As some Surrey Hills riders will know, the long planned extension to the end of BKB is now very nearly a reality (the trail was temporarily detoured 3 or 4 years ago).
The below is a press release from Hurtwood Control Trust, the charity who manage Holmbury and Pitch Hill (Peaslake) in the Surrey Hills. The release is intended for the local press/parish magazines and so doesn’t really focus on how the trail is also being built to create a more pleasurable and engaging experience more in keeping with the awesome woodland singletrack that the area is popular because of.
If you want to help with the efforts to improve the existing trail system on the Hurtwood there are 2 things that you can do.
1. Become a Friend of the Hurtwood by paying an annual amount to support all their activities www.hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk (click on Donate Now at the top of the page)
2. Send an email to mtb@hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk if you would like to volunteer to help with trail building and trail maintenance on the Hurtwood.
[u]Now Barry Knows Better – making mountain biking work in the Hurtwood[/u]
Barry Knows Best, or BKB, as the Hurtwood trail is known to the mountain bikers who love its steep cliff face and knotted roots, is about to be made a lot safer for everyone. Now Barry Knows Better.
Thanks to a grant from the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’s Sustainable Development Fund, a major realignment of the trail as it joins Ewhurst Road in Peaslake is now possible. The trail will still be a challenge for riders, but it will no longer be dangerous for bikes meeting the road, cars and other road users and people living in nearby houses.
The project will also prevent damage to the woods caused by bikes trying to find a safer alternative to the old route and reduces conflict with other users by avoiding a key bridleway.
The BKB project is another example of the Hurtwood Control Trust and the mountain bikers working in partnership to manage the increasingly popular sport in this much- loved piece of stunningly beautiful countryside. The success of this cooperative approach can already be seen on Holmbury Hill Fort, where trails have been redesigned and rerouted to protect sensitive archaeology and ensure the bikers can have fun without causing damage.
The challenge for the Trust is to accommodate all the users of the hill safely – walkers, horse riders, children, dogs and all the different types of bike users. Working with a small group of dedicated mountain biker volunteers is proving the most successful way to achieve harmony.
BKB is on of the most popular single-track trails on Holmbury Hill, with up to 50 bikes an hour riding it at peak times but its exit onto Ewhurst Road has always been a problem. At first it was too close to the houses and caused disturbance, but when the exit was moved further away, it proved too steep and dangerous for bikes and traffic. Braking caused damage to the hillside and bikes created myriad side-tracks as they tried to control their descent to the road, causing still more erosion.
The mountain bikers have investigated possible solutions for BKB. The exit can only be along a short stretch of road because of houses, and needs to be technically challenging to engage experienced riders and dissuade them from going off-piste. The answer is to make the trail longer by creating switchbacks that will provide interest and challenges, while ensuring the trail is sustainable, and will also mean that bikes join the road in a far more controlled manner.
Such major trail construction is beyond the scope of the Hurtwood Control Trust, but with the expert help of former Aston Hill trail builder Ian Warby of the Cyclists Touring Club (CTC), a bid for Sustainable Development Fund money was successful and an experienced digger team from Wales should be on site soon to sculpt the new section of the trail. The volunteers should finish surfacing the trail by the end of the year.
This initiative is being monitored closely by the Surrey Hills AONB as a possible prototype for a wider initiative right across the Surrey Hills. It is recognised that mountain biking is growing in popularity, and management in partnership with volunteer mountain bikers is necessary both to protect the environment and prevent conflict between bikers and other users of the countryside.
For more information on the progress of the BKB project, visit the Hurtwood website
http://www.hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk/.
Ends
that sounds like excellent news. I am looking forward to riding it.
switchbacks was the only way to go!
that's good news although I could find nothing on the link that related to this.
Excellent news. Great to see the 'working together/taking responsibility' methodology working so well. Can't wait to ride the new trail
bialled_dikes - Memberthat's good news although I could find nothing on the link that related to this.
Apologies - it's currently only in the Friends only Forum. I'll post it in the 'Trail Conditions' forum which is open to all. There are no updates yet but we'll post up in there as we go.
erm.. the above forum (Trail Conditions) is no longer public and I can't post to the Guests forum (trying to get that changed)
good news - looking forward to the results. Hopefully Rowan Sorrel will be along to create some fun!
Yeah, good news.
Might be a numpty question but are trails like BKB and Yoghurt Pots open to other countryside users and not just mountain bikers?
They are, came across twenty or so ramblers on BKB once.
