Just a thought…

Hypothetically, if someone found a way to stop people riding bikes on anything other than ‘legal’ routes, would mtbing still offer enough to keep you interested?

No – Maybe in certain parts of the country, not round this way though.

no! the appeal of a mtb is to just go anywhere!

[smug]Make no odds to me living in Scotland [/smug]

Yes, plenty of legal good stuff in Surrey 🙂

I already disobey the laws that are meant to keep me on bridleways, unless the way to stop me involved being shot it wouldn’t make any difference. The police seem to have enough problems keeping up with current crime levels without creating even more crimes.

No idea what a bridle way is…. I take it is some kind of tame path historically used for transport/travel?

Id probably start carrying pepper spray with me tbh

probably not, far too restricted.
Walkers get 100%+ (yes 100%+, all track types + open access in certain areas + coast path being added etc etc)
Bridleways are aboutish 21% of all ‘paths’ so you’re heavily limited, as you’ve only got about 4??% of BOAT/RUPP/Restricted Byway etc, so say maybe 25?ish% in total.

I ride ‘cheeky sensibly’ all the time now and have had very very few issues, vast majority of people were polite and even encouraging (Berks/Oxford/Wilts mainly).

Yeah but I’d move somehwere better.

Walkers get 100%+

Maths your strong point?

I would, loads of good bridleways round here. But as there’s no practical way to stop me riding other places too, I’ll ride them aswell 🙂

Hows going to stop me?

Yes, it’s exceptionally rare that I’ll use a footpath.

Never been to a trail centre either unless you count Swinley Forest which I have been to a couple of times.

Loads of good bridleways in the Lakes where I do most of my riding, so yes.

Tricky..

I ride roadie as well but I still hack the mtb, therefore I’d say I’d still ride mtb.
But half the fun is linking stuff together on trails that (for want of a better word) have no “discernable” markings on them. I’m purely pointing out that some trails are unmarked so you can only tell if you read an OS Map, and some aren’t marked on there either..
Nah, I’d still ride whatever, TBH I’m getting sick of these draconian laws that stop us enjoying ourselves.

Loads of good bridleways in the Peaks where I do most of my riding, so yes.

Loads of bridleways round here, most of my riding is on them. Had a cracking weekend in the lakes on b/ways. Likewise last night in the dales.

My first 5 years of riding was all bridleways. That’s what we had out the door and there was no such thing as a groomed predictable trail centre. Now i live in Scotland so as above don’t need to worry.

If the sky were made of icing sugar and rocks were made of cake would you still drink beer?

I’ll ride bridleways until the day I die

I’m getting sick of these draconian laws that stop us enjoying ourselves.

Its a shame this mentality exists. Except in the rare case of a specific bylaw, you can ride on footpaths, you just don’t have any legally sanctioned right of passage by bicycle, or horse for that matter.

I’d still ride, but it it very difficult to put a workable through route or loop together in some areas without using paths or tracks where there is no legally sanctioned right of passage by bicycle. Or PWNLSROPs as I’m going to call them. Dead catchy that.

It is uninforcable in my view, the worst you get is the grief of frustrated ramblers. + my local bridleway is part of the trans pennine route which is one path on the OS map but in reality it is an everchanging network of paths in some parts so where is legal and wher not?

Haha! Why stop there, surely the full acronym would be:

PoTWNLSRoPbB

Even better!

tbh I think bridal ways are wayyyy better to ride on anyway

Haha! Why stop there, surely the full acronym would be:

PoTWNLSRoPbB

Even better!

If someone stops you on a footpath and says ‘This isn’t a bridleway you know’ – you can just reply ‘Yes I know, it’s a PoTWNLSRoPbB’ 🙂

If someone stops you on a footpath and says ‘This isn’t a bridleway you know’

You can just reply with “thats OK, I’m not on a horse”

no.

I ride only legal trails if I’m in Wales, The Peak or Lake District, so I wouldn’t be too bothered.
The only trails I ride illegaly are some of those in local forests, but I still don’t tend to ride the ones with specific “No Cycling” signs as I think that’s taking the mickey a bit.

Yes I would, don’t get me wrong I love a cheeky trail but as sad as it sounds I just live riding my bike!! 🙂

I’d certainly go to more trail centers if I had to stay on legal tracks. A huge proportion of my riding is cheeky…

Yes, plenty of legal good stuff in Surrey

+1

I used to do virtually all my riding around the Surrey Hills/North Downs trails et al, but in recent years I’ve returned to my old skool roots and just gone out on the bike. Normally that includes bridleways, footpaths and anywhere that’s inviting. Even roads. Plus the recognised trails of course. At the end of the day I just like being out there, so ‘designated’ trails aren’t the be-all and end-all to me.

Bridleways only? That’s ALL there was when I started. 3/4 of the time I prefer a bridleway ride to a trail centre, so yes, it wouldn’t bother me one bit.

As PP says.
However my new ride to work (the offroad version) is all footpaths, so it would screw that up a little.

I can see a great new magazine “Bridleway World” all the thrills of riding your radcore MTB on a motorway. YAWN

What makes people think all bridleways are shit?

I could find pics, but can’t be arsed.

I’d swap my footpaths for the Lake District’s bridleways any day.

TandemJeremy – Member

[smug]Make no odds to me living in Scotland [/smug]

I used to think everything about the Scottish system was bang on for mtbers until last month when I was up in an area I didn’t know. Looking at the OS map and taking a punt on finding a route that was ridable was a very hit and miss experience culminating in a very depressing 10km walk/ carry/stumble end to a route over a section that looked fine on the map. At least when you spy a bridleway on a map you have a pretty good inclination that it will be ridable.

I can’t understand this assumption that bridleways are flat wide and boring.

Lake District bridleways are more challenging and interesting than the majority of manicured trail centre routes.
Likewise there are some top technical bridleways in the Dales and round Blanchland/Edmundbyers/Slaley.

I’d ride on those in preference to a trail centre most times.

Live in the lakes , so yes.

As above. Plenty of bridleways are more than technically challenging. The designation of a track on the definitive map has nothing to do with how ‘gnar’ it is, how wide it is, what the surface is… or anything really (with the apparent exception of BOATs which coucils have a propensity to steamroller 3.5m wide, then put TROs on them).