Outrageous and really saddening. That was one of my favourite descents and climbs in that area. I could climb all of the steps up except one.
I can’t think of any other printable words 😥

I’m sure we can all spare 10 minutes to give them a call for a polite chat.

I hope the whole bloody lot washes away over the winter and wastes their money and time!

Just how much exactly is it to hire a small digger for a couple of hours? 😈

remember that others would prefer it easier

But there are plenty of other places for those to walk and ride (I know this, with my 6yo son I’m one of them!). There’s tons of landrover tracks and quiet lanes all over the place. Stuff like the sunken road, legal, interesting riding, is a scarce resource even in the Peak District.

It’s good to make the great outdoors accessible to as many people as possible, but do we have to do it by destroying unique, irreplaceable features like the sunken road? I don’t believe we do.

This is very sad. Been thinking for a while now we should have a Kinder Trespass equivalent. Last few times over stanage causeway I’ve had my own little protest up over High Neb which was a lot of fun. I’d not ridden it for over 20 years out of respect but my patience has gone and since ridden it a few times.

So back to the original question, why?

This is a byway/RUPP? So the council is responsible for its maintenance?

So if an MTBer seriously injured themselves on one of the drop offs, they could sue the council for not maintaing the track. (like you would be entitled to do if you hit a pothole on a tarmaced road).

So perhaps te council have had a claim against them, or are just covering themselves agains future liability claims.

Sounds ridiculous, but its a possibility.

Because the new ‘ultra fast’ smooth sections are so much safer for all users?

I imagine some serious speed can be gained on it now, interesting if you are an oncoming walker.

So if an MTBer seriously injured themselves on one of the drop offs, they could sue the council for not maintaing the track.

I suppose that’s a marginally better argument for it, but I still don’t buy it. If they really cared about that aspect of it they could get some decent legal advice and save a lot of money and hassle by sticking some warning signs up telling people to ride it at their own risk. Anyway I dispute the idea that the trail will be any safer with that surface on it, as people will tend to go much faster on it than previously, not to mention the fact that gravel like that is loose and unpredictable, and it’s going to get rutted and washed out in no time.

this doesn’t do anything but rile me, and in protest ill be riding more and more footpaths in the peak

I usually don’t ride cheeky stuff in the day (mostly anyways), but seems as there is a complete disregard for mtb’ers I have absolutely no time for any rules anymore, I couldn’t give two shites if its footpath or non b/w at all now

childish im sure some will say but for me, this is just what its come too

they keep taking away legit, decent mtb trails, sanitising them, all it does is makes us ride even cheekier stuff more and more that we’re not suppose to be on?!?! where is the logic in that?!

**** footpaths and **** the council

Because the new ‘ultra fast’ smooth sections are so much safer for all users?

Obviously not, but you can’t sue the council for not maintaining the surface. Hitting a walker because you are going too fast is your problem, not the councils.

Its only a thought, but something similar happend to some of my local trails. The landowner was confronted with a five figure compensation payout from an MTBer. So they sanitized the trails and posted warning notices. Now there are more accidents, but less compensation claims. Its depressing.

I suppose that’s a marginally better argument for it, but I still don’t buy it. If they really cared about that aspect of it they could get some decent legal advice and save a lot of money and hassle by sticking some warning signs up telling people to ride it at their own risk. Anyway I dispute the idea that the trail will be any safer with that surface on it, as people will tend to go much faster on it than previously, not to mention the fact that gravel like that is loose and unpredictable, and it’s going to get rutted and washed out in no time.

All discussions and arguments we’ve had with DCC. They are not afraid of tarring sections and putting up warning signs so be careful what you wish for.

Let’s not use this as an excuse to get upset with other user groups. We need to be working with the ramblers, horse riders etc to give us enough voice to be listened to. Chances are that many of them are just as disappointed with the works as many mountain bikers are.

I rode it on Wednesday night and it was a heart breaker. I’ve been riding that section for over 10 years and I can’t believe what they’ve done. It’s actually worse than the picture posted earlier in the thread. They’ve levelled some of it out with light grey coloured rock/rubble. I emailed DCC this:

“I am writing to express my disgust at the thoughtless and unsympathetic damage done to the bridleway leading from Rushup Edge to Sheffield Road.

