Chase Trails - Mountain Bike Trail Builders

Sounds like a winning Oscar speech… (Trail building - Big Build Day)

2012-01-08T22:00:00.002Z

A big thank you to everyone who turned up on Sunday – a total of 38 volunteers helped turned several piles of material into a lovely smooth trail. Give this a few weeks to settle and it will turn into a rock hard surface similar to that of section 11 we reworked last year and hopefully last a little longer than the original trail surface. The Chase’s sand and gravel can’t cope with the popularity of our trails – many hundreds of tyres each weekend soon wears the surface away.

Also, thanks to the downhill boys for helping with slabbing the Rollers – Bob, Mick and Stu are seasoned experts when it comes to rock gardens. We just had to remind them not to be too extreme, after all you don’t see too many 8” downhill rigs on the Dog.

Another big thank you to Pauline and Derrick for feed the masses with jacket spuds and cake – the staple diet of a trail troll or pixie!

We’ll be back to this section over the coming weeks to dig a few more drainage sumps, finish the slabbing of the Rollers and completing the resurfacing. Please come along if you can – not only do you get to put something back into the trails you ride, there’s a free parking ticket valid for the whole day so why not ride afterwards …. we do.

Andrew

A spot of one man maintenance (Trail building - Thursday 29th December)

2011-12-29T22:00:00.005Z

After getting rather soggy feet, there was an indication that maybe a little excess mud and water was present on section 8A (from the top of the fire road climb, through the old growth). What better day to pick for trail maintenance than a rainy one? Well at least you can work out where the puddles are, but the shock was where the trail was. Sounds obvious, but no, you've actually been riding largely off the left side of the trail for at least 18 months. This was not immediately apparent until I set about a spot of one man maintenance.

The puddle points were cleared by pulling the accumulated ledge of mud and pine needles from of the down-slope side of the trail. On the first bend in from the start, that edge of mud was about 13cm high! The side of the trail has been cleared off for a metre out from the down-slope trail edge to give plenty of space for the water run-off to soak away.

It seemed strange that there was trail material under a 50mm layer of mud and grass to the right side of the trail. This ran to about 30cm out from the edge of the riding line. The clearing continued, as did the revealing of more trail material. It soon became apparent that the riding line had migrated left by 30 to 45cm. The right side of the trail had slowly disappeared with time, and become buried - in 18 months! Even more surprisingly, this shift in riding line was to the left of the trail for the whole of this section (300 metres or so), not just a few bits - most curious.

However, the actual trail was in good shape, but the other 50% of the riding line will certainly need surfacing at some stage. The suspicion is that this section may have been too cambered (contractor built) and too narrow, and riders may have ended up riding to one side of the trail surface. This got slowly worse with time, hence why all the mud and pot holes have come about.

A wet cold day, but a good five hour session, and no shortage of happy riders working off the Christmas food. No offers of help mind you! The riding line has been moved back over to where it should be, and the muddy pot holes covered with logs. Your feet should now remain drier down this section, as long as you stay on the actual trail !!

Don't forget the BIG BUILD DAY on 8th January!!!

Bruce

Look what Santa has got us …

2011-12-28T21:00:00.001Z

Well, maybe not the jolly portly chap in a red suit but a quick surf on e-bay turned up a bike trailer which we reckon will be an ideal means of carrying a few tools around. Our plan is to do a few mobile maintenance sessions sorting out drainage and other issues on the trails. It tows surprising well off-road and copes with braking bumps so watch out for our trailer out on the trails.

An early Happy New Year to all our readers and hope to see you at our Big Build Day on the 8th January.

Andrew

It’s not just a resurface… (Trail building - Sunday 18th December)

2011-12-18T21:00:00.002Z

We may have been spending time on rock armouring the Rollers but we’ve added a few new surprises to the closed section of Tackeroo. To start with, the old stump jumps have been spruced up with rock takeoffs. Young Phil turned up at just the right time to give them a quick test ride.

The first Roller has been remodelled, with a rock slab and frame work that will become a short boardwalk.

We plan to resurface the worn sections at the forthcoming Big Build Day on Sunday 8th January – please come along and lend a hand, it's an ideal way to burn off those festive calories.

Andrew

Date for your diary - 8th January - next Big Build Day

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000Z

It's been a while since we've had a Bid Build Day so to help everyone burn off those extra minces pies and helpings of Christmas pud, we're having a "Big Surfacing Day" on the last section of Tackeroo - that's the section that is currently closed.

We'll provide all the tools, a free raffle, hot food and drinks - all we ask is for you to turn up and lend a hand. There's plenty to do to keep you warm - the old surface will need breaking up, new material barrowing into place and it all wacked down.

If you can spare the time, even if it's only a few minutes whilst you're out riding, we'll apprieciate it and everyone will be able to ride the "new improved" Rollers again.

Have a Merry Christmas and hope Santa brings that shiny new ......... (insert whatever is on your Christmas list).

Cheers,
Andrew

Christmas at Birches Valley

2011-12-08T20:18:00.004Z

As you probably already know or have seen Christmas Trees have now gone on sale at Birches Valley. While the trails are all open as normal parking arrangements are a little different to normal. The top car park by Go Ape / Swinnertons will be used solely for Christmas Tree sales & Santa’s Grotto so unless you are buying a Christmas Tree you’ll need to park in the lower car park during December.

Buying a Real Tree from the Forestry Commission is a great way to show your support for the trails and the work that Chase Trails and the Forestry Commission do so why not take a tree home after your next ride? More details here

Back to ‘roo (Trailbuilding – Sunday 4th December)

2011-12-04T23:00:00.005Z

This week we were back on the last section of Tackeroo and in particular the Rollers and the two stump jumps beforehand.

Thanks to Bob the Digger Man, we had piles of surfacing material and rocks next to the trail which improves the speed we can work immensely. While rock splitting experts, Petra and Martin continued making light work of converting the big rocks into manageable slabs for Frank and Phil to surface the Rollers, "orginal" Bruce and Steve started making an interesting feature out of a massive slab. I’m not going to spoil the surprise but it should make for a novel start to the Rollers.

Meanwhile, Inga and James returned to help "new" Bruce, Dave, Jez and myself converted the existing stump jumps into sustainable features with suitably shape rock launch pads. The line of sight into the features was improved by removing a large mound.

The day’s building drew to a close much earlier than last week due to the inclement weather so after an urn stop, half the crew headed up to check out the Christmas tree sales area and in particular the hot pork baps – well worth a try!

Andrew

Return to 'Le Singe Noir' (Trailbuilding - Sunday 27th November)

2011-11-27T22:00:00.002Z

In an unexpected departure to our recent period of hole digging on the final part of Tackeroo, this week we needed to make a maintenance visit to the Black Monkey following a credible report that the exits of some of the armoured sections and steps were wearing down and making the landings tricky to the point of over the bar acrobatics.

