April 26th, 2007
Trespass
24 April was the 75th anniversyary of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass.
I would have gone out and ridden cheeky on the day but my plans for a day off work were scuppered by, well, work. And we don’t talk about work here so we’ll say no more.
Anyway, two days late I rode out to the trails I first rode on a mountain bike, and on a variety of bikes before that, going back 25 years. And before that I was riding them sat on the tank of my dad’s motorbike (probably a Matchless, but possible a BSA, Greaves or Ariel).
Riding Cheek for 25 Years
Ignoring Officious Little Twerps for 25 Years
Actually there was no warning sign at the top of the trail, and my riding it predates these officious twerps by at least 10 years.
The upper half of this trail has eroded badly since the Lancashire Countryside Service ‘improved’ the boggy section that used to put walkers off from going up here.
The nice smooth grassy trail by the wall is still there, but walkers have gouged a three feet wide gash down to the peat to the left of it.
Maybe with all the damage up there now that can be directly attributed to walkers Lancashire Countryside Service should turn this into a cycle only path.
According to the Wildlife And Countryside Act 1981, Part III, Section 54 (3):
(3) A road used as a public path shall be shown in the definitive map and statement as follows—
(a) if a public right of way for vehicular traffic has been shown to exist, as a byway open to all traffic:
(b) if paragraph (a) does not apply and public bridle-way rights have not been shown not to exist, as a bridle-way; and
(c) if neither paragraph (a) nor paragraph (&) applies, as a foot-path.
I wonder if bridleway rights have been shown not to exist? I doubt it, in which case the path should be a bridleway anyway.
So I think you can understand why I’m going to ignore this fatuous little sign for another 25 years…
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