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Went up Wharncliffe today with a fellow STW forum guy Alex to see what it was like after the weekender and now that they have started logging and this is what we found...
its a working forest so you expect to see some logging. the existing trail goes into the woods here. there was a small sign on the post saying follow the fire road, we tried to go straight on here as there was no machinery about but couldnt find our way through
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with these on the left
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So we thought we'd try this track just to the left of the log pile above to skirt round the works.
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The track seems to just go into the woods and dissapear so we pushed on thinking we'd rejoin the trail at some point. Unfortunately this is what we found. this pic kinda looks like typical kids in the woods
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However on further inspection we found this
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This
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and most importantly these... if you look closely you'll see that its some UNOPENED bottles of water. what self respecting teenager out to drink in the woods takes a 6 pack of water and a bin bag? to me it looks like some one who might need some refreshment when that are working especially seeing as the old alcoholic v's the new soft drink empties being greatly in favour of the soft drinks.
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Considering that in this littered clearing this is your view onto the logging works
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And this is the view from the entrance to the clearing.
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what is your thoughts on it all?
I'm thinking the logging crew have just been chucking their waste into the woods. now i'm OK with logging. it buggers up the trails but its kinda what keeps the woods open. however if this is the sort of littering we can expect from the loggers, then i think its disgusting and something needs to be done about it.
I've forwarded these pics onto some of the Singletraction boys for further investigation.
Also could really do with some more people riding up there. Parkwood springs is on the cards but that's years off being sorted and in the meantime lots of the XC Wharncliffe trails have started to get overgrown. getting a few more people up there to keep the undergrowth at bay with their shins and rear mechs would really help.
That kind of litter is unfortunately to be expected with the location of Wharncliffe Woods. It is right next to a very large housing estate which attracts groups of youths only interested in getting drunk in the woods. The other litter does look like loggers work, that is out of order and rightly needs to be raised with them. As for riding up there more? I went once, rode around a few trails, found them to be waterlogged, muddy and therefore difficult to ride and enjoy. The other trails were clearly for 16 year old kids on bikes with crazy amounts of front and rear travel. As I left these said kids arrived all clad in full face helmets and shin/arm guards etc, not my cup of tea I'm afraid. My conclusion was that it wasn't worth the hassle and I haven't been back since.
i know about the kids and the housing. i live about 2 mile tops from Wharncliffe.
the DH runs are separate from the XC ones, its a brilliant place in the dry, which I know isn't all the time.
[i]"The other trails were clearly for 16 year old kids on bikes with crazy amounts of front and rear travel."[/i]
Excellent downhill tracks that the locals have spent ages building and maintaining you mean? 😉
Wharncliffe is a brilliant place.
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Benji Haworth
Aged 32 1/2
Travel 140mm
well said that man.
some of the downhills look fun even on an xc bike, one day i'll try them.
with minimal work you could bridge / bypass / resurface the super wet bits and it would be ace.
unfortunatly the forester hates bikes and there is something new in the pipeline (albeit years away) so its all been pretty much left to ruin
Excellent downhill tracks that the locals have spent ages building and maintaining you mean?Wharncliffe is a brilliant place.
Yep well said, some excellent runs, love the place too.
Shame about the litter.
Soulwood's loss I'd suggest. There's plenty in the woods that is great fun without big travel. Seems you may have got the wrong end of the stick. Ah well.
Litter has always been a bit of an issue in there and an infuriating one at that but that really does appear to be directly related to the logging whic is really poor. Well done for raising it and not just ignoring it.
just waiting back on the official word from Singletraction. the main Wharncliffe guy has fairly recently become a dad so everything is a bit slow.
I assume you mean Simon. He pops up on here from time to time so may also see the thread.
Yeah i think thats his name. nice one