Following on from the thread a few weeks back, I met the delightful gentleman today who now owns the area as i had just come doen the shrine trail outside the saw mill and it went liek this…

” Excuse me but i am the new landowner, and i own everyting this side of the road from the junction at the top all they way down to about a mile and a half the other side of the white house, and I would like to inform you that you can no longer ride in these woods” (said with the biggest plumbs in his mouth and with a huge cheesey grin) ” We no longer want horses or cyclists on this land, we don’t mind walkers”

I replied that i understood there was some common law with regards to access and he said ” I have been in touch with heritage and there is no right to cycle here” In other words he has tried to block all access but cannot legally do this to people on foot…. which means he cannot put up fences and prevent anyone from accessing the land which means ….. it really dosen’t matter about the new owners as there is no way he can stop you passing through the woods.

I’ve got to say that he came across as the most stuck up inbred born into the money type person i have ever had the displeasure of meeting. He arrogantly grinned throught the conversation which lasted about 5 minutes.

Anyway it won’t stop me from riding there and i shall be polite to them everytime i see them as i was today. We cause no harm to the area and i don’t think they can honestly do anything. And along with us he is also targeting horse riders, so we are not the only ones and that s alot of people to pee off.

nice to see it is not just the cyclists getting it, i wonder about the horses though as there are a number of permissive bridleways in those woods.

They are right though about cyclists having no right of access, CROW is for walkers only.

You wouldn’t happen to have a description just in case i see them?

They are deffo the new owners as they were waiting in the the mill

He was just under 6ft tall, overweight and balding, in his 60’s/70’s at a guess with a lovelly tank top and shirt on.

My guess is they can’t really do anything and will just keep being unpleasent to people in a bid to stop people going there. Don’t think it’ll work though.

Judging by his physique i don’t think there is any chance of him chasing us

” Excuse me but i am the new landowner, and i own everyting this side of the road from the junction at the top all they way down

Is that the saw mill side?

Yes, shrine area, the mill the house a mile and a halk past the house and back the other way to the road

Did he say if he owned it down to the sawmill or further?

Did he mention why he was trying to stop access?

From Natural England – i know it’s walkers only etc but what can they really do! the police are not going to go hunting round a wood for soeone on a bike!

Open Access land
Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW), the public can walk freely on mapped areas of mountain, moor, heath, downland and registered common land without having to stick to paths.

People across England now have approximately 865,000 hectares of land across which they can walk, ramble, run, explore, climb and watch wildlife as they are given the freedom to access land, without having to stay on paths.

The new rights, for which people have been campaigning for over 100 years, came into effect across all of England on 31 October 2005.

But I’m the new land owner of that part of cranham woodz. :D. Anyone can say they own the land but where’d the proof? Did he show you the paperwork? Worst case, trespass? Civil matter, the feds won’t be interested. Business as usual, nothing to see here.

the feds won’t be interested

Is this Cranham New Mexico we’re talking about? Crap, sorry, I assumed it was the one in Gloucestershire. I’ll get back to my scrumpy.

So he owns the land, just like you may own your garden, or parking space, get real and find somewhere else to ride, before tyou tar all cyclist with the dirty brush.

He also has the availability of removing you by force if you faoil to stop trespassing on his land, and it may not be him but his hired staff.

I say we lynch him or at the very least tar and feather !

Like they did to this bloke and his mates?

So he owns the land, just like you may own your garden, or parking space, get real and find somewhere else to ride, before tyou tar all cyclist with the dirty brush.

Yep will do, then someone else “buys” a little bit more and so on and so on, I know i’ll just ride on the road

Project lol

I know i’ll just ride on the road

But the roads belong to “Clarkson” and his ilk, they have paid for them..

So this is an example of what happens when a wood / forest is sold off 🙁

@project, problems as follows, i have been riding in the woods for more than 20years, others were there before that. I have documentary evidence of horses in the woods over 100 years ago. There are permissive bridleways in the woods that have been there for decades. And the whole site is leased to English Nature who operate it in accordance with CROW.

