Christmas bells on the High Peak

 More often than not we are so lucky with the weather for our monthly work days. This one was no exception either, for despite the temperature never getting very much above freezing we had mostly blue sunny skies.

Our task for this festive work day was to undertake a barrier audit along the entire length of NCR54 - the High Peak Trail. It is almost 20 kms from Parsley Hay to Middleton Top and I didn't really think that we could get it completed in the time available. How wrong I was!!

With a covering of snow across the track and some in the fields as well it was not a day to be standing around for too long. We had a fantastic turnout of ranger volunteers again this year; its amazing what effect Catherine's baking has on attendances!

So, we split into two teams with Maldwyn the App supremo for Team A and me fumbling on the key pad with my cold fingers for Team B. David & Catherine together with Clare assisted Maldwyn, whilst I had able support from David S, Andrew and Peter. The idea was that each team would work independently and leapfrog past the other to the next barrier on the track. The trail was alive to the thwang of retractable tape measures whizzing between gate posts and across multiple bollard gaps! It was a great system and we made extremely good progress. The barrier auditing app is quite easy to use, although up on the High Peak GPS reception is not always as good as it might be to precisely locate where the barrier actually is on the electronic map. 

After our coffee stop we had a long section without barriers and we were all able to ride and chat together. Clare and I were lucky to be passing a spot as a large Kite swooped along the trail towards us in pursuit of a crow. There are not many kites sighted up in the Peaks, although I have seen a few more this year than last, and to see one that close to, really is quite unusual. 

Eventually we did have victims falling foul of the weather. Maldwyn on his Brompton had a lot of difficulty with snow clogging up the gears and he had to be helped back to Parsley Hay. Meanwhile David S had a tyre problem; not a puncture exactly but a complete fracturing of the valve. It was no wonder the pumpp wasn't managing to blow it up. 

Knock, knock

Who's there?

How many men does it take to change a tyre?

It took us quite a while to get it sorted but even so we arrived bang on time at The Waterloo, Biggin for our well deserved Christmas lunch. The pub wasn't quite the warm, atmospheric place I had hoped for, but  the food was hot and the beer pretty good. 

Final mention to the most intrepid members of our group. Whilst David and Catherine had the not so enviable prospect of riding back down into Hartington and then back hope to Warslow, Clare had an even more daunting prospect of riding back up to NCR54, then along to Earl Sterndale, over Staker Hill and on into Buxton to catch a train home. Even in good conditions that is quite a ride, but setting off at 3:45 on a Friday afternoon, with the gloom descending, temperatures falling and a headwind growing stronger it was an incredible act of dedication to the cause. To her immense credit she made it (easily??) with two minutes to spare and then went on to enjoy a party night out in Manchester. Wow!!

Thanks to all for making it such a successful day. Looking back we have had another successful year. Look forward to seeing you all in January, if you can make it. Shall we say Friday 6 January?

Foray into the Duke of Portland's estate

 Once again our work day was lucky enough to coincide with lovely sunny weather and an almost cloudless blue sky. The task was to check and upgrade the signage along NCR 648, a little known, or promoted, route from Shirebrook into the heart of Sherwood Forest. Although this is outside our usual Peak District territory, we were very happy to help Maldwyn who has just been assigned responsibility for this route. The basic signage was obviously put in place a long time ago but the route has been a little neglected in recent years, with no ranger group seemingly taking responsibility for it. 

Sustrans regional Operations Director, Joss Winter, has confirmed this remains an important link route and was keen for us to check the signage and clear any overgrown vegetation that had encroached on to the track. This task was right up our street and we were joined by Matt Connley, special projects Officer at Bolsover District Council, who wanted to see how such a group of volunteer rangers like ourselves might be used to support a wider network of cycling tracks and routes in the Bolsover area. 

The first pleasant surprise was that the car park adjacent to Shirebrook station is "free"! The station is situated on the Robin Hood line linking Worksop to Nottingham and so the station would make a great starting point for anyone wanting to use a mix of cycling and trains for a day out. Matt tells me that he is compiling a number of rides for each of the stations along the Robin Hood line, all of different lengths and difficulty. They will be listed on the Robin Hood line website that will appear later in the year.

