Overview
Lady Canning’s Plantation has been used by mountain bikers for many years; usage which has been largely tolerated and that has had negligible impact on the woodland. However we would like to legitimise mountain biking in the plantation as well as making an excellent resource for the city.
We would like to be able to make mountain biking a sustainable activity in Lady Canning’s Plantation and aim to make a short circuit in the woods that would use largely newly constructed trails that would be linked by the proposed permissive bridleway.
Providing a challenge for all abilities, its less severe gradient makes it more appealing to less experienced riders and its free draining soil means that even in the worst conditions it can be ridden with little impact on the trail or the woodland environment.
Proposed MTB Circuit
The Plantation is well situated on the edge of Houndkirk Moor and is connected to the City by the City to Peak District Cycle route. It is also falls into part of the city council’s land that is being reviewed as part of the Eastern Moors Project.
Aims of the Proposal
The aim of the development is to provide a ‘blue’ grade trail, one that can be ridden by riders of all abilities, providing a challenge for less experienced riders in a more controlled environment, whilst still being fun for more experienced riders to ride. This is achieved by building the trail to IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) standards (see build standards). By using technical trail features and meandering the trail through the woods, a rider’s speed can be controlled far more than it can be on open trails.
While Sheffield and the Peak District is a fantastic place to mountain bike, there is very little provision for less experienced riders, with very little progression between the easy rides, on routes such as the Monsal Trail, through to the rough and technically difficult terrain that the Peak District is famous for. This makes it very difficult for the beginner to develop their skills on routes such as those proposed before venturing onto the more challenging terrain. The only option for this type of riding nearby is at Sherwood Pines.
The route would provide a great facility for families to come and try out mountain biking in a controlled and traffic free environment. Either by riding up through the Porter Valley, or by parking up by the woods.
The route is designed so that it can be ridden as a circuit starting from the car park on Sheephill Road (access point 1), or from the Byway at the top of the Plantation (access point 2). This would be made possible with the track between access point 1 and access point 2 being upgraded to a Permissive Bridleway.
The design also makes it possible for the ascending trail to be used as an outbound route for riders heading further into the Peak District, over Houndkirk Moor or down over to Blacka Moor, with the descending trail being able to be used as a return trail.
This provides riders with not only a more entertaining route to ride; it also keeps them away from the motor vehicles on the steeper Houndkirk Byway.
Avoiding Conflicts with Other Users
The aim is provide a network of trails that can be used by mountain bikers that does not diminish the enjoyment of the woods by others. On the trails it would expected that these would be predominantly used by mountain bikers. However the remaining sections would be on pubic rights of way, with traffic coming from both directions. On these sections mountain bikers would yield to other users (walkers, horse riders etc). As all of these trails are of a reasonable width (2m minimum) passing should not be a problem.
Build Standards
The trails that would be constructed would be built to IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) standards. Making trials that are fun for all levels of rider, reducing the speeds of less experienced riders while providing a challenge for the more experienced riders. They are also built to be as sustainable as possible, well drained to prevent weather damage and to enable them to be enjoyed regardless of the conditions. More information can be found at www.imba.org.uk
Method Statement:
We have been offered assistance in the construction of the trail from www.biketracks.org, a professional trail building organisation. The initial work will be done using machinery (predominantly a mini digger), this will be done to clear a trail in the woods and to create a basic shape.
The rest of the trail would be completed by volunteers digging by hand to shape the trail features and to create drainage.
The aim is to create a sustainable trail that does not require the importing of any additional material; the forest sub-soil is very well draining once the organic material has been removed from the surface. We do not plan to use any wood in creating the technical trail features.
All construction work will be risk assessed and will be covered under our own insurance
Signage
To preserve the feel of the woods it would be good to keep signage of the route to a minimum, but to provide a quality user experience, it would be good to place signs at junctions and the start of the downhill trails. A board on the entrance to the woods with a map of the route and an explanation of the usage and liability would be useful as well. A map of the woods with the route on would be useful too. This could be available on the Ride Sheffield and Parks and Woodlands websites.
Sponsorship
Mountain biking is very well supported in Sheffield, a city which is also home to several manufacturers, importers and shops, many of which have shown interest in providing support for grass roots mountain bike projects in the city
Barriers
The main barriers will be reassuring local residents and other countryside users that this will not have a detrimental effect on the woods and the local area
Thanks
Thanks to Ride Sheffield and www.biketrack.org
Further Information
Contact: ridesheffield@gmail.com