As I’m not 100% sure of the legality of most of the trails around peaslake, I’ll keep my rant short. I generally visitor the trails every week at least once, and every visit there seems to be yet another bit of trail destroyed by the recent logging on pitch hill. Tonight I was doing the run down to the graveyard and just after the newly sculpted top section I nearly went full speed Into a load of sizeable logs the fall line. It was so bad I had to walk a fair way to continue the descent, but the flow was ruined by then.
Unfortunately I’m not to sure of all names, but curly quirky and rads have been affected too, and many more I don’t know the names of.
A lot of hard work has been put into these trails and it seems almost criminal that the loggers can do this, not to mention bloody dangerous!
Ok, rant over.

Btw, if you were the guy I met on Sunday with the strange five with bos forks, cheers for showing me and my mate that run, pinned it nice and hard tonight, waaaaaay better in the dry! (I was on the orange covert)

I think you will find it is a working forest, the trails are of dubious legitimacy at best and we really shouldn’t be complaining let alone referring to the logging works as criminal. Yes – it is a disappointment but these thing happen!

I’m with shortcut I’m afraid. Yes its a royal pain in the ass when it happens but it happens everywhere, we just have to live with it. Sooner or later the loggers will move on and new trails will spring up, possibly much more fun than the old ones

What they said ^

Shortcut, +1.

Not your land, not your trails. Suck it up, buttercup.

I knew I was gonna cop some grief, what I meant was with 5 mins work in their machines, the trail would have been free to pass. Obviously the trails count for a tiny bit of the forest, and yes I admit criminal was a bit strong, and I should of chosen a better word.

😀

Private land too…
tbh given some of the Surrey Hills threads recently where some riders appear to be showing a sense of entitlement to do what they want with someone else’s property, I reckon a few blocked trails will go some way to help people better understand that we’re riding at the gift of the Bray family…

Don’t think anyone’s giving you grief OP, just pointing out that some things take precedent over us lot “dicking about in the woods on bikes”, that’s all.

Just ride somewhere else for 6 months or so. I guarantee there’ll be fresh trails when you go back to that area and who knows, you might find something better

Hi mate! No go pro, but managed a 57 sec run on Strava. Not up to your level, but still working on it! There’s some fast times on that leader board!

I totally understand the private land thing, and I’ve never taken any trails for granted wherever they are. Like I said, I was unsure of the legality of the trails around peaslake.
Definately should of just kept my thoughts to myself this time…… 😳

Im quite happy to agree the OP has no right to be complaining. Its a working forest trails will get destroyed but this sort of post just winds me up ->

better understand that we’re riding at the gift of the Bray family…

I hope you doff your cap to his Lord as he comes walking past ?

Which runs are you talking about exactly? I have given Pitch a wide berth recently with the logging and having found the top (t?) trails trashed. BTW was the story about the barbed wire on graveyard true?

I understand frustration with logging but as others have said, it’s working woodland and strictly all these trails are unofficial by my understanding. That’s why I worry about some of the mega aerial stuff being built. However, well hidden, the scale of this must cause some future aggro? I hope those concerned know what they are doing.

15 years ago I started riding there, smashed my front teeth out on my first ride! Threw them away to continue the ride.
Logging work had just been done around pitch and winterfold.
Next summer you won’t even know it happened.
Especially when you all decide this mountain biking lark is for the birds when Cav wins gold and you all go out and buy road bikes and Sky riding tops with matching booties and leave us hippies in peace! 😆

The other thing to mention about forestry ops is that the damage to trails usually isn’t restricted to logs/brash- if they’ve been using forwarders etc then there’ll most likely be tyre ruts you could lose a car in too. Large-scale forestry just isn’t that compatible with leaving trails untouched, even at places like glentress never mind unsanctioned trails.

But no trail is forever, and no forestry clearing is forever either.

scu98rkr – Member
Im quite happy to agree the OP has no right to be complaining. Its a working forest trails will get destroyed but this sort of post just winds me up ->

better understand that we’re riding at the gift of the Bray family…
I hope you doff your cap to his Lord as he comes walking past ?

Why does it wind you up? The land is owned by the Bray family and we are there only with their permission…

Friends of the Hurtwood

More than 90 years ago, Reggie Bray, Lord of the Manor of Shere, granted the public a ‘right to roam’ with ‘open access for air and exercise’ on the Hurtwood – one of the first estates in England to do so. This set a pioneering example of a landowner welcoming the public on to his land and finding a way of working with the public that would benefit both the land and the people. Open access is available to bird watchers, dog walkers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and anyone who enjoys the fresh air!

I don’t doff my cap, no, but I don’t forget that if we don’t respect the fact it’s private land they may just change their minds…

+many

Slightly OT: Is there a way one could say thank you to them for the access?

Take a chill pill, the trails will recover before you know it.

BTW, It’s “could have” & “should have”, not “could of” & “should of” – let’s hope those felled trees are being pulped to make some dictionaries 😉

Slightly OT: Is there a way one could say thank you to them for the access?

Become a Friend of the Hurtwood, or at the very least, show your appreciation that they grant us access by following the very reasonable code of conduct that the FotH trustees have requested us to follow.

http://www.friendsofthehurtwood.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150&Itemid=248#BCOC

All the guys that drive the logging vehicles should be befriended and taken out to experience the joys of mountain biking in an attempt to get them hooked.

