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Bastards!
I doubt my step daughter's powered wheelchair wouldn't have a cat in hell's chance of getting up that.
I hope all of the gates further up are made to be easily accessible too, a few years back you had to lift a few to make the latches slide
Whether the works done are the correct approach or not, hearing MTBers moaning about the ruining of a trail smacks very much of the kind of Nimbyism that we like to moan about from ramblers and horse riders.
Though I don't ride in that area, I guess it must be quite tough seeing the [u]only[/u] decent trail in a 10 mile radius reduced to chippings. 😉
You might not agree with the concept but making tracks easier to negotiate does encourage more folk to get out and to go further. Given how many are overweight and/or inactive that has to be worth a bit of investment even if it seems to "spoil" it for a few niche mountain bikers.
That path 'upgrade' makes no sense.
Access controls, ie Stiles and poorly functioning gates are nearly always a bigger obstruction to use than uneven surfaces. Start replacing stiles with easy to use gates, improve the signage then sort the surface
Theres miles of smooth cycle path and coastal walks round here, I never see the fat lazy locals on any of them.
Was a great route that either way good test of bike v trail, luckily we managed to ride them while they were still a challenge , our kids will be riding them all on shiny tarmac on road bikes ,sorry I mean electric road bikes!!
I wonder if every public right of way on National Trust land is unobstructed....
tjagain - Member
So from an eroded mess to a well built path that will last. Its not just for you - its for horses and walkers as well
Loads of bridleways where I live have deliberate obstacles placed by the local horse folk to make it more of a challenge for horse riding. Not to mention the mess they're made of by horses anyway.
I can't see many horse riders wanting to ride a smooth surface like this in this kind of location. Likewise walkers.
This is man made damage to natural countryside. If someone wanted to slap a road through there, nature campaigners would be outraged. Surprised they're not by this.
looks great - will be able to ride my E bike along it much faster 😀 😀
no, only joking, looked better before, but can see that its not as accessible to as many users
That part starts at the top of a boggin steep tarmac road, who exactly is this going to benefit? Super fit people with pushchairs maybe and visually impaired? I'm sure there must be more appropriate paths which were better candidate for improvements or as I said above dozens of stiles which could be replaced by gates which would benefit more people
Vandalism starts at 2.43
No im not having the doffed cap we've got to think of others mustn't grumble attitude. There's miles of accessible Tracks running north and west of Ambleside. This was one little bit and they've ****ed it up. It was a fantastic feature, they've tamed either side but I thought this was safe. What's the point of a trail if there's nothing to walk to? Loads of people just potter to this bit and back because it was interesting and worth walking to.
Last time I was up they had tamed to the top of the elterwater descent but not the descent itself. That's an absolute gem. I'm a bit worried now. :-/
Nobody, in any position of power within a local authority, understands MTBing in the general, trail-riding, sense of the word.
To them, MTBing is either XTreme Gnarr-Core to the max Red Bull Rampage stuff that they've seen when they've googled "mountain biking" or it's the sort of stuff they see at CenterParcs.
So they look at the first one and go "ooh no that's terrible, we can't have that, people will die / get injured / sue and it doesn't fit with our genteel lifestyle of appealing to rich old folk who want to drive up and sit in a cafe".
They look at the second one and go "ooh, yes, that's all jolly sedate and nice and friendly and harmless and appeals to our core clientele who want to drive their BMW X5 to a nice smooth car park, ride their MTBs on a nice short smooth trail then sit in a cafe and spend more money while telling everyone how much they've enjoyed The Outdoors"
They did something similar to a trail in the Peak District except they made the rare concession of asking The Nicest Man In Mountain Biking, Mr Nick Craig, him being local and all that. Nick looked horrified at their plans to gravel what was a lovely technical descent, said "don't do it, it'll be shit, it'll increase speeds, it'll cause accidents", then they ignored him, gravelled the whole thing over and a week later an MTBer got airlifted out following a high speed slide out on gravel.
****ing ****s.
first pic looks like a fun climb
Unfortunately this sort of thing has happened on tracks around Coniston through to Elterwater, the Langdales etc. Time to go and find some foothpaths to ride....
I always enjoyed riding (or running) Jenkin's Crag after work.
Seems like a pointless waste of funds.
Are they going to tarmac the uneven parts of Loughrigg next?
Good. Bloody evil trail. Binned it and bruised my hip the Greyhound Challenge on the very bit that's been done after the left hander. Tarmac the bastard I say.
Another trail goes the way of CyB...
Come on, its progress. Making it safer and more inclusive for those that may struggle.
I think it is sad, the whole idea of getting into the countryside is experiencing the natural side of it, bogs, gulleys, rocks and all. This continual creation of easy access routes hugely dilutes this. I'm amazed that with austerity as it stands, the local govt can afford it too.
For those that would struggle when the path was in it's previous state, the vast majority will still struggle to even reach the path as there's no car park at the start, just a ruddy steep road.
How many NT members on here I wonder?
Will you be renewing your membership if they keep doing things like this?
