Richard G wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:29 am
I was really hoping for a couple of days of good weather before my attempt, but it seems like it just can't stop raining. I really wish I could find another way to fit it in other than doing it this week.
Oh well, I guess I'll be getting the full on bogmarch experience like the other riders that have done it.
Wouldn’t worry about it rich my dreams of blue sky’s and crisp frosty ground are exactly that bloody dreams , can guarantee there’ll be a proper storm rolling in for 28th/29th and then blue skies , that’s if I’m even allowed out of th West Midlands the way the rules keep changing , I’m wondering if my letters to allow travel for work would pass if it does get that bad would just have to say the company is initiating a green approach to hgv breakdowns and all my tools and parts are in the frame bag
middleagedmadness wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 9:08 am
Wouldn’t worry about it rich my dreams of blue sky’s and crisp frosty ground are exactly that bloody dreams , can guarantee there’ll be a proper storm rolling in for 28th/29th and then blue skies , that’s if I’m even allowed out of th West Midlands the way the rules keep changing , I’m wondering if my letters to allow travel for work would pass if it does get that bad would just have to say the company is initiating a green approach to hgv breakdowns and all my tools and parts are in the frame bag
I hesitate to say it, but this Friday / Saturday looks perfect... for someone else (as I'm away). At the moment it's a solid three days without rain before it.
Charliecres wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 10:20 am
I’m aiming to head for Hay on Friday evening and start Saturday morning. All my digits are crossed.
300 this year?
Unrelated, I've suddenly got a dilemma. My front brake has miraculously come back to life... and it's better than I ever remember it being. The question now is do I swap it (and risk screwing up that process), or do I leave it on and risk it coming back?
I'm assuming the seals just needed some fresh oil and a bit of time to soak it up... but I just don't know which way to go. I'm thinking I might go out tomorrow for 20 mins to put a bit of heat through it.
slarge wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2020 9:13 pm
So, I had a bit of a run in with a farmer on Friday on the 300 route (shared with the 200 in this area). I accidentally carried on the track and into the farmyard, where I was met with "WTF do you think you're doing" shouted from the other end of the barns. We had a bit of an exchange, and he clearly believes that Wales is still locked down and no one else should be there.
So, as a heads up, the farm is 12.4km after Kington, and is called Dreavour Farm. You'll know you are coming to it as the gates are tied up with orange baling twine.
The bridleway turns left through a gate before the farm, and goes up to a gate in front of the house. The bridleway marker roundel is pretty well destroyed so you almost certainly won't see it! Don't go through the farmyard as he's a bit of a shouty angry man! There are 3-4 dogs that will have a good bark at you.
It might be worth being (patronisingly) nice to him
Good luck, and apologies if you get a load of crap from him because of me (I hate rude obnoxious people).
Yes, this spot was a pain the arse. I must have been lucky and didn't see the farmer, but I did hear the dogs barking. I happened to go right around house rather than left, where I found four consecutive gates, some of which I had to lift over. I would advise on the detour which I believe has now been sent out.
Well that's my window of opportunity somewhere between shrunk right down to completely ducked. Need to self isolate for 14 days, just come back from taking hubby for his covid test as he has developed mild symptoms
Mike wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2020 7:48 pm seems to be alot of bloody grumpy farmers in this part of Wales so maybe we best get back up north next yr stu, as iv never had a farmer moan up your way... maybe its coz its closer to the borders and they are trying to keep us out
Feel like I want to defend the Radnor farmers just a little bit here... Completely agree about the ROW thing of course. But I guess most walkers/cyclists probably do tend to pass through in daylight hours. And I know there has been a spate of thefts/burglaries around there recently, a colleague of mine had thousands of pounds worth of stuff stolen, and gates left open in the process and sheep escaped onto the hills...Just saying
Mike wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2020 7:48 pm seems to be alot of bloody grumpy farmers in this part of Wales so maybe we best get back up north next yr stu, as iv never had a farmer moan up your way... maybe its coz its closer to the borders and they are trying to keep us out
Feel like I want to defend the Radnor farmers just a little bit here... Completely agree about the ROW thing of course. But I guess most walkers/cyclists probably do tend to pass through in daylight hours. And I know there has been a spate of thefts/burglaries around there recently, a colleague of mine had thousands of pounds worth of stuff stolen, and gates left open in the process and sheep escaped onto the hills...Just saying
Indeed that is crap but there is a funny old mindset amongst some folks (some of them being farmers) that the RoW network closes after the sun goes down ;-) As well, once you've actually seen a rider there's little chance of thinking they're your average tool / quad / sheep stealing twonk.
