Calling all Glaswegian Mountain Bikers!

donnie murdo

This will possibly only affect a few riders from Glasgows south side but it is worth mentioning I feel.

No doubt like many a mountain biker from the south side of Glasgow I started my off road forays around Pollok Park which recently won Britains Best Park of 2007. It's a great park ideally situated for urban living MTBers to fo a bit of offroading without the need to head to the hills and a great place to learn.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollok_Country_Park


Unfortunately the local council has seen fit to potentialy allow the woodland area used for mountain biking to be sold off to an outdoor adventure company called "Go Ape" http://www.goape.co.uk/ I feel that this would be a sad day when a park that is free for all has a piece of it that can be accessed by all is sold off to a profit making company that will charge users to have access. I have nothing against Go Ape or the type of adventure courses that they provide I just think that this is a very poor choice of site for such a venture.

A website for people against the proposal has been set up to find out more and to register your veiws about the proposal.
http://www.savepollokpark.com/

There is also a Facebook page of the same name that you can join.

lunaeventer

Hi,

Thanks for bringing that to my attention - had no idea about plans for the park! Haven't used MTB trails but have been orienteering there recently & was eyeing up the tracks with plans to take bike next time.

Anyway, my vote added against the proposal.

mr mangos

They're not actually building it over the trails, as you can see from this map, but I'm still against the proposal. The park was a gift to the people of Glasgow and shouldn't be sold off to commercial interests.

trailstaron

Yeah, I too started mountain biking at Pollok Park over 15 years ago and still ride there regularly when I'm not away riding further afield, It offers a good variety of trails for a city location, from the manmade trails to the natural ones in the north woods, it's definitely a good place to kill an hour or two.

The MTB trails won't really be affected by GoApe but it will definitely affect the peace and quiet of the park for other users, as can be seen from the map above only a small area of the park will not be affected by either GoApe or the MTB trails.

I also visit the park regularly for walks with my kids and the area Go Ape is planned for is probably the quietest, most peaceful area of the park, perfect for escaping the noise of the city!

Plus there's the principle of the application as mentioned by Mr Mango which is what I and most people feel most strongly about.

Anyway, I sent my official letters of objection off a couple of weeks ago, and it's good to see other mtbers feel the same. :!:

0ggers

I use Pollok Pk regularly as I live in Shawlands.

I used to live down south near Swinley Forest. It is a very popular place with MTBers and they built a GoApe there too.

The GoApe facility down there has been a great addition. It has spoiled nothing and has added a fun new dimension. There is a fairly tight limit to the amount of people that can use the course at one time before it becomes pointless due to log jams. Apart from that they all need to be briefed. All these factors keep a cap on the numbers to about a dozen folk every half hour.

Also, no part of the park is being sold off. The area will be rented, although I would say that £10 000 per annum is a bargain for them. Perhaps some of the rent could be used to improve the bike tracks which aren't up to much right now. And finally, GoApe shut down during the winter and in the evenings so there will still be tranquility time for those who can only find it in that part of the park.

I'm much more concerned about the number of people whose dogs crap on the grass down by the river :evil:

mr mangos

Yeah I know it's not literally being sold off. As you say though, the rent is ridiculously low. The proposal also requires the removal of numerous mature trees from the north wood which no amount of rent will bring back. Also, the so called 'consultation' was laughable. My impression is that the council have tried to ghost this one through and that's not acceptable.

BoardinBob

I live in Shawlands and use Pollok as well. My first priority would be erecting signs telling dog walkers to stay off the trails but that's a whole other issue!

I do however like the tranquility of the park. It's very nice to be able to escape to the woods in the middle of the city and I don't fancy the sound of screaming kids in the trees.

The bike trails were built without significant disruption to the area. If Go Ape requires the felling of trees and the building of facilities then this is a bad thing. If people are keen on this type of activity close to the city, then they have the other Go Ape facility at Aberfolye, or even better the similar facility at Xscape at Braehead.