Faller

Another word about the impact of cycling. We all should know that cycling on bridleways is 'permitted' and that there is more than 5 km of bridleway on and around Blacka. That permission comes from a concession made in legislation more than 4o years ago before the advent of sturdy mountain bike equipment and the growth in popularity of tha activity. It was thought to be a simple and logical concession that cyclists should be able to go anywhere that horse riders could. It's only since the growth in MTBing and the different strands of thrill seeking that go with it that any sort of problems have arisen. Chief of these relates to the constant pressure brought by these new thrill seekers to be given the right to go anywhere that walkers can go. Many of them don't wait for this permission. They know the weakness of the authorities and just as boy-racers speed on the roads, they go the way the want to regardless. So now you see bike tracks where there has never been any evidence of horse riding.


Even on bridleways problems are caused by the failure of highways officers (usually public rights of way departments) to deal with developing situations, either through lack of resources or political will. The route down from the saddle of Wimble Holme Hill is probably a case of somewhere that a bridleway was designated unwisely.
The 1 in 2 slope down from the path and the narrowness of the path always made it a route most horse riders avoided. It has now become very uncomfortable and even hazardous for walkers because of erosion caused by mountain bikes. The other day a horse rider did try to negotiate the route. The result was that the horse fell.