Wharnecliffe

This may raise some “issues”, but just been riding the section of the new red route (as declared open on the Singletraction website).

Now, firstly let me take my hat off too singletraction, they are an excellent group and it is great to see riders making positive steps in the right direction.

I think thought they may have shot them selves in the foot a little by declaring some sections of the the new trail open, but it appears that LOADS of people have been riding it and in doing so ruining some of the really hard work that the group have done.

Some of the trail is worn away to clay and where this has happened everyone has diverted round it and made the nice singletrack into muddy double track.

No doubt I will get shouted at, but I think it is a shame that the hard work has been compromised.

Just an opinion, but I think that it would be better to close the trail until completed, allowing it to be bedded in properly by the builders who know where they want it to go.

Again, well done all involved, I hope you don’t take offence.

I occasionally drop in on Wharncliffe when Im in Sheffield

My thoughts are that Singletraction do an excellent job on all levels but the trails themselves are very fragile from autumn thro till spring

Riding Wharncliffe when its filthy muddy just isnt that public spirited and Id prob go as far to suggest you should have gone somewhere else instead of increasing the erosion if it was as you describe

I think the XC route is superb but when I was last there in October was becoming very very muddy
I can only imagine how much of a bog parts of it must be now

Love 🙂

xxx

“Riding Wharncliffe when its filthy muddy just isnt that public spirited and Id prob go as far to suggest you should have gone somewhere else instead of increasing the erosion if it was as you describe”

Well, yes, but I had no idea whatsoever it would be so bad and I did only ride a short section, I was only out for a local 1 hr blast this morning!

I was under the impression that they had recieved funding for a sustainable trail, hence me thinking that mayve it would be less muddy than most woodsy rides are.

Wharncliffe is ok when it’s bone dry or frozen, anything other than that through the steep tree sections to the right of the rock garden is asking for erosion.

Some of the open path stuff is great all year round, it ain’t technical, and it’s not ‘downhill’ but it’s ridable.

But definitely better to stay off the steep stuff to the far right of the woods unless it’s dry, or frozen.

No funding for the trail at all really. Volunteer built and we got some materials from the FC. A bit of sponsorship from a couple of companies and that’s about it. With the base wharncliffe has a sustainable trail would need to be fully surfaced and there isn’t the time/materials/money to do it on a volunteer basis.

Another issue at wharncliffe is the use of the trail by motos and mini motos. It’s very difficult to declare trails closed and keep people off them too.