After a very delayed start due to some geezer with a white beard, a red suit and two reindeer (we have this problem with him parking in the wrong place every year), we set off. Although we were down a Jez, we had an extra Bruce and acquired another Phil plus Frank as the day went on so combined with Matt and James and a guest appearance by Abby we were pretty well crewed up.

Studying the hillside of the Black Monkey, it was interesting to reflect that it was two years ago that we were engaged on the massive effort that went into building the armoured sections, and the difficulties of moving big, heavy rocks down steep hillside obstructed by trees. In comparison today's rocks were smaller and more manoeuvrable, but the hillside just as steep tricky to use a rock-barrow on.

So Petra, CT's own rock-chick, split rocks with Martin, while Dave, Abby and new Bruce set about revising the end of Oblivion. Matt and James walked the trail trimming the edges and clearing the drain channels ready for winter. Andrew, Bruce, Frank, Liam and I set about revising the worn landing zone of a major rock step, but the ground turned out to be more taxing than expected when we discovered impenetrable sandstone that resisted all posts. Eventually lateral thinking prevailed and a larch riser was planted to act as the face of a new rock landing area. This has done nothing to reduce the technical challenge of this feature, if anything it seemed to me trickier than ever - not that I expect to find it a problem as I shan't be riding it!

As the rest of us packed up, Dave finished the day off by armouring the drop out of Toboggan with a quick rock shifting and bedding-in session before we finally decided it was time for tea.

Phil

Black Monkey Closure - one day only

2011-11-25T15:00:00.000Z

Just to let everyone know that the Black Monkey will be closed for essential safety related maintenance on Sunday 27th November. The exits of two of the rock features have worn and need armouring with a little more rock.

The Red Monkey will be open as normal but we’ll be asking riders to stop whilst we move rocks down across the Red Monkey so please be patient and follow all requests to wait – it will only be for a couple of minutes.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Andrew

It was flat at the bottom and the sides were steep... (Trailbuilding - Sunday 20th November)

2011-11-20T22:00:00.002Z

What a grey day! Damp and misty and unrelieved by a glimpse of sunshine. But the show must go on, and we dragged ourselves away from the comfort of The Urn and our admiration of Jess's newly acquired FS, loaded the wagon and trailer and headed over to the Rollers. Dave was back after his touch of lurgi last week and we were joined by new man Tony, who having worn himself to shreds walking Snowdon and riding the Monkey thought he'd finish off the week with some trail building.

In our quarry, Dave, Petra and Frank set about reducing our rocks to manhandleable rubble in anticipation of getting some JCB assistance to carry a load of rock to the trail. Meanwhile high on the hill, Andrew, Tony, Bruce and Phil were barrowing hardcore and excavating a borrow pit to fill a new low berm just below the 2 rollover steps. It always takes much more than you realise to fill these features so it was not until midday that we moved onto the next stuff.

Frank and Steve joined Bruce to set about the two steps that have been getting deeper as they wear. They dug out the back face and rebuilt them in lovely bomb-proof rock. They remain rollable while being tougher, more durable and marginally more intimidating, although this may just be the presence of Frank and a plank to swat anyone who attempts to by pass this feature.

Down the trail and around the corner, Tony and Phil were enlarging and completing another deep sump hole and drain channel. A task made considerably more difficult by uncovering an enormous tree root that seemed impervious to mattock blows. The solution was to tunnel under it to make a path for the drain pipe. Tony dug like a “mole on Monster” and considerable sweat later, he'd made the channel. Sterling work - many thanks Tony.

Later we surveyed the climb from Hugh's Bridge and were relieved to find only minor repairs are needed that mainly consist of building up the surfacing. One view of the trail led to a learned discussion of the merits, style, and variations of a boardwalk that might be constructed. After all we haven't built a boardwalk for several months....

Phil

Air Ambulance Tree Carry

2011-11-15T19:41:00.004Z

As mountain bikers who occasionally have accident most of us have at one time or another seen first hand the fantastic work the midlands air ambulance do. And if you didn't realise they are a charity who receives no funding from the government and relies entirely on the support and generosity of local people and businesses.

This Saturday (19th November) the Midlands Air Ambulance is teaming up with members of 4th Battalion the Mercian Regiment, and the Forestry Commission to carry a 15ft Christmas tree the 7.5 miles from Birches Valley to Cannock hospital. The tree is being donated by the Forestry Commission to Cannock Hospital as they have done for many years.

The event will begin at Birches Valley at 9.30am so if you are around please come to the trail head area and give them your support for all the great work they do.

If you are not around this weekend Air Ambulance volunteers will be at the Christmas Tree Sales Centre at Birches Valley at weekends carrying Christmas Trees to cars in return for donations, so why not help support the trails by buying a tree from the Forestry Commission and support the Air Ambulance at the same time.

Rob.

"There was I, digging it deep... " (Trailbuilding - Sunday 13th November)

2011-11-13T22:00:00.006Z

The pattern is now well developed: tea urn - trailer load - move across road - trailer unload - Rock Gang start drilling - trail makers set to work… but where's Dave? Has Britain's no 1 consumer of Monster finally self-destructed in an explosion of taurine powered energy? Has Petra taken her revenge for last week's cartoon? No, fortunately he'd just been taken ill, showing that even monster-man is not immune from all the hazards of normal life.

So this week our quarry team of Jez, Martin, Frank, Phil and Bruce carried on with splitting, moving and setting our steadily reducing pile of rocks. Preparing the ground for them were Pete and Aidan who were riding by, saw the Trolls at work and came over to lend a hand for a while. They softened up several rollers, ready for rock laying, with some muscular pick work then headed off to the Forest Centre for a well deserved cuppa. Thanks guys, as always we are glad for the help.

Joining us for the first time were Inga and James who along with young regulars Matt and James, returnee Bruce, and Phil (Thinks... 'what a lot of duplicate names') with Andrew finished off another berm, barrowed a ton or two of hardcore down the side of the Eiger to the trail, and continued the emerging Tackeroo tradition of digging deep (sump) holes. Inga immediately endeared herself by sharing cake, as did Martin whose birthday is imminent. Then to add to the fun, Tom and Phil (yes another one!) rode up and set to, sorting put another trail soft-spot.

The past few Sundays up on the trail have been an object lesson in autumnal colour ways, a kaleidoscopic palette of greens through yellow-gold to a spectrum of russets, tans, taupes and brown. It's easy to not notice on your bike when you're trying to avoid a tree that it's currently carrying an exceptionally pretty leaf load. The opportunity to appreciate the Chase in flux is a fortunate bonus of trail work.

