Delamere Forest Skills Area - Litter!

fasterthanaspeedingbullet

Welcome to my first ever forum rant :evil:

Me a couple of mates spent a good three hours riding around Delamere Forest yesterday morning (because i wanted to break my new bike in gently ), and we managed to spend a bit of time at the skills area.

When we got there we were greeted with what can only be described as a refuse landfill site, the place was covered in litter. There were old inner tubes hanging from trees, beer cans around burnt-out fires, various sandwich / crisp / chocolate wrappers, etc. The place was disgusting.

What ever happened to putting your rubbish in your pockets, camelbak, etc and taking it home with you?!?!

Does the FC have any input in this area of the forest? I can't believe no-one has ever complained about the state of the place before.

What can be done to remedy this?

Rant over :evil:

jonny ramrod

Hi,

hope i can help here...

Delamere forest managers have a less than bright view on cyclist's at the best of times. The mess these idiots are leaving is just playing into the hands of the anti mountain bike people who have a lot of influence over this forest. This is GOING to lead to the jumps etc being bulldozed, and these people will have no-one to blame but themselves.

On a more positive note....

At the moment, I am in talks with the forestry guys to try and reverse their atitude to bikes (which you really can't blame on them with the mess 'cyclists' are leaving behind).
One idea we are discusing is the possibility of a sponsored litter collection in conjunction with the guys at W. homer cycles in Ellesmere port.
This will hopefully see the placement of bins in areas of the forest where people congregate to use the jumps, downhill runs etc. The bins will be emptied every week by guys from homer cycles, using a trailer behind a mountain bike. Also signs will be put up asking people to use the bins and explaning that if it carries on as it is then the trails may well go for good.
It's just one small idea we have to try and help keep the forest clean and tidy and to hopefully show Delamere that mountain bikers can be a benefit to the forest.

Any questions please mail me, i shall keep you informed of how the discussions are progressing...

thanks....Jon

P.s. any chance admin could make this a sticky post for a bit so i can report back on the state of play at Delamere forest..?? Cheers...

fasterthanaspeedingbullet

I am more than happy to come along and pitch in on the litter picking, i have a couple of mates who would come down as well.

Delamere is our nearest ride and i personally think the place has a lot to offer for cyclists of all abilities. I'm not a crazy dirt-jumper, i'm getting too old and my nerves get the better of me. We like to stop off at the skills area and have a laugh on the smaller jumps, do the course at a slower speed, etc. It would be a shame to see it go.

There were some kids there at the weekend, complete with wheelbarrow and tools, building and repairing the jumps. They obviously like the place as well and use it on a regualr basis, some of them were quite good! Why take the chance of getting it bulldozed just because some individuals can't be bothered to take their crap home with them?

jonny ramrod

Hi there Mr Bullet,

Thanks for your offer of help. It is incredable the mess just a few idiots can make.

I live just a couple of mins from the jumps (lucky i know) and quite often take my dogs for a walk around there. I am sick of having to carry bags of litter back from there.. :evil: :evil:

I am just waiting for the guy at the forest to get back to me on a date for a meeting, then i will have more info.

As you said, there are a lot of guys who do a lot of work on the skills area and they deserve for their hard work to be treated with respect.

Since the Delamere bike club folded there has been no dialogue between the riders and the forest guy's. Hopefully we can start to rectify this situation and make Delamere a welcoming place for us all....And maybe there is a possibility of some new sustainable cycles trails... We will have to wait and see.....

More news, as and when.....

jbford

Hey,

I live on the outskirts of Delamere and have been riding ther for 17 years and recently tried talking to the FC about the litter problem. It has been to no avail, they just stone wall me. As a result I now ride elsewhere, a shame as my love for this forest runs deep.

I've collected litter on many occasions. It is, you will be pleased to know, not just cyclists, walkers are also to blame, they litter too and irresponsible dog owners leave their dog shit in bags hanging from trees! This just amazes me!

The FC will not place bins in the forest as they say scallys will set fire to them and squirrels empty them.