NCN 648 starts adjacent to the station car park and so all we had to do was put a few stickers on posts so that those arriving by train could clearly see where the cycle route starts officially. An old disused branch line runs away from the station in a north easterly direction along a nicely paved, but littered track. Almost every sign needed to be replaced but the new red "648" signs certainly gave the tired signage a real facelift. 

      

We very soon broke clear of the cool of the railway cutting and into open countryside. The first challenge of the day was to put in some additional, new signage at a major track intersection where it would have previously been unclear to anyone who didn't know the route as to which way to go. We had to repeat this process a few times until we emerged from a lovely section through lightly forested area and onto the rather unpleasant B6031 leading into Church Warsop. 

Here we were presented with a bigger challenge. A metal fingerpost had been trapped in 10-15 years' worth of blackthorn and bramble growth. I was hesitant about takling the thick branches with just secateurs, but then remembered David S and his mighty blade that ate through them with consumate ease. 

 

Needless to say the fingerpost was duly emancipated from its thorny bodyguard so that everyone can now see where the route turns into the countryside from the roadside track. The cycle route runs alongside the B6031 for about 3/4 mile until it reaches the edge of the village and then crosses over onto a track through recently cut cornfields. There was more vegetation to clear that was hiding signs as we entered the Warsop Carrs but, once done, our reward was a break at Stella's mobile coffee van. The Carrs are a delightful spot alongside the lovely clear River Meden; we could almost imagine being alongside the Cam in Cambridge!

The Meden secondary school  is located in Church Warsop and so NCR648 would make a good link for those travelling from Shirebrook to it. Once on the other side of the school, and leaving the village behind us the route heads for the edge of Sherwood forest country park. By now we had completely exhausted Maldwyn's (usually ample) supply of red "648" stickers , but we could at least put in place the blue background boards with directional arrows on them to help cyclists navigate safely into the forest. MAldwyn will go back at a later date to put of the red numbers, once he has got some more. Within a mile of entering the forest the route comes to an end as it joins NCR 6: from here there are options of following the network north to Sheffield, or south to Nottingham. 

NCR is not a long route, just about 8.5kms, but it is a nice ride providing a good link from the network of Derbyshire's Phoenix trails into Nottinghamshire's Sherwood and Clumber forests. Our morning's work has definitely refreshed it. There is a lot of background work being done with the development of cycling routes in the NE quadrant of the county. This route is definitely an important cross-county link. 

With the work done we continued our biking on to the visitor centre in Clumber Park for lunch. Matt offered to take us back on a different route, and we accepted. Although not on NCR routes, our afternoon ride was along reasonably sound forest tracks, through the forest and then onto the edge of the Welbeck Estate. Matt gave us a lot of useful background about the local area and its visitor attractions, as well as interesting tales about the Duke of Portland. Eventually we arrived at the Cresswell Craggs Visitor centre where David and Catherine kindly treated us all to a very welcome ice cream. Keen to show us one of Bolsover's top 3 attractions, Matt then took us past the Cresswell caves and into the "model" village of Cresswell. Sadly we didn't really get to see the iconic layout of the "model" miners' village as we bypassed a new housing development to get onto yet another of the cycling trails leading into Poulter Country park, and then back to Shirebrook station. A lovely round trip of 40kms. 

Thanks to Maldwyn for organising all the signage and for taking the trouble to recce the whole route in advance the previous weekend. above and beyond - well done Maldwyn. David S, David & Catherine and myself made up the rest of the team. 

Next workday is Wednesday 7 September when we will be mowing and raking at Rowsley sidings with Marion. Still looking for a volunteer to lead and organise the event for our October work day (provisionally set for Monday 3rd). Please let Peter know if you hope to attend the summer social on Sunday 24th september. I look forward to hearing all about it when we get back from our holiday. 

New Maintence obligations fulfilled (Temporary route NCN680, Rowsley)

 I have some rivetting photos for this month's work day blog, but you'll have to wait a while for them!!

David S and I made an early start this morning from his house, together with enough serious digging kit to suggest we were going to build a new section of route, not just repair part of an existing one. 

I haven't used my bike trailer for ages and I soon  realised that I have aged a bit since then, given the extra effort needed to get uphills was most noticeable. 

I know that we spend a lot of time on a small section of NCN680, especially in the region of Rowsley sidings but however hard we cut back that vegetation it just seems to grow and grow and grow. Although the gravel path is quite wide the vegetation is already starting to encroach into the middle again, and overhanging branches are hanging at cyclists' eye level. 

