Forum menu
Correctiveroger can you add me to the mailing list, email in profile. I ride with a group from the Wiltshire area and have been watching the regular posts about this area and the problems for a while. Only just found this thread though.
I have noticed an increase in tracks over the last few weeks. Looks like people are getting frustrated and started to head back.
As far as I was aware the cotswold way upto the top of the wall and the wall run were all out of the scope of the land issues.
Cheers Dan, I've been avoiding all the cranham/buckholt trails just to be safe.
Saw a lot of bikers between painswick beacon across towards birdlip, I guess some people are getting itchy feet.
Can't blame them, it was great up there yesterday.
The wall and the Cotswold way are fine or not?Cotswold way is a footpath after all.But then again most of Cranham woods are private and most of us have been riding them for years!!!In my case 22years. 😯
Essentially for the good of the negotiations that we are doing our best to progress please just stay away until we have some form of actual agreement. Tempting as it is, if our good work collapses now it will simply give NE to potentially offer us less. We need to show them we can all pull together. I hate it as much as any other rider but no pain no gain. Come on, keep it up peeps!!
CraziScot. Added you to our email list.
Those involved with the face to face negotiations with NE are having a get together this week and I'm sure that potential increases in activity in the area will be discussed. Not a lot we can do but to appeal for all that know of the situation to stay on board and stick with us. Anyone riding there knowing the appeal to stay away will only have themselves partly to blame if we receive reports from NE / land owners that rising has continued.
Can you add me to the email (in profile) list as well please?
Peteimpreza, just added you and you should receive a copy of the latest update very soon... a repeat of above essentially.
Cheers roger, I'll continue to keep well away (hard as it is!).
Leckhampton and standish are filling in nicely for me right now but a few riders I know have been grumbling and getting impatient.
They're impatient.... we can only do what we can do. And we're putting the effort in for all out there. Unfortunatley doing this the mature way takes time.
Exactly, cheers for all the good work Roger
if people are going back into Cranham at this time of year when conditions aren't great, i am finding it ever harder to guess how anyone is going to enforce any ban?
Maybe the lure of snow and frozen Trails was too good to resist?
We managed to have a great time up there avoiding all the no-go areas.
Ok, discussions held tonight going through the various scenarios and offerings that we think NE might put on the table. It was agreed that there is a basic minimum number and location of tracks that we are prepared to accept before we agree to do antything in return for NE, eg promotion of any agreed trails, assistance with work parties to clear scrub etc. Be assured that we will not accept a simple A to B route that misses out some of our best trails. The Shrine area may be an issue, depends if NE and the land agent have managed to convince the Tysons to work with us and not against us. Whatever the outcome we intend to hold a gathering open to all as soon as we can to discuss the way forward with riding in the area.
Hi Roger, sorry could'nt make last night, sounds like you've covered what i thought anyway. so long as we can get this sorted before the spring we may have a chance but can't see people staying away once the ground dries up and the sun comes out, this will be the prob if they drag their heals much longer. I'm sure we'll manage to sort this as they seemed to sway in our direction after the last meeting and see that we have the same respect for the woods as them. For me there was one person we had to convince. Seems crazy that one man can deside the fate of all this. NE seemed quite willing to work with us. Keep it up Roger, we all owe you a lot mate. Now our shops sells more mountain bike brands we'll see more genaral bikers so spread the word even more.
I can't believe that this is still dragging on, I'm glad I've moved away because I for one would have still kept riding selective tracks as I had done for the past 10+ years. Only over the last couple of years has riding in cranham started to become noticed by landowners and I would say this is down to unnecessary trail building and large groups (clubs) riding week in week out. I take my helmet off to corrective roger for taking on NE and so far they've managed to stop bikers riding cranham through the winter so it'll be easy now to stop riding altogether. As mrmo says they are gonna struggle to enforce a ban though.
As you say Ian few riders whizzing through the trails no one bothers.Groups stopped chatting for ages with 10 or 20 gets noticed.When you think no one should be in there anyway.Not excatly intelligent. 🙄
The growth of riding has occurred for various reasons and many riders enjoy riding with clubs so unfair to critisise them too much. We are where we are and may be managing group quantities and sizes might be something for us to try and manage in the future.
The growth of riding has occurred for various reasons and many riders enjoy riding with clubs so unfair to critisise them too much. We are where we are and may be managing group quantities and sizes might be something for us to try and manage in the future.
Roger, you know my opinion on this, but club rides and Cranham IMO don't really work, I know some disagree, and if NE says OK it is something to think about.
Anyway has anyone been walking through the woods recently, just curious is any blockages have been put in place? logs, fences, etc effectively shutting down the trails before any "decision" is made.
