[lagerstarfish]

I've emailed the contractor and asked for a guideline figure for how much it would cost to make Sloper Traverse a bit easier in warm weather

[cofe]

Yes, difficult to know what the purpose of the work was at the moment.

More info here.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated for their special vegetation and wildlife, and the aim of path restoration is to protect the natural habitats surrounding the route from erosion and disturbance.

Matthew Scott-Campbell, who manages the Private Lands Project, said: “Whinston Lee Tor affords magnificent views over the countryside, and it’s great that the landowner and tenant provide this path so that people can get out and enjoy it, but its wildlife habitats need to be protected from the inevitable wear and tear that this brings.

“We’re glad to be working with the landowner, tenant and Natural England to bring this 2,500-metre stretch up to a condition that will enable people to continue to enjoy these magnificent landscapes while minimising the environmental damage.”

Ginny Hinton, Natural England Team Leader, East Midlands said “It’s great that one project can provide many benefits; repair of important peat and vegetation, less disturbance for wildlife, a great path for walkers and a better landscape without scars.”

It's certainly dressed up as conservation, whether or not that's the real reason for the work. The significant foot traffic the path gets had meant the line of the path above WLT had was much wider and had moved several metres to the side over the course of a few hundred metres, trampling quite a bit of heather in the process. I.e. people not following 'the path'. Maybe this was a trigger?

I still find the private land/no RoW thing quite interesting in relationship to the work, and the potential implications for other paths in the Peak/elsewhere.

[tomtom]

Whats fucking odd about this path is its construction. If you go to the Lakes, or the Pennine way for that matter - the path is re-inforced sympathetically with the local environment. Making steps out of local rocks - using large stones/flags of the same type of rock so it isnt a boggy mess of a path, but also blends into the surroundings.

This just looks like a really shit cheap job.

FFS, its the Peak - its a National Park - it looks more like an old railway line!

[steveri]

It's been a while since I've been up there but I'm firmly in the 'ugh' camp. I'm struggling to think of the overwhelming problem that needed fixing, and one of the attractions of that area was that it was a bit awkward to get to and a little bit rugged. We're all part of the problem and we all wear stuff out walking, running, biking, scratching around on the rocks, but I'm a little bit sad at the solution.

[bigtuboflard]

Just had a quick look through the contractors timeline on twitter and it's pretty apparent to me as to how its ended up as it has looking at their other work. It appears they do a significant amount of work doing FC trails, mountain bike trails and such like which is inevitably built for particular type of traffic and usage. Quite often it also tends to be hidden in forests too which makes it visually less intrusive.

The problem therefore (in part from my perspective at least) is that they haven't really modified their trail building approach to take account of the open landscape and surroundings. though having said that there is a photo of a section of the Great Glen Way on their feed which is just as bad as what we see here. I am sure its technically very competent and well executed trail building and more than fit for purpose from an engineering perspective, but I just don't like it.

[Johnny Brown]

The cynic might suggest that the landowner is keen for the path to be as friendly as possible in the hope it dissuades folk from exercising their rights under CRoW and tramping across his grouse moor.

As Cofe said, it's an interesting one. I'll be keen to check it out first hand. From the pics it looks like the most sympathetic materials have been used (but broken grit always looks bad initially), but that the works have been over the top.

[simes]

What's a "Green laner"?

[andy_e]

[tomtom]

What's a "Green laner"?

Oh my... use the search function to look up a thread on the Stanage Causeway and see the arguments...

I dare not revisit that thread...

[nai]

Surely that thread's been locked in a lead box and buried deep in the salt flats 

[lagerstarfish]

What's a "Green laner"?

google for images of "green laning" and you'll get a not very pretty idea of what's involved

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Some great contributions to the thread here, in my opinion, and some really good information.

Again, it goes without saying, everyone's opinion is entirely valid - whether for or against - however strongly I or others may feel. Anyone wishing to express their own thoughts and feelings about how areas of the Peak Park is managed, surely has a right to be heard.

For me, this development brought to the fore concerns I have about possible changes in the way the Peak Park is managed, possible changes in priority or policy too, and how readily this might be open to challenge or influence by members of the public using the land.

How much do management decisions really reflect the views - on balance - of the public, and how much are decisions skewed towards commercial considerations?

The other thread about use of snares (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25766.msg485779/topicseen.html#new) does more to highlight these issues for me.

[blackhole]

I agree with comments about how the new path does not fit in with the natural beauty of the landscape and question whether such a large scale scheme was necessary at all.

Natural England is the government body in charge of preserving our wild moorlands through SSSI, SPA legislation etc. They approved this scheme with High Level Stewardship scheme money, so this path was built with public money, our taxes paid for it.

