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Yeah, the best thing you can do is put the words we haven't said in our mouths and tell the world how badly hurt you were on the web forum.
I'm only saying what [u][b]I[/b][/u]'m thinking and what I can hear from other people living in the area. Stop ignoring the problem and pretend it doesn't exist. It does, whether you or me like it or not.
There's lots of debris and sharp stuff lying on the roads, I saw a 4x4 with a flat tyre yesterday, so surely a car or a bicycle tyre (have seen it here many times before) can get hurt, can't it? Saying to be going to do something and stating the fact, that someone can think about sabotaging the cars is two different things, don't you think? 😀 Noone's gonna talk to you if you try to talk them into rubbish like that.
Crossfire - I never said the words about Twitter were yours. Maybe you need to put your own glasses on?
Crossfire = nimby mong
I'm a Friend of Hurtwood as are many other riders, some live in and around the village. We like bikes. Some of us enjoy a walk too. I enjoy the beauty of the hills also, even get out the camera.
[url= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4003/4200456657_80ae1e036e.jp g" target="_blank">
(interesting to note that this path is now a trashed mess - not by bikes but from logging machines 😉 )
However like any community, some will not approve of bikes, some don't like change and sure it's maybe not as quiet as it once was. However all the locals I've met have been very friendly and welcoming. I don't see any dissatisfaction from the store, the pub, the church folk. Same goes for walkers (some local, some not). Often there's friendly banter and jokes, often about how shattered the riders look climbing up the hills. The wide open space that there is there seems to avoid much conflict and the vast majority give way to each other.
The only issue there is in the village centre is a minority of people parking by the shops & pub and not using the car parks.
There are certainly a group in the village (or maybe from the wider community) who are quite vocal about their distaste for bikes. They're the ones who branded riders "drunken swearing hooligans" in an article in the local press and the general opinion of the village at the time of being anti bikes was taken from what I understand was a meeting where the anti minority was wholly representative. I'd love to know where they get this "drunken swearing hooligan" opinion from though.
Anyway, the deal was open access to all thanks to Reggie Bray some 90 years ago to enjoy the hills for "air and exercise". It's a unique arrangement, works extremely well and everyone seems to get on with each other, and everyone should be proud as it's a good example to the rest of the far more restrictive country.
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6441615625_4e9a9f40a4.jp g" target="_blank">
This conversation's going nowhere, as you can see by the nobeerinthefridge constructive post. It's 10:30am, the village is already looking like central London, people are walking round the bus shelter like on a Oxford Circus crossing and the veterans are just about to arrive having nowhere to leave their cars. This is all that matters. SAD.
deadkenny - put some 10-15 bikers in your beatiful shot, and see how it changes.
Not a major issue. Still looks like a lovely place and the locals on any day like this are still friendly and welcoming I find.
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3515/5772309339_1ce84c52ba.jp g" target="_blank">
As for Remembrance Sunday, I've kept clear of the place to avoid congestion, but I'm sure there are some who've forgotten. Then again they hopefully will be joining in.
I might get a group of us to venture over from bristol. Nice to meet other bikers 😀
Putting words in your mouth? If that's aimed at me then sorry, but I'm only quoting your earlier posts.
wrecker - make sure you book your place in advance to avoid disappointment 😉
deadkenny - not a major issue means you can see some issue in it, which is good. For me being pushed to use a road to walk, as the bloke in the pic, because the only safe place, which is this bit of pavement in front of the bus shelter, is taken over by the cyclists, is just wrong. I guess something bad, like an accident or collision, has to happen to get the ball rolling and start sorting the mess out. I hope noone's gonna get badly injured.
Well put Z-11
Crossfire - I had some sympathies with you to start with but the more vitriolic comments have let you and your argument down. I can understand the frustrations of living in a honeypot location like Peaslake and yes it does get over-run at times and "some" mtb display extraordinary signs of arrogance and contempt in the Surrey Hills and (judging by some comments) on here.
But it all about balance - and I think MTB also need to understand the sensitivities of local residents and vice versa.
Hey crossfire, have you been to Grindelwald or even the Lakes? They're truly stunning places that get chocked full with climbers, riders, hikers etc every weekend. Yet you're loosing your sh*t over a T-junction, a shop selling cake, and a couple of mounds either side that people ride bikes on.
