Forum menu
Does it help to just think of it as Feudalism World, a really unsuccesful theme park?
Anyone got a good route(s) in the New Forest that isn’t gravel? Not fussed by the legality’s, if I can upset a Verderer that would be a bonus.
Anyone got a good route(s) in the New Forest that isn’t gravel?
No defined route but start from Burbush car park, cross the road and keep going and you will have single/double track until you get to A35, go through under pass and many more miles of singles track. You have to find it really as it is not defined as not supposed to be riding on it.
And don't go too fast other wise you will knock me out of the top 10 on most of the segments 🙂
I assume they can’t ban road bikes?
No, they can't ban people from riding on the roads, just the forestry tracks (although they are not fully in control of them and would need to be a joint decision)
Riding on just the roads in pretty horrible though as most of them are 40mph limit which means drivers are typically doing nearer 50mph. Drivers passing too close (because a lot of the roads are not that wide) at 50mph does not really make for a nice ride which I why I ride mostly on the gravel roads.
Englandshire? Yes it is
Richard Head? Yes you are 🙂
Richard Head? Yes you are 🙂
Is he wrong though? Your access laws are frankly archaic and the New Forest takes that to a whole other level. I don't see what was so contentious about his comment.
I assume they can’t ban road bikes?
There were calls in the verders court minutes a few years back to ban cycling on some roads in the forest. Hampshire Highways soon put them straight on their responsibilities.
This was all to do with the Wiggle sportives which used to start from Brockenhurst. They had to change after the commoners scheduled their drifts (pony roundups) to coincide with the wiggle events, and then blamed wiggle for disrupting hundreds-year-old practices.
And the route was sabotaged with tacks which caused crashes which hospitalised some participants
The verderes scheduled the pony round up for the same day deliberately, because they are cocks
Alot of nonsense about working forests and livelihood hoods wjen its trees that stand all alone for 20 years then get torn down by massive machinery destroying all the habitat
Or its ned who rents a cottage in tje middle of nowhere for £222 a month who had a couple of pony and cows
Then a shed load of stock brokers from London who biy in and run a tea shop, or their wife does who want to maintain the exclusivity and bleat on about living history having lived there for a few years
As i've already said... there a triangle of power that controls the New Forest. The Forestry Commission don't really care either way about cyclists as long as they don't fall off any logs. The National Park are the ones that should be 'pro cycling' as they are ones who are promoting visitation to the Forest. The Verderers have absolutely ZERO interest in ANYONE other than commoners and their livestock on the Forest and it therefore their duty to be as obstructive as possible to ANYTHING that could have a negative impact on this.
Do not expect a balance pro-cycling attitude from the Verderers, but on the flip side, you are unlikely to end up in their poncy court in Lyndhurst... they reserve that for 'Neds' who don't know how to look after their ponies.
The National Park are the ones that should be ‘pro cycling’ as they are ones who are promoting visitation to the Forest
That's a very hopeful "should", eh?
I get the distinct impression that some other National Parks (ones with actual mountains) don't really care about bikes or are actively hostile to them at leadership level anyway.
Engaged a private investigator to track a persistent offender.
I'm Spartacus!
Commoners, verderers court. Just want to check what century we’re in and also propose it gets renamed Ye Olde Forest. Reading this thread makes me want to go ride there and just be obscenely pleasant to everyone whilst I ride wherever I like.