[Closed] Does anyone actualy have a permit for Swinley?

I do - but the permit scheme is woefully implemented, I've not noticed anyone check my permit in 4 years and therefore the scheme is massively abused. I do wonder what it covers though - trail maintenance can't cost that much can it? Also it's odd that folks like the Trolls let people ride the trails they've built & maintained nearby for nowt, or maybe it's the Army taking a different view of public access to the Crown - not that there's anything in the area worth riding apart from Swinley of course...

I've always bought the daily one, and kept it in my pocket.

Got one, I think trying to stiff the Crown Estate for £2 or £20 a year is quite frankly not cricket. It's private land and seems a fair price to pay.

only ever bought a daily one, its only 40mins drive away but i dont usually manage more than two or three visits a year.

pass always goes in the bag, but ive never been checked.

I think trying to stiff the Crown Estate for £2 or £20 a year

how is "The Crown" different to "us" ? So why do we have to pay ?

I have an annual but I'm there three times a week at the moment, seems good value as the gym costs 65 quid a month...

Who actauly owns Swinley?

"The Crown estate" isn't the FC, the Army or the Queen, who is it?

how is "The Crown" different to "us" ? So why do we have to pay ?

Supposedly its not profit making, it pays for insurance, trail building etc, so arguably BC/CTC members carryign a spade should be allowed in free maybe?

Yea, that was my benchmark, although the hydrotherapy pool alone is worth the gym membership after discovering how much riding Swinley twice a week, some more natural riding once a week, as well as commuting, it all hurts!

I had a yearly one once, and might have bought a daily one once or twice too.

These days I just don't bother. I go there maybe 2-3 times a year, despite living only 4-5 miles away, and the last twice I've entered by the 'back door' (Fnarr-fnarr) and not gone near the visitir centre anyway. And one of those was about 2-3AM on an all night ride.....

I've said it before, but they REALLY need to charge for parking there. £2 a day would bring in loads of revenue and maybe, just maybe, stop some of the massive overcrowding in the car park.

I've posted this many times before but the purpose of the permit is well detailed in the attached.

http://www.gorrick.com/swinley/permits.php

I'm not sure how much goes towards trail maintenance if any - according to link any surplus is (but that doesn't mean there is any surplus), also as discussed many times on here that is organised by Gorrick with volunteer assistance from BOB - and that requires further insurance hence why there can't be a general roll up and help.

Unfortunately there was an incident a while ago where someone got injured on a family day out (showing off and attempting stuff well beyond their capability so I've been told) - and there is talk now they may be suing the Crown Estate. I'm not sure whether they had a permit or not. So the wardens are a bit more diligent now than in the past - I was talking to one yesterday at the race - and every incident where people are riding without permits will be another black mark against.

They could make the permit scheme a bit more obvious then.

I'd been there twice before I even found out I was supposed to have paid to ride.

It is signed at the Visitor centre and also at every major entrance to the forest. Unfortunately, there are people who think that you shouldn't need a permit to ride this private land and keep tearing them down again........

There must be 100+ signs that say cycling by permit only? You'd have to be a complete nupty to miss them!

Like I said I'm quite happy to pay, just a bit miffed that its never checked and I never even knew what a permit looked like untill I bought one.

If the car park wasn't free, it would be chaos on all the roads surrouding the forrest, must be 30+miles of roads rurrounding the perimiter with no double yellow lines.

Yep, annual one here and renew it every year, wouldn't think of not doing it, it's my local riding spot!

* Swinley Forest is private land and is not owned by the Royal Household, Local Authority or Forestry Commission.

so publicly owned private ?

* Swinley Forest is part of a Special Protection Area under the European Birds Directive for four species of rare birds. This directive gives far reaching powers over the suitablility of activities that take place in the forest.

without a secure fence this is meaningless

* To provide Public Liability insurance cover, which this cycle permit gives you.

covering who for what ?

[edit]"The Public Liability insurance covers you if you are involved in a collision with a member of the public. Please note that your household insurance does not cover you. If you do not have a permit you are trespassing."

They could make the permit scheme a bit more obvious then.

And a bit more easy for those of us that sometimes go nowhere near the visitor centre and ride outside the 9-5 opening time..?

If the car park wasn't free, it would be chaos on all the roads surrouding the forrest,

The 3 roads around Swinley are fast A roads and dual carrigeways. Ain't nobody gonna be parking on them.....

Not the ones to the south (kings ride, collage ride etc north of camberly), think quiet residential country lanes, transplant the lookout carpark onto those?

Property is Theft....
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Except my garden of course 😉

Not the ones to the south (kings ride, collage ride etc north of camberly), think quiet residential country lanes, transplant the lookout carpark onto those?

It won't happen. Do people vising Glentress all park in Peebles? No.
Plus most people don't even know those roads exist, and are anywhere near Swinley. 🙂

The Crown Estate is the property of the Sovereign, in right of the Crown. It is not the personal property of the monarch, nor is it in any way the property of the government. The net revenues from the estate, however, have since 1760, been paid to HM Treasury. Nevertheless, the estate itself remains vested in the Sovereign.

Since 1760 each successive monarch has assigned the management and revenues of The Crown Estate to Parliament and Parliament has funded the costs of government which before 1760 were funded by the monarch. Parliament has also voted a civil list payment to cover the direct costs of the monarchy.

[b]Whatever that means?[/b]