Yes, ChrisE,

I am aware of the 4×4 and Trail Rider groups and the constant battle they have in the face of hijacked legislation since 2000 and targeted discrimination from local and national park authorities. It’s a perfectly legal pastime and those who are members of these organisations observe their codes of conduct.

You shouldn’t be surprised that they have had to spend all that money and operate as limited companies as they have to protect their members from the possible effects of losing in court when challenging illegal road closures.

Take some time to consider the time and money spent by the Ramblers in court challenging illegal footpath closures and the numbers of full time staff they employ. They are a multi-million pound business with charitable status to boot.

I am sure that responsible riders and drivers would much prefer to enjoy their pastime and the countryside rather than fighting tooth and nail for their rights.

I have lived and worked around the Peak District all my life and hear far more complaints about ramblers and horse riders than motorists, especially around litter and trespass.

The 4×4 and trail rider groups have been trying to work with PDNPA over route management for over 10 years but PDNPA have refused point blank to come to the table. They just prefer to spend £250k + on a blanket ban. However, their incompetance has meant that the money has been spent yet no bans are yet in force.

I hope that no-one expects anything to their advantage from this. PDNPA will just dictate what they want.

Following a further complaint over the barriers on Wigley Lane from the TRF’s rights of way legal expert, DCC have served an obstruction order on themselves and have removed them.

Don’t know how much extra that has added to the cost, but they were put up despite DCC being fully aware that they were illegal.

Update on Wigley Lane:

DCC’s barriers at top and bottom are illegal obstructions as the route is a Restricted Byway and has rights for horse drawn vehicles as well as disabled access. No chance of getting a pony and trap past those barriers so they must come out. A member of the public has server DCC an obstruction notice under S130A of the Road Traffic Act so they have no choice, especially having admitted in writing that they knew the barriers were illegal when they put them in but thought they could get away with it.

More taxpayers’ hard earned cash down the drain.

The wanton destruction of the Roych is enough to make you weep. I’ve been riding and walking there since 1979 and have seen the weather beat the crap out of it. Then DCC come along and make 10 times more wreckage. Let’s not forget that the destruction of Chapel Gate started in 1991 when DCC tarmaced it and killed the natural drainage, turning it into a waterfall. Then they stood back for 20 years and blamed motorists for the damage.

Wigley Lane and The Roych are in their current condition due to a single person behind Peak Horsepower, the bigoted minority who want Derbyshire flattened for horse use only. That person is Patricia Stubbs. Be warned.

Bamford Clough is next.

If you had killed him, you would have needed a good brief to avoid prison.

It is certainly true that most of the anti vehicle campaigners are retired professional types and well funded, often by dint of selling high value properties in London and surrounding areas. The people they are trying to ban are generally the opposite, hard working people who are trying to keep hold of jobs, pay mortgages/ rent and feed their kids. All very difficult to spend time fighting off when you have work and family commitments.

Consequently, most of the lobbying of DCC and the Peak Park goes unnoticed by their victims until it’s too late and routes have been closed or downgraded. If you are a vehicle user then this kind of activity resulted in NERC in 2006 which was probably the most targeted and deviceive bending of legislation ever to stop ordinary people doing entirely legal recreational activities. Similar legislation based on gender, colour or creed would be illegal.

All this works on the principle that authorities will only react to complaints and if you target carefully and keep nagging then they will do whatever you want just to shut you up. Whining child syndrome, really. These antis have manufactured all kinds of stories and sham “dangers” and they have repeated them so many times and in so many places that people think they are true. For example, they claim that recreational motoring only started after 2002 and therefore there is no possibility of recorded 20 years of continuous use to justify highway status. I and many more of my fellow riders have been active for over 35 years but are branded liars because of this manufactured start date.

A warning from history, Dr Goebbels devised this method of propaganda and it was central to the cause in 1930s Germany.

Just to correct some of the errors in the RideSheffield report and others.

1 This is a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT).
2 It has a temporary width restriction for repairs. This restricts only 4 wheel vehicles.
3 The route will be closed to ALL use from Monday 29th April to June 14th for repairs to the retaining wall.
4 These repairs are being driven by 2 groups of anti vehicle bigots, Peak Horsepower and Peak District Green Lane Alliance. Both are allied to GLEAM whose sole intention is to spread anti-vehicle lies, get all BOATS downgraded to bridleway status and then campaign for regulation of bicycle use on all routes as they claim they are dangerous to horses. One of GLEAM’s members and supporters is Richard Benyon, DEFRA minister.

They represent about 100 people who think that they are the guardians of the countryside. They are constantly badgering the Peak Park and DCC to ruin these iconic routes by unsympathetic over-repairing of routes in an attempt to make them unattractive to motor and cycle users. The only thing this does is wreck the natural drainage, accelerate wear and leave these groups with an opportunity to blame users they don’t like for the state of the route.

These are unreasonable and unpleasant people. Be warned.

I wouldn’t use grease. It attracts muck and turns into grinding paste and you need new seals again.

Got one a few weeks back and am impressed. Stick with the 1800 lumen model as the 3 light ones use the battery up after about 30 mins. The 1800 lumen unit lasts about 5 hours and is very bright. Could do with being a wider beam but can’t complain at the price.

The TRF is the main body representing motorcycle trail riders and they challenged the illegal closure of Chapel Gate in the High Court. They don’t and can’t represent all motorcyclists but they have put out an instruction to their members to exercise voluntary restraint and keep away from Chapel Gate until the weather improves.

Unfortunately, many may never ride it again as the closure from Monday will probably coincide with the Peak Park closing it permanently at their next meeting on the 25th January. The TRF and allied 4×4 groups are planning a massive protest at that meeting with riders and drivers coming from all over the country to show their displeasure. Probably won’t make any difference as the Peak Park have already decided to close it and are just going through the legal motions now.

Us next. I used to trail ride up to about 5 years ago when the hassle from walkers and horse riders took all the enjoyment out of it. I’m no race star, just an ordinary bloke who loves the outdoors and I rode to the TRF’s code of conduct. The hassle I now get on my mtb is worse than it was on a motorcycle so look out for a cheap Marin on eBay soon.

It really saddens me but I’m not yet miserable enough to buy a rucksack and a bobble hat and spoil someone else’s day…….

If you see 4x4s “off-piste” or not on vehicular rights of way them report them, simples. There is simply no need to wreck these routes for the hell of it and there is a trickle down effect from this behaviour. Either other 4×4 drivers think it’s acceptable or other user groups start to think they can do it too. In the end, everyone hates everyone else and the whole thing turns to sh!t.

Motor vehicle users are being pushed onto fewer and fewer routes so it’s pretty obvious that wear will increase. The authorities seem to want that to happen as an excuse to restrict further and avoid maintaining routes. I have noticed a rising tide of disapproval where I ride. Walkers hate everyone and horse riders think motors are too noisy and cycles are too quiet. I also feel that we should support the responsible motorists, as I am sure that attention will turn to us if they are banned and we won’t get away with the stuff that happens now.

This isn’t for the previously repaired section, it’s from the bottom of the hill to the Edale road gate. There’s no proper drainage so the rain is pouring off the fields, down the lane and out onto the tarmac along with a ton of debris.

Not vehicle related. It was DCC tarmacing the route in 1991 and destroying the naturally draining surface that has caused all the damage since. Not helped by not a stroke of maintenance work from then to 2010.