NE do not seem to be looking at the wider picture of how all these path improvements, shooting tracks and existing routes all add together. Dave T is posting a couple of pictures for me of roads built within the last year. The track with green matting is at Cut Gate/Mickleden Beck near Langsett and was intended for conservation, but in fact provides access to a line of shooting butts, this was built with public money. The other track is near Strines - Hollingdale plantation and was supoosed to be a repair to a rutted quad bike track, but looks like a new road to me.

If you looked "from Space" at the Derwent edge/Strines area what you see now is a network of tracks and roads, many constructed of the bright yellow aggregate. Any sense of wilderness is fast disappearing. Bob   

[DAVETHOMAS90]

I agree with comments about how the new path does not fit in with the natural beauty of the landscape and question whether such a large scale scheme was necessary at all.

Natural England is the government body in charge of preserving our wild moorlands through SSSI, SPA legislation etc. They approved this scheme with High Level Stewardship scheme money, so this path was built with public money, our taxes paid for it.

NE do not seem to be looking at the wider picture of how all these path improvements, shooting tracks and existing routes all add together. Dave T is posting a couple of pictures for me of roads built within the last year. The track with green matting is at Cut Gate/Mickleden Beck near Langsett and was intended for conservation, but in fact provides access to a line of shooting butts, this was built with public money. The other track is near Strines - Hollingdale plantation and was supoosed to be a repair to a rutted quad bike track, but looks like a new road to me.

If you looked "from Space" at the Derwent edge/Strines area what you see now is a network of tracks and roads, many constructed of the bright yellow aggregate. Any sense of wilderness is fast disappearing. Bob   

Thanks Bob for giving us so much more information about this.

Your remarks about the wider picture not being looked at seem to reflect an ongoing trend.

The pictures are:

1st Pic with green matting is MIckleden beck Langsett:



2nd pic is Hollingdale plantation, Strines:

[deacon]

Do you know if that green matting is permanent or is it there for a shoot, or for one off access. Looks like it'll be lethal on a bike.
If they were doing this work to protect the environment and not just to assist in their own access I could sort of understand it, but they're hardly overused, trashed tracks as it is compaired  to others.

[Stubbs]

Green matting looks like a geotextile used to stop the aggregate just sinking into the soft ground.

[cofe]

Doesn't look like it's on the Cut Gate BW, or any other RoW up there. Looks to be down and west of the BW?

[Johnny Brown]

Hmm, worrying. I was aware of this happening in Scotland but not in the Peak so much.

The root of the problem is the neutering of NE by the previous and current government - instead of being nature's advocate their role has been redefined to deliver services and satisfaction to landowners.

[bigtuboflard]

Doesn't look like it's on the Cut Gate BW, or any other RoW up there. Looks to be down and west of the BW?

I think you're right, it doesn't look like any section of the BW I recognise, it looks further west as you say looking back up towards Outer Edge/Howden Edge.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

If they were doing this work to protect the environment and not just to assist in their own access I could sort of understand it, but they're hardly overused, trashed tracks as it is compaired  to others.

Quite. The tracks/paths weren't trashed. What was there before has been trashed.

Hopefully I'll be able to get up to Derwent again soon.

Great to have the information from Blackhole about this.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Hmm, worrying. I was aware of this happening in Scotland but not in the Peak so much.

The root of the problem is the neutering of NE by the previous and current government - instead of being nature's advocate their role has been redefined to deliver services and satisfaction to landowners.

 

Pretty much.
Or as is the way with these things, anyone else who'll endorse their position.
Usual checks and balances have been lost in the process.

[cofe]

The track with green matting is at Cut Gate/Mickleden Beck near Langsett and was intended for conservation, but in fact provides access to a line of shooting butts, this was built with public money.   

Do we know what it was intended to conserve? Looks like it's only for access to the grouse butts. Was this defo public money?

[DAVETHOMAS90]

The track with green matting is at Cut Gate/Mickleden Beck near Langsett and was intended for conservation, but in fact provides access to a line of shooting butts, this was built with public money.   

Do we know what it was intended to conserve? Looks like it's only for access to the grouse butts. Was this defo public money?

As I understand it, yes.

Refer back to the information from blackhole.

[tomtom]

From my semi work dealings with NE they seem to have some slightly out there ideas - I wonder how closely they are steered by the Govt...

Personally I think this type of path is inappropriate in most settings...

[cofe]

The track with green matting is at Cut Gate/Mickleden Beck near Langsett and was intended for conservation, but in fact provides access to a line of shooting butts, this was built with public money.   

Do we know what it was intended to conserve? Looks like it's only for access to the grouse butts. Was this defo public money?

As I understand it, yes.

Refer back to the information from blackhole.

I did. Doesn't answer my questions.

I'd like to understand more about how public money is used to create or 'maintain' paths/tracks (i.e not existing RoWs) on private land. Derwent Edge is not a Public RoW. This green matted track in Mickleden certainly isn't. And the track up from Holling Dale isn't (if it's where I think it is). All are on CRoW land I think, but land in private ownership. Has the public pot funded this lot?