I think you need a reality check as you clearly don't understand the world you live in. It's only going to get busier.
theotherjonv - a phrase "is probably Howard" quoted as "is Howard" means something else, doesn't it? "To be going to do something" doesn't mean "It may happen", does it? Seriously... 😯
JCL - I know this is happening and noone's gonna be able to change it on their own. What's so difficult in understanding people not being satisfied with the quiet, peaceful place taken over by a group of "strangers"? It's going to happen anywhere you go.
Crossfire80, to justify my post, any adult (I assume you're an adult?) who considers letting people's tyres down, is showing mongish tendencies. Care to disagree?.
Can't see where the FoH dont like bikes idea comes from
I wish bikers followed this code of conduct better.
Crossfire
3 answers please:
1) Do you live in Peaslake (dumb question?)
2) Do you use the Hurtwood, ever?
3) Are you a paid up Hurtwood subscriber?
crossfire80 - Member
You won't be laughing when you realise 2 out of 4 of your car's tyres are flat, unless you cycle here all the way down from London. There's no CCTV anywhere, maybe it's the best time to move your camera from the helmet to the dashboard. Good luck to you
One of the more ill-advised and silly comments posted on STW for a long time (despite the subsequent attempt to backtrack). I see that this is your only "contribution" (sic) to this forum to date, so perhaps I should not be that surprised.
Maybe Paul Hyde or members of Surrey Police need to come and have a quiet word?
4. Do you have any constructive suggestions to sort your issues out?
I had a degree of sympathy even though i think your argument and self contradiction are weak. But back tracking as you are now and claiming your comments were not meant in the way they clearly were, is just pathetic
To avoid doubt, a cut and paste quote:
You won't be laughing when you realise 2 out of 4 of your car's tyres are flat, unless you cycle here all the way down from London. There's no CCTV anywhere, maybe it's the best time to move your camera from the helmet to the dashboard.
Hardly a warning to be careful for debris on the road is it?
Again, the issue as I see it is that the bikes were there before your NIMBYism! If you'd moved there in 1970 I'd be sympathetic, as i am to any resident who's been there since then, although i maintain they'd not have their shop. But if you'd visited on a sunny Saturday in 2004 it would have been just as bad then!
This argument also strikes me as a 'the surrey countryside should only be enjoyed by those rich or fortunate enough to live in it' type rant.
No suggestions for easing the situation, just threats to stay out of the village (which is hardly some birthright of yours, seeing as you've only been there yourself for 8 years). Pathetic.
a lovely ride in the hills today. it was no busier than usual and one person let the side down by cycling on the footpath from the bottom of bkb, the rest of his mates took to the road.
i must admit this will be my last ride in the hills for a bit, the tracks are muddy and need some recovery time, so heres hoping for a dry spell.
i also did not visit the peaslake store, prefer to ride to Leith and enjoy the view (there was one person there at 10am)
...whilst its possible to ride for 2hrs in the peaks and not meet another human.
Thanks for staying packed tight into the S.E and trail centres.
Thank you. 🙂
hora - you used to ride in the Surrey Hills all the time. You were famous for it at one time 😉
Heres a thought.
In the spirit of having hit the nail on the head earlier in this thread. Why not look at what can be done to enhance harmony between cyclists and the local community rather than just a slanging match about who was here first and how people need to walk in the road etc.
My observation is that the people who have the most right to bitch about the cyclists are those who live in the house immediately to the right of the shop - people lean bikes against and sit on their wall - this is a little anti social and inconsiderate. The bus shelter is at least publicly owned and therefore better.
Maybe the Hurtmore group and the local residents should pull together and advertise well (get the shops on board and do a press release for the major forums and magazines MBR will publish most stuff) a sensible code of conduct. Get some buy in from the local businesses (village store, bike shop, pub etc.) and see where that takes you.
I agree about illicit trail building being a problem - surely the Hurtwood team know the culprits and should work to foster relations with them to resolve the issue, getting additional help etc. Perhaps a FR area might make a big difference and reduce the illicit trail building.
Just suggestions take or leave them as you like.
If anyone wants some help or ideas then my email is in my profile give me a shout.
Southerners are funny 😆
2hrs in the peaks and not meet another human.
OK, I know Northerners are a bit, well, different, but they are at least human! Aren't they?