Not a silly question at all - actually very important… All of the Hurtwood is open to all, so even where we have dedicated mtb tracks you can never be 100% certain that there aren't walkers/kids/dogs/horses around the corner/over the drop. Obviously that isn't the intention, but it is the reality.
I was having a nice quick roll down Yog a while back and came upon some good folk standing in the singletrack picking blackberries. Fair enough.
It's mushroom season at the mo - not at all unlikely to find people on foot paying close attention to the ground and no attention at all to oncoming bikes.
Plus kids frequently push their bikes back up BKB.
Anyhow - riders beware!
Thanks cf and glen...that's good to know. Seen various folk strolling along the trails and always slowed down/stopped as I was never certain whether they were allowed to be there or not; given they are,
I'll continue as before. 🙂
nuke - MemberYeah, good news.
Might be a numpty question but are trails like BKB and Yoghurt Pots open to other countryside users and not just mountain bikers?
Good question. Yes. the Hurtwood is full open access so no segregation. The closure (just small signs) of trails to horses has been discussed following some damage to a trail... There is a no signs policy on the hurtwood which helps keep the natural feel of the place in tact.
You do often find walkers on Yoghurt pots becuase of its proximity to the footpath and fort but we do try and design this out as an issue (benchcut swoopy lines that walkers can't won't follow, some banks hiding the trail and trail features to make it clearer that it is intended as a MTB trail)
At the end of the day it's not a trail centre which is a good thing. Works to the trails comes just as much from the stance of preventing erosion, conflict with users and proliferation of trails as it does from providing a buzz for us!
good to see this happening despite all the selfish unsanctioned building of jumps and north shore that's gone on in the past
I agree that the end of BKB isn't sustainable as it is, and the increased number of bikers are catered for,so making the changes is obviously needed and for the better.
I do worry about the hills though. I think its really important that the area keeps its natural feel and doesn't end up too sanitised. The place isn't a trail centre after all.
Good to get some trail improvements, but I really liked the end section that "proved too steep and dangerous" for some.
"Steep and dangerous" huh? - come on, this is Surrey, not Whistler.
My wife and 12 yr old rode down that regularly without problem.
To improve BKB make the whole of it like that last section please!
"To improve BKB make the whole of it like that last section please!"
Couldn't agree more!! Well actually a few more jumps and some drop off wouldn't go amiss.
[i]I really liked the end section that "proved too steep and dangerous" for some.
"Steep and dangerous" huh? - come on, this is Surrey, not Whistler.
[/i]
Actually, Mr I'm-so-gnarly-and-so-are-my-family, if you read the original post properly, it's not the track that is deemed dangerous, but the ending of it in a road.
I quote: [i]but when the exit was moved further away, it proved too steep and dangerous for bikes [b]and traffic[/b]. Braking caused damage to the hillside and bikes created myriad side-tracks as they tried to [b]control their descent to the road[/b][/i]
🙂
So you're saying that expert trailbuilders from Aston Hill along with Sustainable Development Fund money and an experienced digger team from Wales is all required to alter an exit onto a road???
Yeah, right....
[i]Such major trail construction is beyond the scope of the Hurtwood Control Trust, but with the expert help of former Aston Hill trail builder Ian Warby of the Cyclists Touring Club (CTC), a bid for Sustainable Development Fund money was successful and an experienced digger team from Wales should be on site soon to sculpt the new section of the trail. The volunteers should finish surfacing the trail by the end of the year.[/i]
have heard of lots of people flying down the fall line section at the end, being unable to stop and ending up on the road, either with or without bike.
So, the answer to your unconvinced argument is....YES
But, if it's fast and swoopy and lacks the potential for numpties to straighten the corners, I'm all for it!
Just want to encourage everyone to watch this space and reserve judgement. When the new line is finished it will more or less double the length of BKB, with the ending having a similar character to the top section.
What you won't get is a steep scrabbly cut-up ever-changing fall-line like there is currently. That can never be sustained - the rain just finds all those skidded-out channels and its then game over. The only thing that it is worth the volunteer time and Sustainable Development Fund money, and which will be acceptable to everybody, is nice flowy Surrey Hills singletrack - the kind of thing that gets more involving if you ride faster but doesn't have the penalty for failure that the steep ending has.
The state of that fall line is a sad indictment of the negative impact a high frequency of mountain bikes can have on the land if left unmanaged. So irrespective of what kind of trail different people want to ride, it needs fixing if we want to be accepted as responsible trail users. Thanks to Hurtwood's positive and inclusive approach, we're about to get a better, longer trail and the damage we've done will be allowed to recover.
