Out for a walk up the Tower Trail today and saw lots of this ….

Untitled by druidh_dubh, on Flickr

…would that be the same weekend warriors who complain about walkers on the cycle trails then?

right to roam? :0

pram wheels 😉

Right to roam is fine providing you are accessing the land and using it responsibly…going by that image it would be very easy for people to demonstrate irresponsible use of the land…

Doesn’t bother me but I’m in a picky mood for some reason!

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Which bit is that druidh?

I think a point worth making is that the bike trails are purpose-built for mountainbiking and a recent addition to the forest; and generally walkers stay away from them.

Similarly there are recent walking trails that I hope/ believe bikers generally stay away from.

The crossover is that some bits now waymarked as walking routes have been there as long as I have been going to Glentress and overlap with oldskool biking routes in a few places. Remember also that a fair few sections of the Black are actually a shared use trail, as bike route sits where established paths were.

I think I have only seen a few people on foot on a bike trail in all the times I was at Glentress (though one was a man pushing a pushchair up the bottom of Falla Brae), and I have never seen anyone on foot where an old route crosses/ shares with a walking route.

would that be the same weekend warriors who complain about walkers on the cycle trails then?

I would doubt it, I think it would be very stupid of someone to complain about something if they were doing pretty much the same as they were.Besides the bikes could be getting pushed there.

falkirk-mark – Member

I would doubt it, I think it would be very stupid of someone to complain about something if they were doing pretty much the same as they were.You’re being ironic – right?

No, I have been on trails and found (dog)walkers on them and thought (kin idiots)but then I have ridden on footpaths so it would be stupid to publicly moan about it.

“Whoosh ”

That trail, if it’s the one I think it is, is sort of odd in that there’s always tyre marks but it doesn’t really go anywhere anymore, it’s still choked with deadfalls from the big storm a couple of years back. Maybe there’s some singletrack on the DL that I’ve never found.

Never seen any walkers on GT MTB trails outside of one bad Ted on a motorbike in ten years.

* wonders if he’ll make it worse by identifying it….*
🙂

* wonders if he’ll make it worse by identifying it….*

Only if you tell the STW massive that it is insanely RADICAL.

I bet there will be a queue of stormtroopers Sunday…

Its Tower trail innit

I don’t think that trail would be much worse if bikes hadn’t been on it, its a badly drained section and is essentially acting as a stream/ditch as the surface water cant run off it. At least the bikes are going up the middle and not widening it. Also trails are there to be used, so what is really wrong with them becoming muddy? Doesn’t look like bikes are threatening the structure or viability of the trail, its just showing signs of being heavily used in wet weather, as you would expect in a heavily visited forest.

falkirk-mark – Member
Its Tower trail innit

How did you guess…

druidh – Member
Out for a walk up the Tower Trail today and saw lots of this ….

…. 😀

I don’t quite understand the point here, people are allowed to cycle on footpaths in Scotland right?

The point is that cyclists are allowed to ride on footpaths in Scotland – responsibly. Before rights come responsibilities, and in many cases this is ignored by a proportion of cyclists.

looks like pram wheels to me 😈

Its an interesting and odd area of debate. One of the grey areas in the LRA. I have seen walkers on the bike trails a fair bit at glentress – however until its been decided to be an “area set aside for that use” iirc is the wording then all paths are fair game for everyone,
Horses on spooky woods anyone? That would shit you right up

I don’t think it’s quite comparable to walking on the bike trails, since that’s outright dangerous. But regardless of that, it’s still incredibly rude.

(though… hands up anyone else who uses the walker’s path just above the red squirrel to cut through onto the final part of falla brae sometimes? I know I do. I know FC staff do 😉 But we do so very shamefacedly)

It would make more sense to have that bit as a dedicated link – it just seems daft to be going downhill on a fire road at a trail centre.

So, you’ve got the right to roam (as long as it’s not a wee bit muddy).

Seems the footprints are more damaging there than the wheels.

