Mountain Bikers in Rivington
Nov 13th, 2008 by David
James Hillman is keen to encourage responsible mountain biking in Rivington. He feels that United Utilities could be doing more to help, instead of focusing on motor vehicles and car parking. Here’s what he says:
Hi
I have been following the development of the Go Ape facility with interest. I am a keen mountain biker living in Adlington and frequent Lever Park and the surrounding moor land at least twice a week.
I have found United Utilities anti-mountain biking stance quite hypocritical when they are encouraging developments like Go-Ape and doing nothing to address the issues of motor bike & 4 wheel drive access or the prevailing ‘scallies’ who are building fires and dropping litter all over the place!
Whilst I understand that some of the illegal routes taken by mountain bikes are causing damage and are potentially dangerous I believe that a programme of dedicated bike trail building in some lesser used areas of wood and moorland (e.g. wilderswood, moses cocker plantation, the plantation between the school and wilderswood or healy nab) would benefit all by providing challenging terrain for the bikers and spreading the impact on the moor sensitive and over-used area of the park.
I would be interested to hear what your views are on the above and your stance on mountain biking in the area in general.
Best regards.
James
James has set up a Facebook group called ‘Save Mountain Biking in Rivington’.
What do you think? Let everyone know by posting a comment or using the forum.
Hi James
I’m sure that cycling around the park and other areas of Rivington Estate have been enjoyed since the early part of the last century, and mountain biking is a progression of that activity. It is an area that naturaly lends itself to mountain biking, however, what we have to consider here is ‘revenue’. I don’t think it too strong a statement to say that United Utilities currently fail in there attempts at effective park management. I agree that they could and should carry out work to create an effective mountain biking course as you suggest. But they won’t, because there is no mileage in it, more importantly, there is no revenue in it. Shudder the thought that UU should do anything that wouldn’t in some way feed the ever hungry shareholders. They continue to profess that they need to commercialise to fund park management. They are a multi-national company of unbelievable financial proportions, if they can’t afford it, God help us all.
I agree with Phil (above)
United Utilities are under no obligation to deliver extra facilties in Lever Park – and they don’t, unless they can earn some revenue (cash!) in return. Funnily enough, I have no problem with that – it’s how PLCs operate. And in the credit crunch things will only get worse.
But in the future I do think that some organisation has to have the responsibility of actively managing the park for the good of us (the public). It needs to have its own monies, funded by the two councils (Bolton and Chorley), by the lottery, sponsorship and even by UU. A proper, representative, accountable organisation like this would have stopped Go Ape before it got past the planning stage.
It would also put the interests of mountain bikers, horse riders, dog walkers and everyone else first – not just big business. Which is just what we need!
(The cynic in me suggests that you should approach UU as a company called GoRide, with a proposal that you set up a commercial attraction, charging riders £25 per session. Offer to pay rent on the site and give UU a cut of the profits. I’d be suprised if they didn’t offer you the whole of Lever Park!)
Hi,
I just started up a Free community website , if you would like to highlight the issues I have read here we can make a feature article on chorleyweb with photo’s & a link to this website to get more attention, all totally free of course.
http:www.chorleyweb.com
Jan
While I am pleased this issue is on the agenda again, I am keen to ensure that mountain biking is preserved and celebrated in Rivington rather than villified. We have been campaigning for a while (here is our petition too http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?riderivi) to see more facilities for bikers – and more encouragement for riders to stay on proper trails. We have welcomed the development at Healy Nab but feel that this is still too little. What about a bike wash at the barn? What about proper marked trails? What about making more of the vast fells with purpose built or more environmentally friendly routes? I salute the Scottish Naitonal Trust for all their trail development and only wish more could be done in this beautiful spot so that walkers, bikers and road bikers could all be encouraged to take pleasure from the area.
There are lots more posts about this on our website http://www.magazine.mountainbikeskills.co.uk.
To be completely transparent, we also run Mountain Bike Skills, http://www.mountainbikeskills.co.uk – a mountain biking business in Rivington teaching people how to ride safely and well – exclusively on bridleways. Although we have always found the authorities to be reasonable, we have now moved to the Lakes as we felt too little was being done in Rivington. I would be happy to discuss this in more detail with anyone.
We would welcome any feedback
In reply to James letter
I have no objection to mountain bikers and agree that there are not enough laid down tracks and bridal paths. James sugestion that there should be more and here he lists places where they could be put. What a fantastic idea.
But as it is said that god helps them that help themselves then surely the bikers themselves should shoulder some of the work by laying the tracks themselves as it is they who will have the lasting pleasure of using them
tee.be
I agree with Tee Be’s comments and we are hopefully going to be supporting a trail building project at Healy Nab (at the top end of the Rivington reservoirs for thos unfamiliar). As always there are some fee’s involved in the construction of proper, sustainable, trails and a contractor has been sought but hopefully with some hands on help we can make a little go a long way.
http://www.badforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=62
The difference with the above project and anything possible in and aroundm Rivington is the land is owned by Chorley BC and managed by Friends of the Nab as opposed to United Utilities.
Given permission we would like to do the same thing in a number of UU owned and managed woodland / plantations of which there are several in area (above the leadmines, moses cocker, wilderswood, brinscall plantation, tockholes etc. etc.). Obviously some funding for a contractor familiar with such civil works in a countryside environment would be needed but I am sure there are several funding streams that could be approached.
Its a shame that united utilties don’t see it as part of their Corporate Responsibility to encourage and support such projects.
Hopefully if Healy Nab goes successfully UU will sit up and take not realising this approach is perhaps more succesful than threatening bikers with a blanket ban?
Managed to get to “go Ape” videos,Vimeo, [forums] by typing Go Ape, top right hand side.Please watch!Lots of screaming,shouting,constant noise from zip wire going backwards and forwards.Very unpleasant to watch.It must not be allowed in Lever Park.Not In Rivvy.
Hi James
Check out the West Pennine Bridleway strategy website online and it will tell you the paths that are being upgraded in the area. When it opens you will have over 50 miles of circular route to go at, with a variety of b&b and campsites to keep you going. If any of the mountain bikers would like to attend the bridleway liaison meetings which are well attended by ramblers but have never had a mountain biker in the 3 years they have been going(!!!!) then mail me through the Bolton Bridleways website
Kellie