Mike wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2020 7:48 pm seems to be alot of bloody grumpy farmers in this part of Wales so maybe we best get back up north next yr stu, as iv never had a farmer moan up your way... maybe its coz its closer to the borders and they are trying to keep us out
Feel like I want to defend the Radnor farmers just a little bit here... Completely agree about the ROW thing of course. But I guess most walkers/cyclists probably do tend to pass through in daylight hours. And I know there has been a spate of thefts/burglaries around there recently, a colleague of mine had thousands of pounds worth of stuff stolen, and gates left open in the process and sheep escaped onto the hills...Just saying
I get this Verena, and if I farmed I would be really keen to make sure people closed gates and respected the countryside etc, but I think that when ROW gates are tied up with string, and ROW markers either removed, missing or damaged, there could be a lot more that (some) farmers can do (at very little cost) to help themselves. I do wonder whether there is a general feeling amongst some members of the farming community that they don't want people on their land - ROW or not.
Also I know that strange lights/clanging gates during the night is going to be very unsettling - I'm not sure how to avoid this. I know of lots of night races (trail running) that do this, the only thing we might want to do as a biking community is to make sure the NFU are aware of the route and warned that people coming through at night is a possibility. They can then inform their members who are on the route. I personally see ourselves as additional security - we're probably more likely to call the police if we see someone loading sheep into a trailer in the middle of the night than anyone else! I might be alone here though.
Steve, I think it's partly to do with it being something unusual. Round here the farmers are fairly used to seeing mountain bikers out at night so it's not really a problem. I suspect those around Stu are more aware/forgiving of innocent nocturnal activities. There'll always be exceptions of course. Last month I was riding on a footpath (dead end BW continues as FP to connect to road) and the farmer was there heading back to the gate. "Do you want it shutting?" "Aye lad, ta!" and that was it. He was more fussed about his neighbour who'd left it open!
Then you have the level of usage to contend with - if a BW gets very little traffic then there's not much incentive for farmers (or anyone) to ensure things are kept in order. If you only see half a dozen people on the path/track a year then seeing someone on your land in the middle of the night would get you worried.
The BW might pass through a gate that is of historical usage and never gets used now because of changes in either land ownership either side or general farming practice. If it doesn't get used why maintain it?
I've had the "why are you riding a bike at night?" conversation (not with a farmer) and it's so far outside their comprehension they assume it must be illegal. I counter it with - "people drive their cars at night" which really confuses them.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
Though, I am also in agreement with Steve that it's disappointing to see ROW gates permanently locked. I can understand the lack of incentive to maintain ROW which are not often used, but is that because they've been superceded with a better ROW or because there were too many gates and barking dogs, so people were deterred from using them?
Personally, I think the issue of locked gates or badly maintained track is generally down to a lack of use. Mid-wales doesn't see anywhere near the same number of visitors most parts of the UK does and people can be unaccustomed to visitors. However, that is no excuse to be rude or aggressive towards people who do happen to use them. By all means, ask people what they're doing and if you don't like the answer, go inside pull a face and stamp your feet but no one should ever try and deny access.
People talk about expanding the RoW network in Wales but until we can properly look after those we have, then there's probably little point.
Well string/baler twine has been used by farmers to tie up gates, whether on a ROW or not, for years. Using a padlock and chain or barbed wire twisted tight to prevent access is obviously illegal and should be reported.