As for recourse, he can ask us to leave and use force to move us on if we don’t go. As the point is to go, what can he do?
the forsale notice.

As for what he wants to do, he is English and rich, “it is mine all mine”

GET OFF MY LAAAAAAAAAND

i have been riding in the woods for more than 20years

Likewise. Not sure I care though to be honest. My favorite bits happen to be the other side of the road. I’ll continue to ride but will feel even more guilty than usual (it never was my land and there never were any bridleways).

EDIT: crap. Over 30 years. I really am getting old.

Bad news this Hopk1ns.
I had the displeasure if meeting the new ‘owners’ on new years day.
I was hoping things would just quieten down after that but obviously not. 😐

As i lived in stroud i remember we cycled at Randwick woods, rodborough common and a around painswick, theres plenty of places to ride, he just doesnt want you riding in his wood does he.

If he wanted a trail centre he would have been to B and Q, and bought a wooden shed, and a kettle,along with a load of stone for a car park.

If he wanted a trail centre he would have been to B and Q, and bought a wooden shed, and a kettle,along with a load of stone for a car park.

I must admit I do sympathise with the owners, but if I was them I’d not worry about a few bikes. It’s not like they can do anything with the wood without riders as it’s open to walkers. The only person to find this stressful is the owners.

@project as i live in Cheltenham and ride from home, Rodborough is a tad far for an evening pottle, which is what Buckholt is ideal for.

Anyway if he is old he’l be dead soon and the woods will still be there. No one owns land, you are just the custodian for the next generation. i believe the land belonged to Gloucester Cathedral until the dissolution of the monasteries when it was given to the cronies of the crown. How things change.

Ah but the woods may be gone sooner rather than latter along with all those government agencies tree hugging them.

Probably be an ASDA in the next 5 years.

Disclaimer, there are other supermarkets that may also move there as well.

I haven’t got time to get into the detail of this now – off to the Alps for a week’s snowboarding at 4.30 tomorrow morning – but if you have been riding there for 30 years or more there’s a reasonable chance of there being a public right to do so now anyway. It depends on the circumstances. If you are interested in knowing more email me (address in profile) and I will reply when I get back.

Oh and he also tried to make out it wasn’t there fault and that they didn’t want to be “spoil sports” but it’s because of rare plants etc!

Oh and he also tried to make out it wasn’t there fault and that they didn’t want to be “spoil sports” but it’s because of rare plants etc!

which is something to be aware of if the government gets its way with selling woodland. Every body has its own pet project, the RSPB will look out for birds the woodland trust will ban bikes etc.

Yes there are rare plants, but the owner would do better to fence areas and put up signs explaining why rather than a blanket ban that they have no hope of enforcing.

He also has the availability of removing you by force

I don’t think he or his agents are allowed to use force. I think they can only escort you to the nearest boundary/exit.
Obviously I stand to be corrected.

Anyone got a map of the area affected? Mrmo – seem to remember that you had a stash of maps

@bushwacked, if you click on the forsale link on my post above it should heelp

So am I right in thinking this only affects the land on the north side of the sawmill ie the shrine runs? The trails which start on the right of the red/white house are still unaffected

That is correct, the race track side is still ok (apart from the felling at the mo)

Ignore this reply, just doing it so I can keep track of the situation.

He said he owned one and a half miles on the otherside of the house as well. So he owns from the road junction at the top all the way past the mill, past the White house and for another mile and a half, all on the mill side of the road

The sale notice

So, who thinks this is a big issue or not?

I’m thinking it could be if he starts blocking trails

for sure, and i wouldnt be at all surprised. which reminds me, hows things at your project?

Gaining good ground, starting to focus on putting in some XC/AM lines and a more technical dh line along side the existin lines and a route to ride back to the top without causing coronaries.

@project, problems as follows, i have been riding in the woods for more than 20years

Only needs a few of you to get together apply for common rights and you’ve got it forever – nec vi, nec clam, nec precario!