Surrey Hills organised downhill event

Whatever the exact order of events, I think it’s now unlikely that permission will be given for an event anywhere in the Surrey Hills. Due to press coverage it’s now too sensitive for the Council to agree.
I’ve got mixed feelings – part of me thinks it’s a pity we can’t have an event like this and part of me thinks I like things the way they are.

Any truth in the rumour that the Police have been up on Ranmore showing YouTube clips to riders asking them to identify people in the clips seen riding the now destroyed trails? Rumour also says they’re looking to prosecute someone!!!

That has got to be a rumour!!
a few of me on vimeo riding whitedown … 😯

Who are Williams? Are they affiliated to Nirvana Cycles?

I believe the bloke who set up Williams is an old customer of their’s, hence them maintaining contact.

Thinking much the same – might take down my postings on YouTube for the time being.

were they planning on using whitedown do you know DTP?

Any truth in the rumour that the Police have been up on Ranmore showing YouTube clips to riders asking them to identify people in the clips seen riding the now destroyed trails? Rumour also says they’re looking to prosecute someone!!!

I guess the old Bill can justify traipsing around the woods in search of riders and trail-builders instead of catching hardened perps on the mean streets of Dorking.

were they planning on using whitedown do you know DTP?

No, it was too far away from Dorking West 4x track where the signing in and trade stalls etc were supposed to be. Whitedown is a good half hours ride from Dorking West. Really glad ’cause my favorite trail on Ranmore is over Whitedown neck of the woods!

thank god for that – would have been a disaster to loose those…
so only really lost Hot Buritto and Grievous.

Apparently whilst talking to local bike shops the BBC reporter mentioned the police investigation. Of course this could well be the media looking for a story rather than anything.

catching hardened perps on the mean streets of Dorking

🙂
Dangerous place the mean streets of Dorking (well dangerous because of the yummy mummies in Range Rovers anyway)

thank god for that – would have been a disaster to loose those…
so only really lost Hot Buritto and Grevious.

Yep – just those two

Well apart from outside the “old house at home” 1am on a Friday night 😆

Apparently whilst talking to local bike shops the BBC reporter mentioned the police investigation

I’d love to be a fly on the wall if/when they speak to Simon at Nirvana. My bet is that he’d either 1) say he knows nothing, 2) tell them to FRO or 3) send them on a wild goose chase in the dingly dell that is the Surrey Hills.

Sort of on-topic. Anyone know the name of the trail way out to the west side of Ranmore? Wont be too specific but starts in a car park and finishes on a road – has a big step up (if you’re looking for it) around half way down.

beyond whitedown ?

Yep – further west but not as far as Newlands Corner. Sorry to be vague!

ah, shall have to explore!! if you don’t mind could you mail me the location!! I think I know where you are talking about .mail in profile.

Done

This story about the trees and badger set a has made the BBC Surrey breakfast show at 1hr 50 mins in

there’ll be a pitchfork wielding mob of red socks there before you know it.

Just listened to that.
The ranger obviously had no knowledge of the trail until a lady reported that she saw someone in the woods with an axe 😯
The badger set he talks about was dug only after the jump was made! suspect it was easy digging for the badgers as it was just a heap of chalk!!

Any truth in the rumour that the Police have been up on Ranmore showing YouTube clips to riders asking them to identify people in the clips seen riding the now destroyed trails? Rumour also says they’re looking to prosecute someone!!!

If they’re after riders then got to be bull, as the would only be guilty of trespass and for that the police will do nothing at all. The landowner (i.e. the NT) would have to take them to court under a civil prosecution.

Good luck with that and… I refer to the reason why walkers have public footpath rights of way over the country. What’s that? Oh yes, by deliberate act of trespass! 😉

If they want to prosecute loads of people, go ahead and we have more of a case for getting the kind of access they have in Scotland.

Just need to convince NIMBY middle class Daily Mail reading rambler types (gross generalisation here 😀 ) that people who ride mountain bikes aren’t bored kids with nowhere to go. This is a serious adult outdoor countryside pursuit as every bit as valid as walking (if not as damaging to the countryside).

It’s made the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-15182884

I’ve written to both WEE and the Ranger asking for a comment for my blog, particularly asking the Ranger if he is actually saying bikers have cut down 100 year old trees and what proof he has for this.

I think probably all this is probably best left to die a quiet death when the news moves on to the next thing. We were all perfectly happy in limbo land a few weeks ago!

Reads like typically weak local news reporting IMHO.

Is Ben Tudor mentioned in the BBC one of “our lot”?

Probably find Brian May popping up next defending the badgers (he lives not far away).

Yes limbo is good! The status quo was fine. Most of my favourite trails are miles away but one or two mentioned here it would be a tragedy to lose.

Does anyone agree that we should ask the mods to delete this thread on the basis that, though interesting, it puts additional trails at risk

+1 jhw due to STWs easy googleableness

Think you might find its a joke being it was posted on the 09/13/2011
We don’t have 13 months in our calendar unless it was posted on the 1st of April !

Amercianized dating shirley?

delete…delete…

Incidentally has anyone managed to get a refund out of Williams Events? So far no reply to my mail despite it being offered as an option 😕

@deadkenny the offence could be criminal damage, look back through the thread. As the name suggests it’s a criminal, not civil, offence.

Just need to convince NIMBY middle class Daily Mail reading rambler types

Actually, just need to convince people not to build prominent downhill trails with jumps and features in sensitive areas of woodland used for conservation, and to do it somewhere more appropriate.

+1

Perhaps some of the cheeky trail builders criminals would like to leave their helpful suggestions here: http://hurtwoodtrails.wordpress.com/

All trails go downhill 😀

Some of the whitedown doubles have been knocked down 😡

Well, I hope the people who organised this event are satisfied, its worked out exactly as any reasonably forward thinking person would expect it would.

Ive been riding DH on many of those trails since long before people built stupid obstacles on them (Grievous Angel comes out pretty close to my house) and its ended up where most selfish trail building ends up.

The builders and event organisers will just move on and trash some other decent trails, all I can say is thanks a bunch.

Bloody Simon@ Nirvana and crowd are nothing but a troublecausers, giving us all a bad rep. We’re not all totally irresponsible like them. They’ll destroy access to all the decent riding in the Surrey Hills if they have it their way. I for one really hope that people start getting arrested, I’ve had enough of selfish trailbuilders pushing it too far.

What exactly was wrong with having low-key natural (or lightly modified) trails anyway?

PS Ben Tudor runs ‘Redlands trails’, for those who dont know, and he’s into light XC, so not the best spokesperson we could have hoped for on this one, although he does have some good points.

What does “light xc” even mean, and how does it make any difference whatsoever in this debate? You said it right to start with – low key is good, big and built is bad! No-one can reasonably expect there to be race-course tracks through the public woods.

If anyone wants to do a competition then why not just organise it at a suitable venue?

“What does “light xc” even mean, and how does it make any difference whatsoever in this debate?”

Yes, youre right, this is probably irrelevant to the debate, since its about land use, liaising with landowners and responsible trail building, about which he knows a great deal.

I for one really hope that people start getting arrested, I’ve had enough of selfish trailbuilders pushing it too far.

But you state that you ride many of those trails – isn’t that double standards? You okay with being arrested for riding them?