They will then do their utmost to avoid disrupting the trails in the area 🙂

Become a Friend of the Hurtwood as suggested above

We need more bikers to have a voice

Things on Pitch Hill are getting pretty and I can empathize with the OP’s sentiment.

The route known as ‘John the Baptist’ or ‘Graveyard Run’, starting at the first cross roads on Pitch Hill is now blocked about a quarter of the way down.

The alternative line into Rad Lane (aka Proper Bo) and Curly Wurly, starting from the second section of forest and crossing the fire road into those trails, is also still accessible.

The top section of the fire road that connects Walking Bottom with the top car park is not just impassible, it’s a ‘Somme like’ mess.

But this will most likely all get cleared up and the trail pixies will work their magic and most likely it will all be rejuvenated in six months, as has already been suggested.

While the land is private and while technically speaking we ride their at someone’s pleasure and grace, I do think that there is a case for a degree of entitlement to this. Responsibility comes with that entitlement of course.

@ti546, I’m fortunate enough to live fairly locally and ride these Surrey Hills trails regularly. @teamhurtmore and I rode the top of Pitch Hill a few weeks back and spent a little time clearly debris from one of the trails at the top of the hill. If we all did a bit of this the trails would be back ridable again in a short time.

It’s a commercial forest, logging is the primary use of the land. The trails are secondary no matter how frustrating we feel that might be as mountian bikers.

The lord giveth, the lord …

BTW it’s not just the bike trails – this is the main track between the 2 car parks, last Sunday. Given some of the comments regarding trail drainage on the Leith Hill Mega thread last week I was wondering if a certain decorated trail builder had had a hand in this!

The alternative line into Rad Lane (aka Proper Bo)

Ah so “Rad Lane” is a trail, I thought they were talking about the road called … Rad Lane.

Easily confused, me.

degree of entitlement

I think that’s the problem. Not having a go at you, but plenty of people seem to feel the land is theirs to do with as they see fit.

mattjg err thats what happens when wood contractors drive large plant into and out of the woods.

On the side of Win Hill here in the Peaks I was cheeky trail finding and I came across something akin to a nuclear explosion. It was impossible to walk in or on- circa 3-6foot gullies of mud. to and from the wood harvesting site.

(yeah I realise, gave me a giggle after the drainage discussions on the same place last week)

On the sustainability issue, if the forest is working and earning its keep for the owners, it’s more likely to stay as forest I hope.

Why does it wind you up? The land is owned by the Bray family and we are there only with their permission…

While they are in modern times fairly enlightened and helpful landowners, I can kind of understand why it could wind some people up. Without wishing to start too much of a debate, they do, like many other landowners in this country, only own the land because of the feudal system/divine right of the king/taking it off the peasants.

From my one experience of meeting one of the family I think you are wrong on their count.

I see both sides but in practice the setup works well for riding, I think it’s a sleeping dog best left to lie.

Let’s appreciate what we have rather than get steamed up on whether gratitude is, or is not, appropriate.

I agree that it works, and its not really a debate to have here.

From my one experience of meeting one of the family I think you are wrong on their count.

You mean that they aren’t enlightened and helpful landowners, or that they weren’t granted the land as part of the Manor of Shere?

And as said above, remember to doff one’s cap.

@pleaderwillaims – let’s return the land to “the peasants”, starting with where you live 😮

pleaderwilliams – Member
Why does it wind you up? The land is owned by the Bray family and we are there only with their permission…While they are in modern times fairly enlightened and helpful landowners, I can kind of understand why it could wind some people up. Without wishing to start too much of a debate, they do, like many other landowners in this country, only own the land because of the feudal system/divine right of the king/taking it off the peasants.

…and perhaps as a result, have considerable experience in estate management, do a great job in the area and have an accommodating attitude to many different types of users who benefit from their stewardship. Contrast their “open” attitude with that of some of their neighbours???

Those who may be wound up should be careful what they wish for….law of unintended consequences and all that 😉

jambalaya – Member

@pleaderwillaims – let’s return the land to “the peasants”, starting with where you live

I’m not suggesting we actually take land off people, as we’ve come far too far with this system to work out what would be fair to who. And we should be grateful that they grant access, as legally they don’t have to, however it is worth remembering that really they are only giving back part of what they took under what would now be considered a dictatorship and widespread slavery.

As a pointless aside, I rent and don’t own, so technically have nothing to return, but even if I did own a house I’m pretty sure I’d be one of the 95%+ who would benefit if we ever worked out a way to redistribute land, so as long as you took mine, and followed it up with everybody elses, then fine.

One very valid point made earlier and now seemingly overlooked is, if you’re riding in the area and find a bit of debris on the trail, take 5mins to get off your bike a move a bit. 1 persons work may seem fruitless but if we all do it, the trail will be back in no time, and possibly more importantly, not moved to another line, thus creating teh erosion debate.
I’ve been on a fair few FotH volunteer dig days and it’s a stunning number of riders who congratulate for the hard work and state they’ll be back to help out next time, never to be seen again.
Legality aside, FotH and Hurtwood Trails do try to maintain the trail that started this post.

So once the land has been redistributed to the peasants again, they’ll automatically let you ride and build trails through their “back gardens”? 🙄

Paul wins. Game over.