[Closed] MUGDOCK tree felling

Alright Pete? Give us a shout if you fancy getting out for a ride sometime, and leave you number this time.

Noooooo! they have already ruined the best singletrack, leave it alone, plus it gets rid of Glasgow's fumes too.

'mon the trees, I feel a call to swampie coming on...

Where are they felling?

They've felled a whole section on the WHW about a quarter mile up out of the mugdock park itself, OK its not officially mugdock park but close enough. Another section felling at the moment is on re-entry to mugdock park arriving at a T junction at top of a doubletrack climb visible on the left side.

RJ how the hell r ya - mail me binlinerbusterAThotmailDOTcoDOTuk

klegg - where you meaning about that second section - soounds like you are decribing Rosie's ?

i thought it all came under mugdock park, sorry my directions are bit vague ... Rosies? not a clue mate, just know some trees have been downed there and it isn't wind thats caused it

I'll have to have a right out there at teh weekend and see, but they have been felling the lot along the side of the loch way out back for ages. It is forestry land so cant complain too much I suppose, we can always find new trails

SHIT! Are they determined to destroy all the trail?

T-junction sounds like Rosies. I'll head up either tomorrow or Saturday for look (with photos!)

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That was the top of rosies tonight, looking left towards Boards Farm.

Looks like it's just a another fallen tree, there have been loads in that area.

I have been out with half a dozen different people and no-one has the same name for each section. Drives me nuts!

Thats the section, so they ain't fellin... not so bad then, can expect to still ride the tracks around there then,
So now be on the look out for riders getting hit by trees instead of the opposite.......... 😀

Doesn't look like felling, but I hope someone takes a saw to that tree that's blocking the path! Last winter there was a fallen tree in much the same formation which lay for months.

I take it you know the tracks around there? Singletrack about 100m on from the photo and about 20m left? 😉

Here's an idea, how about popping down there and sawing through it yerself....

Much better than waiting for months for someone else to do it.

Local trail riders around here sort out most the fallen trees that block the trails, much quicker than waiting for the FC or landowners to be bothered...

Might be up in Glasgow during mid july and august and will be interested in riding in the area..

Sharki - not sure why the reply in that tone, but from the previous rides I've done in the area none of the fallen trees were/are an issue, in fact some form fun obstacles and the others are nothing more than a detour or a quick off - why would you want to go sawing through them all? I dont think anyone is waiting for anyone else to do it, we just get on with the riding? The OP was concerned that there was felling going on which usually rips everything up and ends the trails completely, but there's not, it just appears to be a few more natural falls, which no-one is complaining about.

Maybe sharki is wanting the trail cleared for when he arrives so he can sample it at it's finest?

Only issue with DIY'ing a fallen tree is if it does go pear-shaped and you get injured (or stuck) then there is a whole can of issues waiting to be unleashed on you. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with DIY'ing it out the way but it needs to be done properly rather than just hacked or dragged/man-handled into the woods (not suggesting this is how it would be done, just trying to set a scene)...best thing would be to report it and let the 'professional's deal with it - but if it hasn't been dealt with after a week then perhaps a wee help wouldn't go astray...

Well the tree looks just about chunky enough to be awkward to saw through without somebody else holding, and I never ride that area with anyone else so I doubt I'll have that chance. I am happy to help if anyone else wants to have a bash, but I also don't own a saw.

There's a professional tree fellers based at the bottom of the hill about 500m away, perhaps it's causing them inconvenience too 😀

ally....that tree just gives an added reason to ride the flux.....-)

oops, double post...

Guys, i'm sorry, i didn't mean for it to come out on any kinda offish tone.

Personally i'd rather keep the flow of riding rather than have to get off, if that means taking 20mins to chop through i will.

Myself like many, ride in FC managed land and as a result suffer trail loss, unlike privately owned land where as the land managers have a responsibility to clear rights of way, FC land is different, lots of it is access only for the working forest vehicles, if the tree is down across a non right of way they don't need to shift it....

As DB says, notify them and the will normally get it down within a few weeks, if they become aware the general public are sawing through fallen trees they would rather see to it themselves than risk public injury on the land they manage.

I accept many fallen trees are too dangerous to tackle without the knowledge and tools, my comment was based more on the pic up there, it's a simple one to cut through and clear, but if it's not something your sure about doing fair enough.