Then it was back to the urn for critiquing or envying the range of bikes queuing for the jet wash.

Phil

It's women that build all these trails ....

2011-11-09T12:00:00.001Z

It's a hard life. They spend the week looking after the kids, doing the shopping, and the cleaning, etc. And then on their days off they slog away all day breaking rocks like a convict.

And what are the men doing? The lazy sods just stand around talking bike parts, eating, and supping large amounts of Monster (like they need the energy for that!) Idle swines!

Bruce

"... So big and sort of round it was ..." (Trail building - Sunday 6th November)

2011-11-06T22:00:00.002Z

Last night was a slight disappointment. We didn't win the National Lottery Award for Best Sports Project. The worthy winners were the Bluebird Care Hampshire Disability Cricket Programme. We consoled ourselves with the thought that simply to be at the Final meant we were on the virtual podium of the event which is a huge success in itself; and that Rob probably looked hilarious in a suit. [If you watch a replay carefully, you can just see Rob looking very dapper in his suit ... he does scrub up well after all - Andrew]

Today, we were back to normality and the increasing familiarity of Tackeroo Rollers and thereabouts. We were joined at the mystic urn by Ross a passing UoW outdoor pursuits undergraduate with a terrifying handshake and a strong work ethic. Good to have his help. Otherwise it was the usual suspects - down in the dark cold forest, Dave, Petra, Frank, Bruce and Jez rock-splitting in our quarry and shifting blocks to the Rollers. Then in a great leap forward they started armouring the first roller. Originally it was just going to be the dip at the bottom, but having evaluated the situation with the fact that we don't want to do this again anytime soon, it emerged that the whole of the back face and bottom of each roller is going to armoured. Oh, those rollers will be different next time you ride them. You can't say we don't give value when we fix a trail.

Meanwhile in the sunlit uplands of the section, the Two Phils (sounds like a bad music hall act), Andrew, Ian, Ross and Liam were barrowing tons of grit stone and gravel to fill, shaping and wackering two bermed bends, with deep, deep sumps.

So, we're making progress, with a lot of rock still to split and shift, prepare and place, and we are at least a couple of months away from getting this section open. If you want it faster than that, please join us on a Sunday at 10 am outside Swinnertons (remember, there's free car parking for the day and a hot drink) or if you're passing at the end of your ride stop and join in for a while – even 10 minutes helps. You'll feel better for the experience.

Phil

Chase Trails on the BBC on Saturday night!

2011-11-01T08:47:00.001Z

Just a quick note to thanks you for all your support and to let you know that Chase Trails will be on the BBC on Saturday night.

As you will know the Chase Trails Cycle Project on Cannock Chase is through to the final of the National Lottery Award in the best sports project category. Voting has now closed and the winners will be announced live on Saturday night. Although we have no great expectation of winning the overall title, the project video will be shown and we hope to at least get a glimpse of the Chase Trails team as they sit and sip champagne.

Thanks again for all your support over the last six months.

Rob.

This Hole In The Ground ... (Trailbuilding - Sunday 30th October)

2011-10-30T22:00:00.001Z

Well this week was very much like last week except we're all a week older. After a quick lurk at the urn, we set off to Tackeroo whilst quarrymen Dave, Steve and Martin carried on rock breaking. Along the trail, two Phils dug sump holes and drain channels while at the Roller dips Matt carried on enlarging the sump holes begun last week. We were delighted to welcome the return of Graham, the human JCB, who repeated his Olympic hole-digging record attempt. Meanwhile Bruce and Frank were filling the trailer with aggregate and transferring it to the top of the hill to be barrowed down and along the trail to reinforce the soft spots and a new low berm we added just because we felt like it. Vague but persistent mutterings are now heard about adding a boardwalk... will anything come of this or is it all just a rumour?

After some lovely cake supplied by Petra in honour of Bruce's birthday, we retired to the tea urn to witness the engagement of Bruce to his new true love, an orange Transition Covert frame. We hope they’ll both be very happy together.

Remember that this coming Saturday (5th November), this year’s National Lottery Awards winners will be revealed - 9:30pm on BBC1. Will Chase Trails be proud but humble winners or a generous and gracious support act? Either way it's a tremendous achievement to have made it to the final and see Rob looking smart.

Phil

'There I was a-diggin this hole' (Trailbuilding - Sunday 24th October)

2011-10-23T21:00:00.008+01:00

After an entertaining weekend off (some went to Dalby and the Peaks and dislocated fingers whilst I went to Greece and got struck by lightning) we returned to the tranquillity of Tackeroo. We also returned to a pile of enormous rocks kindly provided by the nice Forestry Commission people. The only snag being that they are a little too big to move! However, undaunted we equipped ourselves with all the appliances of modern technology (no, not just big hammers) and set to work.

Dave and Steve focussed on splitting the rocks into handle-able chunks using the 'wedge and feathers' method as practiced since ancient Egyptian times (though not by Dave and Steve obviously). See here if you want to know more. It's a cheap, effective and quick way of cutting boulders down to size. Meanwhile, Martin had been adapting the battered old rock wheelbarrow by removing the bucket and fitting a flat plate. This made moving rocks from our “quarry” to the trail vastly less arduous and finger-risky as he and Jez ferried the newly cut blocks to their future resting place.

The rest of us were engaged in more traditional trail-building activities - digging holes. Between each “Rollers” is a dip where water accumulates and turns to mud in the winter. To defeat this problem we are armouring the bottom of the dips with the rock and digging big, I mean BIG, sumps to the side as drains. Everyone not “rocking” started digging - Petra, Frank, Matt, Andrew, another Matt, Peter and Ellie. A really big thanks to Ellie who was hard at work digging a hole while her dad sat and gave her advice (so we believe). When we struck good sub-soil, it was barrowed off to build up the final berm. Special thanks to Paul, Trevor and the two other riders, who stopped, got stuck in, and then went to finish their ride. Sorry I didn't get all of your names guys but thanks for your help - please come again.

Later, and further up the trail, the sump hole-digging continued with talk of repairing berms and possibly adding a small sky-berm. After all, we always like to leave trails better than we found them, although it does mean that it's going to take longer to sort this section out.

Phil

Trail building update

2011-10-22T08:00:00.004+01:00

Folks,
We'll be working on the end of "Tackeroo" in the coming weeks (that's the last section of 'Follow the Dog' - the one that's currently closed). There are rock slabs to go into the bottom of the Rollers to stop them turning into mud baths, drainage on the corners that turn into swimming pools and reshaping of the two steps. We may even add a few new surprises .... why not stop and say "hello".

This is the pile of rock we've got to play - the "wedges and feathers" will be getting some serious use splitting these boulders!