The fall line looks like someone's been strip mining there, it really is an appalling eyesore and adds to other "interested parties" calls to reduce or ban our access to this area.
"The fall line looks like someone's been strip mining there, it really is an appalling eyesore and adds to other "interested parties" calls to reduce or ban our access to this area."
This is true.i rode it at the weekend, and whilst its challenging and fun as it is, it wont last many more months, let alone years as it is.the ground is so soft and cut up that each rider is bringing more and more of it down the hill side.
Yep, it really does look like an eyesore and as brooess says doesnt give us a great reputation....
will they be fixing up the upper trail to stop all the straightlines that have appeared? or just concentrating on the new bit,.
looks like work started yesterday
[url] http://hurtwoodranger.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/bkb-work-started/ [/url]
Things like running repairs to the old top section (including restoration of proper twisty lines/blocking of "desire" lines) will be done by hand by the volunteer group. There will also be some hand-finishing of the new stuff. I think there will be one or more volunteer days in the near future if anyone fancies a friendly day in the country doing a slightly different kind of exercise.
When the new line is finished it will more or less double the length of BKB, with the ending having a similar character to the top section.
😀
Big thanks to the Hurtwood guys for letting this go ahead. Hope more people join up and make a donation. Remember it's all run by a small charity so every little helps. 🙂
I became a friend this week on reading this thread although I've never ridden there.
I've been intending to ride there for years.
Any chance of a forum ride?
splendid idea mandog!
Happy to show you around, but be aware I'm no whippet! Why not start a new thread suggesting the idea?
AndyRT - I've posted a similar thread on the Hurtwood friends forum. Could you guide me on Sunday 15th November?
I'd prefer not to personally start a thread for a forum ride when I don't yet know the area myself.
Happy to help.
have you got a email address, so we can arrange the meeting up?
Yes it's:
descretionassured@googlemail.com
thanks glen - yes all swoopy stuff that this area is known for and can sustain and that the landowner will allow - Not Wales or a downhill track.
Talking of swoopiness, heres a view of the end looking down. Just a little taster for you...
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i realise that the above could be quite misleading - that is just the very end. there's a whole load before that.
Liking the look of that, can't tell from the pic but bigger berms could be fun - when will it be officially open? I want to check it out once it's up and running.
Should be great, I can understand peoples concerns when a trail they love is changed in the name of sustainability. I too like the steep bit at the end but more trail and less road is always an improvement. I look forward to a future visit to Peaslake stores via the new BKB.
Bobster - I'm going up there the weekend after next (15th) assuming its open if you want to join me 😉
Would post it on SMTB but as I'm sure you know its been hacked again 👿
That looks superfast Staffy 😈
Although it all going very well, and on schedule, I don't think it will be open this weekend unfortunately.
Just a little more patience! It is looking mighty fine though - the picture above looks good enough, but I can assure you it is doubly impressive in the flesh.
It'll need a little while (and a bit of rain) to bed in so, please keep off until Southernstaffy gives the all clear. It's tempting to ride it right away, but doing that could cause a fair bit of damage before the trail is ready. Think of it like a fine wine...
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The Trailbuilder has informed Hurtwood that the new end section currently under construction may need up to a month to settle before it can be ridden.
So, please: [b][u]DO NOT RIDE THE NEW SECTION UNTIL IT'S READY![/u][/b]
It's taken a lot of effort, so please don't damage it.
Bumping the thread to reiterate that the new bit is not finished and we will be put-back if it is ridden now.
We will be picking the right moment to whack and consolidate the trail surface - it has gone from deep dust to slippery squelch in a matter of hours! The trail is not finished until we are able to get the surface to bind together and form a "crust" - part of that finishing process is just waiting.
How boring! But it will be worth the wait!
good news :o)
If I was to be riding that way later this week, what is the end of the trail now then? Still the rutty bit down to the road?
what is the end of the trail now then?
It's still the same ending for now.
Went and had a look first light this morning, some scally wags already been riding it though 🙄
Any one know when it'll be ready?
as Glen and Sonor mention above, it's likely to be weeks rather than days until it has settled down and the old route is still open.
The main area of concern is the main/biggest bermed corner which was being built last right up until it rained so heavily. This meant that the machine wacker plate stuck to the material and so couldn't be used. Therefore we need the whole corner to settle down a bit, dry a little and then get manually bashed by hand (back of a spade).
There will be some volunteer work required to sort this and then close the old line. We also have some bits and pieces to do that the rain prevented the machine from doing before it headed back down the M4 to Wales.
