'd like to keep it that way! There was, for example, a movement a few years ago to try to ban cyclists from Wendover Woods which fortunately failed. More and more "no cycling" signs are going up around my part of the Chilterns. People building obstructions on footpaths and bridleways because they want to make them more exciting only encourage that sort of thing.

we sometimes get logs/branches put across the trails we ride on. cant always tell if purposely put there or just fallen tbh so best thing is not to get wound up and if it's un-ridable just move it (preferably as far away as possible out of view so if angry types have tried to block the trail they can't just roll it back). alternatively if it's too big trim the smaller branches off an build ramps up to it to turn it into a jump! 😀