ROWs within national parks tend to be maintained quite well, it's the areas outside those, particularly where there isn't much usage that suffer. Then you get the BWs/FPs that are just sweeping lines on the map and don't particularly follow anything on the ground so may not have gates on the "line" of the ROW.
Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry
Steve, I think it's partly to do with it being something unusual. Round here the farmers are fairly used to seeing mountain bikers out at night so it's not really a problem. I suspect those around Stu are more aware/forgiving of innocent nocturnal activities. There'll always be exceptions of course. Last month I was riding on a footpath (dead end BW continues as FP to connect to road) and the farmer was there heading back to the gate. "Do you want it shutting?" "Aye lad, ta!" and that was it. He was more fussed about his neighbour who'd left it open!
We have bridleways on our farm (whitestone you know where we are!) and get loads of night bike riders. It doesn't bother us at all. The thing is to try any avoid surprising people so don't make loads of noise but there again don't try and sneak through either. There again most people (including us) around the Dales have shotguns so not surprising people is probably wise!
Cheeky Monkey wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 5:32 pm
Is it a farmer's responsibility to maintain a ROW and/or it's furniture (i.e. gates, stiles etc)? I thought it was the local authority's.
IIRC a user is entitled to remove something that prevents their legitimate use of a RoW (e.g. a lock) without reference to anyone else.
I could be wrong on both of those and am happy to discuss.
It is definitely the landowners responsibility although some authorities (and Yorkshire Dales is really good at this) take on that task so they zoom out as soon as a problem is reported and put up a new gate for any farmer, provided it is on a RoW. The Dales has about 8 Rangers and about 20 operatives and that forms the vast majority of their work.
If you see a problem (a difficult or locked gate), report it to the Highway Authority (HA). They have an obligation to make sure it's rectified and will usually walk out and investigate. If you don't get any satisfaction you can serve a Section 56 notice on the HA. It is really easy to do. Once served, they will serve a notice on the landowner and ultimately it goes to the magistrates court. If they ignore those dudes then it's fines, etc that they are facing as well as court orders to fix it. It's a sledgehammer/crack/nut job but for a few it's the only way. Most people fix it as soon as the email goes to the HA RoW dept.
I'm hoping to ride the BB200 starting on Saturday 17th from Fforest Inn. It will be the first time in Wales since trailquesting in about 2001/2002 so a bit of a shock! Hopefully they have hardcored all those tracks and put in some good drainage and new gates on all those sunken wet bridleways that i remember from those days.
I'm not very fast at the best of times but just getting round is a primary aim.
People keep commenting on the state of where riders are progressing. Is that because they have loggers? i have put mine on SpotWalla but wasn't sure whether to put it on here. I've set it so people can't download the GPX of there etc.
People keep commenting on the state of where riders are progressing. Is that because they have loggers? i have put mine on SpotWalla but wasn't sure whether to put it on here. I've set it so people can't download the GPX of there etc.
I just had access to Steve's Spot Chris, hence the cryptic updates. Personally, I'd say don't make yours public.
ChrisE wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 6:27 pm
Hopefully they have hardcored all those tracks and put in some good drainage and new gates on all those sunken wet bridleways that i remember from those days.
Cheeky Monkey wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 5:32 pm
Is it a farmer's responsibility to maintain a ROW and/or it's furniture (i.e. gates, stiles etc)? I thought it was the local authority's.
IIRC a user is entitled to remove something that prevents their legitimate use of a RoW (e.g. a lock) without reference to anyone else.
I could be wrong on both of those and am happy to discuss.
It is the farmers responsibility to maintain stiles, gates etc, and the local authority to install fingerposts and arrows etc (and make sure the farmer does their bit).
Bob, I also completely agree that in areas of very low traffic, there is little incentive, for farmers to maintain gates etc, but they also need to be protecting their livestock and preventing escapes, injury etc etc - it would seem sensible to me to have well maintained fences, gates, hedges as it prevents problems later on. And yes, we are unusual!
