[Closed] RIP Houndkirk road

What was it like before?

Holy shit. That's horrendous.

That's now better surfaced than most of the roads in Sheffield.

It wont last long with all the 4 x 4 that use it

that is SHIT at best

The massive rocks are to try and narrow the path down and limit the 4x4 brigade to a narrower path and minimise erosion. They seem like a good idea. That on the other hand looks rubbish. I'll take my ride tomorrow out that way and have a proper look.

sanitisation gone mad!

What was it like before?

p.s. kaesae - finally fitted the kona bushes you sent - spot on and many thanks (but I insist on paying in future!)

Seems to be dig day in the Peak, Chapel Gate closed for about a month and a half. There was a 360excavator working on the track through the first field from the road in Edale today.

It'll last about 2 years max. The council "rebuilt" a bridelway near use, work finished in feb as the snow over Christmas delayed everything, it's already started to fall to bits with the rain we've had. Great for us, bloody annoying that they spend so much money to do a shit job

Not good, especially on Chapel Gate!

🙁 🙁 🙁

Noooooooo!!!!

There are large sections of Chapel Gate that need pulling to pieces and rebuilding. The Rushup Edge end isn't shown for any work on the maps with the information notices so the rock steps should be safe.

That's pathetic. Who is it for??

both houndkirk and chapel do / did need work on them but that looks near impossible to ride and horses'll break their legs it looks that rough

The base on Houndkirk moor was pretty solid. It seems to me that the main thing that was needed some some hemming in so that the track did not get wider and wider. The bit down from Lady Cannings was "worse" so I assume they are going to flatten that otherwise the exercise seems a bit pointless from the make it like a road point of view.

🙄 gutted. Only ridden it a couple of times but was great for a loop with the lady canning plantation bw that crosses it and down to blacka moor

Perhaps a 'boring surface' might put off the 4x4 lot for simply nit being interesting to drive on. That however does not make it good to ride on either.

Bottom of Stanage causeway has been done likewise. Right hard work to pedal over.

I really, really, hope they don't **** with Chapel Gate. One of the best descents in the Peaks. Fence all the chicken lines off on the left hand side by all means, but leave the original (sort of) road bed/gully. PLEASE!

So... Is Chapel Gate closed for everyone, inc mountain bikers, or just for 4x4 and Motocrossers?
Cheers for any info...

it was open on Saturday but we met a guy who was shocked how much had washed away since he was there 3 weeks ago.

I noticed that last night but guess it'll roughen up shortly. I believe however that in some places singletrack will develop outside of the hardcore, and who are they kidding thinking that those boulders won't get mysteriously moved. Plenty of 4 x 4s have big slings...

Yeah. I was up there on Sunday... but didn't see any signs about it closing?

Why bother? Oh I know why they are coming to the end of their financial year and need to ringfence the budget for next year.

Looks like Chapel Gate for me on Saturday 🙂

The old path looks well packed and sustainable also a lot of fun! the new track looks like a shitemare!

First these idiots cannot get the cycle tracks right, they are for the most part shit, now they ignore the off road tracks that need sorting and **** up! the tracks that are good.

They are completely out of touch! we need to have people in charge who understand what is required and can get the job done effectively, not a bunch of y front wearing suits!

hora - Member
Why bother? Oh I know why they are coming to the end of their financial year and need to ringfence the budget for next year.

Looks like Chapel Gate for me on Saturday

POSTED 32 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

what because its been sanitised and that you could possibly now ride it?

Eh, rewind so they have actually started on chapel gate?

Come on brethren in 4x4's....get to work with erosion...

The old bit want great, riding down the road and hopping on/off the curb would pose more of a technical challange. And the new stuff looks just like the rest of houndkirk road (the end towards Dore) which has proved more resiliant to errosion.

Just look at google earth (or even better, more uptodate arial photography) for the reasons whys somethign had to be done to put 4*4 and crossers off the area. The moor was being trashed for a mile either side of the 'road'

IMO this is maintenance work that is needed every decade or so to stop these trails falling into a mess, anyone been over Dore Moor? We don't want Houndkirk getting like that do we. Sure it'll be pants for a year or 2 but it won't take long for decent lines to start appearing.

To the alternative ****paths for me then.

Chris, I have an alternative already on the list

Good work podge

More trucks up there today dumping more crap down.

Have they any idea how horrible that stuff is to ride on?

Just come back from a ride over Houndkirk. What a mess. This looks like serious heavy grade rubble not the usual gravel crap that disappears after the first winter. But who is it for? There were some walkers wingeing when I was there and it certainly won't suit the equine sorority. It must be more anti 4x than a positive atempt to improve.

well they are trying to ban all 4x4 in the peak district so maybe they think this'll help.

Its the end of the financial year so the council needs to waste money on road improvements. Houndkirk and Chapel Gate are RUPP's or Byways aren't they? so they fall under the council highway's dept. That's why they do it now, when there is likely to be a ton of spring rain yet to fall, instead of maybe doing it in the dry (?) months so it could bed in properly.

Also Houndkirk Rd is so easily accesible that I imagine they receive complaints from muggles who twist their ankles on the uneven terrain while walking their yappy terriers in the summer evenings.

er yeah cos replacing one uneven surface with another harder wearing uneven surface will cure that won't it?

oh and Sheffield / Derbyshire have recently been complaining they don't have enough budget to fix proper roads so it makes no sense at all to resurface houndkirk just to use up money

Ah, but to repair the roads, all of the roads costs lots of money. And the small problem in Sheffield of already awarding the contract to a PFI job which is currently being mucked about with. Its like when your were a kid in the newsagents desperate to spend what small amount of pocket money you had left while your Mum/Dad huffed impatiently behind you. You end up buying loads of crap 1p & 2p chews and stuff just to use up the money. Carry the remaining budget over to next year? Add it to the next budget allowance? Are you mad, that sounds like Common Sense, we'll have none of that please!

oh and Sheffield / Derbyshire have recently been complaining they don't have enough budget to fix proper roads so it makes no sense at all to resurface houndkirk just to use up money

are they planning on resurfacing the whole path all the way to fox house?

this is a complete joke.

no, just 400 yards.

that press release / comment / whatever is pretty much "we don't give a toss what you think". not good but I'm sure Ride Sheffield will give them an ear bashing for it.

Why, it was crap and boring to ride anyway? Either wet, muddy or sandy depending on the time of year.

The 'fun' way was to come up Potters Clough, allong the road, then go right in the village and ride to the top of the hill. Allong the (cheeky) 'footpaths' though the heather/access land, decend through the woods, turn right through the 'car park' allong the little bit of houndkirk road through the gate then left down the singletrack (or the muddy bridleway).

Only ever ridden it end to end with newbies as it ends near a pub and makes a short easy ride to Blaka Moor.