This has been a mountain bike classic since the inception of the sport and features in every Peak cycling guidebook. To completely flatten the bridleway and import material to do so is an act of vandalism. Who benefits from these works? This a national park and as such should reflect all users. Many people travel for all over the country to ride the Jacobs Ladder loop of which this section forms a part. These works rather than enhancing a popular route have wrecked it.

Myself and a few friends completed a consultation questionnaire whilst riding in this area a few years ago and took the time to put our views forward. There is clearly an argument about the BOAT status of the bridleway, but to completely ignore the interests of a significant section of Peak users is unfair.”

Let’s not use this as an excuse to get upset with other user groups.

I don’t think anybody is? It’s pretty clear who the villain of the piece is here and that’s DCC, so pretty much all the anger on this thread is directed at them. The work may or may not have been prompted by a request from a member of another user group, but ultimately the decision to trash yet another beautiful little bit of the world was taken by some mindless idiot at the council.

I was never there but sympathise when a good ride is destroyed.
When you speak to the council you will get this kind of response:

We did it as part of our ongoing maintenance scheme. This will ensure the safety of all a who use this footpath/bridleway/whatever it might be.

IE It’s an arse covering exercise to stop the no win no fee vultures.

I don’t think anybody is?

They were, but have since stealthily edited. Thanks 🙂

Just spotted this update on the PDMTB FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PeakDistrictMTB/permalink/750184855018271/

Pretty sure you can view it without being a member of the group. Lots of pictures of the work, plus information on who’s responsible at DCC. I think it might be worth emailing the chap named in the post…

[Edit: aha, good work rogerthecat!]

it was me whom edited, blaming hikers/red socks

at the end of the day somebody must have complained to get it actioned in the first place

im sure they didnt just look at a map one day, and say, ‘i know, lets sanitise this specific bit of trail’

somebody will have moaned about it somewhere, either a fallen walker, disgruntled (miserable shit of a red sock), or similar and wham, the trails gone

i truly dont understand it at all, probably a lot of walkers are fine with it, but its the same miserable shits no doubt that cause a storm in a tea cup, like its their own personal back garden

Back from my little plod around the route – I’m wet, muddy and quietly fuming.
Not about the fact a route is being repaired but for a few very simple reasons:
[list]where was the promised consultation from DCC, and
why this route – it was already at bedrock, what else could erode, and
for whose benefit is this being done?[/list]

I’ve posted a full set of info on the PDMTB website and the pics are on FB

And yes, the guy on the ground said this is to connect with the top of Chapel Gate, ruining the nice gritty track over the top.

at the end of the day somebody must have complained to get it actioned in the first place

Well yes but “at the end of the day” it’s the council who decide whether to listen or not. To reiterate, there’s absolutely no point blaming ramblers (or horseriders, or runners, or people on pogo sticks for that matter) when the ultimate responsibility and decision lies with DCC.

exactly roger, it was one of the best drained, most impossible bits to erode anymore

it had slabs/rocks/ and sandy……no boggy bits to erode, and although when wet it wasnt boggy, it was just a sandy rocky slabby track

why on earth would it need resurfacing? it makes absolutly no sense at all

looking at the limited few pics theyve replaced the slabby type rocks with little rocks which are no smoother really

well spent money and worth every penny for the sake of probably one walker that moaned!

Council response will be :

No consultation is required on maintenance on an existing right of way.
Maintenance carried out to ensure the safety of all users.
blah blah blah

You won’t win gents.
Wait a few months and the ice and snow will destroy it back to it’s original state in March.

.

Making assumptions can be counter-productive. For all we know it could have been a group of mountain bikers who had a fall and made a complaint. My personal opinion is that this whole strategy is borne out of an expensive court case DCC had quite some time ago. The wheels will have been in motion for years (pun intended)

mintimperial – Member

at the end of the day somebody must have complained to get it actioned in the first place

Well yes but “at the end of the day” it’s the council who decide whether to listen or not. To reiterate, there’s absolutely no point blaming ramblers (or horseriders, or runners, or people on pogo sticks for that matter) when the ultimate responsibility and decision lies with DCC.

EDIT :

cant be arsed, i’d love it if some stealth digger went up there in the middle of the night and turned it all over 8)

Wait a few months and the ice and snow will destroy it back to it’s original state in March.

