What's this Ladybower area trail like now? (after logging tractor damage)

It’s the descent from Wooler Knoll area through Wiseman Hey Clough Plantation on South side of Ladybower reservoir.
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=417820&Y=385955&A=Y&Z=120

I last visited back in Feb/March and it had been obliterated by logging tractors. Did it recover? We rode about 50 yards before our bikes picked up so much clag they were unrideable. It saddened me so much that one of my favourite trails had been destroyed that I haven’t been back since!

It was still in a bit of a state in June, bits were rideable although some sections were still a claggy mess 🙁

It reminded me of this trail in Broxa Forest:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=493850&Y=493975&A=Y&Z=120
that was also logged and destroyed many years ago…

Is it allowed? Not a BP on map.

is it the sort of singletrack run that leads back down to the reservoir? literally like a skinny singletrack in the trees/wood?? if so i rode it last year, but it was a boggy mess then, it was pretty unrideable then, and it had no work done to it then….its not a BP, but i always thought it would have made a great little singletrack run if it was bone dry 🙁 looks like ill never find out now 🙁

You may wish to explore that area a bit more…

what scruff said.

its the track that runs right down to reservoir isnt it? istead of turning right to go to hope brink you go straight on, looks like you are just heading into a bunch of trees…

is there more stuff around that little area there?

Oscillate, please refer to my previous statement.

its a permissive bridleway and in early August forestry work looked like it had finished and was OK to ride

Edit was looking at arrow on map actual top section of descent from Wooler Knoll is cheeky (but popular)

A couple of months back it was rideable in the sense that there were no huge logging machines on it, but pretty trashed in the way that a track which have been rolled over by bloody great tractor-esque tyres is trashed. That said, there was never anything interesting about the track surface anyway, one steep climb/descent with rainwater erosion gully down the middle and a lot of undulating doubletrack. I’m sure it’ll be fine long term given that it wasn’t that good to begin with.

It’s the track that starts very indistinctly by a bench at the side of the reservoir – grassy – then opens up, undulates, rises once, then does a proper steep climby section then flattens, turn left through the gate at the top follow track through woods, emerge above Hope Brink, no.

scruff – Member

Oscillate, please refer to my previous statement.

i appreciated the comment and what it means – simply put though i dont live around there so im not gonna spend hours getting lost, and then getting further lost to the point where i dont know how to get back…

fair enough though, im sure its worthy of an explore though, it looked like it could have been a brilliant piece of singletrack, but the time i rode it was a boggy mess (before the current chopping etc)….

Getting lost is fun !

haha it is, agreed when im in my own area, and good knowledge of an esacpe route 🙂

reading above it seems it wasnt all that great anyways according to bdw, perhaps i was doing it the other way or something…

That’s not a descent – it’s an UP route.

Marin_Maketh_The_Man – Member
It was still in a bit of a state in June, bits were rideable although some sections were still a claggy mess

I was with MMTM on that June outing and yes it was suffering from the logging trafic.
I was there again about about three weeks ago and it’s changed again. They’ve put a lot of material in to build up the tracks for the machinery. The surface is still a mess but you don’t sink as deep as you did back in June. Sadly, even more of the track is now in this state though now (towards the lower end).
It’s still the most practical UP route though and remains ridable.
You would not enjoy riding down it.

hmmm i must be on about a different bit then, the bit im on about was through woodish area and it was pretty swoopy singletrack which was defo a descent down to the reservoir….

It’s still the most practical UP route though and remains ridable.

The most ‘practical’ up is actually probably the continuation of that track which drops back down to the reservoir side and is a relentlessly dull double-track climb up to the same point. It’s shorter, well surfaced and as boring as hell. You just have to ride further round the res to reach it or, if you like, it’s closer to the so-called Beast – gate at the first right-hander going up, follow res track round, turn right up very dull-looking climb which turns out to be as dull as it looks.

Cheers BWD, I’ll take a look next time I’m down that way.

Yeah, we usually use the superdull climb of dull now, after some hub deep mud experiences on the singleishtrack through the woods.

this is the bit i usually climb upto – a nice challeging slog nearing the end of the ride back towards hope

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=417390&y=386705&z=120&sv=417390,386705&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=634&ax=417390&ay=386705&lm=0

im guessing you mean you climb into it the opposite way?

I went there circa a month ago looking for cheeky/hidden trails. Its utterly shagged. I had a real struggle just to push up it. I then cut across and over the logging area to get upto Win Hill.

When walkers claim cyclists damage the earth they should see what JCB’s etc do to it within spitting distance.

I did it last Sunday. It’s almost unridable, what bits aren’t covered in huge branches that’ll take out your spokes if you try to pedal through it, are low density mud that’s shin deep and it’s claggy, VERY claggy! It’s like riding through Glastonbury.

I can’t see how it’s going to get chance to dry out either, it’s always moist through there even at the height of summer.

Avoid.

bwd – what do you know the “so called beast” as out of interest?

it was never very good (on the singletrack side) past Septemeber anyway as it was all Clay with not many rocks… always fun sliding down the steep bit into the hairpin halfway down…

There are better trails to be found on that hill 😉

Well they aren’t exactly ‘secret’ are they? Same with Ladybower, if a certain Simon knows about them its safe to say most of the mtb’ers in the area do! 😆

Its funny how we all think ‘this is my secret trail’ but in reality its not 😀

could the locals please learn how to go round corners, one of the best and one of the most visual trails in that area all seem to have been straight lined to death.

bwd – what do you know the “so called beast” as out of interest?

We call it… ‘The So-called Beast’ or ‘Fluffy Kittens’ – the latter being a Mike Davis creation, I think 🙂

The boring climb, we call ‘The Boring Climb’ btw…

We call it… ‘The So-called Beast’ or ‘Fluffy Kittens’

Heh. Ace. I’m going to call it ‘Fluffy Kittens’ from now on too, especially if I’m there with someone who’s not ridden it before.

excellent. fluffy kittens! let’s start a renaming movement ;o)

Seconded. I’m sure people would ride it much easier if they knew its true name.

could the locals please learn how to go round corners, one of the best and one of the most visual trails in that area all seem to have been straight lined to death.

Same with the cheeky off Win Hill….and the fact someones been building new jumps on it. WTF – its too tight and short and FULL OF TREES.

Same with the cheeky off Win Hill….and the fact someones been building new jumps on it. WTF – its too tight and short and FULL OF TREES.

Do you not welcome a little added difficulty? I thought you were all about gnarly freeride moves and hammering flat-out down Cavedale while wusses like me picked their way carefully down Pindale in a trials stylee? Surely you’d welcome a little extra air to clear those trees…

Someones built jumps on a footpath.

I’ve ridden up Pindale before.

I’m with BWD on the ‘so called beast’ as it’s changed out of recognition from 15 years or so ago to become a alot smoother and that along with suspension of any kind with more than 40mm of travel makes it a very fun and pretty straight forward descent.

Oscillate wildly also appears to have correctly identified BWD’s preferred ascent. I do believe I was introduced to it on one of Pooks early pootles, maybe even BWD led us there ??

Would like to check out the ‘win hill cheeky’ it sounds like fun !

maybe even BWD led us there

I wouldn’t take my worst enemy up that climb… it’s properly dull. I reckon you can blame someone else for that… 😉

I’ve ridden up Pindale before.

I’ve ridden up freakin’ Cavedale, caller. And your point is?

don’t blame me! there’s only so many paths you can get away with taking 30 people on. let’s be honest though, theres no decent ‘up’ from the side of Ladybower.

I wouldn’t go up little fluffy kittens.

Did you go up Cave/Pindale and down Winats ? ❓