If it is a right of way, then it must be kept clear and there are numbers you can call to get it done, unless a cheeky diversion can be made 😉

FC land is different, lots of it is access only for the working forest vehicles, if the tree is down across a non right of way they don't need to shift it....

its our land mate, we have a right of responsible access (in Scotland of course)

Can I make a suggestion?:

Following on from davidrussell's post; someone (OP?) email the Access Officer of Stirling Council and send him the pic/let him know this path is blocked. It's near the top of the Gowk Stane (the big boulder half way up)path. He will contact the local FC guy who will sit on the Local Access Forum with him/her. From memory this forest is owned by a private forestry company (Tillhill?) but the FC guy will know who to contact. The Landowner/forester has an obligation to keep existing paths clear under The Land Reform Act Landowners must manage their land or water responsibly for access.

I love Scotland!

I was that way on Sunday and had to climb over the fallen tree, the two adjacent are in a very precarious position, My guess would be that if you tried to tackle them on your own with out the tools or knowledge you will probably end up DEAD with hole lot of timber on top of you, or if your lucky maybe just a little squished 😛

Look like a bunch of windblown trees - were probably vulnerable if they are on the edge of a cleared area.

Looks a fairly major path so imagine the owners would be quite obliged if they knew - takes a 6 week cycle to get around to some of our sites

wouldn't tackle those (well obviously I would but you know), at best the saw will jam, at worst you'll get a 2 ton kick or buried under the root plate, full of compression and tension.
secondly, they look saleable pieces

multi windblow sites can be a bit twitchy to clear, but fantastic adrenalin rush when it gets hairy

"its our land mate, we have a right of responsible access (in Scotland of course)"

You have the right of access but that doesn't mean they have to clear the path.

Northwind is correct.

So the bit in the woods there is called the flux then? Good section, I take it GMTBC probably had a hand in it.

What was the bit like at the opposite side of the loch/pond where they carried out the felling? Someone was telling me about "the impossible corner".

Never found the trails on that side where the huts are, are there any left over there after the felling?

Cheers 🙂

There is a tiny amount left over right at the top of the hill, you can get to it through the huts still, but it's not really worth it unless you plan to zip to the carbeth inn and back throug the huts.

I think the trails never managed to make it past beiong called the 'new trails' and now they are very gone.

Summer may reveal a few lines through the stumps though...

Incidentally, I'd probably give it a go at clearing it, but you need to be damn careful, I know of someone who was killed by a smaller tree than that falling on them while they were clearing it from their back garden! If in doubt, call the guys who know what they're doing out (and have bigger better tools to play with!).

I wish someone would make a map of the mugdock routes. I've been out loads of times now and cant remember half of them, let alone the names lol.

Cheers Lovewookie will have a look about!

ally....that tree just gives an added reason to ride the flux.....-)

Lovewookie, I think there's a lot of clearing necessary before there's any scope for trails through the stumps. I was up at the top today and the place is just covered in branches of all sizes. Worst of all were some very deep caterpillar tracks right through the middle which were quite muddy even in today's dry weather.

MUGDROP, as I named it when I scoped the line.
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Its totally safe and leads you into it nicely. Its really just a two foot drop but the 40dg slop can make it bigger when taken at speed. I always check the landing though if I havent been up for a few weeks.
Stone causeway and skinny(work in progress) is mine too.
woo hoo, someone else rides my trail. 😉 Hope you like it.
I miss the carbeth hill trails. 🙁

Top trail Jon! Keep up the good work, more trails needed...

You know Jon, I don't even think that's the bit I was thinking of. But that definitely looks like something that's beyond me! I haven't even done a 2ft drop to flat before.

I was thinking of something nearer the bottom when you come out at rosies. But I haven't ridden the trail in ages so maybe the mind warps the description!

Will definitely head up within the next week and take a look at what's new.

I've just emailed the Access Officer at Stirling Council about the offending trees. Hopefully will get the wheels in motion to get them removed...

Ally, I think your talking about right at the bottom? There's a couple of lines down that, straight down or a tight left hander leading to a couple of rocks with what can only be described as a 'v' notch between them. If you go for the notch then straight onto a tighty righty, along a bit, left a bit over the roots and out onto rosies.

Can't think where that drop is that JON's posted, must be slightly off piste of the original track, though I recall the line to the left of Reuben's wristbreaker slope looks like it's had a bit more use, so there may be some new lines in there, it's been a while since I went on an adventure with my pruning saw.

