[Closed] Walkers on mountain bile trails

Right... I'm back from taking the kids swimming so I can wade in again.

I pointed out that they were on a designtaed MTB trail and mentioned that if they were to meet somebody coming down it they would be putting themselves and others at risk.

At this point I got all of the flak and then they marched up the next section of sign posted trail, that runs parallel to the footpath. One of them called my wife "rude" because she suggested that their actions would appear to be knowingly risking themselves and other users. The confronation started properly when one of them did the "Get a bell" routine, so I pointed at my bell (fnarr) and informed them that they had ignored it when I rang it.

There are about 3km of bridleway and footpath in Waterdale. 600m of it is designated bike trail and runs more or less parallel to the paths.

These pricks were going to walk where they wanted and didn't give a toss. No doubt, in their minds all cyclists are hooligans.

Later on in the ride we met another bunch on a bridlway that happens to be Sustrans 6. They were very nice. They stepped aside and we slowed so that they didn't get splashed.

I hope they didn't wander the wrong way up the red. There were a few DHers out today.

While I'm at it. I don't ride "cheeky" and I wouldn't do it leading 29 mates.

Did you shout "STRAVAAAAAA!" on approach? If not, your fault really

I do like it though when they ask what right I've got to tell them not to walk the trails I point out I built them (many sections go through dense woodland you wouldn't have been able to walk through before).

I have had that 🙁 It slightly irk's me as well 🙁

Especially when they claim they've walked for years with fido years, when I actually made this season.

Don't bother any more... just go and build more.

It ain't my land, but when I own my own wood I'll tell to **** OFF.

TBH lately I'm on the edge of being serious....maybe im getting old or going through a pedantic phase but have started seeing things from a different point of view. My reasoning for being that as some one posted above even on prohibited trails theres an attitude by some of "im going to walk where i like" Wonder if it will apear all over the walkers websites or forums (if they exist)that some walker has been prosecuted for wandering aimlessly on a prohibited trail and causing an off, i hazard they still wouldn't give a toss anyway...i dont think there will ever be any common ground sharing the countryside ...no matter what

Life innit! I think we've experienced all the permutations described. It's the classics that stick in your head, like the time at Dalbettie towards the end of the trail where the board walk joins a rock and hangs a left down a second wood section (name escapes me). We come rolling off the trail and onto the woodwork to find a couple having a picnic at the narrowest point. Or the lady casually walking her 5 puppies on the bottom rocky part of the 'beginning of the end' section at CyB. As has been said, whenever this happens I always stop and politely point out that the trail is used by mountain bikers and they are putting themselves and others at danger - this usually does the trick but you'll always get some people who won't or don't want to listen to you.

Don't let it ruin your day, the problem is theirs not yours.

Horses ... well yeah, if you ever ridden or worked with horses then you'd get it. They're animals, and can do unpredictable stuff, even in the hands of capable experienced riders. Just give them lots of warning and space, and if a rider asks you stop doing something that they think might spook the horse it's really no bother is it. Better that than the potential alternatives.

I walk on bike trails all the time, I call them "cheeky footpaths"

Reading threads like these makes me disgusted to call myself a mtb'er.

agreed, I read the OP, then went away for a bit, hoping when I came back the good people of STW would have pointed out that although perhaps a bit foolish, and very annoting, they were well within their rights to be there (unless private land where access forbidden) and that you should ALWAYS ride assuming that round the next blind corner is a fallen 5 year old in your way.

We share the countryside with many other people, you should never expect to have the trails to yourself even on 'dedicated' bike trails and there will always be unexpected people/animals/debris, I share your annoyance OP, but some of the other comments on here are quite worrying if we (MTBers as a group) are ever to expect respect from other groups.

Going on the your description OP, it sounds like you were polite and respectful and that the walkers were being foolish and obnoxious, problem is there aint no law against being an obnoxious fool...

amedias+1

It's the classics that stick in your head

You've just reminded me of one from a few weeks ago...

We were out riding on the red routes at the local forest and we came across a poor woman with a dog who was by this point quite angry, because she had accidentally missed a turn and ended up on the bike trail, and for the last 10 minutes had been trying to get off it and work out where she was but every rider who had passed her before us (including a group of about 8 guys) had ripped past hurling abuse and shouting at her to get of the trail!

We pointed her in the direction of a shortcut and she was very grateful in the end, but shame it will probably be her interaction with the shouty group she tells people about...

Strava has a lot to answer for. I had a near perfect (for me) run down one of my favourites the other week ruined by a couple who had parked up a mile away from the road completely blocking the track and were having a snooze in the sun.

It took a while before I realised I should nip back to make sure they hadn't gassed themselves.

Is there a bar mounted sub machine for such occasions?
goes off to check on crc.

