New Cycling Uk route

[woodsmith]

This popped up on instagram the other day,not officially launched yet but a quick search on RWGPS turned up the route.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/press-release ... -announced

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40632853

[Boab]

Interesting... Especially as I've cycled bits of it more than once this year and at least one wee section isn't a ̶c̶y̶c̶l̶i̶s̶t̶'̶s̶ right of way and has private farm access only signs up. Might have to make enquiries.

[woodsmith]

Interesting... Especially as I've cycled bits of it more than once this year and at least one wee section isn't a ̶c̶y̶c̶l̶i̶s̶t̶'̶s̶ right of way and has private farm access only signs up. Might have to make enquiries.

No guarantee that this wil be the final route published but the first GPX for the Kernow way which I did a couple of days after its official release were an utter dog's abortion.

[Boab]

This is the bit I mean - https://youtu.be/jn2riSyC9hE I'll be looking at the official GPX with some interest. Assuming this one is an trace of someone's ride, as I can't figure out why you want to loop through King's Lynn like that, nor can I think why you'd want to cycle through Swaffham* when there's nicer RoW around it.

How long till someone smooshes this and The East Anglian Way together into a mega loop...












* If you've ever driven through Swaffham at the weekend or on a bank holiday on your way to the coast, you'll know why you'd want to avoid it.

[woodsmith]

This is the bit I mean - https://youtu.be/jn2riSyC9hE I'll be looking at the official GPX with some interest. Assuming this one is an trace of someone's ride, as I can't figure out why you want to loop through King's Lynn like that, nor can I think why you'd want to cycle through Swaffham* when there's nicer RoW around it.

How long till someone smooshes this and The East Anglian Way together into a mega loop...


* If you've ever driven through Swaffham at the weekend or on a bank holiday on your way to the coast, you'll know why you'd want to avoid it.

Interesting. There's nothing on the Definitive Map http://maps.norfolk.gov.uk/highways/ . The orange arrow makes it look like its being used for some event maybe. Perhaps Cycling Uk are just throwing people into conflict as they have done on a few bits of the West Kernow Way.
There's far too many of this Private Road signs on ROW.

[Cheeky Monkey]

The private road / no access signs are a common "trick". Whilst true it is referring to motor vehicle access and not the rights of walkers or other rights of passage.

Or so I am lead to believe.

Whether it applies in this case I do not know.

[Lazarus]

Yes its just a legal way of making it sound like you cannot go there. It is a private road but its also/still a PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY

[sean_iow]

The ridewithgps link says 79% paved but 2 of the 3 pictures show riders off-road. On that link there's less than 30 miles off-road so somewhat misleading? *

If that's the final route is definitely aimed at gravel riders.

* I've no idea what the area is like, maybe that's all the off-road there is?

[Bearbonesnorm]

The problem I have with including tracks with signs such as these, is the potential for conflict. Rightly or wrongly (as is the case) the type of people who generally erect such signs don't want people using their track, so sending people along it is likely to produce said conflict. The riders in most cases will be unaware of the potential, no doubt believing that the world is quite happy. No one wins ultimately.

[sean_iow]

The other side of the coin is we have these locally and they are just to discourage people driving up them and when I go through the farmyard I get a cheery wave. Sometimes it is just that the track ONLY goes to the farm/house and they are tired of idiots in cars driving along them to park up 'in the countryside' or because it looks like it might go somewhere on their sat-nav.

Hopefully the route planner knows the track in question and the attitude of the land-owner.

[whitestone]

The problem I have with including tracks with signs such as these, is the potential for conflict. Rightly or wrongly (as is the case) the type of people who generally erect such signs don't want people using their track, so sending people along it is likely to produce said conflict. The riders in most cases will be unaware of the potential, no doubt believing that the world is quite happy. No one wins ultimately.

Really the above signs should state "Footpath/bridleway only. No unauthorised motor vehicle access", i.e. be explicit and accurate as to the situation not what someone would like to happen.

My brother has some at the ends of the track through the farm. It's not a right of way (by any means) but on the map it shortcuts a loop of road and Sat-navs and the like would send folk through the farmyard. He's had two quad bikes nicked so farm/property security can be an issue especially with the prevalence of CCTV in towns and cities driving the criminals out into the countryside for easy pickings.

[jameso]

Hopefully the route planner knows the track in question and the attitude of the land-owner.

Probably. Past C UK routes have gone into a fair bit of detail on that aspect.

Rightly or wrongly (as is the case) the type of people who generally erect such signs don't want people using their track, so sending people along it is likely to produce said conflict. The riders in most cases will be unaware of the potential, no doubt believing that the world is quite happy.

