whats main the issue here? is it that someone has made a scar on the landscape, or is it that some peoples enjoyment has been impacted on? The scar on the landscape issue is not relevant as the ever widening scar that ALL the users was causing was much worse than this. This looks shocking at the moment but once complete will erode a little and vegetate a little and fit in. If it had been left the ever widening scar would have led to loss of habitat and damage to the wetland and moorland ecosystems. The loss of enjoyment is surely only for one of the trail users (us). This will mean that my kids (wife) for one will enjoy walking up there more, so long as there is parking.. It will be no worse than the path up many other popular hills. Its a pitty that we have lost bits of a great decent, but there are others, there is a lot of Scotland which is just as good, which are not quite so busy with families and dogs on stupid long leads.
some peoples enjoyment has been impacted on
this is the root here. Well it was a root, now its a smooth path.
Well it was a root, now its a smooth path.
😀 good for some, not good for others?
there is a lot of Scotland which is just as good
If you've got suggestions of natural trails that are as good and within such easy reach then I'd love to hear about them
there was a belter of a Go-Pro vid on Scotland MTB FB page a month or so back, where the poster got healthy abuse for terrorising kids on his way down
Good old Lorne - prize bell-end
Aye, I think that was the one. There was a plethora of posts on it describing his behaviour along those lines I recall 🙂
No, nobody does.
that's why I didn't recognise it
Until mountain bikers get organised and set up proper representative bodies then this sort of thing is going to keep happening (e.g. massive water bars/trail sanitisation in the Cairngorms).
I read one comment on Facebook on this asking for 'consultation' - but who would anyone consult with who could be seen as representative?
But then again MTBers would need to a) organise b) allow themselves to be organised c) stop expecting other people to do things for them including: taking their interests into account and; actually putting their hands in their deep pockets to support trail development - rather than asking the Government/Forestry Commission for hand outs.
They won't stop until the whole of the UK is flattened and tarmac'd over. The Tories will allow anyone to build houses anywhere as long as they've got loads of wonga and local councils seem determined to spunk their spare cash on sanitising every stretch of rural track to make it more 'accessible' with the hidden benefit of dealing with 'problem' mountain biking. Quite how all these 'pressed' public bodies find the cash for pointless crap like this is beyond me when they're forever moaning about cuts.
Sod 'em. Ride it all now or it'll be gone before you do!
I was up dumyat last night and the photos don't really show the horrific scale of the issue. They are using hundreds of tonnes of material for that path and it is at least 4 metres wide in places.
The new path/road is straight lining directly though natural crags and I can't quite see how one of the lower steep sections will last more than a winter because it is nearly 16% grade and being covered in loose gravel. It *looks* like the road is going to divert to the north around the natural spring/bog in the middle and it will be interesting to see how it gets to the top.
Also note that they are building paths around Cocksburn reservoir to the west of Dumyat.
Someone was talking about the various trailbuilding efforts at the boggy section (was not me). It is a natural spring, it is also a peat bog so it can only be ridden over in the summer. I'd ask all riders to follow the trail that snakes to the right (coming down) contouring round the hill before rejoining the main path.
There is some 2 key positives though;
1: the new path will help walkers and less able riders stay in one place rather than widening the existing trails because they can't ride it.
2: now they've provided loads of material, any loose material that erodes off the trail could be useful for improving other trails on dumyat.
Just to add: we are from the same area where the Murray's (tennis fame) are tarmacing over and building a golf course on another great set of trails.
Just to add: we are from the same area where the Murray's (tennis fame) are tarmacing over and building a golf course on another great set of trails.
what a world we live in where a threat to our sport can be a sour faced tennis dynasty building a golf (?!) course.
Until mountain bikers get organised and set up proper representative bodies then this sort of thing is going to keep happening (e.g. massive water bars/trail sanitisation in the Cairngorms).
This, very much this.
I read one comment on Facebook on this asking for 'consultation' - but who would anyone consult with who could be seen as representative?
Same thing up here - the CNPA seem keen to restrict access to "protect the capercaillie" - the Ramblers have an organisation speaking to them, but who speaks to them for mountain biking?
building golf courses (a 6 hole golf course?!?) is a wheeze to get past the open access laws because golf courses have special dispensation in the act. It'll never be played on; it;s essentially a land barrier for a development of 19 "luxury' homes. There are also loose plans for a tennis academy; but the Murray's want that to be "publically funded".
For a bit of balance - the council came and surfaced parts of a trail near me and it's a massive improvement. They filled in what were basically big holes full of wet clay, and a trail that was unrideable is now decent.
Given how little money councils have I'm quite pleased.
If anyone knows Brimmond Hill in west Aberdeenshire, this used to have a brilliant washed out gully on the west facing side that was a riot to ride and where i cut my teeth when i started riding full suspension many moons ago. I still remember the horror of turning up after work one evening- after a 45 minute ride from the city centre, to find it completely flattened and filled in with a gravel path in its place virtually all the way to the summit. That was last time I ever rode there. I feel the OP's pain.
And one more thing, whilst people are whining 'it's no fair'.