If there is anything that I can do to help I am more than happy to.

dhxcme

I've been riding (properly) at Delamere for about 3 years. I have seen the riders who repeatedly offend. They are a bunch a teens who are truely stupid. One was lighting fires and roling through them. (I was hoping he would burst into flames)

The problem as I see it could be solved by restarting the bike club and getting a strong group of people leading it. Really it needs people of action who will push plans through and not let them loose momentum. The previos bike club had some great characters but plans like Old Pale slowed down to a dead stop and so people took matters into their own hands. Old pale was awsome but it got dozed because people (a lad and dad crew) where building illegally and telling every one they where going to have races. Then the Forestry got wind and boom all bulldozed.

jonny ramrod

you will be pleased to know that there are some plans in the very early stages to start a completely new club. I am meeting the forest guy hopefully later this week / early next so should know more then.

I spoke to him tonight on the phone and he is very keen for someone / some-people..(?) to take responsibility away from him regarding the cycling in Delamere.

So hopefully there will be some exciting things in the pipeline over the coming months, although realisticaly it is going to be a long term struggle to get them back on side.

The forest has lots of potential to become a great mountain bike destination, it is just going to take some time.

And apparently, there are guys camping up at the jumps tonight with fires blazing...I shall be up there in the morning to make sure they have kept it clean.. :evil: :evil:

dhxcme

Give me a shout when something starts rolling as my mate has a minidigger licence and may be able to get a digger out on weekends.

fasterthanaspeedingbullet

Does the guy who hires out the bikes next to the visitor centre come on here? Does he have any luck with the FC?

Don't get me wrong, i am no way shifting any blame towards him but the occasional / recreational forest cyclists that hire bikes from him might be contrbuting to the litter problem around the forest generally as well, although probably not at the skills area.

What about a free bin bag with every bike that is hired?

JBFORD, i can understand why you now ride elsewhere, we enjoy the forest but have been put off slightly.

With Coed Llandegla Forest not too far down the road there is a possibility that people will start to use their facilities instead if this issue is not addressed!

jonny ramrod

i know that the forestry guy is going to have a chat with Tony who hires out the bikes.

But the main problem is the idiots who use the skills areas and these are not the ones who hire bikes from him.

I think one problem is that Delamere is very easy to get to, great train links etc, so we see a lot of people who would find it difficult to get to degla etc. By that i mean younger lads from the larger towns and cities who need educating about the countryside and how to look after it. 99% of local guys who use the skills area are very proud of the hard work they have done and go out of their way to look after it.

And thank you dhxcme for the mini digger offer... taken note...

omegas

Sadly I don’t go to Delamere anymore.

The skills area became the kids play area for scallys, the rides have nothing that exciting.

Until someone has ownership of developing the forest into a mountain bike centre with well marked out graded runs of different skill levels the enthusiast will stay away. The forest and surrounding area has so much to offer but has never been used as it could.

Lllandegla is only ½ hour away and is worlds apart from Delamere , at a weekend this is where you find most of the mountain bike riders that used to ride around Delamere.

jonny ramrod

tis true.......

lets hope that something can be worked out with the guy's with the 'power' to allow change

dhxcme

Llandegla and Cannock are both about 45 - 60 mins away from Northwich, but thats no excuse to leave Delamere to rot. It's great to hear that some sort of bike club is forming and i'm hoping that it might result in old pale getting some badly needed dose of CPR.

I agree that the kids who abuse the skills area are a menace but if the more responcible riders make it clear to the forestry that we also exist there may be some chance of saving the integrity of Delamere riders.

Dark Lord

maybe this could be of some help
http://www.northshorefreeriders.com/for ... pic=1928.0

dhxcme

There was a guy who used to put up black bags and change them when full till the local scals set them alight at which point he stopped bothering. We dug bins in by the track and people used them to take a dump in.

My attitude is to clear up my mess, repair anything I damage and make sure my mates do the same.

