Wharncliffe Woods-Petition-*UPDATE*

sniper68

The trails in Wharncliffe Woods are being threatened with destruction by the Forestry Commission.These unofficial runs have been there 25 years but now the FC wants to get rid.
Petition here:-
https://www.change.org/p/forestry-commi ... en-gb%3Av6

It would be a travesty if the Wharny trails were no more!

slc123

I did see this over the weekend. Don't know the trails personally, but it happens a lot and really hacks me off when decent trails are obliterated. I've signed

sniper68

Thanks to all who signed but it wasn't to be:-

3 Nov 2018 —

Friends,

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank every one of you for your support. It has been incredibly touching to have had such an overwhelming response and response from the community. We have tried many attempts and offered various solutions in an attempt to hold off destructive works until we have had a meeting. I am sad to say however that our attempt has failed, the Forestry Commission have refused this and will be removing the trails very soon - within the week in all probability.

Reasons they cite are as follows:

safety and liability reasons
The trails were built against their wishes in an area they will not tolerate as it conflicts with their management plans.

Though the liability issues could have be addressed immediately and the management plan discussed in time upon meeting, also implied is that it would set a precedent that will have implications for them further down the road, which is an understandable position as a nationwide land manager looking at the broader picture, however strongly we disagree with the view.

Though these trails will be removed, the F.C. are open to discussion in the near future and to developing a positive relationship with the riders and builders of Wharncliffe. Wharncliffe has been a home to mountain biking for many years, and despite this setback it will most definitely continue to be. We are optimistic and will be working towards the future so keep an eye on progress as it comes.

Right now though, get out to the woods and enjoy them before they are gone!

Thank you again.

#WharncliffeForever

James Pettitt / P

steve_sordy

Sympathy to all those that supported and rode the off-piste stuff at Wharncliffe Woods. But It may not be as world-ending as you may think right now. I have been riding at Sherwood Pines for 10 years now and off-piste for over 6 years. There is an absolute maze of trails at Pines that link in with the World War One trenches, other defensive earth works of that era and other fun features. Twice in the last 6 years, major forest clearances have devastated the off-piste trails and subsequent access to the protected trenches. The FC have no obligation to support any off-piste trails, but I have found that they will do their best to avoid the worst of the damage if they can. After all, many of the FC staff are bikers too and ride the trails when they can.

After the last clearance where over 10,000 tons of wood was removed, I was appalled at what I found when they had finished. The harvesters had left huge and deep wheel tracks in the trails, all full of water. Many trails were unrideable. Mountains of tangled brash (unwanted branches) were scattered all over what was left, completely blocking access to all the places I wanted to go. Trails that I had ridden with great enjoyment were either destroyed or inaccessible. It was awful. But slowly, with the use of a folding saw and the efforts of many other off-piste enthusiasts, trails were cleared, and access was opened up. It wasn't the same, but it was just as good and a few places were better. Less than two years later and a newcomer can not tell that anything was ever amiss.

PS: Although they make the decisions, it is not actually the Forestry Commission that does the clearances. They are obligated to manage the nation's forests and to keep them healthy. They also have an obligation to make money from the woods which involves planting trees for later harvesting, managing the healthy growth and subsequently harvesting the wood for sale. They sub-contract the clearances by open tender. The winner has to achieve their objectives without excess damage and they must stick to specified access points and trails. The FC have no obligation to maintain off-piste trails for mtb. Many but not all forests have dedicated mtb trails (and other facilities) that the FC will install and maintain, for which a charge is levied. They have to at least break even. I know the FC guy at Pines and it is a constant struggle to get funds for trail maintenance, let alone development. I know that much of the actual work is done by the FC staff, because I have seen them at it many times.

sniper68

It's not the off-piste stuff Steve(of which there are miles) it's the actual DH runs AFAIK.Most of the old "Black" loop I used to ride in the 90s/00s is long gone/overgrown and the "Red",built with FC permission,is very short so I can't see it being them.The stuff in Greno Woods is safe I think.
The DH runs have been there 25+ years in one form or another and have constantly been repaired/updated by many a builder/volunteer over that time.The FC has always known about them.I find it strange that they now decide they must go.
It really is the end of an era for Sheffield MTBing

steve_sordy

That is very sad. Did they ever give a reason other than "safety and liability"? Which to me is one of catch all reasons that is trotted out when companies can't reveal (or think of) the real reason.

Maybe a review has revealed their vulnerability in this area and the legal types have recommended this action. Once the recommendation is made, it would take a brave person to go against it in case something lands on their doorstep in the future.

cavemud

The trails were built without permission, as indicated in FC's response above, but they have known about them - hence tolerated their use - for 25 years???

If the above is correct, then surely by law a public right of way has been generated?

As anybody looked into this angle?

sniper68

Over 25 years.Peaty has been riding them that long.The trouble is they are steep DH runs not exactly paths or ROWs as such.I’m sure the legality has been thoroughly looked into.
According to a mate one of the runs(Fast track) has already had bits ripped up....and it’s already been rebuilt
The strange thing is unless you’re a biker you wouldn’t know they’re there!You can actually ride along the path where they start and not realise they are there!

Long_Time_Lurker

My wife is 'one of those legal types'. (Booooooo! Hiss!)
Showed this to her and she reckons that this sort of thing occurs after a safety issue has been raised to the local council (or in this case the FC) - usually once they get sued when someone has fallen off their bike, got injured and then gone to their insurer.
The other alternative is that there have been a number of complaints from people in the area.

thistle_

Sniper68 wrote:

The strange thing is unless you’re a biker you wouldn’t know they’re there!You can actually ride along the path where they start and not realise they are there!

I'm a biker and I rode along the cycle route through there a couple of months ago and didn't see them. It looked like the place where there would be stuff like that - I wish I'd known because it would've been a more fun ride than the one I did!

sniper68

Long Time Lurker wrote:

The other alternative is that there have been a number of complaints from people in the area.

There's been an on-going row for years with the two local Equestrian Centres.The DH runs all finish on a Fire-road that is now part of the Trans-Pennine Trail.The TPT isn't the only route through the woods though but it has become an issue over the last 10 or 15 years

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

Sniper68 wrote:

The strange thing is unless you’re a biker you wouldn’t know they’re there!You can actually ride along the path where they start and not realise they are there!

I'm a biker and I rode along the cycle route through there a couple of months ago and didn't see them. It looked like the place where there would be stuff like that - I wish I'd known because it would've been a more fun ride than the one I did!

If you ride the main TPT route from the Top Car park at Grenoside and head towards Oxspring/Penistone you ride past the bottom of the runs.There's also some (very old) Northshore stuff just off the TPT.

Long_Time_Lurker

Sniper68 wrote:

There's been an on-going row for years with the two local Equestrian Centres.The DH runs all finish on a Fire-road that is now part of the Trans-Pennine Trail.The TPT isn't the only route through the woods though but it has become an issue over the last 10 or 15 years

That is a problem that I suspect that you won't win - you can't compete against local businesses (and the general public tend to like horses and dislike cyclists).
Unless you can create a small group to represent you all and seek arbitration with the Equestrian Centres (but if this has been going on for over 10 years, I suspect that window of opportunity has long-gone.)