Some of the other posters need to have a word with themselves though. That walker coming up the trail could be another, fallen rider. If you can't see far enough ahead to be able to stop for an obstruction then you are simply going too fast.

Going down the WC course, yeah, I'm going to be going as fast as I possibly can. No such thing as too fast when I'm on my DH bike, just not fast enough.

ALWAYS ride assuming that round the next blind corner is a fallen 5 year old in your way.

I have to disagree there Im afraid. You should always remain under control but if I was riding THAT SLOW I'd never get anywhere!

ou should never expect to have the trails to yourself even on 'dedicated' bike trails and there will always be unexpected people/animals/debris,

Of course, but I think if you are on a bike specific trail then you have a reasonable right to expect to only find bikes on it. The same goes for footpaths, one would hope to find only walkers surely..

Bottom line is its all about consideration.

yeah, I'm going to be going as fast as I possibly can. No such thing as too fast when I'm on my DH bike, just not fast enough.

*Swoons*

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You're......amazing, dude!

Unsurprisingly, you mis-read it.

It was teh ironing? 😉

ALWAYS ride assuming that round the next blind corner is a fallen 5 year old in your way.

I have to disagree there Im afraid. You should always remain under control but if I was riding THAT SLOW I'd never get anywhere!

I never mentioned speed 😉 I just said ride assuming.. doesn't necessarily mean going at walking pace, but definitely means being in control and making sure you have good visibility of what is ahead.

Of course, but I think if you are on a bike specific trail then you have a reasonable right to expect to only find bikes on it.

Or perhaps people that are no longer attached to their bike? riders not confident enough to ride a section? Me and the other half unfortunately ended up helping scoop a poor girl into an ambulance from the bottom of red run descent 3 weeks ago after she went over the bars, broke both wrists and knocked herself out cold o the trail using her face as a brake.

It does happen.

You can reasonably expect whatever you want, doesn't mean your expectations are always right. *Most* dedicated bike trails are open and clear enough that your have plenty of forward visibility, truly blind corners are few and far between, but when they are there you have to exercise caution.

My scariest blind-corner moment was nearly parking my bike in the buttocks of a big brown wooly cow* at warp 9 on a night ride, proper quick moooonoeuvre required there to avoid a rather unpleasant decelerative event!

Bottom line is its all about consideration.

I 100% agree, from all sides.

*yes, this was on a trail centre red route, obviously the cow did not read the 'bikes only' sign

No ironing, but no puffing out of the chest either. my point was that when I go 'downhilling' I ride on the principle of trying to be faster, not to try and go slower hence as far as I am concerned I'm not going fast enough.

Solved...

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I seem to always come across walkers at CYB once an old couple picking mushrooms whilst standing in the middle of the single track and they had the cheek to tell me off when I rounded the bend and had to brake hard and swerve around them, I was so gob smacked I just rode off muttering.

Second time on the Dragons Back some nutter was on the second bit of single track with a metal detector knelt down digging up the trail again I was so shocked I was speechless, it was only when I finished the section that I was fuming and felt like going back.

Third time a few weks ago two women were walking their dogs up a knarly steep part of the beginning of the end section just after the road crossing again I was dumbfounded.

Must find my voice in future and point out the error of their ways 🙄

My scariest blind-corner moment was nearly parking my bike in the buttocks of a big brown wooly cow* at warp 9 on a night ride, proper quick moooonoeuvre required there to avoid a rather unpleasant decelerative event!

You made your choice, you took your chances, you ended up in a cows arse.

I made my choice to ride as quickly as I could down Fort William, a jogger made a choice to jog up it, with his iPod on whilst staring at his feet.

He broke 3 teeth and I ripped my knee pad.

Maybe we should start a campaign to get some real Mountain "Bile" Trails? Then walkers who hate bikes, and bikers who won't slow down, and arrogant horse riders and green laners could all run into each other on them and shout abuse. Leaving everyone else who can get along normally to enjoy the rest of the countryside.

Must find my voice in future and point out the error of their ways

Ironic given your user name 🙂

[quote=pleaderwilliams ]Maybe we should start a campaign to get some real Mountain Bile Trails? Then walkers who hate bikes, and bikers who won't slow down, and arrogant horse riders and green laners could all run into each other on them and shout abuse.
Isn't that called England?

Ironic given your user name

Need an Audience 😆

you ended up in a cows arse.

If you read my post you'll find that actually I [b]didn't[/b] end up in the cows arse.

And experiences like that have taught me to be a bit more careful on blind corners.

Leaving everyone else who can get along normally to enjoy the rest of the countryside.

Sounds terribly dull.

If you read my post you'll find that actually I didn't end up in the cows arse.

I know but where's the fun in that.