Andrew

Busman's Holiday

2011-10-17T13:00:00.005+01:00

Last weekend saw five of the trail building crew (Bruce, Dave, Jez, Petra and me) heading “up norf” for a weekend away. Glorious sunny if cold weather greeted us on Saturday morning as we drove the 20 or so miles from ‘Little Argham Cottage’ (Rudston, near Bridlington) to Dalby Forest.

The red grade trail is 23 miles long but the best bits are recent additions for the black grade World Cup course. We’ve come back with a few ideas that may be appearing at Cannock in the future. The drop off at the top of ‘Worry Gill’ makes Werewolf Drop look like a cute fluffy puppy!

Following a recommendation from the cottage owner, we stopped off in Seamer for fish and chips. ‘Seamer Fisheries’ fries the best haddock I’ve had in years – definitely worth the detour on the way back to our cosy 6 berth cottage.

On our way back home, the riding choice was Sherwood Pines or the Peaks – the Peaks won hands down. As Petra wasn’t riding, she dropped us off at Hayfield so we could ride “au naturale” to Edale via Kinder Reservoir, Edale Cross and Jacob’s Ladder – now that’s a proper rocky decent.

Back to normal next weekend …more maintenance work on the last section of Tackeroo.

Andrew

No trail building Sunday 16th October

2011-10-10T09:00:00.001+01:00

There will be no trail building on Sunday 16th October as the trail building crew are on a fact finding mission to Dalby (i.e. seeing if there are any good ideas we can "borrow" from our Yorkshire friends).

Andrew

Hurrah For Us: Fame at Last & Tackeroo Improvements (Trailbuilding - Sunday 9th October)

2011-10-09T22:00:00.006+01:00

The day got off to a fairly normal start, with appropriate milling about the tea urn and loading the trailer with tools, wood and two tons of surfacing (by hand!) and then hi ho, hi ho, off to work we go ... etc. We didn't have far to go, just across the road to the end of Tackeroo. Work started with barrowing the two tons of surfacing up the trail to help in the formation of the improved final hairpin berms, which will be considerably stronger and a bit higher. It didn't take long to shift the trailer load so then we split into 3 parties. The main group Dave, James, Matt, & Graham dug out the dips between the Rollers and moved the spoil to build up the berms. While they were at it they dug out some sumps to improve drainage and struck a mother lode of material which also made its way into the berms. A huge round of applause for newcomer Graham who performed like a human JCB, barely stopping for breath all day and put us to shame. Terrific effort! Meanwhile Bruce, Phil and Frank had found some spoil across the fire road and were quarrying and barrowing it to the berm. As may be apparent, a berm takes a lot of building

Upstream, (another) Dave, Andrew and Steve had started remodeling the trail below the two wood steps. They timbered up the outside ready for some surfacing after burying a drainage pipe to prevent the corner from flooding. The steps will be remodeled with rock slab landing zones to prevent future erosion. There's still a fair amount of work to get through, not least the slabbing of the Roller dips which will be fairly time consuming

Oh, and the “Fame At Last”? Well, Chase Trails have won the Forestry Commission 'Volunteer of the Year Award'. It recognises how much consistent quality effort, month-in month-out goes into making and mending the trails. And despite our seemingly low key response to it, we really are very, VERY pleased and proud. Hurrah for us!

Phil

Section 11 Opened - Hurrah : Tackeroo Closed - Damn (Trailbuilding Sunday 2nd October)

2011-10-02T21:00:00.000+01:00

After many, many months being closed for repair and upgrading it was with great pleasure that the Trail Crew set off with a trailer of tools and a song in their heart to open Section 11. The cheerfulness was reinforced by Abby arriving with another birthday cake for Charlotte! Lovely. Even the apparently simple task of opening a section takes a couple of hours. The brash has to be removed and the various shortcut opportunities eliminated. A final safety check of the various boardwalks, and any hanging branches overhead that may fall on the unwary. James and Matt grafted away sweeping the trail surface clear of pine needles and stuff to ensure a grippy start to the day. (Those Chase Trails people are really house-proud!)

Eventually about noon, the start was cleared, the diversion sign removed and the trail inaugurated by Phil & Tom, and Petra, Charlotte & Jess, plus a posse of riders who were either lurking waiting for it to open or just struck lucky. Having watched several dozen ride through and all survive unscathed and happy, we noted where any finessing might be needed, and moved on.
Just as we were in sight of having all sections open, it became apparent that the final length of the Tackeroo descent, the hairpins and berms at the end, are breaking away at the edge with a risk of high riding bikers encountering the scenery at an unexpected angle and unwished velocity. Attempts early in the week at running repairs were scuppered by bikers who rode dangerously in the vicinity of trail crew so the only option has been to close the section from Hugh's Bridge and divert riders down the bridleway back to the Forest Centre. Many people are riding this dangerously fast and with no regard for the interests of other users on foot or horse, or even pedalling uphill. Take it easy folks and think of others!

Right, to give you guys (and dolls) a bit more of a heads-up on what's going on with Tackeroo, here's an update from today's inspection and the commencement of works. The first feature after Hugh's Bridge is the pair of log steps/drops. These are digging out on the down slope and require repair and/or modification (and possibly rocks). Between there and The Rollers there are a few corners that urgently need rebuilding/changing and maybe a new berm.

The Rollers - We've started digging the bottoms of the rollers out in preparation to fill them with rock slabs. A couple of them have had a couple of feet dug out. The idea being that we will be able to use the rock to channel the water away without it pooling and turning the valleys into bogs like last winter. This should also mean we won't get frozen mud ruts again when it freezes. The height of the rollers won't change and neither should the inclines, they just won't wear away and turn to mush in winter.

The Berms - These have collapsed in places so we've also started digging out the backs of the berms at the bottom in preparation for crib walling and rebuilding with better material. Big thanks to Matt (no 2) who rode in and dug like a good 'un. It was especially good of him because he'd arrived just too late to help on Section 11, so made the effort to ride over and join in on Tackeroo. Outstanding!

This will not be a quick fix so please be patient with us. Please don't try and work round the tape and brashing. It just means we have to waste time putting it back and delays progress. Even though there's a fair bit of work going on in the final length, it's still intended to press ahead with the Werewolf Drops remodelling if enough people turn up on Sundays (10a.m. at Swinnos, Free Car Parking), so come along and help us help you!

...and cakeaholics will be glad to know that Abby's cake for Charlotte was delicious.

Phil (PTB)

Tackeroo Descent - Bottom Section Closed

2011-09-30T18:09:00.002+01:00

Please be aware that, with immediate effect, the bottom of Tackeroo - the final section of Follow the Dog and Monkey Trail - will be closed.
Commencing from the feature signed "Hugh's Bridge" until the end after the rollers will be closed to riders at the instruction of the Forestry Commission. This is to enable rectification and repair work to begin and to prevent further degradation of the trail. Please do NOT ride this section.

