Danbury Common Forest (Essex) is not a bin....

mickedwards61

I used to live in Danury, and used to live in the pub (Cricketers) right on the common, and used to walk my dogs over there all the time, and the litter has always been a problem, I don't think you will ever eradicate the problem, but definitely a good idea to try and work with the National Trust is a good idea, but they are a bit of a law unto themselves I have found in the past!!

I have moved from Danbury now, but live in Woodham Walter a little village just past Danbury, I tend to bike in the woods behind The Warren Golf Club, don't know if anyone knows it? I think it's a great place to ride, but don't really see many MTB'ers over there, so if you fancy somewhere different get yourself over there, easily biking distance from Danbury Common, and you can cut through Lingwood Common, which I do see people on a lot, on the way there.

drewcole81

I love a good thread rivial!

lawl

Litter has been very good since the schools have gone back, a coulpe of bottles are left in bushes but you normally find these are left there intentionally until the end of the day for riders drinking.

It should ride good sunday lots of rain early in week and its starting to dry out

Tolk

I used to ride ad Danbury years ago when i was about 17. Used to ride from Mayland, a little village probably 20 miles away, ride all day, then ride home. I remember one day there was a burnt out Golf dumped in the canyon (i think that what it's called).

Fun times.

bay73

Tolk wrote:

I used to ride ad Danbury years ago when i was about 17. Used to ride from Mayland, a little village probably 20 miles away, ride all day, then ride home. I remember one day there was a burnt out Golf dumped in the canyon (i think that what it's called).

Fun times.

Tolk - used to live in Mayland myself. Would not really describe them as fun times..!

That's quite a trek there and back.

Tolk

bay73 wrote:

Tolk wrote:

I used to ride ad Danbury years ago when i was about 17. Used to ride from Mayland, a little village probably 20 miles away, ride all day, then ride home. I remember one day there was a burnt out Golf dumped in the canyon (i think that what it's called).

Fun times.

Tolk - used to live in Mayland myself. Would not really describe them as fun times..!

That's quite a trek there and back.

I didn't used to drink as much back then!

lawl

So when we all meeting for a ride?

georgef88

went for my first ride over the common in years last weekend. loved every second of it. just getting back into my bikes. my dad lives on the common which is handy. willl say hello to anyone if i see them out. will be a boardman comp. would like to find some good routes. found myself going round in cirles last week :oops: the rubbish is a nightmare though. my dad is forever walkin down all the lanes picking it up.

boxermatt

Hey people im off to the common this sat should be riding my mates rockhopper coz i smashed up my felt on my last trip to afan . Ill be on a red rockhopper with a white 661 full face lid so if ya c me feel free to say hello .

colintrav

Mike Skinner wrote:

Hi, I've been directed over to this thread by a friend, who like myself is a long termer over Danbury, and is involved in much of the digging and jump building over there, so I'd like to share a few of my views:

The common is always evolving, what is there now, is different to what was there just a couple of years back, and what is constant, is always being maintained. A lot of people seem to expect these places to just pop up and never be touched.

There is always new work being done, and this is often in conflict with existing lines and and jumps, and the general consensus is along the lines of, whichever works better will remain.

To come round a corner and be surprised by "a double with a pit in the middle" tells me two things. Firstly that you're riding the trails fast without checking them first, which is unwise, both because they regularly change, and because there have been instances of logs being put across track to stop the bikers.
Secondly,. simply the fact that doubles by definition have a pit in the middle..

My point being, that digging has always, and will always go on at Danbury, and all trails, to keep them new, interesting, and progressing in difficulty. If it were the same as it was when I started riding Danbury, there would be very few of the singletrack runs, little to do at canyons or at the tables.
Try to keep an open mind, as new lines can be improvements, and if they're not, they don't remain for long.



Onto litter and the NT. It annoys all the regular riders how much litter is dropped, young old and all disciplines. It also annoys various younger riders when they get told off for dropping litter by other riders when they've done nothing of the sort, but are criticised merely for being younger and using the jump areas.

We all want to stop littering, and ideas like bags being hung from tree's are welcome, but try not to stereotype all of the jump bikers. It tends to not be the regulars guys that drop litter, and a few have been offended by the assumptions of older riders.

We have spoken to the National Trust warden (Richard) a number of times, and the official answer has always been; Mountain Bikes are not welcome other than on the Bridleway (yes, there's just 1 bridleway on the top half of the common, the main track down to the house). However he has been accepting enough to turn a blind eye as by and large we've been very good at remaining in one small area, and there is little trouble of any form.

He will not be introducing litter bins or anything of that sort though, as it would be seen as allowing bikes use of the area.



I think I've covered most of the point there though. All riders are wanted over the common, and all get along very well in most circumstances, but there needs to be an understanding that those that do work at the common, do it to try to improve the place, and with a few exceptions, most building work is done subtly and with fore-planning.

And getting aggressive makes no friends for anyone

I like your style .... straight to the point .

However on the subject whenever rubbish is found , Elders always blame the Youngster's .. which I find the easy excuse when infact every age group is guilty at some point ..

When if it was bottles of buckie , cider or cans then It would be weans ..but it was empty juice carton's and normally the woods are the place for kids to go drinkin if they don't want caught by the Polis ..

Everyone on here has done it at some point ...

And the reason why we still enjoy goin out on our bikes because it helps retain era of our childhood .. Once you forget your childhood then you lose all meaning of life .

No person can honestly say on here they have never dropped or thrown an empty can / bottle away whilst out riding , to deny as such your a hypocrite and lieing to yourself

Buckle

colintrav wrote:

Everyone on here has done it at some point ...


No person can honestly say on here they have never dropped or thrown an empty can / bottle away whilst out riding , to deny as such your a hypocrite and lieing to yourself

I must beg to differ. I can honestly say that I have never thrown a bottle or can whilst out riding. I was brought up in the 70's when we had the Keep Britain Tidy campaign drummed into us at a very early age, and at a time when schools actually reinforced such campaigns and taught childen right from wrong. You can't tar everyone with the same brush just because you might have thrown a bottle or can at some stage in your riding life.

I know the lack of waste bins is a concern on the streets but obviously there aren't going to be (m)any on the trail. I don't know why some people think it's such a problem to just take their rubbish home with them. If you carried it to the trail why is it so hard to take it with you?

And, it's not just cyclists. I get so angry at the amount of scumbags that just throw their rubbish down in the streets nowadays, even when bins are nearby. I have to really bite my tongue when I see it otherwise I'd probably end up getting stabbed by these idiots.

The upshot is, as has been said on here many tmies, if people keep littering, the landowners and/or local authority will take whatever steps necessary to banish riding from our favourite places...