Good workmanship, or another botch job, what do you think?

6 weeks in so work nearly complete. Previously this was quite a hard natural surface with some ruts, it drained well and was quite a scenic descent off the top of Werneth Low.

They’ve covered in in a fine coloured shale, looks to be 20mm, then dumped a ton of sand on top, tapping it with your foot and it collapses easily. Every 10-15 meters is a waterbar made from paving stones, with a protruding edge, the slabs don’t look fixed in too well.

There’s a “no walkers” sign at both ends. So this should cater specifically for bikers and horses in its resurfacing. Does it?

…

In parts the top surface is already washing away…

bodge job.

And a bridleway with “no walkers” signage ?

Good point is it even a bridleway, or something else as no walkers sign?

Don’t worry, that’s so badly put in it won’t last long. The edge where it’s not packed in to the bank will break away in record time and the rest will follow it. Total waste of money.

8 weeks of work too, wonder how much it cost 😯

Gutted, used to be part of a regular loop when I lived in South MCR. I still remember being dead chuffed when i successfully competed the climb for the first time. Am I right in thinking that it’s within Derbyshire’s boundary?

“No walkers.”

I’d love to know the story behind this.

(The path looks dreadful, obviously, like almost everything ever done to a RoW by any council or large landowner in the UK ever.)

Don’t panic! After a good heavy downpour It’ll be ok again. Pity about the waste of money though. 😕

That looks shit – are the other paths in various threads finished to that quality too ?

I’ll give it ’til January, as I’m a generous man

One heavy horse will cut that right up. Waist of cash

And there you see why a water bar is supposed to extend 500mm beyond the edge of the trail, and either stone pitched or graded and heavily compacted for three metres uphill.

That trail was probably done by the guys who ‘fixed’ the M25, this week.

One heavy horse will cut that right up. Waist of cash

A heavy horse with a large money belt – that’d do it 😉

What’s with the two water bars in the 6th pic
First (original?) one drains right to left, second new one them takes it back across left to right
And why not dig the drainage channel next to the field rather than have it the the opposite side, under a wall (risk of erosion undercutting the wall?) with water bars feeding into it across the path
Still not to worry too much, early next year it will all be in a pile at the bottom of the slope

Is it a ‘permissive path’? Can’t get my head around walkers not being allowed!

That’s the foundations for some lovely tarmac I reckon 😉

Thameside obviously felt left out after seeing Stockport throwing money away on ‘trail improvement’ – strawberry hill et al.

Havien’t these two councils got other things to spend money on FFS!

Walk the pooch up there everyday, talking to the workmen they said the horses will tear it up in no time, they’ve dug a big water channel running along side the bridleway which has directed most of the water away for now, however in the field on the other side they’ve similarly relaid the path which has already got a rut in it from running water.

The no walkers signs have always been there.

Also the steepest (and best part) of the bridleway had nice natural berm type corners, now its flat off camber! Rubbish.

Those paving slab waterbars look like they’ll be eroded out of place after a few good rains.

With no fine cohesive (silt or clay) material, the sandy surface will wash away in no time. The ditch beside the new trail surface will be the main culprit as water will be flowing fast enough in it to carry everything away. That ditch needs some sort of erosion protection if it is to work at all. Could be 4″+ crushed stone, grass lined, or whatever depending on soil type an other factors.

IMO, it looks like they walked into a garden landscape center, said “ooo, that looks nice over there! Build us a path to grandma’s house like that. And put in some of those cute stone water bars; they look pretty!” 🙄

I quite like the concept of the slab drains- more of a sluice than a traditional water bar. Not sure how well they’ll work, maybe if they’ve got a good gradient. But it’s all pretty rubbish

Well if the rain doesn’t get it the massive skids to the gate will

2000 years ago the Romans had worked out that putting a camber on a road was the best way to run water off.
Why are water bars still used?

I was up there yesterday and it looks crap, this part of my local ride and its a shame as before it was ok.
Don’t under stand how it’s taken them 8weeks and they have still not finished it.

There’s a whole load of tea to be drunk while working on a project like that.

That looks like it has been specced/built by folk with no idea whatsoever in the building of sustainable structures… or even the experience to lay a garden path.

Very poor construction technique, even if it’s intended to be all ability. Flat straight downhill isn’t safe either. Quite like the waterbars but think they will wash out / get nicked fairly quickly. You do need waterbars on a straight down section, better option would be to put in some snaking curves in, more interesting to ride, keeps speeds down and negates the needs for waterbars.

Maybe the gang brought in to do the work were keen local mountain bikers who have infiltrated the local path repair industry

They get paid for the work and they get their trails back, its win win

was quite a scenic descent

was it a one way bridlepath?

looks like a scenic ascent now

If the council have a civil engineer overseeing such activities he needs sacked.

If I was local I’d be kicking up a stink. It is your money they have wasted.

That was a challenging climb. Not the first time it’s been resurfaced though, don’t think it will be around for long.

Pretty sure there are no such things as bridleways technically, all just byways with differing access.

Pretty sure there are no such things as bridleways technically, all just byways with differing access.

Umm, whut?

If you look at the OS map for the area, most paths shown are FPs. The Werneth Low map at http://www.tameside.gov.uk/wernethlow/directions shows several “horse riding” tracks running alongside FPs, so these have apparently been built with a view to separating out horse and pedestrian traffic. Further, the Werneth Low website says:

Horse Riding
A network of horse riding tracks crosses the country park.
The tracks link up with other bridleways, extending beyond Werneth Low.

Mountain Cycles
Mountain biking is allowed on the park’s horse riding tacks.

In the OPs opening statement he says work nearly complete. Shouldn’t we hang fire with judgements until it’s finished?

Thanks for thoughts all, seems the consensus is bodge job!

How could they “finish” this then in two weeks? Concrete the side drain channel with a kerb to stop the path eroding into it? tarmac over the top surface?

This work is now completed, from what i’ve seen its as per my pics in the OP!

Battery had gone today though.