We know you all love this section but the FC have taken the difficult decision to close it and do something about it now.

Please obey any and all signed diversions that are in place.

Evil Slab Bypass Open

2011-09-30T18:00:00.000+01:00

As of today, the bypass is now open for business

Let Them Eat Cake - Evil Slab Bypass (Trailbuilding – Sunday 25th September)

2011-09-25T23:00:00.003+01:00

I was away recovering last week (I won't bother you with the details, but pain and handlebar acrobatics were involved) so my belief that work had started on the Werewolf Drop bypass had to be recalibrated when it turned out that a different bypass had been undertaken. The feeling was that Evil Slab (the Evil formerly known as Root 2) was turning out a bit too evil, and most people just couldn't or wouldn't manage it. So in the spirit of having a slightly friendlier trail, with fewer naughty words so near the Visitor Centre, a bypass was in order. This week we would finish the job.

Because it is Charlotte's birthday (Happy Birthday Charlotte) Petra arrived with trays of home-made fairy cakes for hungry trail pixies. So we had some cake and loaded the trailer with tools, and all the usual crew plus returnee Dave set off to the scene of action. All that is except Dave (another one) and Andrew of Chase Trails and Gary and Andrew (another one) of the FC. They set off to do prospecting and long-range thinking stuff not realising that cakes were going somewhere else.

Last week a chicken run (oops) by-pass had been carved out to the right of the approach to Evil Slab. This week we ate fairy cake (mmmm), unloaded some larch logs and laid them out and secured them as kerbs to keep riders on the straight and narrow, Last week’s surfacing looked a bit untough so after some more cake, we re-cycled gravel surfacing from a nearby disused hard standing and barrowed it in as an extra solid running surface. The pleasure we may have had at this point was somewhat marred by the horizontal rain sweeping across the Chase and dampening our enthusiasm and trousers.

In the meantime we amused ourselves by observing passing riders attempting Evil Slab. Many avoided it on an unofficial alternative (now under logs and brashing placed to make it less attractive); lots failed valiantly; and the remainder conquered with varying degrees of elegance. We pointed out to those who failed that they would have won cake if successful, but forgot to mention this to those who rode over and away, thus we had to eat their cake too.

After Martin had wackered surfacing to his hearts content, and Frank had installed a marker post (can you find him in the picture?) we decided it was just too late enough to be able to go start something else and went back to base and stashed the gear. Then to the magicial tea urn and a final cake (or two).

Big thanks to Matt who came by, got off his bike, worked like stink for half an hour and then rode on his way with a clean conscience having done his bit. Boo to all those riders who seem to think a hi-viz vest is a Harry Potter invisibility cloak, and don't even say 'Hi' or 'Thanks' to people trail building a yard away. In future follow Matt's example, get off your bike and pitch in for half an hour. The trail needs it.

And as for Dave and Andrew x 2 and Gary... we never saw or heard from them again!!!

Phil

And now for something totally different ...

2011-09-25T22:00:00.000+01:00

As posted here, Sunday saw the Tackeroo camp site being taken over by cyclo-crossers. For those that don’t know, they look like road bikes but have cantilever or 'V' brakes and wider knobbly tyres. Chase Trails weren’t involved with the event but Dave and I witnessed some of the racing whilst on a planning session with the Forestry guys - more about that in a future post.

It’s not my cup of tea but it certainly looks like a good way for the “roadies” to keep fit during the winter months ... not sure about those narrow (compared with MTB) tyres on wet roots!

Andrew

Trailbuilding Update

2011-09-24T22:00:00.002+01:00

Just to keep readers informed, section 11 (that's the one which has been closed for a tad over six months) will be reopened Sunday 2nd October as part of the day's trail building activities.
Those of you who can remember far enough back to when it was previously open, the trail line hasn't changed but just about the whole length of it has been dug up and re-laid using a number of different types of aggregate as an experiment to work out which is “best”. By that we mean which can cope with the rigors of winter and 100,000 + riders a year.
To spice things up, there are three boardwalks spanning the boggy areas, a section of small log steps to direct the water off the trail and a couple of rock steps.
We’ll brash the edges to encourage riders to stay on the surfaced trail and complete the last minute fettling before the tapes finally come down. Can’t say exactly when it will open but if you’re in the area stop and say “hello” – you never know, you may have the honour of being the first to ride this revamped section.

Andrew

Not Tackeroo After All (Trail building - Sunday 11th September)

2011-09-11T22:00:00.003+01:00

With the Forestry Discovery Day underway Chase Trails needed to staff our gazebo and encourage anyone in the vicinity to vote for us on the National Lottery Awards (still at http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/best-sport-project/141/). Big thanks to Petra and Charlotte for their sterling work in engaging the passing public to vote and increasing our membership by two.

As we’re awaiting the go ahead to start the tweaks on Tackeroo, the decision was made to fill in the holes at the end of Section 10. It's easy because we knew we had some surfacing material on hand to fill the holes with, clearly an important consideration in holesmanship.

With a “tooled up” trailer, off to Section 10 we headed. A quick set of diversion signs plus trail brashing as a hint to illiterate riders and it was sweep, hack, barrow, level, wack until all the final section of the trail through the trees looked like a billiard table, albeit a billiard table covered in gravel.

We were pleased to be joined by Jo, Isaac and Josh who despite all temptations seemed to enjoy themselves and put in a solid days graft of trail preparation and shifting surfacing. Robin and James returned and James brought Matt and all wielded picks with disturbing ferocity. Ian provided the technical expertise in moulding the running surface to his exacting standards (you would be surprised how much care goes into details you never see as you ride). Peter, Matt and Phil completed the surfacing party until Matt was detailed to join the rock group. We all want to be in a rock group when we're young but in this case it was Dave, Jez and Bruce shifting boulders to finesse parts of Section 11 (the section that will not die). They armoured the log-step landings to prevent erosion.

And then we went home and had tea and said - I wonder if next week we're going to start on the Werewolf Drops by-pass?

Phil

National Lottery Awards Video Filming

2011-09-08T10:23:00.003+01:00

Hopefully you'll have seen the video we filmed for the national lottery awards (if not head over to the National Lottery Awards Website where you can watch the video and vote for Chase Trails at the same time.

