Its nothing to do with the Highways Agency!

I'm not saying what has been done above is a shining example of 'upgrading' a bridleway, but if the local authority are trying to improve it, what would you suggest to them? The BW should be open to walkers, horses and bikes moving in two directions, so where it's possible to do so, they'll make it wide enough for users to pass in opposite directions.

it didn't need touching at all imo, i'm sure the horse riders think the same, walkers? would they really want to walk on tarmac across country?

grtdkad – do you have any references for the carcinogenic path reports?

RD, the track in your original post is part of this route http://explore.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/os_routes/show/3501, and this rather longer one http://explore.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/os_routes/show/8980 – does that help?

The BW should be open to walkers, horses and bikes moving in two directions, so where it's possible to do so, they'll make it wide enough for users to pass in opposite directions.

really? see I'm more of the opinion that they are old roads/routes that should only be cleared of excess foliage and obstructions, leave them to nature and enjoy them as you find them rather than turn them into highways. But thats just me I guess.

Can't see it happening here not enough users for them to consider them doing that. Anyway least now you'll get off that dull looking trail a bit quicker. 😉

well i guess i know what i'm up against, on one of the trails in the above link (thanks onewheelgood) i passed 4 riders on hybrids, it was a very muddy narrow bridleway, we had to stop to pass, so i asked which direction they were headed, they said to Hatton, so i said "you know the route has been tarmacd", they replied, "oh yes, it's much better now, no mud at all" so i guess that's who it's designed for 🙁

Just been up Hailes (Glos). It used to be a nice rocky climb/descent, became even more knarly after the floods in 2007. But today…

Sanitised, you could do it on a road bike.

Can't see it happening here not enough users for them to consider them doing that.
Wish you were right Drac, but the genius that is the County Hall ROW dept are ploughing ahead with their plans to completely arse up the ROW network just down the road from you, despite carrying out a [extremely limited] “public” consultation in which most responses were critical of their policies.

Over the past 18 months or so, they've felled km's of trees, removed countless tonnes of rock, dug up several old cobbled cart tracks and levelled off vegetation to a width of at least 3m (more usually 5m with large drainage channels – think large forestry roads), followed by the infilling and grading of what is left. The result is transforming (and will continue to transform) singletrack and doubletrack into the roads like those in the pictures above, all of this within or on the border of an AONB and crossing several SSSI's and/or conservation areas. As grahamh says above, the only thing they're good for is a road bike- or as a farmer said to me, rollerblading. If any other body/organisation was responsible they'd be absolutely slaughtered (and rightly so) for the unjustifiable environmental damage caused, but the local dept. is completely unnacountable. Their level of ineptitude and lack of understanding of what people want from their ROW is sickening- and the same folk are deciding on the policies for round your way too. 🙁

grahamh – Member

Just been up Hailes (Glos). It used to be a nice rocky climb/descent, became even more knarly after the floods in 2007. But today…

Its been repaired so that all users can use it.

FFS – one persons gnarly rocky trail is anothers eroded mess. Often photos are put up on here of "gnarly rocky trails" that clearly are eroded away and unsustainable – and are not passable by horses which is how bridleways are defined is it not?

The over repaired ones will soon soften and blend in again as vegitation grows over the edges. If you want rocky trails suitable for hardcore MTBs only then go to trail centres – otherwise either get involved with local local groups or shut up whinging

thomthumb – Member
hampshire cc have done something similarhere

i'm assuming it's unfinsihed seeing as the digger is parked blocking the BW but it was barely ridable last night; imagine 4 inch deep uncompacted chalk rubble. it was a bit muddy/ churned up before but it didn't need this!

Be intreasting to see how long that last then as that is very heavely used bit of track being the SDW and all.
I take you ride around this area then Thomthumb?

So, apart from posting irate comments on STW, what do we do?

Petition on the Number 10 thing?
Writing letters to MPs?
Everyone gets a MX bike and puts the trails back to how they should be?
Burn down county hall and put the heads of the ROW officers on long spikes?

Jebus…

I agree with TJ – 100% 😯

Hell truly must have frozen over! 😀

Where's that at crouch?

Its been repaired so that all users can use it.

It was being used by all users…
Horse riders, walkers and mountain bikers.
Its an ancient track way, the original cobble stone visible (or they used to be).

thomthumb – Member
hampshire cc have done something similarhere

i'm assuming it's unfinsihed seeing as the digger is parked blocking the BW but it was barely ridable last night; imagine 4 inch deep uncompacted chalk rubble. it was a bit muddy/ churned up before but it didn't need this!

Was over there today and managed to ride it. It always was overgrown and became very muddy but then it's well tramped.

Loads of angst in Hampshire today, reckon that Chilterns miserablitis virus has headed South 🙄

Hang on a minute CG, where exactley do you stand on this subject? a few weeks ago you were campaining to get various bridleways local to me surfaced in this exact manner.

@Drac- SW N'land.

TJ and Zulu, there's a massive difference between enabling all relevant "user groups" to use a particular route sustainably and the disproportionate actions seen above. Routes that are being damaged through use may justifiably and reasonably require repair (or alternatively, individuals to understand how their actions may contribute to this damage and alter their behaviour accordingly), but the action carried out by various authorities seen on this and similar threads is completely OTT.

