Instabangers, everyone wants a ridge pic.

They’ll have been mightily disappointed that day then…

everyone wants a ridge pic.

For some reason made me think of this heartwarming thread from a decade ago – accidentally biking anoarch aegarch:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/biking/biking_aonach_eagach-429405

Aye, and making Trespass a criminal offence (again) was part of their manifesto. Even the ramblers think it’s a shit idea

“Even” the ramblers? Why wouldn’t they think it’s a shit idea?

When it comes to changing access law a great deal is going to be made of the behaviour of MTBers and, let’s be honest, there are quite a few who don’t apply rule 1. Enough to have an impact on those of us who do.

When it comes to changing access law a great deal is going to be made of the behaviour of MTBers and, let’s be honest, there are quite a few who don’t apply rule 1. Enough to have an impact on those of us who do.

As I noted in the thread asking for wild camping spots near Barmouth, The Times had a piece about litter louts in the Cairngorms – they used a picture of a mountain biker (on a trail and doing nothing wrong) to headline the piece.

All very easy to create a drip by drip narrative.

“Even” the ramblers? Why wouldn’t they think it’s a shit idea?

I will be first to admit that the Ramblers these days are nothing like the organisation they were. But it wasn’t that long ago that they acted like a bunch a reactionary, red trouser wearing nimbys. A few years ago the Ramblers (as an organisation) would’ve welcomed legislation that restricted other’s rights to greater access.

When it comes to changing access law a great deal is going to be made of the behaviour of MTBers and, let’s be honest, there are quite a few who don’t apply rule 1. Enough to have an impact on those of us who do.

With respect, this is bollox. Like many other sports that rely on access rights (climbing and kayaking spring to mind) I don’t think there hasn’t been a time when some doom-monger is telling everyone that their limited access rights are just about to be taken away because of the behaviour of the few…In the 30 years I’ve been mountain biking this has never happened. The ONLY people telling me I can’t ride somewhere are people who have literally no right to tell me I can’t ride there. I’ve decided to ignore them.

I’m not talking about taking rights away, I’m talking about relaxation of current restrictions. The “anti” lobby will use whatever argument it can find to oppose it, much as the anti-cycling infrastructure lobby makes a big deal out of all cyclists being lycra clad maniacs jumping red lights.

Of course the Ramblers know it to be a poor idea. What is applied to us can then be applied to them. As for cycling UK I have no reason to believe they are any less useless than they were when they were CTC. I went to numerous meetings over a ten year period resulting in not one outcome. They asked me to be their offroad Gov rep then spent three months failing to sort out my expenses. I said I couldn’t see the point of fronting an organisation that was so utterly gormless.
“Current restrictions” is a euphemism for laws. You need Parliament to change them and they are likely to have other things on their mind for at least the next 7 years.