No, I don’t mean the trails – that’s another debate – I mean litter.

*Climbs on soapbox*

Beautiful evening last night – headed out just as the sun set. However I could not believe the amount of litter and general rubbish I could see along the sides of the trails.

I picked up the first 2 plastic bottles I spotted but then gave up. I saw, among other things

Plastic water/fizzy drink bottles – numerous.
Chocolate bar wrappers – numerous.
Crisp bags – ditto.
Tissues – loads.
Dead inner tubes – 2.
Shorts – 1 – what did the person wear after they abandoned their shorts FFS?

Really p1$$es me off to see rubbish dropped like that at people’s ar$es – do we need signs up now to say “no littering on the trail” – surely that’s just common sense?

GRRRRR

*steps down off soapbox*

Great ride apart from that though.

It’s the same everywhere – yesterday at Hamsterley there were empty cigarette packets – usually on open areas at the top of climbs where people have stopped. Empty bottles and wrappers and even a pair of socks!!

It really boils my piss – if people can carry the stuff up there, why can’t they carry it back down. It’s totally mindless.

I’ve lost count of the people I’ve seen leaving a local McDonalds throwing drinks cups, burger boxes etc out of their car windows along the nearby country roads. They should all be removed from the gene pool – harsh but fair.

I try and pick the rubbish up and carry it off the hill if i can i.e it does not cause me to stop

ive seem a stack of rubbish up on the fort bill downhill track aswell esp during world cup weekend i pick it up aswell drives my GF batty

Yeah, what is it with a lot of people in this Country – no sense of pride in their own Country or respect for themselves or other people. I don’t think they seem to realise that they have to pay taxes for people to pick this s**t up. Recently came back to the UK after driving around Europe, and the amount of litter was the one of the first differences I noticed. Very poor how it’s spread to ‘non-urban’ & trail locations.

A few years ago I worked with a group of foreign post-grad students and when I asked ’em about the UK, they all seemed to like it, but lots said they were shocked by the amount of litter. One of ’em said that some British people seem to take pride in living up to their ‘dirty, lazy, ignorant & oafish’ stereotype.

If people can’t even be arsed to pick up their litter, how the F*** is Camerons ‘Big Society’ brainwave going to work?!

Really, really annoys me too….surely not too much to ask?

Was doing our usual night ride the other Friday – one of the bits is a push (not fit enough to ride it yet…) up a path in FC. We noted the path was very chewed up – presumed by FC vehicles. Imagine our surprise to find a Toyota Landcruiser slightly off the path in the trees – mud on tyres still wet…

We had a look – numberplates were removed and the tax disc was for a Vauxhall. Locked so only presume they ran out of fuel during a slightly naughty “Lets Offroad!!!”.

No sign of anyone until we headed further along our chosen route…..and were met with disgarded sweet wrappers, and some soft drinks bottles…just chucked down as they walked.

Unfortunately we did not bump into anyone – guess the Trout 7-Up plus various others in a normally pitch dark slightly out of the way place potentially put the wind up the ‘owners’….as did the quickly cobbled together song of “We are the brokeback mountain bikers……” accompanied with some strangely animal yelps, etc…..

Another rant – the lazy f’ers who park in the car-park of fast-food places after using the drive-through then simply open their doors and leave their sh1t lying.

Preaching to the converted really mate.

I’m sure it’s all those kids over on Pinkbike doing it.

I blame thatcher! Its true!

During the reign of thatcher public bins were removed so people got out of the habit of using them

I saw lots of litter a few weeks ago at Llandegla, energy bar wrappers in particular, but oddly enough on the CRC ride at Ruthin a couple of weeks ago litter didn’t seem to be an issue; maybe people disrespect trail centres more because they are man made?

Struck me too when I was fresh off the boat from NZ. I used to pick it up and go up to people and say “excuse me I think you dropped this” I was so horrified and thought it must be an accident….

Shocking. Bring back hanging I say !

I think you can pin this on on the IRA no ? Bins disappeared around London at that time so the story goes, this is not based on fact just wot I got told.

Other than around the freeride park at the Buzzards nest I’ve never really seen much litter at GT.

Agree it is shit though how much litter there is in the UK in general.

I try and pick it up and bin it. I picked up 5 burst tubes all near spooky woods a couple of weeks back.

Wee scroats that need to grow up!

hels – Member

I think you can pin this on on the IRA no ? Bins disappeared around London at that time so the story goes, this is not based on fact just wot I got told.

Its because the bins disappeared but it was the evil witches fault.

Its because the bins disappeared but it was the evil witches fault.

she must be proud of being responsible for 600+ years of Irish history

We need a variant of Godwins Law, how long before you blame Thatcher