It's not an issue of who was where, let people go where they want, within reason, cheeky trails, cheeky footpaths, whatever. The issue is about conduct and attitude. That is where the walkers the OP encountered, and various others mentioned in this thread, failed.

I was surprised when I got flagged down by a couple walking a dog on a byway. After having taken my gloves off, unzipped my jacket, and switched off my iPod. I got asked, quite politely....

" We walk our dog here regularly off the lead, so if he ever starts to chase and bark at you, which he is likely to do, could you stop so we can get him under control and don't loose him...blah blah"

I politely said "yeah" and pelted off as quick as I could, thinking FFS what am I a part time dog warden. Generally speaking i hate dogs, probably compounded by a particularly nasty bite in the leg a few years ago when out jogging. Apparently that was "my fault as my 'running' had proved the dog". Did't sue, wished I had!

What is the staus of the way marked mtb trail - in Surrey the way marked trails are all bridleways ?

The walkers we encountered walking the wrong way up the Gisburn singletrack were being deliberately bloody-minded! Why? Who knows? They were rude and totally confrontational when we politely pointed out they were putting themselves at risk. We went on to ride the red, debs did the blue. I met her in the car park, bruised and covered in shit after going off the boards, after losing the front, braking hard to try and avoid them, and falling off fairly spectacularly! She was lucky she wasn't seriously hurt! And yet they didn't even stop to see if she was ok? Despite the fact they were clearly in the wrong!

There's only one conclusion you can draw from this. These people are selfish inconsiderate morons! And what they deserve is to be wiped out by a storm trooper on a Demo 9!

[quote=binners ]
There's only one conclusion you can draw from this. Th[s]e[/s]ose people are selfish inconsiderate morons!

a few weeks back I met 2 horses being ridden the wrong way round the red/blue at kirrougtree

I've had that a few times, a young girl by any chance? She's going to get superman'd some day when that horse gets spooked.

Walkers I really couldn't care less about, let them do their thing and me mine, they can shout all they want as soon as they're out of sight it's forgotten about, unless they start swinging walking poles at me that's a whole different thing.

we came across a poor woman with a dog who was by this point quite angry, because she had accidentally missed a turn and ended up on the bike trail,

...wonder if she gets angry when she finds herself going the wrong way on the M6 in her mobility scooter?

they might have been the same dongs that insisted on walking along a footpath whilst HTN was on.
The footpath was officially closed and signs had been posted for a week.

I think Ton (who was marshalling) had a word.

I came round a corner at Bedgebury once to find a family picnicking on the singletrack - picnic blanket laid out and everything. I [i]could[/i] have stopped short of them, but I might have accidentally let my front wheel drift into their potato salad. 😀

(In my defence, I had been brought down a few minutes earlier by a family walking on the black section who I stopped for, was told by them that it was clear to come through so I went for the drop-off only to have the kid fall into the trail in the landing zone. I hit the brakes to avoid him, went over the drop and somersaulted. I was still feeling battered, sore and grumpy, so the potato salad got it!)

What is the staus of the way marked mtb trail - in Surrey the way marked trails are all bridleways ?

If they are bridleways, you as the cyclist are legally obliged to give way to other users, i am assuming that CROW hasn't superseded the 1968? act that allowed cyclists to use bridleways.

It's horses that do it for me, possibly because my ex-wife was a riding instructor and equines contributed to our marriage demise!
Of course I slow down and avoid horses and usually get a wave and thanks but a minotiy are bloody minded and awkward, probably what they are saying about us.

What is the staus of the way marked mtb trail

These were constructed 3 years ago to run parallel to the bridleways/footpaths. As we have to apply for closures for HTN I know what everything is around there and these have no status.

What about bikers fixing punctures on the trail? Literally in the middle of the trail, bike upside down, wheels off, usually at the bottom of a fast section round a blind corner. Seen that happen too many times.

Whatever the style of the warning HtS gave to the walkers, his warning is appropriate and if the walkers chose to ignore a well-meaning warning that they could get hurt then they're idiots...

Walking on a designated biking trail is likely to cause an accident. If you've been given a warning of this and persist in walking on it then you're a fool.

Bridleways IMO are different - walkers/dogs/horses have a right to be there and we should ride accordingly. But the whole point of one-way mountain bike trails is for riding bikes... in the same way that footpaths are for walkers only and riding on them is illegal and stupid

footpaths are for walkers only and riding on them is illegal and stupid

I'd propose that the law is stupid, and needs to be changed.

I'd propose that the law is stupid, and needs to be changed.

Open access?

would this not allow walkers on most bike trails?

If they are bridleways, you as the cyclist are legally obliged to give way to other users

I'd propose that the law is stupid, and needs to be changed.

Surely it must be obvious to everyone that you cannot generalise, some people are @rseholes whether they be on foot, horse or bike