Peak District MTB have published a survey to gather data to help identify opportunities for sustainable development of mountain biking in the area around the Roaches in the south west Peak District.
This is my home turf. I hope you can spare 2 minutes to fill in the survey. Cheers
[url= http://peakdistrictmtb.org/project/roaches-estate-mtb-survey/ ]http://peakdistrictmtb.org/project/roaches-estate-mtb-survey/[/url]
Done (lovely area, btw)
Done, I didn't think about the roaches as a place to ride, is it any good? I'm about an hour away, just wondering if it's worth getting up early one day in the summer.
Done - not somewhere I've ridden off road, been the turning point for some longer road rides
Not been there since Dougie the Mad Axeman of the Roaches used to come and chat with you on the climbs 🙂
is it any good?
The Roaches Estate covers the Roaches itself and Gradbach Woods. They are a very short hop to 3 Shires Head and Wildboarclough which are themselves easy to link with Macclesfield Forest. You can therefore make a pretty huge day out with some fab riding.
What the Roaches Estate is currently missing is a good loop that doesn't require much road work, albeit very quiet and pretty roads. You either end up doing an out and back or riding where you shouldn't. I'm talking to the land managers about how we can improve that situation, hence gathering usage data on this survey.
Dougie the Mad Axeman
I remember visiting him in his "house" when I was a kid back in the late 70s or early 80s. Fantastically eerie place that is now the BMC hut.
Survey done. It's a great area with some fantastic trails but needs more access to avoid lots of road
Done - was eyeing that area up on the map the other day.
Interesting.I'm talking to the land managers about how we can improve that situation, hence gathering usage data on this survey.
I like it as it is personally. i.e. it's cheeky and you need to ride it when it's not muddy and not full of people. It's also amazing.
The word 'sustainable' worries me in this context having seen some of the mistakes, messes and trail destruction that's happened in other areas in the name of 'sustainability'. i.e. if the whole of the ridge gets stone slabs or if someone decides that it should all be rideable by an 'average' mountain biker, we will have lost something incredible.
be nice if we could get Chrome hill included in that possible permission, or would that area be under a different authority perhaps?
Chrome hill is different. It's privately owned. Nobody could access it at all until recently. Peak Park made it open access land, but there is still no legal RoW. It's a concessionary FP. Really grumpy land owners.jekkyl - Memberbe nice if we could get Chrome hill included in that possible permission, or would that area be under a different authority perhaps?
It's such an interesting and unique looking hill! would make a great loop round the hollinsclough stuff for a tech fest then up n over chrome for some scenery.
I struggle to walk some of it!
Would be terrifying on that slippery limestone in 4 or 5 places on (or walking with) a bike. Plus the descent to the SE would be very quick with heavy braking to the stiles.
Don't think it's doable to be honest. Makes a better walk.
Agree that Hollinsclough is limited though.
be nice if we could get Chrome hill included in that possible permission
The Roaches Estate that the survey refers to is a fairly limited area, some miles away from Chrome Hill. See the map on the survey for the boundary.
I like it as it is personally. i.e. it's cheeky and you need to ride it when it's not muddy and not full of people. It's also amazing.
What is "it" though? The Roaches Estate is a limited area but it's still more than "just" the main ridge, covering Gradbach Woods as well. There are a small handful of rights of way for cyclists, either permissive or formal (and hence marked on the OS map). The estate is currently limited in non-cheeky scope but has some potential. Getting a right of way on the main ridge is a big ask, but there's other footpaths that are also worth opening up, not to mention the existing cycling rights of way that would benefit from some maintenance, such as Goldstitch Moss and the section through Gradbach Woods:
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/323/32270136012_d2ee224c0e.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/323/32270136012_d2ee224c0e.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/RaATao ]Gradbach - clearing drains[/url]
by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stilltortoise/ ]stilltortoise[/url], on Flickr
You, me and the land managers know that mountain bikers ride the main (cheeky) ridge, but in my experience they do so in a sensible manner. I go there a lot with my family and I've never seen a mountain biker on the main ridge on a busy, sunny weekend and a very rarely at other times. Is common sense and a considerate approach more sustainable than changing the access?
The more we understand the habits and usage of mountain bikers on the Roaches Estate, the better we can prioritise what should be done to improve it.
Thanks for taking part
Yes, I agree with your points that there may be some candidates for changing access on other paths.
One I use often is the side of the Dane returning to Danebridge for example.
Yes, I think it is in many cases.Is common sense and a considerate approach more sustainable than changing the access?
There are other cheekies that I ride in the middle of a Sunday, but it all depends on sensitivity, conflict, etc. I've only ever done Kinder in the dark for example.
One part of the main ridge which bothers me, is that bit down south from Doxey Pool. It's been reinforced I think, but the path in the heather to the side is getting wider and wider. Personally, I go there for rock, so avoiding it by running on the side seems a bit silly. Can't decide if it's bikes or not, but I can see it bothering some.
Can't decide if it's bikes or not
I think it's everyone. I see people wandering all over the place up there.
One I use often is the side of the Dane returning to Danebridge for example.
There's some huge potential to use that and then follow the canal feeder all the way to Rushton. It's very muddy in places though....and a footpath
I've ridden Hollinsclough area, flash and Macc forest/3 shires but generally drive through to get to the dark peak. A bit more choice and less slogging to join up the good bits would get me riding there more.
Have you filled in the [url= https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVnNPAZW_6U6ShUZL1HMmwz9OOcmlrSqkKfgsGsHAS4uZh1g/viewform ]survey[/url] scruff?
Would any of the locals be willing to let me tag along on a ride or two? I'm still fairly new to the area and would love to see some more ride options other than what I can work out for myself. (Based in Endon)
Mark
Filled in the survey, completely agree that it needs a good link from the woods to the Roaches. I've never ridden the ridge but it would make a great ride. The decent to Goldstitch Moss is fantastic but it doesn;t get ridden that much because it doesn't fit easily into a loop and also for most of the year it's a quagmire at the bottom.
I love the place recently ran the Fell race which was hell, and regularly walk there with the kids as they love scrambling on rocks.
Yes I've done the survey
V8_shin_print - drop an email if you wanna get out in the week, based in Trentham I go out riding twice a week, usually 8pm-10.30 ish. Probably about 20 mins drive for you. However most of the riding I do through the winter is more light XC, hard pack paths and some woodland as all the decent off road is a slop fest.
Another plug for Peak District MTB' Roaches Estate survey. Please let us know your thoughts on the riding there.
The Roaches Estate covers the Roaches and Gradbach woods and is close to some fab riding in the south west Peak District including Three Shires Head, Cumberland Clough and Macclesfield Forest.
[url= http://peakdistrictmtb.org/project/roaches-estate-mtb-survey/ ]Peak District MTB website[/url]
or
[url= https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVnNPAZW_6U6ShUZL1HMmwz9OOcmlrSqkKfgsGsHAS4uZh1g/viewform ]Direct link to survey[/url]
Thanks