Thanks for your patience and please do get the message out that the new line MUST NOT be ridden or it will be badly damaged. Please do have a word with anyone that you see tempted to even have a look at the trail - it can't be walked in places either for these reasons.
By the way, you don't [b]have[/b] to ride the rutty nutty bit - you can always swing left down the bridlepath to the road!
Some signage might be a good idea to prevent premature use?
Some signage might be a good idea to prevent premature use?
2nd this. I know the Hurtwood policy is no signage put surely something temporary is ok? Loads of people riding round there will not be on this forum...
Could you not tape off the new stuff, so you would have to be a total <£$& to break the tape and ride on.
Signs would help, and maybe some notifications at Peaselake Stores? & and the Bus Stop?
I know its against the grain to restrict access in the Hurtwood, but surely the protection of the new trail until it can fend for it self is a necessary evil?
Any new photos of the reworked ending?
If there are no signs it will be trashed before its ever open.
Don't worry - signs, tape and more are in the works. If you do see someone trying to ride it in the mean time, please ask them not to - usually when you explain why, people understand.
Had a look at the new part of the trail today.
Very very impressed, lots more metres os swoopy Surrey singletrack. And a few large berms too!
The surface of the trail is bedding in nicely, but stil fragile. Remember kids, leave it alone until told you can ride it..............
Had a nose today as well, good work and thanks for the efforts!
Went for a gander yesterday,
some sweet looking berms in there, could do with some doubles or table tops - but doubt these would be allowed?
I really like the rutty bit shame it's going really.
Doubles/tabletops - can't be part of it, I'm afraid. However, I do think you will find that the trail (when open - please don't ride now!) will have ample reward for the better rider, in so much as if you ride faster it will take on a different quality. But the relative novice will still be able to get down in reasonable safety and without dragging brakes and ripping up the surface.
Rutty bit is going going (not quite but will be) gone, I'm afraid. There are other similar challenges in the woods thereabouts (esp Pitch) if you know where to look.
whoo-hoo. Excited. An early Xmas present 🙂
Table tops and/or other features were simply outside of the scope of the budget as they take days not hours and you can do 100m of trail in a day (the new trail section is almost 600m). Had things gone quicker then yes, something may have appeared as long as they met the strict requirement of being robust. It's still an excellent bit of trail. Will post a message about next steps in a mo..
Oh, and please don't straightline any of the new (or old) stuff - whoever you are that is doing it a lot at the moment. I can recommend a good local skills training company that can help you get around corners!
[i]Why is the new ending of BKB currently closed?
The new ending to Barry Knows Best (Golden Birdies) is now complete and the trail now needs to consolidate before being ridden. This will ensure that the trail surface has settled and that the life of the trail is extended. We have estimated that it will take a month of consolidation before being ready to ride. We will be monitoring the trail and will open the trail as soon as we can.
Your co-operation is appreciated during the consolidation period is appreciated. This is your trail and if you keep off it for one month it will give you years of quality riding.
Ian Warby, CTC[/i]
On a similar note, there will shortly be a communication to people that have been added to the volunteer email list (send an email to mtb@hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk) arranging sessions to get the finish on the trail done. We now have a trail report from Ian Warby that we can use to get the trail up to a standard that it can be considered finished - mixed with the right weather over the next month and we should see the trail openened soon!
If you wish to help with the trails and their future on the Hurtwood estate, there is no greater way than to become a Friend of the Hurtwood with an annual donation. This can be done online now with a very wide range of payment options. Only takes a few minutes at www.hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk - hit the Donate Now button at the top of the page.
I took some pics for my club forum yesterday, didnt ride it and it doesnt look ready to ride so DONT! On the lower berm you can already see where people have been riding it and ruining it.
Very impressed with the work and the short time it was done it. Well done to all the builders. It looks like it will ride very well and fits in nicely to the old trails character, looking forward ti riding it.
It starts just after the small jump after the berms, you can see the old trail continuing down the middel of the pic. New trail carves off to the right and switches back on itself.
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Looking down trail,
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Looking down trail, possible small jump and into berm
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Berm after jump
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Looking up trail, after berm it comes back on itself and goes past new starting point
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Looking up trail, bit further down
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Looking down trail from same point as above photo
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Looking up trail from bit further down
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Looking down trail from same point as above photo
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Looking up trail and same bit in photo above
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Looking down trail, it then flows into this beauty of a berm
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Looking up trail, exit of berm in above photo
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Looking down trail, trail then continues
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Looking down trail, into large berm
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Looking up trail, exit of berm
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Looking down trail, it then goes into another berm and finishes, you can see where soem idiots have ridden it here and scuffed the berm up.
