May showers and downpours

 For our May workday we had identified the need for a little bit of path and vegetation clearing on the approach to Carsington Water. The Severn Trent Ranger Group helped us out with this a couple of years ago and really cut back the trees on either side of the cycle track (NCR547). However, as they had grown back a bit since then, a little fine pruning was considered necessary.

As the route maintenance was never going to take up a full day of resource time, we decided to cycle a loop around the central White Peak area and carry out a signage check (despite the fact that some of these sections are to be ultimately reclassified or removed). So, we parked at Tissington station and, in now familiar fashion started the day off with a chat, a catch up and a coffee. Suitably prepared for the day we set off north up NCR68 as far as Biggin. We always comment on the fact that the Tissington trail is deceptively steep going north, and quite hard work, especially on the more "open" sections when the wind is quite strong. I don't know if staff at Parsley Hay warn people about this, as I am sure  some bike hirers will be blissfully unaware of what the return leg has in store as they fly down to Ashbourne!

From Biggin we used NCR548 to cut across to NCR54 and the High Peak trail. Another section we checked only 2 years ago, but already some of the signs had become faded and we were soon into full swing and replacing them. 

The lane leading away from the main road was riddled with puddles and I can't help but wonder whether the Sustrans Regional Network Development managers will want to reclassify or remove this section, all the way through to the Minninglow car park. It is far from ideal, but yet it creates such a wonderful link between the Tissington to High Peak trails. We'll keep it hidden from them for s long as we can. 

Rather than continue along NCR548 to the Minninglow car park we decided instead to use the shorter link track down to NCR54 as I don't remember us going down there recently. The signage was all fine and we carried on along the High Peak trail to the bottom of Hopton incline. Thus far the rain was holding off and it would not have been possible to not take in the beauty of this landscape that we are so lucky to live in. 

After postponing a group summiting of the Minninglow hilltop, we veered off NCR54 onto NCR547 and then down into Carsington. We were certainly testing the adequacy of our stock of red route number stickers! Just as we decided to stop for our lunch the first of the May showers came and having bravely tried to sit it out, we were eventually forced to take cover under one of the bird hides. 

Duly refreshed, and a little wetter, we sped around the rest of the reservoir and exited the Severn Trent boundary via the track running alongside the road. We have looked at the poor state of this section before and it is definitely not getting any better. There are deep ruts and one particularly bad, narrow, blind bend. Restorative work is now beyond our capability I fear, and some significant effort and resource will be required to get it back into good condition. I fear this is a section of NCR547 to be removed from the Network and so Sustrans are unlikely to want to commit any funding towards its repair. I will contact DCC again about the condition as it really is in a dangerous condition. I suspect it is quite well used given the number of campsites there now are in that area.

Anyway, onwards we rode further up the hill to tackle the overhanging brambles and undergrowth. What we found was quite surprising in that it seems as though somebody had beaten us to it! The main hazards both Peter and I had each spotted a few weeks back had disappeared, and so we had even less work to do than I thought we would have. Still, we smartened up even more.

Now doesn't that look good?

The section of NCR547 through Bradbourne to Tissington is definitely a bit that is destined for reclassification, if not removal, but again it is such a lovely ride and a wonderful, essential link between other routes within the White Peak. None of us dare brave the Tissington ford that was running high after all the recent heavy rains, but I think that was as much because of the dark clouds that were gathering and ready to break at any time.

Just as we got back to the cars they did and we all had an extremely wet journey home!

Well done everyone - another productive work day. Next one is Friday 4 June. 

Spring is sprung; lockdown is being unlocked

 For the first work day this year we returned to NCR 549 at Hulme End to finish the work we started at the end of the last lockdown in November. Quel surprise! 

David and Catherine have spent a lot of time badgering Staffs County Council to cut the vegetation at the side of the track, but they had done nothing. Until that is, our efforts in November came to their attention and they were finally embarassed enough to get a tractor with a flailer and do the whole length of the Manifold. They have done a great job, which saved us having to spend further time here.

So, we set off along NCR549 down the Manifold to Weag's bridge where we assessed the lack of signage caused by a deliberate act of vandalism. We then enjoyed a great ride up the hill to the lovely village of Wetton before traversing across the hilltop and dropping down into Berresford Dale, via Narrow Dale. Catherine, David, David and myself contemplated forming a consortium to buy and rennovate two wonderful old, derelict farms half way down Narrow Dale .... but then we remembered we had urgent work to do on the steep approach into Berresford Dale. 

Berresford Dale is such a magical place and it must be one of the most scenic stretches of Sustran's routes in the whole country!  Our task today was to reduce the overhanging vegetation that lines the difficult track into the dale. We were undertaking this work with the full authorisation of both DCC and Peak Park Rangers - so it had to be right.

The before....

                                           and the after...

                                                                 

But we haven't finished yet... its a long hill

     

You can see all the way down now!!

Having done everything we wanted to do, it was then just a question of cycling the short distance back to the cafe at Hulme End for a cup of tea, then home!

