What a summer it has been, so apologies for not updating the site, but I’ve been out on my bike!! Now that Autumn is here and winter is on it’s way, I thought it best to write an update on what’s been happening..
The first thing (and possibly the most important at the moment) is The Oakwell Hall trail. The trail is really the whole reason that Ride Kirklees was set up – to show that there is a huge mtb community that doesn’t have any purpose built facility. Well that is soon to change!! The construction of the trail is due to begin in the near future. Bike track have completed their macro design for the trail, (Oakwell Hall Macro Design – 27 7 18[2260] )and are getting ready to get onto the site and begin shifting dirt. The complete build should take around 12 weeks, but there will need to be some ground work done before they can get the machines in.
The initial ground work is going to be done by the ranger team at Oakwell, and also a gang of volunteers (as many Ride Kirklees members as possible). This will be felling trees, and clearing the way for the machines to get in. Bike track have also said that to make the trail what we want, they want to meet with the riders to make sure it’s fit for purpose – what better way than to work alongside them!!!
There are no dates set yet, but in order for us to carry out any trail work we need to be insured….
Which leads me onto the next bit of business:
The Constitution!!
In order to get insurance through Natural Kirklees, we need to be a constituted group with a chair, secretary and treasurer. An AGM has been set for the 5th of October 2018 where amongst other things we will finalize the document and appoint members to the required roles (any willing volunteers?). The venue for the meeting has yet to be confirmed, but Magic Rock seems to be the 1st choice at the moment.
Meetings, meetings, meetings…
On the point of meetings, I have recently had a brief, but interesting meeting with a representative from Kirklees Council Rights of Way. Initiated by a member of PDMTB with concerns over the Ramsden Road and the condition of the trail. Some repairs have been carried out to the top section to get rid of a number of “lakes” caused by 4×4’s. The plan now is to put a gate in to stop them, but allow access for riders, walkers and horses.
From this meeting, I was able to also find out about the ‘unofficial’ trails in Bluebell wood, Mirfield. I had heard rumors that the council had gone in and destroyed some trails that had been built there, but that appears to be nothing more than just rumors. In fact after someone destroyed the trails, the council tried to get local riders involved to rebuild the trails (in a suitable way). Unfortunately this never happened, but the offer is still there!! Another trail built in Kirklees by Ride Kirklees??? Lets hope so…..
Bluebells galore….
One of these wooded areas is known as Bluebell wood, and can be accessed by briddleways that crisscross around the area. There have been downhill lines built there, and when we get constituted, there is a great chance that a small trail can be resurrected by us with a bit of hard graft. I still need to get more details, and visit the area, so if there is anyone local to Mirfield who knows the woods, let me know….
And finally, remember to “be nice, say Hi”
The “be nice, say Hi’ campaign has been taken up by Cycling UK and the British Horse Society. An idea that started in the States, was then taken up by Ride Sheffield and PDMTB and then by us and other MTB groups has gone National (even featured in this months MBR) Signs have started appearing on trails across the UK – the Pennine Bridleway already has a number of signs out on the trail!! It would be great to see some of the signs appear on the trails around Kirklees, and maybe sometime soon, we can get some cash together to get signs, stickers and tee shirts printed, but for now just remember to
Be nice and say hi…..