For a while I have been aware of serious issues with overhanging branches from the start of NCN 680 at the Arc in Matlock to the Peak Rail railway station. This is not generally a section that we maintain as part of Groundwork days and so today was a good opportunity to make a start. We were soon getting several "thanks" from grateful dog-walkers, which is nice, but you do wonder why they can't just take a pair of secateurs out with them once a week?

In an hour we had made quite an impact, but for fear of not completing the main task of the day, we left the bits around the Church Inn until later, if we had time! I bike this section of trail reasonably regularly but was quite amazed at just how much everything has grown over the last couple of weeks. 

NCN 680 currently ends in the old station car park in Rowsley, before starting again, a few further miles north at the Coombs Road viaduct, just outside Bakewell. The bit between these two points is one of the (three) missing links on the White Peak Loop. A couple of years ago we suggested to DCC a temporary alternative for the Rowsley missing link that took cyclists up Church Lane and then down a rough track onto Coombs Rd. It is not ideal but could be so much better than having to go on the A6. DCC agreed (eventually) and 2 years ago completely resurfaced the section from the top of Church Lane up to the top of the steepest section at the edge of the woods. This work cost £85,000 and DCC now has sufficient monies to complete the resurfacing through the woods, down Coombs Lane, past Coombs farm and emerge out at the viaduct. It will be brilliant when it is done and whilst we await signs of the permanent route through the grounds of Haddon Hall. They are hoping to get a design prepared over the summer and complete the work this year. (Given the delays with phase 1, don't hold your breath!)

We have now "proved" our vegetation chopping capability to Marion Farrell of Groundwork as a result of the work we have been doing with her over the past 4 or so years. She has confirmed to DCC that we would be a competent group to undertake maintenance on the refurbished sections of track between Rowsley and Bakewell. I walked the section that is already complete with a DCC engineer a couple of months ago and we now have a full schedule of review works to guide us in maintenance work. Completing that programme was our task today. 

Starting from the top of the climb we slowly worked our way back down the refurbished track, checking ingress and egress to buried drainage pipes were clear, raking loose stones away from gateways, creating new "grips" to encourage water flows off the track and into the ditches alongside, etc, etc. 

The track is already starting to show some signs of significant water damage at the lower end. We have put in quite a few new "grips" higher up and will hope that this stabilises the position when we get the next lot of heavy rains. 

On the way back to Matlock we had just about sufficient time to chop back the worst of the overhangs between the waste recycling base and the Church Inn, but much more time could be spent there. I am afraid that might make for quite a full work day in November when we do our Autumn tidy up with Marrion.

Next work days are scheduled for Friday 1 July and Monday 8 August. I am away at beginning of July and so would be grateful to have a volunteer to lead the day. In August we may be going out "east" to help Maldwyn. I recently discovered a fairly unkept NCN 648 and Maldwyn is looking into who is responsible for its upkeep. It links into his route 6 and so it may be appropriate for us to help refresh the signs. It is a lovely route. Peter has also found some new volunteer rangers who live out that way and it would be nice to work with them and help them find their feet with track maintenance and signage issues.

regards to all,

David

 

Northern climes and northern climbs

For our May workday we returned to part of the northern network within our region. It is quite a while since we last spent and time on parts of this loop. The rain stayed away but, as is so often the case up in Buxton, the tentative sunshine was outwitted by a cool wind and it remained a "coats on" day, ALL day.

David, Catherine and myself joined up with Peter and Jill at the cafe in Monyash to help celebrate the latter's wedding anniversary with coffees and some catch-up chat. We tore ourselves away eventually and crossed the limestone stone-walled lanes leading to Taddington. These lanes are not part of the Sustrans network but they do create a great link down to NCR 680 at Millers Dale station. The road from Blackwell down into the dale can be quite busy, but on this particular day we swooped around the bends to the bottom without seeing much traffic at all. It is quite a tortuous climb back the other way out of the dale, and the alternative bridleway is not in a good state and so presents its own safety problems for cyclists. 

