Things I have learned today

slojo

Never ride down a lane while they are cutting the hawthorn hedgerow.
After repairing the inevitable p*ncture, I looked up to find the lane was now carpeted in thorns, for about a mile in both directions.

phreak

I've had the same problem before. Certainly a pain in the proverbial.

Mog Uk

Them thorns are buggers to remove from the tyre. Had the same thing towards the back end of last summer, 3 p*nctures in as many weeks. Turned out to be 1 tiny thorn well and truly wedged in my tyre....!!

geoff_ss

I have been known to get off and carry my bike in similar circumstances. A mile is a bit far though. It's a requirement in law that hedge trimming should be swept up but I think it's mostly ignored.

Geoff

meagain

Hedging is a pain! Once rounded a corner and ... so many holes in both tyres that I wrote off a 50 quid pair of tubeless mtb boots in one go.

Nasty things, hawthorns!

guv001

I was very disappointed to get a puncture whilst out with my daughter due to thorns from hedge cutting, she also had a puncture. Not only that but so far I have had one go through the sole of my trainer and into my foot while out running, my other daughter had one go through her wellie while out walking and my dog has had one in the paw, so lots of victims so far. I might add that I see no effort towards cleaning up the mess.

knedlicky

Geoff_SS wrote:

A mile is a bit far though. It's a requirement in law that hedge trimming should be swept up but I think it's mostly ignored.

What’s the law regarding cutting a hedge in the first place?

On a busy two-lane road just into the country, along which I often ride to get further into the countryside, there is no pavement. A 10 ft high hawthorn hedge around farmers’ fields is planted about 3 ft from the curb but the hedge has grown so wide that it now extends more than 2 ft beyond the road curb and into the road for a length of half a mile. In order to escape it, I end up 5 ft from the curb so almost in the centre of the road lane. As consequence there are often hairy situations where drivers try to pass me despite a constant flow of traffic coming from the other direction.

Also, not exactly to do with cycling, but a couple of streets away from where my parents live, there’s a road with privet hedges in several front gardens and many of these extend 2 ft out over the 3’6” wide pavement, perhaps for a combined length of 100 ft. This makes life difficult for pedestrians when cars are parked hard against the curb, especially those with prams, pushchairs, walking aids and wheelchairs, who can’t get through the remaining 1’6” space.