I haven't heard from anyone who has walked the trails recently. Might be worth a scoping though in the coming weeks in case there has been any trail vandalism.
Roger
I might be up that way for a jog around on Saturday if not p***ing down. Will carry out a tyre track count and Let you know. Must admit as soon as the bluebells are out it will be really difficult for me to not go for a ride in what I've always condidered my backyard (after climbing up the Portway of course!)
OneWhoWaits
We are planning to hold a meeting for all riders to attend as soon after we have met up next with NE (5th March). No dates or venue confirmed yet (in contact with the Royal William though as they have a function room there). I will of course advertise this as soon as we have a venue sorted.
Whatever the outcome of our negotiations we feel it is important to discuss directly with riders, as there will be issues to overcome whatever.
Cheers, have a great weekend and please do your Cranham riding in your sleep.... pleasant dreams.
on Saturday if not p***ing down.
looks out the window = pishing it down 😆
Just come back from a two hour stroll around the trails. Not a single rider spotted and there doesn't appear from the state of the tracks to have been too much recent activity. Spoke to a local couple who walk their dogs in the woods every weekend and they told we that they hadn't seen any riders since the warning signs went up. May be the times I've been around there have not co-incided with riding activity, or it has generally ceased. Anyway, let's hope that this situation can change soon and we can all get back out there with a workable agreement.
Did the couple have anything to say about riders in the woods - where they for or against?
They said they thought it was a shame it had come to this and pointed out that they thought horses were more of an issue in the woods with the churning up of the tracks that they share with walkers.
Sounds like they were on our side 🙂
just nipped into slipstream cycles in glos, their still telling people to stay away from cranham after talking to a nice chap from over cheltenham way... 😆
Yeah, I popped in there last week and gave them a heads up. Rider Meeting announcement coming soon.......
[b]MEETING INVITATION
[/b]THURSDAY 8TH MARCH, 19:30
[b]THE ROYAL WILLIAM, CRANHAM, GL6 6TT
Cheltenham & County CC and Bigfoot MBC would like to invite riders to a meeting discussing the future of mountain bike riding within the woodland in the Cranham area.
Since signs were erected in late 2011 by Natural England specifically instructing riders to cease using the long established network of tracks in the woods, CC-CC and Bigfoot MBC have been working together with the aim of reversing this “ban”.
We have proactively engaged with Natural England in an attempt to find an amicable and workable solution for all interested parties and we would like to consult directly with riders to discuss the way forward from now on. We thank all riders who have supported our call for the area not to be ridden in (unless using any public rights of way) and we hope this effort you have put in will help our cause.
Natural England have invited CC-CC and Bigfoot MBC to a meeting on March 5th where they will announce their proposals on future mountain bike use of the area. We are unable to give riders any indication of what these proposals might be but we understand that riders will want to know the situation going forward into the Spring of this year.
We will announce at the meeting what Natural England’s proposals are and then discuss how we are to conduct ourselves as users of this area in the future. You will then have the opportunity to have your say.
If you require further information, please contact:
Roger Smith
Hi Roger is the meeting starting dead on 7.30?cheers
We would like the meeting to commence at 19:30.
Thanks.
Says 8th March at the top and then 5th March in the text. Which one just to be sure?
Hi,
Representatives from CC-CC and Bigfoot are meeting NE on the afternoon of Monday 5 March. This is when we'll hear what they're offering, and we'll either reach a reasonable agreement (number and type of trails), or we'll part company.
The meeting on Thursday 8 March at 7.30pm at the Royal William is for us to let you all know how the meeting went, and to discuss with the wider rider community what we do next.
Hope that's OK.
Thanks.
Slight hijack... 😉
Locals may find this interesting and I hope some of you can come along
Date noted - see you there
will be there, assuming no baby related problems! 🙂
good work all - and good luck for the 5th
is it to early to suggest a group ride so everyone knows the tracks...or are we trying to move away from the large groups 🙄
V666ern - you fancy joining us onour dig day on the 4th? 😉
While out riding my bike today, I met Mrs Tyson. Which was nice.
It's sure getting hard not to be tempted out for a quick rip around the shrine, or teachers or the wall. Didn't come across a soul there yesterday while taking one of my kids for a walk. Just a few walkers. Fresh tyre marks though.
With weather like today are you really surprised. 😉
The ban has come at a good time, 6 months later and I doubt it would havebeen the same.
I agree with Bushwacked
The Bluebell clock is ticking !!
Bushwacked - Sorry chap im off to newton abbott for family baby time on the 4th...oh how priorites change! ill check with dan, he may be up again
While out riding my bike today, I met Mrs Tyson. Which was nice.
a, hope that was your road bike!
b, how nice really was it...did she know it was you that she's fighting against?!
No worries. Got kids so know whats what.