SOUTH YORKSHIRE.

Several South Yorkshire members have asked me to help re open the tracks around Rivelin Dams, just outside Sheffield on A57. grid 264875) now closed by the landowers.

But there is nothing I can do because such forest drives are by permission of the water board and are private.

I have used these trails for 50 years since I got my first bike(197cc Fanny B all of 8 bhp and you had to carry a pocket of spare plugs for those whiskers!).

Notices were always present explaining the permissive right. No rights of way claim for Byway was made because the forest drives were made by the water board for the water board in l920 and never dedicated to the public as they must be for a public way claim to succeed.

Now this permission has been withdrawn due to problems with riff raff on bikes and cars. Seems there is a significant minority that is going to ruin things for the rest of us.

But dont get TOO downhearted. We have to learn to let some trails go a lesson some in the TRF do not seem willing to accept. We lose some and gain some. Just across the road from Rivelin Dams is a nice UCR that nobody seems to use and its got presumed vehicular rights. Look for it on your OS map.

And better still one mile further west past Redmires Dams is the famous Stanage Edge Pass over Hallam Moors.

This climbs up along a single row of 18th cent paving stones(not Roman sorry;made by the 18thcentury roadmakers) to the 18th century Stanedge Pole protected by ironwork on some rocks. A famous landmark. Up to the Pole this is Byway status thanks to the TRF and very tolerant City of Sheffield Council.

But past the Pole you come into Derbyshire where the status changes. Here it is UCR which has presumed veh rights in my book. How come you ask does the status change on the same trail ?

Dont ask. Rely on the advice from the TRF. It would take a whole TRAIL to explain the present confusing mess. Without the TRF you would be lost! Its worth £40 year just for the rights of way advice !

Needless to say I recommend you ride UP the pass rather than down it ! There used to be a big step half way up to the 1500ft high summit which used to catch out several road bikes in the old days with low ground clearance. You need to blip the old throttle a bit ! No wheelies.

Stanage Edge Pass is one of the better trails in this area. OS Map 110 Sheffield and Huddersfield ,will show you how to discover it.

We should congratulate the City of Sheffield for resisting the stridant demands from the RA to close all Byways by TRO. Sheffield employs more rights of way staff than most county councils.

Not far from Remires Dams is another popular old trail. Houndkirk Road built in 1757 as a turnpike. Now a safe Byway thanks to the early Sheffield based TRF group (founded in 1970 by me !) it strides over Houndkirk Moor for 4 miles from Ringinglow to Fox House(grid 290835 south west). Its got rocks,sand and grass but its over 1000ft high and the weather can turn nasty.

But try and avoid use on summer weekends as it gets busy with other users picknicking etc. We dont want any ammunition for a TRO do we ?

Trail riders living in Sheffield(as I did till l989) are very fortunate though the situation in the Peak Park is no longer looking too safe and secure for the future. The Peak National park is the UKs busiest ,with over 20m visitors and 10m people living on the borders a short drive away.

Next busiest is the Lakes and we have such a drastic loss of green lanes there since 2006 you can ride them all in one day.

BRIAN THOMPSON 14 DEC