Well done everyone. Great job, really well done and a good bike ride to boot as well. Thanks

The days when we could only get together via Zoom

 In the future we will look back and laugh about how, once upon a time, we were restricted in meeting together for work days, and instead we sat at home with our coffees, looking at each other on a computer screen . 

Thanks Peter for the image. 

What a fantastic turnout today on our February Zoom call. Just about everyone who regularly attended our work days in 2019 dialled in. I think we have a brilliant group of Volunteer Rangers for the Peak District region . We can confidently say that within our group we have actiive representatives in the far north, up to Whaley Bridge, and the far south down to Ashbourne, and beyond. 

I like the idea of a work day along the Cromford canal, taking in a clamber to the top of Scarthin Rock and a view across to Willersley Castle. Thank you Clyde for making us aware of the resurfaced track by the church. 

If anyone gets the chance to try the new link from Rowsley to Bakewell, via Coombs Road I'll be interested to hear what you think. Once it is resurfaced I think we can put up some suitable (temporary route) signage up . I think we know this is just a temporary alternative until the Haddon Tunnels are re-opened but, despite the hill up Church Lane it  is a great link between Rowsley and Bakewell that avoids the treacherous A6. Now we can start to put pressure on to find a temporary link from Wye Dale to Buxton. 

I have sent separately a link to the new Draft Derbushire Cycle Map. 

Cleaning the boardwalk

 Last Monday was the time set for the, now annual event of cleaning the boardwalk at Rowsley sidings on NCN 680. Strictly observing Government guidelines, Catherine, David (S) , Peter and I gathered under the watchful eye of the Groundwork co-ordinator, Marion Farrell, on a typically damp autumnal day. Clyde also joined us at the outset but unfortunately soon received a call to return home, and so his stay was brief on this occasion. There is still plenty to do down there in the New Year!

We knew that this section of track was certainly ready for its annual clean. 

At this time of the year the leaves become very wet and "mushy", making for quite an unpleasant experience when walking or cycling through them. The lack of frost this year helped considerably with removing them off the plastic slats of the boardwalk. 

We had all bought with us shovels and brushes, but Peter had the perfect implement for mass movement of leaves. His plastic grass rake was simply built for the job.

We all worked very hard for an hour and a bit before stopping for the customary coffee break. There were plenty of well-wishers passing by as we worked. Almost without exception they stopped to let us know what a fantastic job they thought we were doing. It certainly adds to the total satisfaction of what we are doing when people take the time to thank us for doing it. I think our small team was so well into the rythym of leaf shifting, that we reached the end of the boardwalk all too quickly. We hadn't even done a full 3 hour stint by the time we had walked back to the cars!

Now, doesn't that look smart?

I have sent around our provisional dates for 2021 workdays, as well as the group's 2021 Operational Plan. They are both "drafts", and so if you want to have input into them, then please let me know. 

Thursday 17th @ 1800 is our Christmas get-together. Look forward to seeing everyone at the Zoom call then. If you can't make it, may I wish you a very Merry Christmas now and I look forward to seeing you all in 2021.

Lock-down work day (take 2)

What a joy to be out in the Autumn sunshine, and doing what we Rangers do best! That is, making the National Cycle Network a better place for all users to enjoy. And, do you know what? We had so many positive comments this morning from cyclists, walkers, pram pushers and even ( I would like to think) a couple of the dogs who passed by us during our work day. No hint of complaint, or challenge about why we were there. Just sheer unadulterated praise for what we were doing.

David and Catherine had spotted this opportunity for us to attack on NCN 549, just a short way down the Manifold Trail from the very highly recommended Tea Junction and visitor centre. Excellent coffees. 

The problem was that, before we got started the trail had shrunk to a very narrow width as trackside vegetation encroaches over the path towards the middle. There were also a lot of nasty overhangs. It all amounted to a section of "blind" bends with very little room for manoevre, should anything be coming the other way. Definitely dangerous, especially if people were travelling too fast. This track is very popular with multi-users including walkers, cyclists and horses who of course all travel at different speeds. The decreased width of track was undoubtedly causing problems. 

With the Covid restrictions foremost in our pre-work day Risk Assessment, we were all very well disciplined about keeping a social distance from each other, as we spread out along the 80 metre problem section. we all bought our own tools and very soon had really good lines of sight through, what had only a short time before been quite dense undergrowth. Marion of Groundwork has taught us well about dealing with vegetation that is out of control, and how to leave the spoils of our labours tidily. She would have been proud of what we achieved today.

Clare is the latest recruit into our team and had travelled all the way down from Whaley Bridge to join us. I think she was as impressed as I was to see what the 6 of us managed to achieve in just over 2 hours. She muttered something about Plymouth rangers being a bit wary of overgrown brambles; I think that is what it was! She seemed to like our style anyway.

We decided that, rather than have too much of a good thing all at once, we would come back to this site in the New Year for part 2 of the work. As you can see from the photo below, the tarmac track extends to where Catherine is standing and shovels are required to push back the edge by about 2ft along the entire section. There is also an old tree to chop out and remove, so definitely enough work to keep an industrious and eager group of rangers going for another couple of hours.