Little shites will not be told and it isn't worth the hastle to get the FC involved as you get branded as a grass by the scum bag riders.

Steve_b77

All of this would be good to hear as I to ride regularly round the forest, only living like 800yds up the road from the station helps.

The other day I did see a bunch of "Air Max" tracksuited scalls attempting "no brains" on BMX's he hee most ammusing.

BTW Jonny do you live in Delamere as you're very close to the forest.

Possibly some kind of meeting between local riders and the FC may be a good idea to discuss various items, or the possible reformation of a club around the forest, I'd be most interested as would my neighbour.

Kppe me informed if you would

Steve_b77

Oh yeah, forgot to add if you need any help with works etc I'm a civil engineer dealing with Earth works for a living

Next door is a handy kinda guy and our regular riding buddy has his own small scale construction firm 8)

The General

Steve_b77 wrote:

Oh yeah, forgot to add if you need any help with works etc I'm a civil engineer dealing with Earth works for a living

Next door is a handy kinda guy and our regular riding buddy has his own small scale construction firm 8)

That sounds incredibly helpful!
So no-one is confused, I'm Adam from W Homer cycles in Ellesmere Port, and apparently I'm Mr Ramrods forest bizzatch :shock:

jonny ramrod

Sounds very good. I live in manley, right next to the track leading into the forest, up to the top of the 4x track..

I am calling the man who can at the forest again tomorrow.Not going to give them chance to rest on their laurels on this. It is to much of an opportunity for us to miss.

By the way steve..... is next door a Mr todhunter..?? And the construction guy a Mr owen..???

omegas

I would say the link below sums up why Delamere has become such a disappointment to mountain bike visitors.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/vie ... t=delamere

Steve_b77

jonny ramrod wrote:

Sounds very good. I live in manley, right next to the track leading into the forest, up to the top of the 4x track..

I am calling the man who can at the forest again tomorrow.Not going to give them chance to rest on their laurels on this. It is to much of an opportunity for us to miss.

By the way steve..... is next door a Mr todhunter..?? And the construction guy a Mr owen..???

You'd be spot on with that Where be the 4x track i don't think I've ever come across that, if I have I didn't realise

jonny ramrod

The 4x track is near to the jumps etc. On the 'skills area' Worth a play on..

i know those dodgy gentlemen... i used to go to school with them. Tell them jonny hulse says 'hello'...

Timmywmb

I go to delamere quite often, usually at night!

More than happy to muck in on repairing trails or anything like that!

Steve_b77

jonny ramrod wrote:

The 4x track is near to the jumps etc. On the 'skills area' Worth a play on..

i know those dodgy gentlemen... i used to go to school with them. Tell them jonny hulse says 'hello'...

Will do

popped into Homer bikes today and picked up some bits, had a good chat with one of the guys about the forest, didn't get his name but he looked very familiar I'm thinking I went ot college with him :?

The General

I was thinking you looked familiar too lol.
Never went to college though.

jonny ramrod

sounds lke something out of a romance book....

The General

You're not gonna try and marry me off again are you?

Steve_b77

Hmm the plot thickens :?

jonny ramrod

The General wrote:

You're not gonna try and marry me off again are you?

well if you don't ask vikki soon.. .... i need a good wedding 'do'. beer to drink, food to eat...

anyhoo....

back to the thread..... still waiting on the forest guys to confirm a meeting date. I will be on the phone AGAIN tomorrow to try and speed things along a bit... :roll:

Steve_b77

OT again but were you ever involved with Jap Northwest?

bigcolinp

If you need any of the original plans for Old Pale, northshore etc let me know.

You need to bear in mind that DBC had over 70 paid up members, we constructed detailed documents and plans, went through lengthy approval processes, spent approximately £2000-£3000 on the northshore alone and a massive amount of time. Old Pale alone was in planning over 2 years. Most of the signs you now see at trail centres were designed by us.
There is nothing left at Delamere to show we ever existed.

Be very careful how much you put into this. Good luck and get in touch if you need any help/advice.