New long distance Cycle UK route in Wales - Traws Eryri

[labrat]

We live not far from the PBW and the section between Gisburn and Long Preston is little used even by the horse riders - lack of parking. livery and other facilities is one reason I've been told. For bikers it's probably that the section is lowland and gets overgrown very easily unlike the Pennine area to the south and the Dales to the north - it's more pleasant just to stick to the roads for that bit. TBH I don't see much evidence of equestrian use on the section to the south either, again there's not much in the way of facilities. A bit of a Catch-22 situation methinks.

The Second City Divide route has "plugged the gap" between the Eden Valley and Kielder so unless they are desperate to do something new then much has been done.

I had a long meeting just this week with the (now long retired) woman who spent 11 years researching and negotiating PBW for countryside commission, so I have a real insight into which compromises were made

one of the interesting points is that one about lack of facilities - they were told to keep it separate from Pennine Way and I think it’s clear that was an error in places, and something we’ve learned in the work I’ve been doing with NE on the coast to coast NT riders route options - we set out in our recommendations to keep it as close as possible (less-so in Lake District due to the severity of the high fells) and use the same towns along the route in order to ensure there are adequate accommodation facilities along the route, we’ve also identified three potential 150 mile circular KAW style routes (one in each of the three National Parks) that we think would offer a more practical offering, linked together by the national trail routes.

PBW proposed Northern extension route has some real unresolved issues - nearly 25 years after being authorised, it’s still not been started, and little progress has been made (Lambley viaduct for example). We know which bits would (should) have been proposed but were blocked by, now long-gone, objectors and agencies who now perhaps have more of an enlightened view of public access. Health and safety on the other hand hasn’t gone away and the likelihood of horse access alongside the sections of heritage railway look even more unlikely now - there are some possibilities that could solve this though, and there’s even a possible route that would see over 75% of the extension on disused railway lines (Eg. A Potential reopening of border counties line all the way from Hexham to Kielder and on to Hawick, which would be stunning) - so, a long road ahead, again all dependent on what approach the next government takes.

[Dave Barter]

thanks labrat for the insights there, interesting to hear what goes into making things happen, all the best for its success

cheers,

Keith

Seconded. Really insightful and I’m so grateful for the people who deal with all the paperwork and politics.

[trob6]

Well I rode this last weekend, well almost this the route we had was slighty different in a couple of places.
I did it with 2 mates that had never been bike packing before so lent one of them a bike and both if them a load of bags etc, both of them where quite nervous about the whole thing but I said it's just riding a bike.
We left Mac on Friday night with a plan to do 10km then find some woods but came across a campsite which appealed to my friends greatly so we went there, we stayed on a campsite on Saturday night too.
The route was extremely good and all ridable apart from one bit that had some nice long draggy grass on.
We did it in 2 days without to much drama and my friends are now talking about the next trip, I did warn them it is slighty addictive!
I think if it gets people out it's a good thing and it's added 2 to that list already.
The veiw over Barmouth was particularly brilliant.
Tim.

[jameso]

The bigger picture in all this is, of course, access - seven years ago (as a volunteer at that point) I set out on a plan to try and soften the image of mountain biking (&/or off-road cycling) that came across to politicians & other groups when access was discussed - because what I was hearing then was still extremely negative - and I paint this in a light of over twenty years of advocacy. Prior to Foot & Mouth we were hated, after that things improved a lot, but the growth of unauthorised trailbuilding and red-bull/monster, hardcore rad to the X-treme image of MTB was really causing increasing problems and resistance, particularly from equestrians and from land managers like natural england - work like ‘be nice say hi’ (not all us, but we dragged British horse society into it), plus the routes work has created an image that’s far more ‘ramblers on wheels’ and ‘adventure not adrenaline’ and the economic arguments of, for example, politicians seeing routes like this as supporting local businesses and contributing to the rural economy makes improved access for MTB look a bit more like an opportunity than a threat (and I assure you it really was seen as that for a long time) and demonstrates that routes can be used as a way to promote and manage users rather than trying to just ban them.

Here's to this, thanks and keep up the good work

[arkay]

I'm just a grumpy, cynical auld feck though.

I'm trying not to be ...... it's hard

There are plenty of riders who have very little idea/skill/confidence in route planning

This is the trouble. No one is born with the ability to do this, it's something which needs a little practice and in reality it's not that difficult but can be quite rewarding.

The problem is that however much you love spending an evening with an armful of OS maps and a highlighter (or the digital equivalent thereof), if it's an area you don't know then the bridleway that looked like a lovely reward for slogging up a hill can all too often turn out to be an impenetrable thicket of brambles and nettles that last saw a bike when neon Lycra and big bar ends were a thing*. At least if it's a "proper route" then you hope it is at least mostly rideable and does see some MTB traffic. But hopefully not too much traffic - that's the hard part.

* they may well be a thing again - check Instagram for updates

[Blackhound]

I have a friend over from the USA tomorrow. On Wednesday, probably, we are heading to do most of the Trans Cambrian and the Traws Eryri. Bus replacement to Knighton so we will get a train to Newtown and head South to join the route.
North of CyB my knowledge is very limited so hoping the route gives us some nice tracks.

[riderdown]

[flyingpig]

I'm just a grumpy, cynical auld feck though.

I'm trying not to be ...... it's hard

There are plenty of riders who have very little idea/skill/confidence in route planning

This is the trouble. No one is born with the ability to do this, it's something which needs a little practice and in reality it's not that difficult but can be quite rewarding.

The problem is that however much you love spending an evening with an armful of OS maps and a highlighter (or the digital equivalent thereof), if it's an area you don't know then the bridleway that looked like a lovely reward for slogging up a hill can all too often turn out to be an impenetrable thicket of brambles and nettles that last saw a bike when neon Lycra and big bar ends were a thing*. At least if it's a "proper route" then you hope it is at least mostly rideable and does see some MTB traffic. But hopefully not too much traffic - that's the hard part.

* they may well be a thing again - check Instagram for updates

I like to cut out the hard work in that and rely on Stuart to provide that experience once a year