OK, so I know this is cheeky, but I’ve got some time off this week, it’ll be fairly quiet and the weather’s good.

I heard recently that this is the tech side to ride, at least once the gorge top path drops down to Cheddar. But what about putting a route together? Is there any real way to get to the high point of that path without a carry up the steps to the left at the top end of the Gorge, from the road shortly before the entrance to Velvet Bottom? I guess you could start up the Velvet Bottom BW then take the rubbly path the drops down into the woods, but that might be worse than a carry up the steps.

Ideally something like the path at ST586534 that gives access to the SE side!

Heh. So much to discuss. I must pack my book shelf in boxes first…

OK, not leaving til mid day tomorrow, take your time 😉

Up that way tomorrow night, if you want a guided tour

I’ve got a “multi centre” ride planned for tomorrow, Mendips PM then up to to Wye Valley for the evening. Thanks anyway.

I know the area really well, just not that particular section. Only walk on that side a few times too, and mainly remember cows.

I heard recently that this is the tech side to ride, at least once the gorge top path drops down to Cheddar.

Moderately so. What you get is a high level rocky traverse Near the top of Piney Sleights that feeds you into one of two FP’s, both of which are half decent descents by Mendip standards. coupled with equally fierce rocky climbs, or just bloody steep climbs, it combines to make a pretty technical and physical route.

But what about putting a route together?

you already know that riding in this area demands hard climbing. One has to accept this fact. The easiest way to hit the rocky traverse without going up the steps is to come in via the top of warrens hill road across the fields, on yet more FP’s via Ashridge farm and Piney Sleight Farm. If you follow the field boundary east/ south east there’s no path for a short bit, then you jump the fence and the traverse is on the other side. Other routes are available. Ascending the gorge walk is a deeply rewarding experience, for example.

Is there any real way to get to the high point of that path without a carry up the steps to the left at the top end of the Gorge, from the road shortly before the entrance to Velvet Bottom?

yes, see my comments above. Although on a good day with a fair wind the steps can be ridden. You can also access it directly from velvet bottom at the cheddar end, via another challenging climb or two…

I guess you could start up the Velvet Bottom BW then take the rubbly path the drops down into the woods, but that might be worse than a carry up the steps

Depends how you like your riding. It’ll go, but its all high wattage rock crawling round there.

I would climb the steep tutors hill road , going through the gate at the high point and turn right. From there you can descend either steep FP (east is best) or climb up overlooking the gorge to the rock traverse and go down the steps toward black rock.

Climbing up out of black rock inevitably involves some pushing, but it doesn’t matter really because the descents are worth it.

Thanks Guys. Coffee at Eidelweiss then up the Gorge and steps, repeat coffee then up Tutors to ride the alternative descent I reckon.

Are those steps really rideable upwards……?!

Not the steps, but the Path adjacent to them has been done a couple of times. No one has made it through the rocks half way up though!

Ah, makes sense, that’s pretty brutal.

there’s no path for a short bit

One way to piss a farmer off I suppose

edric. You’ll note that we pretty much acknowledge the cheek of these routes as the first thing at the top of the thread. Still, stating the obvious seems to be your thing, so fill your boots.

For the record, I’ve experience absolutely no intolerance from farmers over the years of riding Mendip cheeky trails discretely and considerately.

Just once I got a polite moan from the shooters in Rowberrow (when on the DH) and a couple of times from random visitor ramblers who don’t understand “local rules”.

Big fan of “local rules” here too (if being Bristolian counts…?).

Actually, I’ve had complaints twice on Shute Shelve Hill from walkers and obviously on Winscombe Drove (which goes without saying).

I was caught on the alternative Warren Hill Road footpath option (down the steps, after the first gate) and the farmer just asked me to go easy on my brakes as the sounds scared his horses sometimes. Nice guy, said his son was a big rider and I should enjoy myself.

Incidentally, what’s the status of the rocky ending to the South/East gorge top path heading north where it comes out opposite Velvet Bottom. As far as I can tell, the bridleway marked on the OS map doesnt really exist on the ground any more, and the footpath is the only real way down now (not to mention a fun ride).

