Some workers from Derbyshire council were filling in the top of the track that starts where the New Mills golf course decent crosses the road at Brook Bottom, eventually coming out out at Hauge Bar (starting SJ 986 862). They’d managed to get their truck stuck and were seeking the help of the landowner, whose track they were “repairing” without any consultation.

Obviously in keeping with their efforts of ensuring the “repairs” blend in seamlessly with the local rock in the track, black asphalt was being used. 🙄

ffs 🙁 going for it around marple/new mills it seems.

Yup, I met two lots on my ride last week, one at the top of the Aspenshaw track, and another team filling in potholes at Matley Moor.

How dare they do work on these tracks that are owned by, and solely for the use of, all us gnar-core mountain bikers… 😉

How dare mountain bikers look at the world through mountain bike-tinted goggles. It’s not like this is a mountain biking website or anything like that… 🙄

Fair point 😆

I think it’s much more of a case of how dare they “repair” a track on land they have no responsibility over, and the actual landowner was happy with the state of the track.

The track was at best 100 yards link that avoided a long detour on the road. It wasn’t exactly technical, loose or dangerous, so it’s entirely unnecessary work. The landowner is now rightly concerned it’ll become a through route for motor vehicles, as prior to this it didn’t look passable from the top unless you had a 4×4.

Blimey, the whole Aspenshaw Hall track is now 100% tarmac. Seems a bit of a shame, but the farmer will be chuffed.

Brook bottom – I was horrified by the news of the destruction. I was thus less than impressed a couple of weeks ago to find that the “destruction” consisted of about a cubic metre of tarmac laid down at the top.

shame about aspenshaw but I can see that being challenged by DPBA, horses don’t like tarmac – SEBA got stockport council to remove a central strip on the track up to Brook bottom (from the other side to Hague bar)

Blimey, the whole Aspenshaw Hall track is now 100% tarmac. Seems a bit of a shame, but the farmer will be chuffed.

not a bad thing imo, better for all users i suppose…

😳 Yeah… Sorry about that….

The folk doing the work had said they were “doing” the track to the road, and I couldn’t hang around long enough to check what they were up to, so took them at their word of their intentions. Whilst it’s unsightly, at least the majority of the track remains untouched.

On the Aspenshaw track front, I bumped into the farmer a few months back when it was first closed thanks to the water damage and he was saying it was an access road to his farm, he’d wanted to surface it for years, but the local council objected. Given the serial destruction of every single surface laid there over the last 20 years or so, I suspect it’ll have a limited life expectancy. Last time the track got washed out, the tarmac section at the bottom by the houses was partially washed away too and that looks like a better standard of track.

Also rode up Chapel Gate yesterday, passed by a whole convoy of 4x4s who then gallumpfed at a snail’s pace down the Rushup trough. I don’t really understand the attraction.

Blimey, by the time I eventually get back to riding an mtb the trails will all be completed flattened 🙁

How’s that going? We’re thinking about a Peak Midweek sociable outing this coming Saturday so we can ride around all the nice tarmac-covered trails 🙂

BWD – that sounds good but for the fact I haven’t ridden an mtb for 4 and half months. Am going to take a strong painkiller and wtfu this week and go for a short pootle, can always get off and walk if it’s not going well.
Will be back out with you when I get some confidence and fitness back.
Have a good New Year 🙂