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Ben03 · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject:

Welcome duncdan. Cheers for the news from the front line!

Be sure to let us know of developments as we're always keen to back something like this up...

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jab uk - South East Mountain Biking

jake-snake · Advanced User Joined: 21 Nov 2007 Posts: 272

we should all just ride the Forest
I Do
whats there plan ?
gona lock us up?
the CTC are as good as sun glasses to a blind man with no ears at night

rider101 · Settled User Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 51 Location: Kent

Have been going covert there a few times. You just can't enjoy it the same through when you're on edge.

Syren Sistair · Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:40 am Post subject:

Guess it would be ideal to have something formal like this - http://www.mtbco.ca/ but until they deem it 'legal' or whatever to ride on the forest, then we're all a bit stuck!

duncdan · Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 8

I cant condone riding on the forest as that is illegal but I fully apreciate the frustration, the bridleways round Uckfield suk.

We do have a protest in the pipeline and a website should be up and running in October, will post here when ready. In the mean time people can write to the conservators, go to:

http://www.ashdownforest.org/docs/Leaflet_Board_Public.pdf if you want to email all the conservators or just email:

conservators@ashdownforest.org

In recent correspondance we have started to deal with the real issue of conflict with other users. It goes with out saying that we all need to be polite to all trail users even if they are abusive to us. They still beleive mountain biikers to be irresponsible lawbreakers that cant be trusted!

Duncan

jake-snake · Advanced User Joined: 21 Nov 2007 Posts: 272

that made me laugh
I had a woman shouting and swearing and me on ashdown forest
I just said
"goog Morning Duk"
you could see the madness in her eyes

anyway I condone it if we all did it they have not got enough rangers
max fine is £100 and only £40 there after
cheap membership

teamadoniz · Newbie Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 2 Location: southeast

Why not issue a pay to ride thingy like the horse riders have to every year.??
as i'm aware, they pay this to help maintain the forest from the mass mess and distruction they cause making the paths totaly unpassable to anyone on all but a frosty day where you are more likely to break an ankle!

teamadoniz · Newbie Joined: 04 Oct 2008 Posts: 2 Location: southeast

Why cant we all enjoy these areas and all play together lol!! Laughing

duncdan · Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 8

we have a web site... thanks to Graeme!

http://www.ashdowncc.org

I should be meeting a couple of conservaotrs soon to discuss the issue informaly. This is the first such meeting which is promising because i have been asking for ages!

Licencing cycling is one option that is on the table, the fear is that people will not pay. They have enough trouble with horse riders not paying!

All ideas and thoughts welcome. They might even get on the web site!

Duncan

duncdan · Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 8

A few of us met with a few of 'them' the other day. We presented some options to them and they expressed their concerns. The meeting went very well and I think we all benefited from it. The issue will be disscused on Feb 23rd at the RPA comitee meeting. The people who manage the forest are not the difficult ones but they are the ones enforcing the rules.

The one bad thing that was appartent in the meeting was that cycling would be far easier to permit if the previous experiences that the rangers have had were not so bad. Thanks to all of you who have potentially screwed this up for us! It does not matter what is said to you, we must be polite, regardless. I think we demonstrated that mtbers are not rude and irresponsible but it is clear that some of us are.

I am not very optimistic for a positive outcome from the Feb meeting but we have permition for a feasability study. We also have a couple of other options we have yet to visit... Will keep you posted

Duncan