“the rocky ending to the South/East gorge top path heading north where it comes out opposite Velvet Bottom”

It’s all a bridleway, impossible on a horse, but a ruddy good tech descent only when dry. I only just rode it top-of-the-gorge-to-bottom no-dabs recently for the first time. Do it today!

Really, didnt realise it was technically a bridleway, though wouldnt want to meet pedestrians on that section. The map shows 2 paths splitting here:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=348085&Y=154525&A=Y&Z=115&ax=348085&ay=154525

Actually, now i look closer, it looks like both are BWs. Happy days.

Just riding both in the west side, the rocky one us a blast, best taken at speed. Didn’t like the steps to tarmac at the end though.

Currently enjoying cake in Edelweiss, and shaking slightly!

Hehe. Cheddar has that effect. The antidote is cider.

There’s no run out from those steps. :o)

“I was caught on the alternative Warren Hill Road footpath option (down the steps, after the first gate) and the farmer just asked me to go easy on my brakes as the sounds scared his horses sometimes.”

The Bottle Bank is a good trail except there’s is currently a really big tree down blocking the most fun bit. We haven’t got the tools to dispose of it.

Forgot to say someone has cleared that.

stating the obvious seems to be your thing, so fill your boots.

That riding where there is no path at all will piss farmers off ? ok guilty.A couple of mates who farm get pissed off with people on their land where there are no paths as one said to a walker tell me where you live and I will tramp round your garden.

Some paths are fair game Surely Velvet bottom to Black Rock was a cart track for hauling lead and should have higher status than footpath?.It was the going where there is no path at all bit I was alluding to

tell me where you live and I will tramp round your garden

I want to avoid a slanging match about this Edric, and I understand and agree with your point about not causing a nuisance to people working the land. But remote, empty fields covered under the CRoW and with a RoW (albeit an FP) in them are not private gardens. Not even remotely like them. We would not dream of tramping through someone’s private garden, would we!?

Velvet Bottom is funny one. As you point out it’s a former cart track through a former open cast lead mine – still quite toxic. But it’s toxicity for farming has lead to it lying undeveloped and home to wildlife. But that, in turn, is affected by it’s huge popularity with walkers.

I was genuinely surprised when I enquired with English Nature to lead a few cyclists though there, that their response was very negative about “damage caused by bikes”, aka 4 tyre tracks overlying hundreds of boot prints. This predjudiced nonsense was pretty much when my concern about riding FPs in the area ended.

I was quoting a friend who farms land near Draycot glider station ,who empty fields or not isnt happy about people on his land .Im not up for a fight either.What needs to happen is get stuff like Velvet Bottom regraded you cant mess it up anyway as its either rock or lead slag you ride on .In an ideal world all outdoor users even the grumpies in red socks and horse riders would work with us in unison to improve access for all mainly by upgrading paths that have obviously carried traffic in the past

velvet bottom would be knackered pretty quickly if you let horses ride on it in the wet, so its never going to be upgraded, and shouldn’t be IMHO.

Are you talking about riding the paths on the opposite side of the gorge to the bridleways? As that must be a no no on weekends as its packed with walkers.

The final decent down the steps into cheddar (before heading across the field) would be nice, but as I only ride on weekends it would be massively inconsiderate to ride it.

The final rocky descent off the bridleway down to the road towards black rock is good, a friend broke his ribs riding down the more difficult fork when I did it in the wet, as it was pretty slippy.

I was quoting a friend who farms land near Draycot glider station ,who empty fields or not isnt happy about people on his land

OK, sorry I misunderstood. Is it clear why he complains if no harm is caused? Is he worried about crop damage or theft and is there any basis for this? Is it a historical sense of entitlement to deny access?

IME, by far the greatest cause of erosion damage on Mendip RoWs, or otherwise, is from farm and forestry vehicles, or cattle. Grass, plants, trees, paths and other trails are destroyed and the damage is never made good because the land-owners feel no obligation toward other users. Apparently this OK! By no, cyclist are the devil’s spawn. 😈

I think you are also right about the divisions between user-groups, which I think are caused by the differences in classification. Some visiting walkers feel entitled to deny access to cyclists from “their” trails. They are not entitled to deny anything of course, but they can be ignorant. I’m happy to turn a deaf ear when it happens, which isn’t often.

I have to honestly say, I would dread the condition of many trails if they were upgraded to BWs. Many BWs become unnavigable by foot and bike in soft conditions. Horses are quite destructive due to their sheer weight.