But either way, it’s just churning up a bit of mud. It dries out. Not really damage. A lot of walkers rant about the “damage” bikes make but it’s just mud. Ride on the sides and banks cutting into roots, vegetation and so on and that’s another matter, but the impact is little different to a group of heavy boots (and walkers can turn up in numbers in the dozens).

rudedog – that bit IS a dedicated trail – dedicated to walkers. For those (everyone?) who haven’t placed it yet, it’s the path that eventually emerges alongside the wall onto the fireroad at the top of the Spooky Woods zigzags.

For those supporting the ‘ it’s only mud’ argument, you’d presumably be happy if none of the MTB trails were hardened?

Been talked about all over the world. just type trail conlict into google

deadkenny – Member
Seems the footprints are more damaging there than the wheels.

But either way, it’s just churning up a bit of mud. It dries out. Not really damage. A lot of walkers rant about the “damage” bikes make but it’s just mud. Ride on the sides and banks cutting into roots, vegetation and so on and that’s another matter, but the impact is little different to a group of heavy boots (and walkers can turn up in numbers in the dozens).
Therefore all “secret/local” trails should be closed 😉

druidh – that path is part of the “original” path network at Glentress; I know some of it overlaps with the Tower walk, but as I have been riding it for longer than the Tower walk has been waymarked I continue to ride it (though tend to leave the non-waymarked stuff over winter).

It’s also been used for Duathlons (maybe not for bike) and MTB races in recent times.

Looks pretty gnar – I’m on my way!

For those supporting the ‘ it’s only mud’ argument, you’d presumably be happy if none of the MTB trails were hardened?

Yep. Riding mud is fine, sometimes loads of fun especially if it’s downhill 😀

Hardened trails in some trail centres can be like riding on roads 😉

But seriously, don’t mind really. Hard, soft, mud, gravel, flint, rocks, roots, leaves. That’s what MTB is about. All the more better when conditions change on more natural trails throughout the year.

And as for snow… ! best thing of all. Now it’s getting colder, bring on the snow I say.

Therefore all “secret/local” trails should be closed 😉

If it keeps others off and I can have a cheeky ride on them yeah 😀

(though… hands up anyone else who uses the walker’s path just above the red squirrel to cut through onto the final part of falla brae sometimes? I know I do. I know FC staff do But we do so very shamefacedly)

Waves!

I don’t really see the issue. If people are occasionally using the odd bit of walking trail in Glentress so long as they are respectful of any walkers they come across.

As other have said bits of walking trail often get used in races anyway

But either way, it’s just churning up a bit of mud. It dries out. Not really damage. A lot of walkers rant about the “damage” bikes make but it’s just mud. Ride on the sides and banks cutting into roots, vegetation and so on and that’s another matter, but the impact is little different to a group of heavy boots (and walkers can turn up in numbers in the dozens)

Agreed, I still see no issue, it is shallow surface mud on top of a poorly drained trail at a busy forest trail centre, just happens that you can see a few bike tracks in it as well as footprints. I’ve seen far worse in the Pentlands and where I grew up near Inverness.

weekend warriors

don’t most people just ride on a weekend?

Yes but we don’t do it in such a warlike manner.

Those tyre marks have been there for a hell of a long time. I probably left them there.

I was riding up on the Thief’s Road the other weekend, and the trail was totally trashed by either:-
One bloke pogo-ing up and down like crazy in army surplus boots, or an entire regiment of squadies going for a stroll.. can’t they march around the parade ground, or somewhere less environmentally impacting than the hills? 👿

The point? It’s away over there=====>

Which way are you facing? I thought it was the other way..
Chickenman rule no.1: Never be relevant to the OP!

is that the path that heads down to near the start of deliverance?

druidh – Member
rudedog – that bit IS a dedicated trail – dedicated to walkers. For those (everyone?) who haven’t placed it yet, it’s the path that eventually emerges alongside the wall onto the fireroad at the top of the Spooky Woods zigzags.

😛