😉
After reading this thread I actually want to go down south to ride my bike, 😆
The hot-spots of the Peak District can be just as bad, if not worse, than Peaslake! Its perfectly possible to ride for 2 hours and hardly see anyone "down South" too, just not in Peaslake.
Flashy - you've clearly never been to Leeds! 😉
Racists and bottle throwing ****ers who also happen to be LOWER down the table than Hudds 😆
Well, out around Pitch today. Walkers outnumbered bikes in the afternoon on all the trails I went around. Every one of them happy and friendly. The majority of the time I also barely saw anyone. Nice quiet countryside ride with the odd passing walker or cyclist. Just as always.
As I kept mainly to Pitch I'm in the big car park and riding those hills so don't even cause a problem for locals in the village centre. But aside from that it was relatively quiet when I went past for a short spin up Holmbury.
Frankly for a November Sunday afternoon it was no busier than I remember it 4 years ago.
As for bikes, sure I saw a photo from way way back of the village centre and sure enough... there were bikes there! Not too sure on the date but looked old enough to be pre-70s, even far older. Okay they'd probably have been mainly on the roads, but any argument about bikes congesting Peaslake has to include road bikes as on a nice day there are plenty of them passing through and have done probably for far longer than mountain bikes.
shortcut - Member
Maybe the Hurt[s]more[/s]wood (!) group and the local residents should pull together and advertise well (get the shops on board and do a press release for the major forums and magazines MBR will publish most stuff) a sensible code of conduct.
I have already posted that link on the previous page. Its very clear!
I would like to visit this mystical Peaslake place referred to in the OP. The "other" one near me, never seems that busy and I can ride for hours in relatively peace and in harmony with walkers, dogs and horse rider 😉 And there's a village shop, pub, bus stop and bike shop in my one!!
Binners, I have....Several times....Including many Friday nights in town. The horror....the horror...!
Then again, I also used to live in South Yorks and even more scarily, endured many a weekend at the Bell & Crown in Snaith, but that's another story.....
Many Peaslake residents ride bikes both mountain and road bikes. The MTB Orientating event is organised by residents to encourage people to visit and to contribute to keeping the school open. The groups of riders generally seems to be pretty evenly mixed between road and mountain bikers and they are eating and drinking stuff bought from the shop.
You'll always get a mix of supporters and those against pretty much anything.
The only issue I see is the cars parking around the square/shop but if that were "no parkin" the residents would find it difficult to visit the shop.
I like Peaslake especially the pork and leek plaits.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmpork.
As someone who lives 2 miles as the crow flies, I find this a really disappointing thread, mainly for crossfire's confrontational attitude and deluded responses.
However, I do understand some of the frustrations given the focus on parking in Peaslake - walking bottom today was overflowing, with parking down the centre and on the verges around the exits.
There is a pretty simple solution to this:
(1) Produce a map with alternative car parks.
(2) Charge people for parking in Walking Bottom, and perhaps give exemptions to people displaying something saying they are Friends of the Hurtwood Estate, as per the National Trust
(3) Make parking in the village "Residents Only"
In that way you either reduce the number of people driving into Peaslake to ride or generate a decent amount of revenue from them. Either way local residents "win".
I'd also point out that a not insignificant percentage of cyclists passing thru Peaslake are roadies - little mention of them in crossfire's rantings.
We live in a crowded island, eh?
There's an OS map marked-up with alternative car parks [url= http://www.friendsofthehurtwood.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113&Itemid=167 ]Here[/url].
Residents only parking in the village would be a win, but who would police it?
I park further afield and just pass through peaslake - get to ride more trails that way.
Thanks god I read the rules before posting that looong reply to all of you. Finally started thinking... 😀
Anyways, shame it took me so much to make you talk contructively. I'll just sit quietly and listen to you now, as I did today in the afternoon at the bus stop 😉
Oooo. Crossfire, I love this subtle intimidation.
I imagine you sitting there with a trench coat and a broadsheet newspaper spying on the evil bikers.
Did you put some tracking devices on the bikes to monitor activities?
Instead of just sitting there, why don't you share with us your constructive ideas for solving your issues? Even better, attend the Peaslake Community Council, put your suggestions forward there and try and get some of them implemented. Looking at their latest minutes, your concerns don't even seem to be on their agenda http://www.peaslake.org/
crossfire let me guess, you are really a middle aged man giggling like a Japanese schoolgirl?