Ok, so my local common (my user name is a big clue as to which one) is a really great place to walk the hound and the conservators have done a great job in keeping it tidy and maintained. It has one cycle route through it which is nothing more than a 2 mile flat strip and is alright for a pre work ride but is boring. However, there is also some really cool trails that are for horses and these would be brilliant for cycling around at a sensible pace but they have little tiny no cycling signs scattered around them. I'm usually walking my dog in the early mornings and late evenings and have never seen a horse on these trails so I suspect they are busier during the day, but I do see a lot of people cycling these trails. So, do i run the risk of a warden on horse back busting a cap in my ass or do I carry on walking the dog and feeling miffed at those cyclists flouting Ze Law and having fun?
Depends how they're riding
Depends what the're riding 🙂
MTBs and on a mission
I'd folow their example and get in the odd evening or morning jaunt and play it by ear.
If you have a day off one day check it out at day time. Presumably the bikers are leaving bike tracks here and there, if the signs haven't been excalated, made bigger maybe everyones just happy having a ride on their chosen steed.
I'm gonna risk it and see what happens. I'm slow enough anyway not to cause any serious impact on the wildlife. 🙂
people to tend not to ride horses at night - anything 'sensitive' is best tackled after dark.
Chobham common is also like this and I think some Bridleways have been converted to 'Horses only - no cycles' as well.
Whereas I used to always stick to Bridleways I now don't - primarily because there are only a couple of bridleways on that common and they get sand dumped on them sometimes, making them very unfriendly to bikes.
Now I go anywhere horses go, which includes the footpaths as evidenced by their hoof prints.
Just make sure that your brakes don't ever squeal, scaring a horse. Easier said than done with disc brakes, but a sure thing with Magura HS33s.
I say good luck to them (in my head) as long as they're riding sensibly, with consideration and not out of control or acting like a prick.
Rule of life #1 - do it, until someone says no, then challenge their authority
If a horse can go there i would ..hard to see a tyre track doing more damage than a hoof
FWIW in lancashire they have done a multiuse path and the last section [200 m of about 3 km] is footpath even though it is constructed in exactly the same way and leads right to the kids play area. I always ignore the signs and no one has ever said anything to me.
TBH i know bridleways i dont ride when wet [moorland bog] even though I could. i ride responsibly but that often means illegally
Scotland