The Bog of Cannock Dog

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Comments

  • Biffz0id
    Biffz0id Posts: 123
    I rode it the other day. I'd just got back from 2 weeks in eygpt so didn't really appreciate the level of snow. But it was awful. I'm personally of the opinion that -

    1. People should just leave it alone for a bit.

    2. If more people paid the £15 a year it would go along way. I know it's a voluntary thing and not everyone can afford it but I think it's the only way to keep improving and maintaining them for those that live too far away to help on the build days.
  • Pipster3
    Pipster3 Posts: 82
    All you Trail builders out there I feel for you guys ...

    Unfortunately without out a serious cash injection its only possibly to make trails which will change with the seasons when its wet lots of mud and dry lots of dust and couple of months in between when the trails will be at there best....

    Having worked in the construction industry all my life and now I run a small ground works setup ...we do a lot of land drainage and equestrian arenas and gallops ....I know a lot about getting the best out off bad ground ...

    Here's a very rough idea of the costs to dig out and stone up a 100m x1m singletrack path ...

    Around the Cannock area the best quality stone is recycled rail ballast its Granite and you can get it crushed to a 60mm down to dust grade...A 20ton load will cost say £17.50 a ton you looking at around £400 a load ...

    How far will it go just times length x width depth so 100m x1m x 100mm = 10cubic metres to get tonnage x by 2 for a rough idea = 20 tonne...
    so your 20ton of stone at best will stone up only 100m of track :cry: that's not allowing for soft spots deepenings which will swallow up more stone...On top of that plant hire minimum a Mini digger £150 a day with driver and say a 1 ton dumper £50 ... :cry:

    So with just a straight forward bit of single track without the added trouble of access into the really awkward wooded sections ...

    You can easy spend £600 to £700 and have very little for your money ...these guys who build the trails out of what the Chase has to offer deserve some real respect thanks guys keep up the good work ...
  • rybu
    rybu Posts: 84
    i travelled an hour and half to ride the trail (my nearest one) a week and a half ago.

    I deliberatelychecked the different 'chase' related sites and couldnt find any mention of the bog which i found.

    the problem being once you've started then found out the goings soft to mush and got messed up you may as well continue.

    IF i had found a posting or notice online such as:

    DONT GO, ITS LIKE A BOG " or "TRAIL OUT OF ORDER DUE TO POOR CONDITION", "TRAIL BEING RESTED"

    then

    I wouldnt of gone - NO PROBLEMS and road some local bridleways.

    Maybe the trail could be better managed by Forestry and updated on its condition???

    I do think the trail builders deserve a mention as it is a fantastic trail, maybe why it gets so much use?

    Ryan
  • lexinoo
    lexinoo Posts: 132
    Should have looked on here then eh. :wink:
  • mossmotorsport
    mossmotorsport Posts: 356
    lexinoo wrote:
    Should have looked on here then eh. :wink:

    Exactly - which is why I created a thread called Cannock Chase Conditions over a week ago so users (thanks Blitz) could keep us updated :-D
    Specialized FSR XC Expert 2010
  • rybu
    rybu Posts: 84
    Should of and did, the posting didnt exist at that time :cry:
  • lexinoo
    lexinoo Posts: 132
    Nevermind,if you need updates in the future and theres nothing on here try
    www.bikeadventuresuk.com and look in the cross country section on the forum.Theres a thread about cannock trail conditions on there that is usually updated regular.
  • mossmotorsport
    mossmotorsport Posts: 356
    rybu wrote:
    should have and did, the posting didnt exist at that time :cry:

    The other Cannock posted was created on the 11th - hey ho - everyone knows where to stay updated now :)
    Specialized FSR XC Expert 2010
  • slimboyjim
    slimboyjim Posts: 367
    I was up there the other day and, yes, it's a bit of a mess at the moment. I just did the upper and lower cliff sections though...

    I would like to offer some defence to the people riding it though -
    1) there's nothing to advise or recommend that the trail shouldn't be ridden. Had there been one I'd have avoided it.
    2) lots of us don't know the damage they are causing - I certainly didn't before reading this.
    3) its all well and good to say just go and explore but when you are travelling a long distance it is nice to have that guarantee that you will ride something fun. I've spent hours up there and found nothing much which can be a big disappointment after a 90min round trip. Yes I understand why unofficial trails remain secret it is not always a fun day exploring and clearly I need to look in other areas ;) . Not so bad if you are local, but potentially very disappointing to anyone travelling distance.

    Regarding the first two points I'm sure a little bit of communication would work wonders as people do love the trail and appreciate the work the builders do. Regarding the third I'm resigned to the fact that I'll have to get off my arse and explore more!
  • slimboyjim
    slimboyjim Posts: 367
    Feeling a bit guilty at riding the trails now!

    I've decided to put some money down and join ChaseTrails but there's no way to do it on the website - just says to check back soon. Any of the CT members know when this will be or is it best to just pop into Swinnertons?

    Would love to help on a dig day but shift work and family prevent this - sorry!


    James

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