Safely down to Millers Dale station we parted company with Peter and Jill who were continuing their celebrations at Hassop station. The rest of us climbed up to Wormhill, gave our respects as we passed the memorial to James Brindley, and then up to the top of the hill at Hargatewall before the long descent down to Great Rocks junction. It is a steep climb up past the entrance to the Tarmac quarry and the heavy traffic using this road remains the reason why neither Sustrans nor DCC are happy to approve this as an alternative, temporary route into Buxton whilst we await completion of the planned route from the end of NCR680 (currently at Wye Dale) up Woo Dale to Swallowfield Road. 

Construction work has started at the far end of the golf course. It looks as though there are going to be some new houses and I understand that a new roundabout may be being built also on the A6. I will continue to keep an eye  on what is happening. 

The signage we put previously in place leading out of the station is still all there but as we got further into route 68 through the town centre we found many of the signs had faded badly and needed replacing. 

Eat at No5 is my favourite cafe in Buxton (located at Fiveways) and provided a good place to get our sandwiches for lunch. The route out of Buxton along the A515 has never been ideal, but I suspect it will be many years before alternatives will be approved. I do know there are cycling groups in Buxton working on it. We found a small lane off the A515 and although it didn't have benches we could sit on to eat our lunch, it did offer an unexpected cut through to the road up to Harpur Hill.

DCC have asked me if we will undertake maintenance responsibility for drainage system on Staker Hill. As well as replacing faded signs we looked at the existing drainage channels as we plodded up the hill, but we will need to wait until the DCC engineer is available to show us precisely what is required.

The views from Staker Hill over Buxton are always fabulous and I love the dramatic change in landscape as you descend down to Earl Sterndale. Sadly there are signs outside the Quiet Woman pub which say it is closed indefinitely. No indications at all that it will re-open any time soon. From here only a short ride back to Monyash.

Turned out to be a great days ride of just over 41kms, 790 mtrs of ascent and a lot of faded signs replaced.

Next work day will be Monday 6 June 2022. Hoping that Clare can organise something even further north. 

Wet Daffodils and Curlews ride

As remembered by Catherine; 

A grey, damp morning to start off from Waterhouses Station Car Park but greeted by smiles from all; Brian, Maldwyn, David and David S. 

A warm up of a hill to start on NCN 549 towards Uttoxeter. The signage seemed in good condition throughout the day and the only debate was at Norrbury Junction where the sign has been recently draped in new cables. As it was on a telegraph pole we decided to leave it for another day. Passing through Rocester we went by JCB headquarters passing some of the products lined up ready for dispatch. We met up with Peter and Gill at the Denstone Farm Cafe for an excellent lunch and chat. 

Due to the the possible mud on the Churnet Valley Trail we took the tarmac option for our return. We stopped for a peek at one of the JCB properties squeezing through a hidden snicket (it is a public footpath) at the magnificent Wooton Lodge (Pevsner says it’s the finest house in Staffordshire) attributed to Robert Smythson, built between 1580 and 1611. As a joke it was suggested a good venue for our summer social? We continued on past a series of lakes up to Farley village hearing screams from the rides at Alton Towers. Onwards up the Cotton valley we continued past the derelict Cotton College and over the historic incline plane up to the highest point of the ride at 360 meters. From there a long downhill past Cauldon Low quarry and back to the start. Total 37k. Signage work 0. 

Well done team!!

Job's a good 'un

 The recent storms and high rain falls caused the river level in Matlock to rise incredibly. Some shops, houses and businesses in the town centre were affected quite badly, but so too were sections of NCR 680 near to the Arc.

A couple of smaller trees had blown across the trail and a lot of devris had been deposited along the edges. When you look from the trail to where the river level now is, it is quite incredible to think the waters could rise so high!

Although the damage and debris were not stopping users from passing along the trail, there were several places where it was causing a real inconvenience. With DCC rangers off sick it was unlikely that any clearance would take place in the short term. As I was due to be away, David S volunteered to go and do as much as he could on an unscheduled work day.

Some of the debris alongside the track, before David's clearance work.

... and after

I am not sure how many people passed along the track whilst David was there, but I hope that at least some of them recognised the work he was doing and give him a big thumbs up. Job's a good 'un. Thank you David. 

Watery spring sunshine in the border lands

 This month's workday focussed on checking signage along sections of routes NCR68 and NCR549. However, with reports that trees had fallen across sections of the Tissington trail north of Ashbourne we went prepared for a major clearing operation. 

Sadly my toolkit for major works was not required and came all 44 kms and 800mtrs of ascent, just for the ride! 