With the sun still shining we returned to the car park for our (socially distanced) lunch before setting off on our bikes, back towards Hartington on the NCN 549. David showed us where the existing route down to the bridge in Berresford Dale is to be changed, so that it uses a less unsuitable bridleway. Then on into Hartington and out towards Sheen, before cutting across to the delightful settlement at Brund, before heading back to our cars at Hulme End.

A fantastic day out, lots achieved and a warm inner glow from all the (virtual of course) pats on the back from trail users who obviously appreciated what we were doing. Well done and thanks to everyone. Next work day is Monday 7 December when we will be returning to Rowsley for the final time this year. 

 

Break out from lock down

 Well, we have finally broken free of lock-down restrictions and resumed our work-day activities .. at least in a very limited and controlled way.

On Monday 19 October myself, David S, Catherine and Peter joined up with Marion Farrell of Groundwork to attack overgrown vegetation alongside NCN 680 to the south of Rowsley station. I had noted the expanding vegetation was becoming a nuisance when we cycled by a few weeks ago and this seemed like a good opportunity to start cutting it back.

Marion provided all the equipment, as well as strong messages about social distancing, which meant that we could only ever get close up to the unwanted, encroaching and overhanging vegetation; not each other. Marion even felt that supplying and distributing the normal chocolate hob nobs was off limits, but fortunately Catherine had thought of a way to keep the team happy, and still staying within the new rules.

We didn't entirely clear the entire section in 3 hours, but we did make a significant difference and even received several verbal "thank yous" from passing cyclists. There is a bit more to do, which we will try to fit in to an additional work day on Monday 7 December.

Our next work day is scheduled for Friday 6 November. We are planning to make it a work day with cycle ride and it will be centred around Hartington/Manifold Valley area. Full details to follow in due course but we will aim to look at a couple of problems reported on NCN 549 in Berresford Dale, before moving on to tackle a couple of sections of Manifold Track, where overhanging vegetation is particularly bad and Staffordshire Council are not addressing the issues.

In other areas of interest, I am delighted to report that the much awaited improvement scheme to the track from Rowsley to Coombs Road is scheduled to take place through latter part of October and into November. This will create a temporary alternative link to one of the missing parts of the White Peak loop. Really looking forward to see what that will look like.

If you are planning to join in the work day on 6 November please do let me know in advance so that we can make sure the appropriate risk assessment is put into place.

Carsington and beyond - March workday

The intention for this work day was to simply ride the entire length of NCR 547 and check the signage, condition of track, etc. So efficiently did David & Catherine, new member of the group, Peter and myself complete this task that we decided to extend the ride along the High Peak trail and make the day into a really good circuit.

Minor signage issues were dealt with and old faded signs replaced. As efficient as ever, Catherine had cleaning materials to "spring clean" one or two of the route signs that looked as though they could do with one

Peter showed his ability as the new group photographer and the picture above clearly shows the value of Catherine's spring cleaning efforts.

NCR547 is a delightful route from Tissington across to the High Peak Trail via Bradbourne, Carsington and Hopton. Last year we had problems with vegetation on the short section between the B5035 leading down towards the STWA Visitor centre but we managed to arrange for SWTA rangers to undertake the major works required to clear it. The tyre marks through the mud suggest it is now well used, but some trimming back will be required again in the Autumn and so I will put onto our work plan.

The section a bit further down, literally just before the cycle track enters the STWA estate, has deteriorated as can be seen in the photo below. It certainly doesn't make the track unuseable, but care would be required if used by unconfident or vulnerable cyclists. I will try to see if we can get the STWA Rangers to help us repair it as some specialist input will be required to ensure the same problem doesn't occur as soon as we get the next rainstorm!

We coffee'd at the visitor centre (now a customary feature of work days) and then set off around the (very) full reservoir to leave the circuit track and head off into Carsington. This is a difficult junction and one that I know is concerning the Sustrans quality and safety guardians. We added a few more signs, just to make sure everyone knows where they are meant to be going.

Before we knew it we had reached the High Peak trail (NCR54) and it wasn't even lunchtime. Up on this exposed track it was pretty raw in the wind and so good speed made up the incline and on to Minninglow. (The temporary bridge at Grangemill is supposed to be replaced later this year, I read today. That will undoubtedly cause some disruption for cyclists and so we will need to keep an eye open for precisely when those works are due to take place?

From Minninglow David R suggested a cross-country route back to the Tissington trail via Parwich. I can't believe it but I don't think I have ever been to Parwich and Alsop en le Dale before. Both are delightful and the green in Parwich made a delightful (if not cold) place to eat our sandwiches. It was a great "short-cut" and David even had the solution for getting us safely across the A515 and back on to the trail. It did involve a short section of footpath but as we were pushing, not cycling I think we can be forgiven?

With the threatening rain clouds finally depositing their contents on us we enjoyed the slight downhill gradient along the trail, back to the cars in Tissington.

Another really useful day with plenty achieved.

Next workday will be on Friday April 3rd. Although David and Catherine keep that route in very good order it seems like quite  along time since we had a work day ride in that area. Therefore, that is where we will be heading!