Bridleway Clearing

Any riders out there take it on themselves to clear their favourite single track rather than waiting for the council to do it. Trails were great in April / May, now they are over grown and I am constantly checking limbs for ticks. Was wondering whether to get a petrol brush cutter and cut them myself.

I am thinking about this – was thinking about contacting the landowner and asking if they minded. I think that it is landowners who have a responsibility to keep rights of way on their land clear rather than the council. I just have one long section that is nearly chest high and a bit of a lottery as to whether there are any holes or ruts 😯

Wouldn't hurt to develop good relationships with your local landownwers either

I do it round my place- I have 200metres of boudary with footpath along it- did as much as I could by hand- then went begging at the council for some help- they turned up trumps with a load of rubble and a team with machines for a week- much more sustainable as a track now and also better drained

Calderdale council – TOP MARKS

Personally I'd never spend half an hour on a Sunday afternoon trimming back the gorse and hawthorn on a lovely flowing section of hidden singletrack.

Oh no, not me. Move along now, nothing to see here.

Upgrowth is the responsibility of the rights of way authority, overhang is the responsibility of the landowner. But in reality the rights of way authority will sort it out if you let them know. Both the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales (for example) have over 800km of bridleways/byways each, so your favourite bit of singletrack, just may not have made it onto a cutting list, where you are.

Speak to the rights of way officer, oh and let us know where the singletrack is in case its nearby and I haven't discovered it yet 😉

i do bit here and there…

i use it as an opportunity to encourage riders to put in more turns – by use of strategic pruning i can create a more interesting trail.

I'm with elliptic on this one. I'd never buy a brushcutter and spend hours in the sun clearing nettles and brambles off a bit of singletrack almost no-one else but me ever rides.

http://www.clearthattrail.org.uk/ used to pester the people responsible but it is no longer being maintained, shame as it worked well.

Did a bit of light pruning last week as it goes.

I had issues with overgrown bridleways at the weekend.

One stretch has grown so deep the weeds were dragging on the bars. Had a couple of scares when the front wheel disappeared down holes.

Another stretch has completely overgrown with brambles, holly and nettles – my shins and forearms are still smarting.

I think I'll contact the local authority if they might clear them as one in particular has some great singletrack when the growth dies back.

I've got the tools for the jobs, and my own secret singletrack. One night I week I steal furtively into the woods trying not to look like someone burying a corpse, and do whatever is required to keep the singletrack sweet.

I reckon you need to be more proactive. Imagine if every MTBer adopted a bit of local singletrack. We could get rid of these damn trail centres, or at least leave them to the mouth breathers!

I can attest to elliptic not spending half an hour on a Sunday afternoon trimming back the gorse and hawthorn on a lovely flowing section of hidden singletrack.

Oh no. Not him.

Similarly, I'd not consider taking a folding saw with me for most rides, or making special journeys with an array of equipment for trail titivation for a half day every fortnight. It certainly doesn't contain a folding German army spade, brash axe, folding saw and hand chain saw. Oh no.

No. Not me.

My hand chainsaw ends up in my bag for most autumn and winter rides (for fallen trees and branches) and a brashing saw and stuff for summer. The brush hook's a bit big to carry every ride Need to make myself a nettle whip but it turns out if you google nettle whip you get some unexpected results…

Personally I'd never spend half an hour on a Sunday afternoon trimming back the gorse and hawthorn on a lovely flowing section of hidden singletrack.

Oh no, not me. Move along now, nothing to see here.

Nor here. That rumour about a team of three of us heading out in Dave's van with petrol strimmers, a pruning saw, trench spade and bill hook to sort out one particularly fave trail that had become inpenetrable. Completely false. 😀

Although I'd try your local Council Rights of Way Team first and get them to badger the landowner..

So it's Elliptic and Scienceofficer i have to thank for clearing..sorry…not clearing..bits of local singletrack 😀

You have no idea of the scale of my 'not-clearing' plans…
😉

There must NOT be alot more potential trails on the 'dips than i'm aware of in that case.

Thecrackfox is right it is the landowners responsibility to cut back overgrowth to make a bridleway passable; it would always be wise, and courteous to ask permission though before doing any cutting back!
Whilst LAs may in theory undertake the clearance themselves (using contractors or volunteer teams) (with owners permission) it may not be at the top of their list of things to do given expected severe budget cutbacks.

Be very careful when contacting the local council about clearing bridleways. You might just end up with a motorway where a lovely, challenging trail once existed.
Many thanks to Kirklees Council for their recent activities – you complete bunch of ar5e.

The trouble is bridleways are supposed to be big enough for a horse .Thats why a council will clear it to a couple of metres not leave it as narrow single track

Hmmm…. maybe I could make two miniature strimmers powered from my lights batteries. Attach one to each leg of my forks.

Just off to look for old motors in my junk box in the garage….

Obviously, if there is no legal right of way, you don't need to contact the local authority or the landowner.

Allegedly.

8)

Who said anything about bridleways [coughs]?

Folding saws are very handy.

Mendip fight club???

I've spent quite a bit of time clearing fallen trees from the Chimney and a few other places on the Quantocks, the Rangers will do it (when they get the time) but the Chimney isn't a bridleway or even a footpath, so not a priority.

brambles, holly and nettles – my shins and forearms are still smarting.

Dude, that's one of the great pleasures of Summer riding!

if you google nettle whip you get some unexpected results…

I, for one, don't suffer from rheumatism. Preventive medicine? 😯

What folding saw would some of you 'not' be using?

I would not be using something like this:

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=342773&Trail=searchtext%3EFOLDING+SAW

I didn't get one from Tesco.

By strange co-incidence had a email from our (very helpful) local ROW officer yesterday about a bog we've been in correspondence about*. No matter what the legal requirements:

"The condition of the bridleway has been highlighted but we are back into the same old problem – money !!"

And with the budget cuts coming "Things Can Only Get Better Worse"

*Interesting issue in itself (separate thread perhaps?). The commercial Wellow Trekking Centre, large groups using trails all year round whatever their condition, causing damage including here but doing nothing to maintain the trails they use..

http://www.wellowtrekking.com/horseriding/horseriding.html

if there is anything thats going to cause someone to fall of or hurt themself i will move it, fallen tree or whatever, dont have time to go round pruning the quantocks tho

i would highly disscourage anyone from self pruning. 😀 seriously

where will it stop.what happens if someone makes an utter pigs ear of it.

Plus it makes you itchy when it grows back…

I didn't buy one of these because I knew it would really make my arms hurt after a couple of hours of hacking though the undergrowth.

They're good those aren't they?

If I had to not get just one thing, it would be the folding saw though.

i shall participate in the "not participating in trimming paths" group.

Certain sections near me seem to be just too overgrown for a single person to cut back though, theres just too much!!! shame because its nice fast singletrack right where it gets overgrown :@ Local "volunteer conservation society" are shit also. Shame really

volunteer conservation society

IME are only insterested in doing stuff for fluffy bunnies, pretty birds and the precious insects.

I carry one of these (Wilkinsons Sword 9" blade version).