A merry Christmas to all our members and all our readers!

As we come once again to the end of another year of rangering for Sustrans, I would like to thank you all for the hard work you have put in. As in previous years, most of our efforts this year have been expended in signing our trails, something about which we need to be always vigilant in order to provide clear directions to the public, as well as being a constant reminder that these routes form part of a much bigger network. It is expected that new stretches of multi-user path, at Staker Hill near Buxton and between Matlock and Rowsley will be added to the network in the near future and that these too will require our attention. 2015 has seen the organizing of a programme of led rides for the public which we hope will come to fruition in the new year; a number of our members have been trained as ride leaders by Sustrans. We have welcomed this year a new Volunteer Project Officer, Dan Robertson, with whom we have met a number of times. Dan is very energetic and pro-active, and we all look forward to working with him in 2016. I hope you all have a well deserved break from rangering this Xmas holiday, and I look forward to seeing you all at the next 'workday' on Thursday 31 December, which - weather allowing - will probably consist of a ride and a visit to a pub. (BTW, I'm always looking for a snowy cycling picture when it comes to Xmas! This one was taken in the Grin Low car park early in 2013, under the auspices of the Erewash Valley Sustrans Rangers and before I officially took over this group from Jeremy. But I'm running out of such pictures - maybe it will snow a week next Thursday!) 

Workday on the Tissington Trail

Robin and I checked the signage, and renewed where necessary, on the Tissington Trail yesterday. Making our way from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay, we found no other problems on the trail. This was our first workday on the new schedule of last Thursday in the month. At the same time, David and Catherine did their Level 2 Ride Leader training in Nottingham. We now have seven accredited ride leaders for public rides. The next workday will be Thursday 31 December, New Year's Eve. I think maybe a pub is called for...

Sustrans takes a prize in the European Greenways Awards 2015

The European Greenways Awards were announced last month, and Sustrans has taken second prize in the Exemplary Initiatives category for its Greener Greenways project. Click here for a link to an article on the Sustrans website, and here for the European Greenways Association website. The prizes are awarded every two years. This year's ceremony was held in Namur, Belgium. 

Amusing video from 1951

Click here to see "Pram Car" on Pathe News. I wonder what the cost of this was back then (in relative terms). Maybe that's the reason it never caught on!

Work-morning dates fixed into 2016

After carrying out a survey of people's preferences, it seems that the most popular day for our regular work-mornings is Thursday. I propose therefore the last Thursday in every month, which gives the following dates.

For 2015: 26 Nov, 31 Dec; for 2016: 28 Jan, 25 Feb, 31 Mar, 28 Apr, 26 May, 30 Jun, 28 Jul, 25 Aug, 29 Sep, 27 Oct, 24 Nov, 29 Dec. We should use these dates for signing and other work, social rides (for our group - not the public) and for various training sessions, such as ride leader training. 
Generally expect that a work morning will last from 10:00 to 13:00, although these might change in function of a long ride to the venue or a long job! It may also be the case that from time to time we will have to cancel a workday, if for example the weather is bad or we simply having nothing planned! Remember, we now have twelve sessions in the year, which is already more than we have had per year over the last two years! 
Could you look out for problems of signage or other matters in your immediate area (or elsewhere on our patch) and let me know what you think needs sorting, please. The main signing jobs have been done now, so look out for torn, worn, missing or vandalized patches; also places where "this way to" or route numbers in brackets would be an improvement. Also, consider this: signage may be very good once you are on a route, but what if you are not? How do you get onto it? Where are the signs which tell you which way to go? Lastly, think about where we could put up destination patches. These can be ordered from Bristol, but more of that later.
Note that rides for the public, a programme of which we are still trying to get off the ground for 2016, will not fall within these dates, but are likely to be on Sundays, or maybe in the evenings. 

White Peak Loop: an update

It seems that the A6 bridge will not be built in the near future, out of the Department of Transport money which was awarded to the Pedal Peak Phase II project in 2013. However, work on the sections of proposed trail from Matlock to Rowsley has already begun. I had a look today at the footpath between Church Lane, Darley Dale, and the Peal Rail car park at Rowsley South station, and took a few photos. The surface of this path is in a variety of states of redevelopment at the moment, as you can see. We have been told that work on the whole stretch should be finished by March 2016. After that, we can think about signing it! (National Route 680)

Route 680)

FAMILY RIDE FROM CARSINGTON WATER SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER 2015

As a celebration of 20 years of the National Cycle Network, there will be a ride for families starting at Carsington Water at 11 am till about 3 pm, led by our group. There will be a lunch break at a suitable venue. The ride will include at least one of our local traffic-free trails in the Peak District, as well as some quiet roads, and will take in some breathtaking Derbyshire scenery. Meet at 10:45 am for a prompt start at 11:00 outside the Carsington Water Visitor Center and finish back at Carsington around 15:00 or earlier. Please come along and give it your support!