Ally, a 2ft to flat is harder than a drop like the one pictured, its always a thousand times easier to land on a down as you're going that way already 🙂

lovewookie, that drop is further to the left near the top of the descent - a third option to Flux and Reubenator, if you like!

Haven't seen you for a while although I pass the bottom of your garden at least once a week - where you been hiding?

The pic is from a route to the left of the fall-line descents, so might not have been found then...does that mean I've given away my littel secret TTF 🙂
The method of threading the needle is the way I do it too. Those descents are treacherous in the wet/winter.

Do they rip up the old stumps or leave them when they've deforested? If they leave them surely now is the time to get in there and start re-forming trails on the stuff they've knocked down?

surely now is the time to get in there and start re-forming trails

A few of us have been talking about getting up to the trails to the west of Craigallion Loch which was forested at the start of the year. A little bit of work removing branches/scrub from the trail and perhaps putting logs into vehicle ruts and we could have the trail back. I don't think it would take a huge amount of work, 'specially if we get a few bodies up for a couple of hours over 2 or 3 weekends....

The bit I had in mind sounds like what lovewookie is describing.

I'm not sure I know of this Reubenator either! Definitely need to get up for a look around.

Problem with the area already planted is the new trees will be fairly susceptible to people digging through roots etc by accident, it wont go down well?

Pete - that was what I was thinking on when I mentioned the above re-forming. Great minds think alike 😀

Ha Ha! Good to see a pic of the old trails! That drop WAS the origional line but we changed the trail because it was a bit hard to link it in. We made the trail go further to the right as you come into it with the two options, the steep chute with the right-hander at the bottom or the easier chute which has the fallen tree at the bottom or the option to launch off the tree stump and jump the fallen tree.

Jon, last time I was there (ages ago) I saw that someone had been riding the drop, we'd built an entry to it but it had been changed (for the better I have to say) so I guess that must have been you. We talked about finishing that line down to Rosies road. We also built a sort of drop/berm thing that was going to be part of a new line up there but life took over and we never did finish it.

I take it that the Ruebenator is the bit that Rueben smashed his wrist on.

I also was shown (and accused of building) another line between the flux and the trail with the drop on it. It's very steep with off camber switchbacks. Very tricky. I wish I did build it but had nothing to do with it, honestly! I don't know if that's being ridden at all at the moment but it was very technical.

Anyway, just nice to hear of the old trails from one who is many miles away! Enjoy and take care of them eh?

Haven't seen you for a while although I pass the bottom of your garden at least once a week - where you been hiding?

Yeah, I've been mostly getting out solo, early in the mornings, including at the weekends. It's been a while since I've been out on a Tuesday run, should try again soon, but stuff just needs doing before the wedding I guess....;)

back on thread...

I did have a scout about to see if I could link a trail from the top of rosies to the view point over Craigallian Loch, but the rhodies got in the way....:(

Pistola give us a shout if you need some more bodies for trail building.

It's worthwhile remembering we only clear trails that exist, but have become overgrown.

quite what the difference is between a trail and a 'oh a deer may have wandered this way' mark on the ground I'm not sure 😉

PROLINE85 - there will likley be a 'call to hands' round the GMBC mail group in next few weeks - will make sure you get included. cheers

I do quite a bit of riding in that area a good couple of times a week, Ill lend a hand too, I have some tools and not shy of some manual labour, just give me a shout

cheers Craig - will do

I'd be keen to lend a hand too!

As far as clearing only goes, there are sections where you can still see the old trails. It might be possible that the bulk of their length still exists beneath all the branches lying around.

ally - me and Pete were talking about that last night while going up past the Loch - reckon that as you say, clearing the surface brash type stuff should expose a lot of the underlying stuff.

missed the GMBC ride tonight as knackered from a blast up the Whangie yesterday, but it was worth it -)

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Hi I ride in this area alot as well would be more than willing to help if you just
let me know when

Thanks for everyones offers to help. I'm on holiday the next couple of weeks but after that I'll put a shout out for bodies and we'll spend a couple of hours one weekend and gets some trails back!

Thanks y'all!

sounds like a plan.....

🙂

Likewise, I'm fairly local and would happily join in of an evening!

I'm interested in helping out re-establish some lines again. a hammer and some good nails might be helpful