The video was filmed in late July. We met up at lunchtime in the Treehouse. Abbey was our coordinator for the day and briefed everyone on what to wear and say. The crew split into two groups with half going to do some proper work building up on section 11 while the other half were filmed riding their bikes on the Steg. After numerous re-shoots (can you ride a little slower / can you stay together a bit more!) the film crew moved up to 11 to see what really happens on a Sunday morning. Real building was taking place as we finished a short section of boardwalk but there was also a bit of 'staging' as we looked over maps and randomly pointed at the trees. Martin showed off his chainsaw skills and was reluctantly interviewed.

Following this we went up to Upper Cliff for some more riding and interviews. Andy and Jason from the FC were interviewed while the rest of us admired the view. The day finished with the group shot by the birches valley trail header. "Should we yay or whoo???"

We all had a great day filming and the result is a really nice short film about what we do and what the Chase Trails Cycle Project is all about.

Rob.

Forestry Commission Forest Discovery Day

2011-09-08T10:15:00.000+01:00

This Sunday (11th September) the Forestry Commission are holding a Forest Discovery Day to celebration the 2011 International Year of Forests.

There will be loads going on and lots of free activities including forest machinery demonstrations (including tree felling), a forest cycle game for children and a self-led quiz walk. Forestry Commission rangers will be on site if you want to talk / ask them anything be it about recreation, wildlife, education or operations. Chase Trails will be around (probably outside the bike shop) so please come and say hello. Paul Massey from Mountain Bike Adventures will also be running free MTB skills taster sessions throughout the afternoon.

Cyclo Cross Race - Advance Notice

2011-09-08T10:00:00.000+01:00

Lichfield City Cycling Club are holding a Cyclo cross race on Sunday 25th September at Tackeroo Caravan Site. The course is based in a small area around the campsite and should be really good either to spectate or to race.

As the course crosses Follow the Dog there may be minor delays through Tackeroo. The crossing points will be marshalled so please obey all signage and instructions, if you are asked to wait please be patient and enjoy the racing for a couple of minuets. More info on www.lichfieldccc.org.uk/ or enquries to chair@lichfieldccc.org.uk

Will it Never End on Section 11? (Trailbuilding - Sunday 4th September)

2011-09-04T22:00:00.003+01:00

Well actually yes! In fact it ended today with all that small scale fiddling about that stops you ever really getting your teeth into anything but which is absolutely vital to winding up the job properly. The usual Trail Crew were joined today by ride-in returnee Bruce (not to be confused with Bruce who is of course somebody completely different) and newcomers Danny, Jake and Robin who despite the piecemeal nature of the days efforts worked willingly and hard, making a significant impact on the day’s achievements. Our time was divided between resurfacing the worn-out start bits of the section so some of us had to go and ahem 'recycle' some spare gritstone to toughen up the usual trail surfacing material. Meanwhile others including Jez, James and Robin were preparing some interesting step features. What makes them interesting is these are UPHILL steps. You can't say we don't make your riding life varied. Then it was the cheery round of mixing, barrowing and spreading that makes Sundays fly by (no, honestly it does).

In another part of the forest something stirred and thundered into life – our trusty wacker. Martin and Steve took it in turns to compact the whole length of the trail, well the newly laid material. Now all we have to do is let nature take it's course and weather the trail down to a durable riding surface, so please don't jump the gun and try and ride it until it's opened in a few weeks. It'll just mean we have to keep it closed longer while we fix the damage you cause.

So what next I hear you cry! Current betting is that we'll put in a blue grade by-pass to Werewolf drops and when it's open use it as a diversion while we sort out the braking bumps leading into Werewolf. Why not come and join us for a day to make and mend the trails you love to ride. We need your help. In the meantime vote for us in the National Lottery awards at http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/best-sport-project/141/

Phil

National Lottery Awards

2011-09-02T10:02:00.005+01:00

Chase Trails have now reached the final three in the best sports project category. We're really pleased to have made it to the finals as it is a great for us to receive national recognition for all our hard work over the past 8 years in designing, building and maintaining mountain bike trails on Cannock Chase.

You can vote for Chase Trails Cycle Project by calling 0844 836 9721 or online. Public voting for the final starts at 9am on 2 September and ends at midday on 26 September. If you voted for us in the semi-final please vote for us again in the final.

The Chase Trails Cycling Project involves local people in the design, build, maintenance and use of mountain bike trails in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire by providing equipment, training and machine hire to get the trails started. Over 100,000 people have ridden the network of cycling trails built in partnership between the Forestry Commission and the local community.

Volunteer trail building group Chase Trails was founded by local riders in 2003 with the aim of building and maintaining high quality, sustainable mountain bike trails on Cannock Chase. Working in partnership with the Forestry Commission, we have built 15 miles of mountain bike trails which we are continually working to maintain and improve. To date it is estimated that over 25,000 hours of volunteer time have been invested in the trails.

Chase Trails rely on volunteers to build and maintain the trails. We hold trail building sessions every week and are always looking for new volunteers to come and get involved.

By voting for Chase Trails you'll be showing your support for the trails and the work the volunteers do to build and maintain them. We'd encourage everyone to get behind us and support this fantastic project.

Vote for Chase Trails Cycle Project by calling 0844 836 9721 or online

We're still here ....

2011-08-31T12:30:00.001+01:00

Eager readers of this topical account of the ups and downs of trail crew life, carving out new frontiers in better biking, may have become worried that we have been abducted by aliens, since there has been no signs of life on the blog for several weeks. However out in the wild wild woods, the great work continues (along with other stuff).

A quick update…
Chase Trails have opened the new start to Section 2 in time for the Erasure and Simple Minds Concert so riders can keep on riding without interruption, and have the option of a new rock to practice falling off on. This is merely the precursor to other goodies to appear in the woods when we get round to it. (Hint: we’d get round to it sooner if there were more people helping – Yes this does mean you)

Phil

Guess Where? (Trail building – Sunday 14th August)

2011-08-14T22:00:00.001+01:00

This is getting like Groundhog Day. Once again the rolling miles of Section 11 beckoned and this time they beckoned a whole new set of trail builders. So a big hand please to new builders Oleg, Dennis, and Lucy; to Andy and Reece; and to Bruce who came and grafted like Trojans and really made a difference. Thanks too, to Alex who came back, and to Tom and Phil who rode in and gave it some wellie as they always do. The excellent numbers made a huge impression and we made loads of progress.

Only a day or two to go before we'll have finished and can leave it to weather for a few weeks into a solid running surface. In the meantime Dave and the rest of the “why don’t we put a technical feature there” gang were busily creating a log staircase to make the unwary very wary indeed.

If we had these sorts of numbers every week we could really get a move on. So much to do, so few to do it - if you see us then please jump off your bike and lend us a hand.

