Update: Peak District MTB petition successful: Cave Dale trail repairs postponed

Having successfully raised the issue of the Pin Dale repairs, Peak District MTB has now turned its attention to the proposed repairs at Cave Dale – a …

By stwhannah

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Petition signed.

Signed and passed on

Signed & shared.

Kicking up a fuss works. Update:

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “We have paused work in Cave Dale and all other similar work in the Peak Park, so we can prepare much more detailed plans for our proposals. The plans were previously discussed and approved by the Local Access Forum, but we will provide the group with more information so their views can be sought again.

“We will look carefully at the concerns raised by Peak District MTB, and take these into account along with the views of user groups.

“It is not our intention to spoil the character of Cave Dale, or any other part of the Peak District, our works will be as sympathetic and minimalist as possible whilst being mindful of our role to ensure that these routes are fit for purpose and safe to use for walkers, cyclists and those on horseback.

“We will not be using the same recycled material that was put down originally in Pin Dale in any other rural location, this was done with all good intentions, but was never the plan for that area. This material is in the process of being removed.”

They don’t need to do *anything*

They don’t need to do *anything*

Well, they sort of do, they are obliged to maintain the roads and public rights of way.

However the way they go about it has always been terrible, a total waste of time, effort and resources seemingly designed to wind up everybody and please nobody.

This is far from the first time they’ve completely **** up everything they’ve touched, I doubt it’ll be the last.

I thought there was some MTB presence of the Local Access Forum.

Well, they sort of do, they are obliged to maintain the roads and public rights of way.

Where do they stop though? Jacob’s Ladder?, Sreaming mile?, The Beast?
The designation shouldn’t automatically mean flatten it for the least able. Maintenence to keep the Status Quo is possible and more sustainable. Flattening Cave Dale would spoil it for the thousands and only last until the next storm. Wandering out of Castleton in your pristine white trainers and complaining they’re now dirty should not hold any sway when deciding on what maintenance is needed.

@crazy-legs: As a walker, MTB-er and sometimes horse-rider I cover all of the user groups of a bridleway, and the long-distance walking path designation that Cave Dale holds.

I can see no reason – not a single reason – to do anything with Cave Dale. At all.

Does anyone else of the legitimate user-groups see a reason I don’t know?

In the absence of a reason to do something then “maintenance for maintenance’s sake” – is what you’re talking about @crazy-legs. Which is obscure speak for “council needs to spend money to keep jobs going”.

Well, it’s a pointless job in Cave Dale. Worse than that – it’s job that will only cause damage and detriment if it “fixes” something that doesn’t need fixing.

The council needs to save that money and spend it on something much more important. Health services maybe?

They’re all at it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60175334

Rode Cavedale today and although I didnt stop, I did think as I rode through that at the 2nd narrow bit ( the one just before it opens out and bears right) there seemed to be a large amount of un natural 30mm ish clean limestone.

It only registered as the rest of Cavedale is 75mm plus or larger sized loose stuff.

Anyone else noticed this? Is this a stealth “we’ll put some material down and see of anyone notices, then just keep adding a bit here and there” BS by DCC or am I just getting paranoid based on DEC’S previous. Or has it always been like that and I’ve only just noticed it today?

Anyone else noticed this? Is this a stealth “we’ll put some material down and see of anyone notices, then just keep adding a bit here and there” BS by DCC or am I just getting paranoid based on DEC’S previous. Or has it always been like that and I’ve only just noticed it today?

Could easily just be crap that’s been washed down the trail. To actually put stuff down, you’d need to bring in machinery; it’s not something that can be done by tipping a wheelbarrow-load here and there and hoping no-one will notice.

In the absence of a reason to do something then “maintenance for maintenance’s sake” – is what you’re talking about @crazy-legs. Which is obscure speak for “council needs to spend money to keep jobs going”.

@chevychase – I do wonder how much of it is the “we have money, we need to spend it” mentality but it’s probably a mix of that plus:
– someone at the council giving a backhander to their mate who owns a construction company
– someone who genuinely believes that that trails need repairing and that this is the best way to do it
– some concerns have been raised about MTBers “hurtling” or “whizzing” or some such bollocks and the idea that they’ll do something to stop injuries
– a walker fell and twisted their ankle and now DCC feel obliged to sanitise the path to protect the poor darlings

Not sure if he still works there but the head guy at DCC was known to be very anti-MTB, however this was back in the days of the Rushup Edge debacle when they wasted tens of thousands of ££ on more or less the same shenanigans “surfacing” the entire Rushup Edge track in hundreds of tons of baby-head rubble. The horsey fraternity kicked off big time about that one as well as PDMTB because it turned a previously “rideable but technical” track into something that a horse would break a leg on.

The council needs to save that money and spend it on something much more important. Health services maybe?

Again, I don’t disagree but council funding, especially if it comes from Government grants, is usually ringfenced, You have applied for £50,000 to surface trails, you must spend it on surfacing trails, not community bus services / community health centre / meals on wheels / etc

From memory as it’s a long time since I last rode Cave Dale, some drainage works might be a better use of funds. It would help remove/reduce the icy sections at this time of the year.

@slowoldman

We do. PDMTB is the voice for mountain bikers on the LAF. Trouble is, DCC didn’t do what they said they would to the LAF on Pin Dale. We’d flagged this work as part of that back in November:

Planned imminent maintenance works by DCC (Winter 2021/2022)

Not sure if he still works there but the head guy at DCC was known to be very anti-MTB,

Peter White. Since retired.

From emails we are cautiously optimistic that the new Director of Highways seems more cooperative and open.

The horsey fraternity kicked off big time about that one as well as PDMTB because it turned a previously “rideable but technical” track into something that a horse would break a leg on.

Peak District MTB actually led that one too. We spent a lot of time early on bolstering support from other groups, especially the horse rider and disability groups.

@pook

We do. PDMTB is the voice for mountain bikers on the LAF. Trouble is, DCC didn’t do what they said they would to the LAF on Pin Dale.

Interesting given the quote from DDC is their response:
“The plans were previously discussed and approved by the Local Access Forum”.

Yep. They said they’d do one thing, it was tentatively agreed with repeated requests for more detail, then they did something else.