Holmbury St Mary Tracks

Anyone know why the steeper tracks off the side of holmbury have been blocked? Didn’t really seem to be in walkers terrain nor did they have any jumps on them. Not that I had anything to do with building them but just wondering why they’ve been targeted for destruction. Shame as one of them was a cracking run.

Which ones? The few that start near the Yoghurt Pots trail?

Hope they haven’t gone, they were great.

Yeah. Went down the lower one on saturday to find its had a couple of logs and holly trees dropped across it. Shame as the berms were running beautifully with the frozen ground.

You’re not talking about the old Widowmaker trail (behind the old fort)? That disappeared about 8 yrs ago.

I don’t know where the old fort is to be honest but i very much doubt they’re the same ones given that they were new last summer ish and they were running fine until recently.

I don’t know where the old fort is

The monument (with the lookout). About 100 yds before the start of YP/PL.

There used to be 2 trails behind there. Both got done over.

Similar area. One of the trails was out the bottom of yoghurt pots, down to the green bench and then come back up on yourself to the right for about a 100 yards. It then went down the side to the road through there, ’tis knackered now though. 😥 Shame as someone had done what appeared to be a fair bit of work with little berms etc.

Not the one that starts by the wooden post and goes down to the community hall?

How difficult would it be for a passer by to remove said logs and Holly trees? (in theory of course :wink:)

Nope, but i thought that was a bona fide footpath? Does it cross the fireroad on its way down. Will have to hunt it down if its a goody.

As above…come out the bottom of yp, down the fireroad a bit to the bench. There is another fireroad which heads back up the hill. Go up there a bit and there’s a footpath which joins from the left. It was just there. Dropped out onto the road so you could roll down the hill a bit and cycle up the cricket pitch entrance.

Gavin – first holly easy enough i guess, then the tree could probably be built over so you can roll/jump it but the third holly was a monster and would take a fair bit of clearing with a decent sized handsaw….in theory, naturally.

I do wonder whether it had something to do with the exit onto the road as a detached brain could lead to someone coming out at a fair lick. Maybe if there was a corner at the bottom to filter people out better.

Gotoma that trail you’re referencing is secret squirrel. It’s been there years and is one of the best. If you’re saying its gone that is a crying shame. I would have thought it was classed as a legacy trail though and therefore ok to be preserved.

Geetee …isn’t secret squirrel the really rooty one that crosses telegraph?

Don’t think it’s Secret Squirrel by the location. There were 2 put up on the east side of the hill around a year ago. One went from the wooden gate thingy just off the top of the hill (just to the left of the VERY steep bridal path), the second was further to the left (north) which is the trail the OP is referring to I think.

It is. Is that not the one you’re talking about? If so then phew. Would be a shame if that went as its about the only trail around there that requires any skill to ride!

There are/were a few new trails appearing on Holmburry. Nothing Special dropped into the carpark on the far side of the hill and is where I broke my arm. Au Naturel follows a precious old line. Then there was another new one the name of which I can’t remember but I think it’s one of the ones you’re referencing as it was near the end of yogurt pots.

Yes gavin, you’ve got them.

Geetee – secret squirrel is still there although they were logging dangerously close to the bottom of it.

Will have to hunt out nothing special and au naturale. Spend most of my time over t’other side these days and haven’t ventured onto homlbury much.

It’s not secret squirrel, I know the trails you mean.

Is access to them legal, ie on bridleway? Maybe that’s the issue.

Or someone must feel it’s not a good thing to have any more bike trails on HH. Perhaps they have a point, there are plenty, very similar, over on Pitch already.

The higher one comes off a footpath which is fair enough but the lower one is definitely from the fireroad. Still, it’s their land, i just wondered if it was the ranger putting an end to building on holmbury or a disgruntled local.

Wet n wild? Cuts across upper telegraph. Definetly not secret squirrel, which goes by another name too.

Hi Gav, been a while, you doing OK?

Surely if it was the ranger, some of those printed signs would be up at the entrance to the trail.

That’s a relief, slippery when wet is one of my favorites.

I don’t think this is secret squirrel either. I had a look at the trials I think you mean a few months ago. Do both start off the footpath ( :oops:) that runs parallel with YP. The first has a steep start very close to the gatey thing and the other is more open. They are marked on strava with serious locals at the top of KOM so I imagine they are quite challenging runs!

Pretty sure you’re referencing Crackpipe, and possibly Wet n Wild, both of which are far superior to the ones mentioned above (imho of course). Shame but inevitable.

Sounds like crackpipe and wet and wild to me.
Serious locals? That lot? Serious idiots maybe. 😀

rewski – Yeah fine thanks, you?

Sounds like the ones hei hei and TH is talking about. Similar to the stuff off the top of pitch in the way they ride. Cracking trails, shame.

I really must learn the names rather than relying on spurious descriptions 🙄

TG – yeh, pretty good thanks, how’s the riding been, been a muddy old winter ain’t it.

It is wet & wild & crack pipe I was referring to as well.

Annoying if they have both gone. They were the best bit up there.

Richard (AllBikedUp) posted this on FB a bit earlier, might be related?:

Local riders please be aware #YoghurtPots is temporarily closed while some important safety issues are addressed. #ineveryonesinterest

YP closed, thats a shame. I enjoyed riding it on Saturday although it did feel a little early to be open. But quite a shock first time round to come to the fun new section. I was hoping to demo a bike up there tomorrow, so a shame that this will be OUB. I wonder what the safety issues are?

I only walked the top bits of the two trails in question but wondered what they were the like. The top bits suggested the one closest to the gatey thing was the harder of the two. Correct?

Need a rethink in tomorrows ride….

P.s thAnks to the trail builders up there. I am sure BKB has been a little controversial but at least it can stand up to the traffic and the weather. And the new YP breathes some life into a trail that was becoming damp and a bit predictable. So thanks for all the hard work, whoever you are!!,