In Scotland, under the Community Empowerment Act, 'communities of interest' (which would include a MTBers if there was such a locally representative body) have a right to request participation in planning and decision making carried out by public public bodies.
That, in some cases, where it is public money/public land, would be a way of dealing with these issues and getting the needs of MTBers considered alongside other groups (land owners, ramblers, disability access, [s]naturists[/s] naturalists etc.).
@ianbradbury - I've said before that joining up with the British Mountaineering Council (or whatever they recently changed their name to) and the Scottish equivalent would get better visibility of mountain biking and associated requirements. A lot of climbers and ex-climbers are now cyclists at least some of the time.
It'd be a lot better than yet another small advocacy group that's likely to get sidelined.
🙁
Worth pinging an email off to the local MSP? Probably futile I know but.....
It is, he's a mountain biker and club member, surroundedbyhills, dickbarton and more coach his kids MTB... 🙂
Email sent....
Personally, I give it a wet winter until it's back and rocking!
Personally, I give it a wet winter until it's back and rocking!
I dunno Matt, Looks very different form the sanitisation on the likes of walna scar - basically chucking hardcore on top of bedrock - that will eventually wash off.
This looks like it's being dug into the hill.
For a bit of balance - the council came and surfaced parts of a trail near me and it's a massive improvement. They filled in what were basically big holes full of wet clay, and a trail that was unrideable is now decent.Given how little money councils have I'm quite pleased.
That's not balance, that's comparing what was a brilliant, rocky descent with your boggy hole. Nothing like each other.
matt_outandabout - MemberPersonally, I give it a wet winter until it's back and rocking!
Hopefully, bit concerned about what they'll do to deal with the rockiest parts above the fence though
Hopefully, bit concerned about what they'll do to deal with the rockiest parts above the fence though
I can't really see them doing anything on the bedrock sections Legend, more likely they'll build above or blow and bypass them.
Hopefully.
@Nobeerinthefridge - in deed, I'm hoping that they build to the north of the tourist path and build towards "thistles route". How will get the digger up there?
very sad to see this sort of thing happening, personally I think the rough/ruggedness of said tracks (wear and tear) adds to the experience for all concerned (unless its just a continuous bog of course)
has any one got any pics of it before? I have a vision of what I think it would look like in my head (never been anywhere near to ride it)
looks like it'll be way easier to climb and even better manual back down
Win win no?
You gnar shredding radsters can all manual your four thousand pound bicyles. right?
There's a stu thomson video of Danny Mac, Peaty et al riding it, have a google.has any one got any pics of it before?
The section we just lost had some small drop offs (only up to 2ft high) but they were tricky because landing zone was often pointy rocks and the route is pretty fast at that point.
* the plans are being sent to us today
* more as we hear about it.
gwurk - Memberlooks like it'll be way easier to climb and even better manual back down
Win win no?
You gnar shredding radsters can all manual your four thousand pound bicyles. right?
That awkward time of day before everyone on Ridemonkey wakes up 😉
In one of those really daft coincidences, I've just started reading this to my kids at bedtime:
[img] 
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This was a book that I first read when I was at primary school in the early 1980s and is one of my few remaining vestiges from a Scottish education. Seems very odd to see Dumyat mentioned as the top post on Singletrack on the following day. Hello to all of you from rainy Yorkshire 🙂
I've just had a quick look through the last few pages and it doesn't mention Strava segments at all, so perhaps it needs an updated edition for the 21st century 😉
(ps. It's a great book for young readers and is still well worth a read, 35 years after it was first released!)
Might as well laugh otherwise we'll all cry:
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4360/36227638384_b1318f8795_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4360/36227638384_b1318f8795_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
(Credit/skillz: Barry MacPherson)
😆
(Credit/skillz: Barry MacPherson)
Haha! he's just sent me that anaw!
Lol, cry, lol etc 🙁
The irony is rhe council put a post on facebook talking about Dumyat history on Monday...
Sad times indeed.
It will be ok in a couple of years and then after that it will erode into a complete mess that's no use to anyone.
Today's cheery photo is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qfoDIXjYik2Mtq5E3
So, never having been there and never likely to be there either - from that last photo it looks like what they've done is just fill in the low spots with peaty topsoil.
What use did anyone ever think that would be? Won't it just turn into a shitty mess in winter?
Turf piled at side would suggest they've cut that off the sections that look like topsoil, and are going to cover the whole lot.
Who knows.
Aye, Light on Dumyat is a belter of a story...
I wonder what they are planning for the rocky section that leads down to the fence and also that narrower rocky section a bit further up. Surely they aren't going to blast rock to widen the track all the way!
Wonder if someone speaks nicely to them they could stick in some berms and table tops while they're at it!
As above, they'll probably by pass those rocky areas.
Is this all in the last week or so? I ran over Dumyat in the Ochils 2000 race 2 weekends back and never saw anything like that. Admittedly I was breathing out my arse at the time!
More like the last 2 days
Ok, ta.
Jeez that 'Light on Dumyat' book brings back memories. I had forgotten all about it.
