I just ride responsibly. Wherever I like. 😉

To clarify though, there are some BW’s that I won’t go on at busy times or when they’re muddy cos even though I have every right to be on them, the hassle isn’t worth it, either from me having to slow down/stop for hordes of walkers/horse riders or because conditions mean the trail will cut up.

There are some FP’s round here that are well worth riding though and so long as it’s sufficiently quiet, I’ll do just that.

The further you are from “civilisation” the fewer problems you have. There’s a high remote FP in the Lakes which I love and the few walkers I’ve ever seen up there have without fail been very polite and friendly. Once out there you get the serious outdoors people who know that you’re just out there to get the same outdoors buzz as they are so they don’t care about how you got there!

400 bikes riding on sensitive moorland sends out a bad message IMO.

Best way forward:

A) Ride footpaths responsibly every day
B) Don’t be a dick.
C) if stopped, explain how walkers got access through trespass
D) talk to your local RoW about improving access
E) talk to your MP about Scottish style access for all of UK
F) tell CTC you’ll join if they take access campaigning seriously

The best way forward is for bikes on paths to be seen as normal, not a one off trespass that could backfire badly.

This.

Just ignore them then.

It is very silly, I work in a TIC in the Dales, and I can’t tell people where the good biking is… So all visitors to the area have to do the same old loop that’s 50% road… #yawn

as Dave

I ‘sensible cheeky’ my way all over the home counties, very few problems, esp with ‘working’ landpeople, always slow down, hallo, smile, thank you.

Sad to say ‘ramblers’ are the worst, they truly are, however I think it’s important to be polite and calm, and ‘C) if stopped, explain how walkers got access through trespass’ – I also point out that of all paths there are that only about 21% are legal to cycle so I suggest that this % should be upped, and that I am upping it on my own behalf.

I don’t think you can really compare the Kinder Trespass and those who took part in it at that period in history to the current day – I think it’s slightly offensive to make the comparison. A hoard of beer bellied middle class ‘me me me’ types isn’t going to gain much public sympathy – there wouldn’t a car park big enough in the Peak to cope with all the Audis!

I live in east lancs. if we rode on bridle way, not footpaths, we’d never be able to string a decent ride together. I’ve been riding footpaths all day today. We’re courteous and polite to the walkers, who are the same in return. Never an issue.

The only time you get grief is in the lakes, where you get the typical red socks who drive there to walk from the outdoor shop, where they’ve bought a new fleece, to the cafe for tea and cakes. **** ’em!!!

Crikey, i deny myself really good riding quiet often on the grounds trail conditions, diplomacy, not making a scene, knowing i’ll leave tyre marks and anger the red socks (who exist in large numbers round here). A very large chunk (most?) bridleways in Nidderdale are tarmac, track, or peat bog and impassible for over the half the year – While many ‘footpaths’ are old horse and cart tracks, paved, and have packhorse bridges on ’em. It’s not a consistent system, its not an up to date system, its not really a system. It was pot luck of the time. Now it takes years and huge effort to upgrade to a bridleway.

Sorry, but this is a #firstworldproblem par excellence.

The damage caused to sensitive natural areas by bikes is on the increase, largely because people are seeking out bigger, more gnarly stuff to ride. Make access more open to mountain bikes and that damage will increase.

..and once the genie is out of the bottle, it’ll get worse and worse.

Don’t really see a problem. Typically in Scotland where walkers and cyclists can go where they want the “damage” consists of a path a few feet wide following the contours of the land with miles of untouched land on either side. Almost everyone follows existing routes.

The tracks bulldozed by estates for shooting, forestry, or windfarm. access are the real eyesores. Open access works here. The only reason there isn’t access in England is because of the landowner lobby.

The difference is the pressure of people. In Scotland there are fewer people and more land, in England, the few ‘honeypot’ areas, like the Peak district would be battered very quickly.

I see the numptiness of the laws, I appreciate the contradictions, but there was a time when people who used the countryside did so with the view that they were helping to conserve and protect it.

Now the view is ‘I want to ride my bicycle and so I will and I don’t care what damage it does’.

Luke – me, si, and Ian are doing one on Tuesday night from hope at 7:30 should you fancy coming?

Now the view is ‘I want to ride my bicycle and so I will and I don’t care what damage it does’.

I’m not so sure.

Locally the general consensus is to avoid damage on sensitive easily damaged moorland bridleways by riding rocky footpaths instead. Opening the RoW network means you can ride more responsibly by offering more choice.

I live in the country and its the walkers who see doing more damage, it was walkers were persisting in walking all over the shop because they “had the right” during F&M, its walkers now in their massive bloody gangs walk four across who are causing much increased erosion and path widening. Paths are erosion, that’s what a path is, erosion of top soil and plant life. No-ones going to go cycling across access land bog/moor etc, its not fun, its bloody horrible, they will follow footpaths. Case in point – Ilkley Moor, Bradford council have allowed cycling all over the moor, but the cyclists are just riding the paths, and they avoid them when its muddy, they don’t have to, they choose to.

This can work.

Its strange but very true that! Ditto, when I am on a bike motorbikes and 4×4 off-roaders get on my nerves 😉

+1

-1,

For the reported levels of usage ( I avoid these areas at the weekend) and growing popularity of mtb, I am amazed at how little erosion there is especially given the lack of consideration “some” give to wet conditions. How wide is Clawhammer given the usage? Compare that with bridleways on Blackheath???? Even BKB is hardly an eyesore and what 80cm wide before the berms.

BKB is only 80cm before the (old) berms because we narrowed it last week…! It was getting close to 2 meters
BKB used to be far narrower 5+ years ago, and Clawhammer never seems to dry out since it got popular.
I’m just using Surrey Hills as an example because it’s what I know, in the scheme of things, you’re right, they’re not the worst damage in the world

You’ve not spent much time around farmers, then? Any past “respect” for the countryside is more due to lack of access / distance, than any real desire not to change it.

Only the insensitive “rag” past walkers. Most will slow down and wait to be let past.