Phil

Rest Day: CT Rides Sleepless in the Saddle - 6th / 7th August

2011-08-08T22:00:00.003+01:00

In a bizarre reinterpretation of the term "rest", the CT trail crew put 2 teams into the Sleepless in the Saddle 24 hour race. The Trail Pixies in their eye-catching wings: the lovely Abbi, Linsey and Petra and the frankly not quite as lovely Liam and Jez (nobody calls him a big fairy and stays standing for long). In addition there were the Trail Trolls: Al, Andrew, Dave and Ian.

Having ridden Mountain Mayhem a few weeks back, everyone was much more geared up and psyched up for SitS and enjoyed themselves even more despite a tropical downpour at 6 pm that drenched everybody out in it. This year the organisers had thoughtfully provided a Lurking Tent with supplies of beer and cake where riders who might have crossed the finish line early could hang around until after the 24-hour deadline and not commit a team member to another lap. It is to the great credit of CT that the first person into the Lurking Tent was our own Jez, setting an example in sportsmanship, timing and initiative that I hope the British Olympic Team will wish to emulate.

Meanwhile in the spirit of lemming like dedication that is the hallmark of the true trail builder everyone not at SitS on the Sunday was hard at work on Section 11 once again surfacing like good ‘uns.

Phil

Love Life Love Running (allegedly) - Sunday 24th July

2011-07-24T22:00:00.000+01:00

One of the ways CT raises funds for materials and tools is to marshal events that other people organise on the Chase.In this case, it's the nice, enthusiastic, and worryingly dedicated athletes of Love Life Love Running.

It’s fair to say that from the marshal’s perspective it’s an easy gig. You roll up, grab a walkie talkie, revise the NATO phonetic alphabet (you don’t need it but it makes you look cool if anybody noticed or cared) then pedal off to an assigned position, open your folding chair if you’ve been astute enough to bring one, and spend the day watching people in lycra going past at steady intervals getting progressively sweatier. (That’s the runners, not the marshals. Although there was a lady in white lycra shorts…) It’s cheering and reassuring to know that bikers are not the only people who think going in circles on the Chase is a sane way to spend the day.

The runners do deserve a big hand for their guts and determination in what is clearly a challenging event, and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Phil

Bridges and Barrows. (Trail building – Sunday 17th July)

2011-07-17T22:00:00.002+01:00

The bridge over troubled water theme continues although with a marked absence of Paul Simon. Still the post driving and plank laying work presses ahead remorselessly with the inevitability of the Trans-Continental Railroad in 19th century America although with less whisky, dynamite and ladies of ill repute.

Still you can’t have everything, we do have a big wacker so more surface and surfacing work went on. Having spent much longer on this section than we originally expected or intended, it’s turned into a major rebuild of nearly the full length, hopefully delivering a more robust running surface as well as more interesting ride.

Phil

Medium Sized Bridge Day (Trail building – Sunday 10th July)

2011-07-10T22:00:00.001+01:00

Section 11 had several parts that were prone to holding damp when it rained and although it’s been quite dry this summer, the rains will come again. So to avoid the endless maintenance associated with gloopy ground we have built a variety of north shore entertainments to make our lives easier and yours more fun. There’s even a speed bump, although it’s mainly there because someone found a suitable bit of wood and it seemed a shame to waste it.

Phil

Big Barrow Day (Big Build Day – Sunday 3rd July)

2011-07-03T22:00:00.000+01:00

Then we moved onto the BBD, repairing and upgrading Section 11. A goodly number turned out to do their bit for British trail building and shifted amazing amounts of surface and surfacing in pursuit of what will be a significantly more interesting section when it’s finished. Our great thanks to everyone who came. Please come again and bring others, the more the merrier.

Phil

Worth the wait?

2011-06-26T18:00:00.005+01:00

Whilst I was skiving off at a family do, the rest of the team were grafting away in the sunshine. The fruit of their labour was the opening of the new timber and rock feature in the new start to the Dog.

Don’t forget it’s Big Build Day this Sunday (3rd) … or should that be a Big Surface Day where we’ll be repairing section 11. Please stop for a few minutes if you’re cycling by – pushing a few barrow loads or a spot of raking will help get the section open sooner.

Andrew

Big Build Day - Sunday 3rd July

2011-06-23T10:34:00.000+01:00

We have our next Big Build Day on Sunday 3rd July. We'll provide lunch and all the tools, all you need to bring is outdoors clothes and lots of enthusiams. If you haven't come trail building before this is a great introduction to what goes on. It will be a really enjoyable day and you'll get to meet other like minded folk and gain an appreciated and understanding of what it takes to build sustainable mountain bike trails. Meet outside Swinnertons Cycles at 10am as usual.

Rob.

National Lottery Awards - We did it!

2011-06-23T10:29:00.001+01:00

Chase Trails have now made it to the finals of the 2011 National Lottery Awards. We will now be part of a special BBC One show in November when the winners will be announced. This is great news for Chase Trails and will really help us publicise what we do and get more people involved in supporting us. The final round of public voting to determine the winner will take place in September. Thanks to everyone who voted for us and help spread the word. Your support and the new contacts we've made has been fantastic.

Rob.

Forestry Commission Concerts Friday 24th & Saturday 25th June

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000+01:00

Just a final reminder that the concerts are THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY and that Birches Valley car park will close at 3.30pm on both days.

Due to the Forestry Commission Concerts the Car Park at Birches Valley will be Closed to the General Public on from 3.30pm onwards on both Friday 24th & Saturday 25th June

The Car Park will re-open at 5.00pm for Concert Ticket Holders only.

The Upper (GoApe / Overflow) Car Park will be closed all day on both the Friday and Saturday.

Follow the Dog and the Monkey trail will both be open as normal during this period. The newly constructed entrance to Follow the Dog will be finished and opened by early June meaning all riders will need to start the trail from outside Swinnerton Cycles.

If you intend to be on the trail after 3pm on either Friday 24th or Saturday 25th June alternative car parking will be available at Tackeroo Campsite or Marquis Drive visitor centre.

Also from Monday 20th to Wednesday 29th June a large number of heavy vehicles will be using Birches Valley for Concert Site setup and take down so pleases take extra care during this time.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you have any queries please phone the Forestry Commission office the following number 01889 586593

Must be something in the water...

2011-06-20T18:00:00.001+01:00

After a thoroughly enjoyable(?) time at Mountain Mayhem, Team Chase Trails finished 36th team of ten out of 49 - not bad since we only entered for the craic.

Things learnt the hard way :
- Do check out the course ahead of the race, especially if your first lap is at night.
- Bonty Mud X’s don’t work too well on wet roots.
- It’s not easy to run in SPD cycling shoes on wet grass.
- Sending your last rider out seconds before the 24 hour hooter bumps your team up the standings.
- Check your lights well before the event - a big thanks to the Hope boys for lending me a Vision 4 as the connector on mine went AWOL.

