Having dug out my waterproof boots for a stroll up the hill, a couple of days ago, I put them on again this morning for a stroll through the lower reaches of the region. Even there, however, there was still evidence of the husbandry that is required in the countryside from time to time.
Here, for example, is a rather nice picture of the early stages of re-cycling dead wood I saw as I approached the foot of the valley.
A little further on, as I turned off a stretch of 'proper' road, I had to negotiate a rather well-built wooden stile...
Closer examination of the photo (above) reveals another stile a few yards further along the footpath. In fact, in addition to a couple of pretty tricky wooden footbridges to cross, there were two or three more stiles to negotiate before reaching the end of this particular footpath.
One might have thought, therefore, that these obstacles would discourage most responsible bikers from cycling along a clearly marked footpath. After all, in addition to the usual 'footpath' signpost, there was also another sign (see below) to indicate its status......
Unfortunately, however, as I have discovered of the past year or so, it seems that there are some within the biking community who consider themselves to be 'above the law'. Why on earth anyone in their right mind would decide to ignore the requests to use the bridleway is beyond reasonable understanding.
Furthermore, lifting the bikes over the stiles couldn't have been that easy and having to pedal through what was little more than a wet and muddy field (see below) just doesn't make sense.
For whatever reason, however, I saw clear evidence that cyclists had been using this footpath. Even at the top end of it, in addition to more requests to use the bridleway, there was an equally formidable stile to negotiate....
I can't imagine why bikers could be so stupid (or perverse) to ignore requests to keep to properly constructed footpaths and bridleways. The fact remains, however, that far too many do. Perhaps, they should consider becoming involved with those who purport to represent the more responsible mountain-bikers within the region. It has been said that their behaviour is beyond reproach - mind you, it was one of their own who made the claim.
