Find out what Ride Holme has been up to…
Cut Gate Project
Why has the Cut Gate bridleway attracted the attention of the BMC Mend Our Mountains campaign?
Overlooking Cranberry Clough
Think of high mountain passes in the UK and your thoughts may automatically bring up images of the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands or Snowdonia in Wales.
But to me, Cut Gate is the Peak District's very own mountain pass. It links Howden Reservoir in the Derwent Valley to Langsett Reservoir, via isolated valleys and open moorland.
Leaving the very end of Howden Reservoir by the picnic and wild swimming spot of Slippery Stones, the trail steepens as you begin the climb out of the valley.
Your effort doesn't go unrewarded and as the trail relents, the views behind open up and that feeling of being in true wilderness takes hold. The only reminder of human contact is the flagstones that line the climb up to Margery Hill. Reaching the top of the climb there is a large stone cairn and the views all around are magnificent.
It’s proper edge of the world stuff.
The descent off the other side down towards Langsett reservoir is a mix of bed rock, crushed stone and flagged paths all of which blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, with only a few exceptions.
The Bogs of Doom
The BOGS OF DOOM are two short areas on what is a classic trail for all user groups (walkers, fell runners, horse riders and mountain bikers). These two sections of deep bog make it difficult to pass in all but the driest of summers or coldest of winters, when the ground is either baked hard (a rare occurrence) or frozen solid.
One of the ‘Bogs of Doom’
Well, plans are afoot to bring an end to having to negotiate these areas.
Two of the country's leading Mountain Bike Advocacy Groups (Ride Sheffield and Peak District MTB) along with @KeeperofthePeak have got together. Working with the Peak District National Park and Moors for the Future, they have come up with a plan.
This has since been picked up by the British Mountaineering Council who saw it as such a worthy cause that they included it in their national 'Mend our Mountains’ campaign.
When the work is done, not only will it mean a better experience for all users but more importantly it will protect what is a fragile landscape by creating a distinct and lasting single path line to help the surrounding vegetation to recover.
To see the type of work which could be undertaken, Moors for the Future carried out some regeneration work at Cutthroat Bridge and Whinstone Lee Tor recently which you can see here.
Due to the isolated nature of the Cut Gate Bogs of Doom, it is going to cost an estimated £75,000 to carry out the work and this is where we come in. By clicking on the this link, you can donate directly to the campaign. Alternatively, you could set up a fundraiser to help raise funds for this worthwhile cause.
Although the campaign was originally the brainchild of mountain bikers, it really is intended to bring all user groups together in a project which will benefit everyone. So whether you're a walker, fell runner, horse rider or mountain biker, show that you care for the landscape we all call our playground and get on board.
Then, in the near future, you can be one of the people at the top of Cut Gate, feeling a sense of pride that you've done your bit to protect this fragile planet.
Mickleden Edge above Langsett reservoir
What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us
What benefits do advocacy groups bring to mountain bikers?
Advocacy groups seem to be a bit of a buzz word in mountain biking at the moment.
But who are they and what have they ever done for us?
You're maybe new to the sport or a seasoned veteran, riding the trails with absolutely no idea that there are people out there getting together on a regular basis holding meetings and organising maintenance crews to work on your behalf.
So to coin the phrase from Monty Python.
What Have Advocacy Groups Ever Done For Us?
Better Access:
Did you know that some of the access we currently enjoy is down to the work of these groups?
While you're out happily riding the trails, advocacy members are meeting with landowners, land managers and National Park Authorities.
These meetings go a long way to show the powers that be that we are a responsible group of individuals. This has a knock on effect of opening more trails in the future.
Trail Maintenance:
Groups regularly organise dig days, to help maintain the trails we ride.
Working closely with the National Park Rangers, Landowners and the associated authorities, maintenance schedules are drawn up and managed correctly.
Only then can an army of volunteers be called upon and work begin.
Work ranges from simply kicking out blocked drainage ditches (something that they encourage us to do if we pass a drain that is blocked) to unearthing and rebuilding drains and taming boggy sections of track. This helps to reaffirm lines that have grown wide due to people (walkers and bikers alike) avoiding the bogs.
Not only do they help maintain the trails but they also act as a voice of reason when trail maintenance is being taken too far by the local authorities.
But there's a catch
All this great work could all be in vain, due in part to the behaviour of a few bad apples.
Riding illegally on footpaths, unsanctioned trail creation and riding trails closed for maintenance doesn't go unnoticed by the powers that be and user groups who still see mountain bikers as a menace.
It's this kind of "I'll ride where I want" attitude that could easily jeopardise the opening up of more trails and could see recently gained access withdrawn in future.
It's not just mountain bikers
Climbers are coming under the spot light for all the wrong reasons at the moment.
This month's issue of Summit magazine (the BMC's publication) is full of articles and news on how to behave when outdoors.
Complaints from landowners include....
Walking on top of dry stone walls to avoid mud on the approach paths
Inconsiderate parking
Littering
Toilet habits
The over use of chalk
and something new to me, night time bouldering by lantern light
Behaving in this way, no matter how few are doing it, is likely to result in the landowner refusing access. I'm not even talking small out of the way crags, but major well known iconic venues.
Luckily climbers have the British Mountaineering Council on their side, a massive organisation with full time access and conservation staff as well as regional groups of volunteers all working on behalf of climbers and hillwalkers.
As mountain bikers, we don't have anything like the BMC to support our access rights. What we do have are local well organised groups of bikers, all working voluntarily on our behalf.
Advocacy groups Ride Sheffield and Peak District MTB have grabbed The BMC’s attention with a campaign to restore/repair a section of the well known Cut Gate bridleway.
The BMC have even taken up the baton and added the work to their Mend Our Mountains campaign, aiming to raise enough money to help rid Cut Gate of the ‘Bog of Doom’ (or the Notorious B.O.G.) which will hopefully see this iconic trail become rideable most of the year and not just the few dry weeks we get during a good summer.
So if you've read this far and want to know more check out the links below:
If you're reading this and you have a local advocacy group with a website which you would like adding to the list, please let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading and happy riding.