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If you dont want the pics on here then get a mod to delete it.
Great job guys. Looking good.
looks good. Who has been riding it then?
It's going to be hard to resist. I suspect there will be a lot of people who either won't know they aren't allowed to ride it or will just disregard that direction.
s'right altho as mentioned above some signage would help. I havent been there yet meself but in that first pic it does look like the fork is optional, no indication which way you should go and which is 'closed'.
(yes, I guess that the tape in the bushes on the right hand side previously barred the way but it doesn't anymore...)
There is signage and tape - some f@*kwits have ignored the former and broken through the latter. Morons.
Lots of people riding the new bit today --****s.
Tapes were up today so they must have been deliberately going through them 🙁
Interesting, but I'm concerned this is a step towards sanitising the trails. The end section is the best bit of BKB. It's tricky and requires skills, and can scare you. It's important to get scared sometimes :D. I can understand the concern of riders dropping onto the road though. Is this more of a concern from residents though than real danger?
i think it also has to do with preserving the side of the hill which the current end of BKB is not doing 😕
Lots of other nice stuff to ride in the Surry Hills if you don't like the new trail.
Well done to those who have helped build this new ending, fantastic job 😀
It looks fantastic and i can't wait till we are given the all clear to ride it, please no locking up of brakes into the berms people 😉
Yup, someone broke the tapes today - one of us has been up there tonight in the dark to fix everything up.
Please- if you see the tapes broken again, tie the bits back together and ask people to resist the urge to ride it - it will have to remain closed for longer, and need work to repair if people keep riding it.
Wow, it's made BBC News!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/surrey/8349871.stm
Not sure that's a good thing though as it means a lot of advertisement and that means a lot more riders.
grade reversals are good, but the berms 'aint gonna shed water, it'll scour out in no time - nobody heard of rolling crowns round there?
Local knowledge and experience tells us that the yellow sand berms will solidify and hold firm once they have a period of consolidation - provided people can keep off it for a few weeks it will shed water and be durable.
The builder is one of the most experienced specialist diggers in the country - he most certainly [i]has[/i] heard of rolling crowns!
As for more riders coming - well we can't have it both ways. Surrey Hills AONB have provided funds to help us from their sustainable development money - stimulating the local economy and increasing appreciation of the countryside is a good thing, not something to be avoided. I've lived here all my life and I've never felt like I wanted visitors to not come and enjoy.
'Bike Danger Trail' don't you just love the BBC!
grade reversals are good, but the berms 'aint gonna shed water, it'll scour out in no time - nobody heard of rolling crowns round there?
Would be interesting to know your thinking Z11.
Pretty sad indication of people's skill level if they couldn't get down the existing finish without locking up and ripping it to shreds. Having said that, I think the new ending looks great and stopping damage caused by bikes and therefore alienating residents can only be a good thing.
Looks like the tape didn't last too long though... some hefty wooden barricades/logs would have more effect I hope.
well we managed to keep most people off with a bit of diligence and with some help from some volunteers we finished it off last weekend and the trail was opened a few days ago.
Lots of people riding and enjoying it today (many of them phoning their mates telling them what they were missing).
Thanks to everyone who stayed off or helped! We'll be keeping an eye on how it beds in as there is bound to be bits to sort.
Zulu - The berms have lots of reinforcement and stones (and will have more) on the inside to slow and control water to prevent erosion. Their design also prevent shortcutting which is one of the issues with rolling crowns - and they're a lot more fun! We also don't have the right sort of geology for robust crowns, just sand and small sandstone bits. The sandy berms also absorb and drain through them and channel water less than in stoney areas.
geetee - good to chat to you at the bus shelter and congrats again onb the baby, i'm pretty sure that your email address bounces these days so you may not get the email we discussed.
catch up with you soon glenp/bent udder
+1 to all the good comments on here, flows really well and by the time I rode (twice) it at about 10 ish this morning it looked like there's been a few down it!!
As said a bit above, I can't see any reason why anyone would need to lock up and skid, they'd have to be shockingly bad or deliberate / inconsiderate. The only bit that even really needs any significant braking is the s-bend before the big RH berm near the end, and that was only where I was a bit 'positive' on the approach first time down it!! But it does seem as if a few have made that mistake, the surface is a bit looser as a result.
[img] [/img]
I rode past on the road bike about 10 and people certainly seemed to be enjoying it, maybe if it had been drier I'd have had a go on the Madone!
Good work to all involved!
Looks good. Can't wait to check it out. A big thanks to everyone who helped build it