I could say people should have a scan through a route before riding it, random download or C UK official route - though I know roughly what you'd say in return : )

[woodsmith]

The ridewithgps link says 79% paved but 2 of the 3 pictures show riders off-road. On that link there's less than 30 miles off-road so somewhat misleading? *

If that's the final route is definitely aimed at gravel riders.

* I've no idea what the area is like, maybe that's all the off-road there is?

A common thread with all their off road routes. The WKW is only about 30% off road yet most of the pics are off road. Similarly the Great North Trail has lots of pics of riding along High Cup Nic which the trail doesn't currently pass. I understand that they're trying to get access over the road down past Cow Green to the BW but presentley its a bit misleading.

[Lazarus]

people who generally erect such signs don't want people using their track, so sending people along it is likely to produce said conflict

1. What they want is irrelevant as they should not have bought a house with a PROW
2. Not using PROWS because the folk near them are angry and shouty seems to be entirely punishing the wrong people.
3. People who incite conflict, when folk do legal things they dont like, dont have the law on their side and should not be accommodated, they should be challenged, discouraged and educated as to the law.

[Bearbonesnorm]

1. What they want is irrelevant as they should not have bought a house with a PROW
2. Not using PROWS because the folk near them are angry and shouty seems to be entirely punishing the wrong people.
3. People who incite conflict, when folk do legal things they dont like, dont have the law on their side and should not be accommodated, they should be challenged, discouraged and educated as to the law.

I agree John but many people will simply follow a route expecting a pleasant ride. Perhaps they're looking to escape the aggro and grief of life for a day or two? What really should happen, is any potential 'hot spots' be sorted prior to releasing a route ... not something that always happens.

[jameso]

A common thread with all their off road routes.

KAW is a good route that felt like a fair mix of road and off-road. I rode a rigid 29er on it and didn't feel short-changed.

[woodsmith]

A common thread with all their off road routes.

KAW is a good route that felt like a fair mix of road and off-road. I rode a rigid 29er on it and didn't feel short-changed.

Indeed. I'm a great fan of the KAW. I was really refering to the publicity shots which they chose which emphasize the off-road part.

[jameso]

^ Ah ok, sorry, thought you meant the high road % point.

A nice lane looks as inviting as a good trail to me, but these days I expect light off road terrain gets more attention.

[Boab]

I'd planned on riding The East Anglian Way at the weekend just gone, but injuries from the crash the other week put pay to that. As the ferries don't run over the winter, I'll be looking to do this route at some point over the winter. Having ridden some of the off road, I think I maybe glad of lots of tarmac...

[Cheeky Monkey]

.....

A nice lane looks as inviting as a good trail to me, but these days I expect light off road terrain gets more attention.

All to fit in with the gravel-adventure-bike-mini-adventure marketing innit

[jameso]

.....

A nice lane looks as inviting as a good trail to me, but these days I expect light off road terrain gets more attention.

All to fit in with the gravel-adventure-bike-mini-adventure marketing innit

Car-free riding that isn't all Xtreme enduro shredding has wide appeal. Almost as if the bike industry got it more wrong than right with road and MTB marketing for so long

[psling]

Car-free riding that isn't all Xtreme enduro shredding has wide appeal. Almost as if the bike industry got it more wrong than right with road and MTB marketing for so long

It would be interesting to see figures for UK bike sales broken down by type over the last three years.
The planets have certainly aligned for gravel bikes; a developing genre and then the 'shutdown phenomenon micro-adventure' thing comes along with a whole group of new or reborn riders able to purchase a more-comfortable-looking-than-road-bike road bike much suited to the poorly surfaced lanes and byways of our islands, the very lanes appearing in all the new guides. Chicken or egg...?
Having said that, from a purely personal observation in my neck of the woods, e-bikes seem to have been selling very well, particularly full-suspension MTB e-bikes. They seem to be making a real buzz around here....

[jameso]

It would be interesting to see figures for UK bike sales broken down by type over the last three years.

Unf. there's not much good data on this, not at national level anyway. The UK bike trade body collates sales info but there's provisos on how it's shown that mean you need to interpret it via some industry knowledge or opinions. ie it's always a bit of a guess. imho gravel bikes sell well because road bikes are really 'road race' bikes, and the less busy roads in the UK are often poorly surfaced. Road riding isn't just club roadie culture anymore and off-roading isn't just where the mainstream image of MTB is now. The middle ground is getting wider.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I rarely see what would perhaps be considered a 'mountain bike' these days and I reckon that's largely because I don't venture into the 'MTB Ghettos' that are trail centres and bike parks. If I do see one in its natural habitat it tends to be in a led or organised group or 'flock'

What I do see is lots of gravel bikes and flat bar variants.

[PaulB2]

If gravel bikes were 90s mountain bikes, will the next big thing be the ATB, ie a rigid mountain bike with XC/non LLS geometry?