It is all a mess really. I say just ride bikes where it seems right; be nice and “don’t be dick” (quoting CtBM) and all is well.

The worst bit of track used to be from the aerials out onto Blackdown where the farmer used to dump his cattle feed not only chewing up the track but leaving all that plastic from his feed everywhere.Farmers do like to think of themselves as custodians of the countryside!
Think my mate can be grumpy farmer at times .I suppose we might see things differently if we farmed

I suppose we might see things differently if we farmed

Yeah, I’d open a tea room next to the trail and put up signs:

CYCLISTS STOP (for cake)

Funilly enough he is planning to !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The thing is edric, I don’t really care.
Its pastureland. I’ll make my own judgement based on perceived risk of hassle and given land use. I understand the ‘but you shouldn’t be there because its mine’ logic, I just disagree with it.Its dogma of ownership, nothing more.

The thing is edric, I don’t really care.

Its pastureland. I’ll make my own judgement based on perceived risk of hassle and given land use. I understand the ‘but you shouldn’t be there because its mine’ logic, I just disagree with it.Its dogma of ownership, nothing more.

Thing is for farmers, its not just a dogma of ownership (what kind of bullshit phrase it that); it’s the way they put food on their table and provide for their families, and they work extremely long and hard to do this.

If you do believe in Dogma of ownership, I hope you live in an commune where anyone can eat/sleep/do whatever they want, and don’t own/rent a house or else that would be horribly hypocritical.

Playing devils advocate.

You must be able to understand why they don’t like with people who **** with their living, and insist that they know best, even though they more than likely know nothing about farming.

Personally, I ride with the attitude of ‘don’t be a dick’; and if a sign specifically says ‘No mountain bikes’ I don’t assume I know better.

Dont misunderstand: SO does not care for the archaic legal status of access. He uses his considerable noodle. And he would not dream of interfering with people making a living on the land. Explain who you think flattening a blade of grass affects the farmer driving his tractor in the adjacent field? It would be a better place if more folk used their noodle, no?

Sorry to have started this!

Personally, I used to be a lawyer (mainly land and conveyancing) and know a bit about the very unsound principals that RoW classification and legislation is based on. Also, and more importantly, I’m now 44 years old and love riding my bike. I’ll often take a slightly self centred decision, but would never ride like an @rse. If the actual land owner “caught” me, I’d be humble, apologise and do the right thing.

But what I cant abide are vigilante types who think it is their business to try and enforce RoW principles on other people’s land. I bet most of them wouldnt interfere if they saw a street mugging, witnessed littering or saw a car doing 31mph in a 30mph limit.

Live and let live I reckon.

Anyway, I had a fantastic ride, 4 descents down into the Gorge, the 2 on the NW side were new to me, and fun. Fair amount of climbing and a couple of pushes.

kSounds like a great way to spend. Day off 🙂

love the blackrock descent, one of my favourite on the mendips. A bit of pain not being able to cut through velvet bottom to get back towards beacon batch though

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0eFRp7-euY[/video]

Cool, didn’t know you could ride it that slowly 😉

Did you ride the footpath on the other side of the gorge which drops out pretty much at the bottom or the gorge as that look v. Good when walking it (it has a few hundred meters of stuff as technical as the last 20 of the blackrock descent in the video)

I’ve always fancied it but due to it needing to be done at dawn imho due to the number of walkers never managed to ride it.

That was my first time down black rock and ridden blind, wasn’t expecting that tech fest at the end! just glad i didn’t meet many walkers :-). I have never ridden north/west side, apart from warrens hill. Although reading some of the comments above it might be worth a cheeky explore at a time when everyone is at work 😉

Rode that tonight richc. Twice! Quite difficult to pick good lines in a couple of places.

Just kidding videos always make stuff look slow and flat, last 10 meters is where my mate broke his ribs…. Mind you it was very wet and slimy and it was like the rocks had been covered in washing up liquid.

Basically when you were on them if you turned the bars the bike went down, great fun until someone ends up in hospital

I only ride these kinds of rock-garden Mendip trails in dry – mud smeared limestone slabs and blocks are terrifying when wet. It’s all in rare perfect nick at the moment. 😀