It was lovely to see Peter and Jill in the car park at Ashbourne before we set off, and to hear how they are finally recovering from their severe bout of long-Covid. Hopefully they will be back with us at our next work day. 

David, Catherine Brian and myself set off north along NCR68 up to the car park at Tissington for a coffee and a warm up. The edges of the trail are littered with trees that have fallen, but they have all been sawn up, presumably by rangers, and my bow saw stayed firmly in the pannier! Catherine and I rode ahead up the trail and were lucky enough to have, first of all, a large buzzard fly only a few metres ahead us and then, what we think was a sparrowhawk. A lovely brush with the natural world on a cold, grey morning.

The coffee at Tissington station was most welcome, but with a cold wind blowing it was not appropriate to hang around for any longer than was necessary. We carried on up the trail to Alsopp en le dale where we veered off down to Dovedale and the lovely ride on the Staffordshire side of the river up to Milldale, and then on to Wetton. 

We have stopped at the church tearooms in Litton before, but today we had the chance to have our lunch there (cash only). Very pleasant. After a big lunch the most appropriate way to go was down! It is a long way down from Wetton to Weags Bridge on the Manifold Trail (NCR549) but by the time we started to bike along the valley bottom a very watery, feint sunshine was peeping through grey clouds. I have never seen so much water in the River Hams; for much of the year the water disappears underground. Again, a lot of felled tres alongside the trail but not sure whether this was part of a grand regeneration project, or clearance of storm debris.

It is such a delightful ride along the Manifold trail and at Waterhouses there is the added attraction of watching the woolley pigs rooting around happily in knee-deep mud. 

We finished our ride by leaving NCR549 and heading back to Ashbourne via the lovely settlements of Calton, Throwley, Ilam, Blore and Mapleton. Water in the Manifold  still very high but just a few signs that Spring is just around the corner. 

We had a short detour into the very simple church at Blore, where David showed us the incredible sculpture that lies within it; we are not sure where all the hands went to. Brian ended up walking back the last 1/2 mile to the car park with a puncture but otherwise a great end to a lovely ride. All the signage seemed to be in pretty good order and so it was not a particularly onerous day work wise!

Low in numbers but high in achievement!

 It was unfortunate that, having already had to cancel the post-Christmas work day in January because of illnesses, etc, it proved difficult to muster a good compliment of volunteers for our February event. The original date was postponed because of the inability to get a quorem but then ironically even less volunteers were available for the revised date last Monday, 7 February! However, what we lacked in numbers we made up for with the amount we achieved in an extended session.

The February workday was once again centred around the corridor at Rowsley sidings. Marion from Groundwork was keen, as ever to get essential chopping back done before we are precluded from doing such work by the nesting birds. The session was focussed on a southern section of Rte 680 near the Peak Rail station that we haven't worked on for a couple of years. 

It was also an important session as we had the possibility of being joined by the new regional Sustrans Operations Manager, Jos Winter who is based in Matlock as well as two of the DCC officers who look after trails and cycleways across the county. In the end Jos was unable to join us on the day and only Carol PArsons from DCC could come along to see the work we have been doing in this area. she was very complimentary of our efforts and is going to look further at our suggestion of making picnic areas along the route corridor through the woods. she also updated us on the position ref the boardwalk section. The entire length is due to be replaced imminently with a structure that is more robust and fit for purpose than the existing one. Unfortunately she hasn't found one that can self clear itself of leaves and so that will remain an annual task!

Brian and myself were the only members of our Ranger group who were able to make it to the workday, but we were joined by Chris Allen who leads the Chesterfield Ranger group and who wanted to come and see the sort of activities we are involved with. His enthusiasm matches that of our own David S in terms of wanting to take on the clearing of trees that Marion though beyond our capability. Chris has a lot of experience of working within Sustrans and alongside ranger groups in DCC. He will be a valuable contact for us in the future and he is very keen to work with us. 

Once again we had a fabulos day and the trail was very busy with walkers, cyclists and joggers. Marion managed to recruit another volunteer to help maintain the section and so we look forward to meeting her next time we are on site, in the Autumn. 

I think we just about complete all the work that Marion had hoped to do on the day, including the trimming back of a particularly wild willow tree. 

Next work day will be Friday 4 March when I think we should visit a more central location. Details to follow later unless anyone has more specific thoughts on an area where specific works are required.

Happy cycling!