It won’t though. Look at the pics on FB. They’ve put massive baby head rocks in the drops, and they’re going to cover those up with more aggregate. It’s going to be horrible and rutted and muddy in no time, but it’s not going to go back to how it was, there’s way too much material dumped on there already.

Maybe once both ends are connected they’ll let 4x4s back in and it’ll be torn up in no time.

My personal opinion is that this whole strategy is borne out of an expensive court case DCC had quite some time ago. The wheels will have been in motion for years (pun intended)

Is that something you can elaborate on?

Looking at those photos it looks like quite an expensive job too, getting in a Plantsafe box and so on.

Now I pay DCC my council tax and not Sheffield I’ll be sending an e-mail to them asking why my taxes are being spent on this when there’s a tarmac road going under the A38 at Ripley that I can barely ride my road bike down on my way home from work.

It makes the Jacob’s Ladder loop pretty pointless now- you ride up the mutilated Chapel Gate, down the destroyed Rushup Edge, along the smoothed out Roych then up the sanitised climb to the top of the Ladder. The descent down Coldwell Clough isn’t much- certainly not worth extending your ride for- and so what do you do? Go up and down Jacob’s as an out and back?

There’s no real reason for me to park in Edale and go to the Cafe there if I’m not doing that loop. Oh well, I’m sure they didn’t need the business of all those cyclists.

i was also going to add, it now looks way more accessible to vehicles, so no doubt the mx’ers will be hooning down it soon

talk about destroying natural beauty, what an odd odd contry we live in,

cant imagine them doing this in the alps, or even scotland come to think of it

it was part of its characteristics those slabs/rock, great to look at, and has been like that for no doubt thousands of years, and now its basically a sandy path with a few randow baby head rocks strewn across it

well done council, i salute you

Look at the pics on FB

Cant see FB pics without an account – can somewhere post them directly

From the pic on the first page this looks absolutely disgraceful and completely unnecessary

Is that something you can elaborate on?

Yes. We reported on it earlier this year on our website http://www.peakdistrictmtb.org/index.php/25-derbyshire-cc-meeting-report

Click through to the Questions & Answers section.

Noooo, don’t put them up here like that it’s bringing tears to my eyes.

Here’s a link to the album that worked for me in a private window

linky

Careful here folks. Predicting what the dcc response might be is sounding very close to talking ourselves out of taking an interest in this. It’s political but the thing to remember is that, whatever level, all politicians care there for our benefit, even if they regularly forget that. Also, politics isn’t about right or wrong. It’s a childish game about who makes most noise.

All the pics are here for those without FB accounts to look at (rogerthecat I hope it’s ok for me to host these, but just shout if you want me to take them down again!).

it reminds me of something they did in 3 shires in the white peak, the main path down was great fun about 5/6/7 years ago

a few drops off big boulders, kinda techy but still rideable at speed

then suddenly one time i went again about 3 years ago a digger was there flattening it all out and adding these stupid baby head rocks all over the place, totally ruined it, and to me seemed more lethal in the wet (slippy) for walkers than what was there before

i do know that the cause of that resurfacing was due to the mx’ers that use it when not allowed to be on there, so they tried to stop the mx’ers from being interested to go on it, however everytime i go there now on weekends, i with out fail no matter what time of the day, see them or see that they have been on it

so basically it did **** all to stop the problem anyways, but destroyed a perfectly natural great piece of the peak district

to add, it looks awful now, like a bad builders job, it looks half finished, like someone has just dumped random rocks every so often down the track

its also now shit to ride more importantly, but before it was done it was a great descent

Looking at that photo of the runoff, and assuming they do tar it as they have Chapel Gate, will that not cause some serious icy death on the road in the depths of winter?

Also, were there not stories going round of runoff from the resurfaced Chapel Gate contaminating the local water? Not surprised as loosely applied tar based product full of TPHs and PAHs with lots of water on it will contaminate any runoff pretty easily.

Even from a walker’s perspective, that’s vandalism. I only hope as part of this they are intending to sort out the bogfest in the field along Lord’s Edge. Now that does need fixing.

Reading the PDMTB and DCC meeting report linked above, maybe the correct response is to repeatedly issue section 56 complaints against any lump, bump or slipperiness on the already resurfaced trails, so they have to sort them out and don’t any budget left to mess anything else up.