To give you an idea, the scale of development that I'm describing is greater than the infrastructure used in the construction of forestry roads in many instances. If a landowner (for example) carried out this type of work they may be (and have been) prosecuted. It is out of scale, environmentally insensitive, and irreversible- how many Forestry Commission roads do you see softening and blending in, the fate you envisage of these routes?

As for your trail centre comment, people have been riding pretty much any route in the UK for generations long before "hardcore mtbs" (wtf?) and "trail centres" were a twinkle in any eye. Are we to expect that because trail centres now exist, all other routes should be entirely robbed of any individual characteristics? (even as grahamh points out, in many cases all (legal) users are using the routes in question in a largely sustainable manner) Seeing as treadmills and climbing walls exist, perhaps we should be lobbying for the levelling off of Striding Edge (handrail anyone?) and a stairlift up the best routes in the northern corries? After all, treadmills and stairlifts would be the analogue of trail centres for walkers and climbers.

slimraybob – Member
Hang on a minute CG, where exactley do you stand on this subject? a few weeks ago you were campaining to get various bridleways local to me surfaced in this exact manner.

Sorry but what bridleways in particular (not sure where you are)? I ride in a lot of different places!

CG The proposed Shiprights Way, a route that is currently bridleway and country lane and is rideable as is. I am based near Petersfield

Apologies but my comment re SDW may have been misleading, it was meant tongue-in-cheek as the work has not finished. 🙂

I keep meaning to ride The Shipwright's Way, have done bits of it. Surely any surfacing/resurfacing will evolve over time into something quite different?

If you want rocky trails suitable for hardcore MTBs only then go to trail centres

that is possibly the stupidest thing i've seen TJ write, and that's saying something, back under your bridge, there's a good old boy

RD – not referring to your trail in that pic but making a general point. As crouch potato says these trails have been ridden for decades – but on rigid thin tyred bikes. Many folk post up on here pics of trails that are eroded messes that they like 'cos they are rocky. Councils have an obligation to keep the bridleways in good repair – if you want an eroded rocky mess then you cannot expect that on a trail that is open to all users hecne the comment about going to trail centres if you want a challenge for a 6" travel MTB- its a selfish point of view that wants trails that are only suitable for long travel MTBs but are impassible for horses and difficult for walkers

Its about sharing – and yes these over engineered resurfaced paths will blend in over time – I have seen it happen.

don't whinge about it act. Get on the local consultative groups, make your point heard – but don't expect your rocky eroded mess to be kept for your playground when its a route for all.

Its been repaired so that all users can use it.

If you think that sort of surface 'repair' is ok, would you be happy for them to do it to all ROW around your way so everyone can access them?

Councils have an obligation to keep the bridleways in good repair – if you want an eroded rocky mess

Most of the repaired ROW's are not rocky messes, but easy access double track that they think are ideal for 'all' user groups. If not then the Beast in the Peak is under threat from the tarmac!

There are plenty of different types of places people can go to get their fix, why does good money have to be spent making bridleways look like canal tow paths?

One of my favorite piece was done like that years ago – as have many others. They blend back in over time. If the use is unsustainable and the erosion has reached a point where repair is needed what should happen – leave it to erode away so no walker or horse can use it safely?

Its cyclical thing. erosion, repair and erosion again

No such thing as rights of way round here tho no any obligation on councils to repair bridleways to a standard suitable for horses as there are no bridleways.

Again – the point is simple – trails need repair and maintenance – if you don't like how it is being done then get involved and make your feelings known.

be warned, Sheffield council have a new tactic;

instead of resurfacing a bridleway (as arguably they have an obligation to do*), just reclassify it as a footpath.

this kind of nonsense is heading to a council near you.

The thing is they are not targeting ROW with serious erosion issues (I can think of plenty in the Peak that are in need of help) but instead are choosing easy to get to bridleways and making them as flat as possible so that wheelchairs, buggies etc can use them just like normal path or road, so that 'all' users can have a piece of the countryside.

agghh!! look what they've done to the lovely bridleway in Claverdon

and it isn't for vehicular access as there are anti motorbike/car gates at either end, it's a bridle"motor"way 🙁

I hate all this rubbish too, I hate it as a walker as much as an MTB'er – I like walking along interesting stuff, not awful santised motorways as shown above – completely pointless.

They 'improved' a load of byways and bridleways a few years ago to the SW of Bath in exactly this manner. Shame to loose them, as it'll take many many years for them to get back to where they were. Even at the peak of erodedness you could get a rigid MTB up/down them, horses could get by fine with care, I guess it was getting difficult for argricultural access on the byways. Yet they were eroded enough to be ace on more modern mtbs.

The other side of the coin is that it just drives more cheeky trail usage, as riders go get their 'natural' trail kicks on footpaths etc.

Baffling. As a walker, horse rider and MTBer it makes absolutely no sense to me. A sure-footed horse and competent rider can handle pretty much anything short of a black run so there's no point 'improving' it for them, likewise any walker.