Everyones slating the council but might it not have been the national trust?
Oops, apart from the plaque proclaiming their involvement
As much as I would like exclusive use of the countryside I understand the need to share. If more accessible trails gets more people walking and riding then that will probably be for the best longer term. Having recently been on a few walks with less able bodied people the options are a bit limited and dull. Still plenty of cheeky trails out there.
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Same place back in 2005... it's certainly let itself go over the years - not
There are already plenty of accessible well-surfaced trails for walkers and riders near Ambleside - and as has been mentioned, the steep hill between this and the town would put off a lot of those who might be bothered about a rough surface.
The issue is that this is the only decent legal descent into the town from the east for a MTBer, and the highlight of quite a few published guidebook routes. Although I'll probably consider dropping off Wansfell in future and using Jenkin Crag as a climb, a lot of riders don't want to use cheek.
I don't think anyone bemoans making paths more accessible for the less able but in this instance you have to ask whether this was the best bridleway to do it on?
Mtb's will now probably use the adjacent footpath instead unless the NT think they have to restrict access to bikes and put some form of other access control in place.
The money spent here could have paid for improved access on paths more likely to get more use by less able bodied.
The biggest barrier to use of the countryside for most of the population is actually getting to the countryside in the first place, the second biggest barrier is information - when I get there where should I go where will I be able to go? what should I expect when I get there?
Putting barrow loads of gravel on a steep path at the end of a steep tarmac road I doubt will benefit a great many people that could not have previously walked the path anyway.
It's called Jenkins Crag, it should be craggy, it's now not, will it be renamed? Jenkins Lane???
The "before" pic looks little different from when I first started visiting in about 1980.
It seems odd as a priority though - after the recent floods there are many places which need to be rebuilt / repaired. For this to be done now when so many other places are in greater need of money spent on them is strange.
The NT are indeed asking for funds to repair lakes flooding [url= https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/the-lakes-appeal ]https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/the-lakes-appeal[/url]
So why on earth are they wasting money on this?
Nowt to do with the NT, according to the plaque, although the track runs through a NT woodland.
This will be taxpayers money getting wasted, not members' money. As if Cumbria CC didn't have enough things to spend cash on. They could start by draining the small lake across the public road at the top of the Fox descent at Grizedale!
Anyone have contacts at the local council and NT to esquire about why this was done? Could be the thin end of the wedge. First Walna Scar, then Loughrigg Terrace, now Jenkin Crag. What next, Garburn Pass, Grizedale Singletrack, Nan Bield? At this rate unless something is done in another 10 years all of the classic Lakeland descents will be sanitized!!!
Surely some local paper coverage might help? Highlighting how local care for the elderly is facing drastic cuts yet £1,000's being wasted on unnecessary trail work could get some local 'non mountain biker types' on side and make the council think twice in future?
. What next, Garburn Pass
West side of Garburn has been done already.
West side of Garburn has been done already.
Garburn Pass has been done on and off for decades, it invariably becomes another rutted rocky mess within 2 years.
Just for clarity, as I've never ridden it, is any of Jenkins Cragg worth riding (down) now?
Arse, that was a lovely climb or descent :(.
I'd worry now how long it will be before the same madness is extended to the bridleway on the south of Ullswater.
Anyone have contacts at the local council and NT to esquire about why this was done?
Erosion control?
Certain Lakes trails get overused and need to be protected. MTBers are not the only users, however, frustrating this may be.
Certain Lakes trails get overused and need to be protected. MTBers are not the only users, however, frustrating this may be.
Jenkin Crag was bedrock - it was essentially unchanged ever since I've been riding it which must be mid 90's. It was a stable surface albeit one that was not smooth. A challenging climb but doable, and as a descent it kept your speed in check automatically.
It was easily walkable in pretty much any sensible outdoors footwear.
It didn't need any sort of "protection".
Jenkin Crag was bedrock - it was essentially unchanged ever since I've been riding it which must be mid 90's. It was a stable surface albeit one that was not smooth. A challenging climb but doable, and as a descent it kept your speed in check automatically.It was easily walkable in pretty much any sensible outdoors footwear.
It didn't need any sort of "protection".
That.
It was easily walkable in pretty much any sensible outdoors footwear. It didn't need any sort of "protection".
And there was a wide fireroad type chicken run bypassing the most difficult section anyway?
Erosion control?Certain Lakes trails get overused and need to be protected. MTBers are not the only users, however, frustrating this may be.
The pic I posted was from 2005 and looks very similar to the one from last year
[quote=agent007 ]And there was a wide fireroad type chicken run bypassing the most difficult section anyway?And that might well be the reason why it's been resurfaced.
I hope all of you bemoaning the poor decision, lack of understanding of mountain biking and the lack of consultation are all active on your local access forums, campaigning groups etc?
Things will only improve for "us" if "we" engage with the people who are responsible for the decisions, and who have to take into account conflicting user demands.
Because otherwise whining after the event via keyboards is rather horse/bolted/stable door.