We must have been bitten by the bug as the Chase Trails Pixies and Trolls will be competing at ‘Sleepless in the Saddle’ in August …

Andrew

National Lottery Awards

2011-06-15T16:51:00.002+01:00

Thanks to everyone who has already voted for Chase Trails in the National Lottery Awards. If you haven't voted yet voting closes at midday on Monday 20th June so please vote soon. By voting for Chase Trails you'll be showing your support for the work our volunteers do to build and maintain the bike trails at Cannock. The national recognition this could generate for Chase Trails would be fantastic. PLEASE VOTE

No trail building on Sunday 19th June

2011-06-12T17:15:00.002+01:00

As most of the regular trail builders will be riding around the grounds of Eastnor Park next weekend, there won't be any trail building.

We're riding at Mountain Mayhem - the 24-hour mountain bike endurance event. If you're there, come and say hello - just look out for our gazebo and flags.

Andrew

PS: Have you voted yet? See here for details.

10% Discount at Pine Café for Chase Trails members

2011-06-12T17:00:00.006+01:00

The Pine Café, Hednesford, is a regular pit stop for our Saturday social rides. It’s not too far from the Dog or Monkey so can easily incorporated in either ride.

If you turn up and show your Chase Trails membership card, you’ll get one of their yellow discount cards which will entitle you to a 10% discount on all food and drinks. They’re cycle friendly, with a bike rack and outside tables or sit inside if the weather is not so good.

Also, they’re offering to open out of hours if a group are planning, for example, an evening ride and you fancy a pre- or post ride cuppa and snack. All they ask is for 24 hours notice – please give them a ring (01543 871 219) during their normal opening hours (9.00am - 2.30pm) to make arrangements.

Andrew

New start to the Dog

2011-06-09T21:00:00.000+01:00

The new start to "Follow The Dog" has now been opened and is ready to ride. Instead of heading along the fire road out of the top of the car park, you'd need to start from the cycle shop and head out under Go Ape and into the trees.

The timber and rock feature just before the dense trees will be decked in a couple of weeks time - the wood is on order ....

Andrew

For one week only - Diversion at start of FtD

2011-06-05T21:00:00.002+01:00

To eliminate the need to close the first section of 'Follow The Dog' when there are events on in the concert site at Birches Valley, we have built a new start to the trail. As you leave Swinnertons Cycles Forest Centre and head out under Go-Ape, instead of curving around to the top corner of the concert site, the new trail dives straight into the trees.

The original entrance has now been "returned to nature" and the newly built section linked into the existing trail. To allow the new trail surface a few days to settle before opening, we've diverted the trail along the fire road down to the bottom of the concert site where you turn right along another fire road before rejoining the single track. Fear not, you don't miss out the best bits of this section and it's only for a week.

The new start opens Saturday 11th June ....

PS: Have you voted yet? See here for details.

Andrew

Vote for Chase Trails in the National Lottery Awards

2011-05-31T20:30:00.007+01:00

Vote for Chase Trails in National Lottery Awards. Vote online or by calling 0844 836 9721 (voting closes at midday on 20 June so vote today)

Chase Trails have reached the semi-finals if the 2011 National Lottery Awards. The awards are an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects, and they aim to celebrate and recognise the difference that those projects have made to people, places and communities all across the UK.

We need your vote to help us win the award for best sports project.

By voting for Chase Trails and 'The Monkey Trail' you'll be showing your support for the trail and the work our volunteers do to build and maintain it. Most importantly if we win the 2k prize we'll spend it on rock & timber to improve the trail. We'd encourage all of the mountain bike community to get behind us and show their support for trail development and the future of sustainable mountain biking in the UK.

Who We Are – What We Do
Chase Trails was founded by local riders in 2003 with the aim of building and maintaining high quality, sustainable mountain bike trails on Cannock Chase. Working in partnership with the Forestry Commission, we have built 15 miles of mountain bike trails that we are continually working to maintain and improve. To date it is estimated that over 25,000 hours of volunteer time have been invested in the trails.

Chase Trails rely on volunteers to build and maintain the trails. We hold trail building sessions every Sunday, meeting outside Swinnerton Cycles (Birches Valley Forest Centre) at 10am. We'll supply tools, guidance and a warm welcome, all you need is outdoor clothing, trail snacks and lots of enthusiasm. If you're out riding and see us on the trail, then please stop and lend a hand, even a few minutes is a big help.

Our next Big Build Day will be Sunday 3rd July

Spot The Difference … (Trailbuilding – Sunday 15th May)

2011-05-15T22:30:00.001+01:00

With Bruce overseas on business, the Forestry staff helped us get a load of timber up to the ‘Black Monkey’ – thanks guys. As previously publicised, our plan for the day was to thwart those that were riding around our rock features – after all it is a black grade option.

The first task of the day was to roll a sizeable rock down to the “Qualifier” to fill the gap beside the lip of the step. With the junior trail builders digging all the spoil off the landing slab, it certainly looks the business now.

Next three more rocks were rolled down to fill the gully along side the “Toboggan Run”. These along with replacing the fence that had been destroyed should keep riders on track. To finish Harvey and Martin cleared the marbles from the berm and dug out the drainage sump.

“Oblivion” was our next port of call to build a crib wall to support the top edge of the trail – we won’t want a land slide wiping out the ‘Red Monkey’ trail. Debbie and Petra gave the rocks a good rake and brush up to leave everything looking spick and span.

There are two more rock gardens that will need crib walling so we’ll be back but for now things look better.

Andrew

Big Build Day - Sunday 8th May

2011-05-08T22:00:00.002+01:00

A big thank you to all who turned up and helped today. We had a good turn out and the rain held off after an early shower - there was even a bit of sunshine!
There were several new faces, a bunch of Grimey Lymies, three of the FC staff and our regular trail crew – 24 volunteers in total. As usual, we couldn’t have managed anywhere near as much without your efforts.

The new start to the trail will take riders directly into the dense trees missing out the fire road and top corner of the concert site – no more trail closures when there are big events on. With your help, the section is almost finished with only a bit more surfacing required. To add some spice, there’s a wood and rock option that when it’s completed will give riders a taste of what’s to come ...

Please obey the trail closed signs – by all means have a look. If the trail beds down as expected, it shouldn’t be too long before we can open it.

Andrew

Advance Warning - Trail Closure

2011-05-05T22:00:00.000+01:00

The black section of the Monkey will be closed on Sunday 15th May, hopefully just for the day.

We'll be removing the temptation for riders to avoid the lovingly placed rocks. As usual, you can help us out on the day - we meet outside Swinno's at around 10am.

Don't forget the BBD this Sunday 8th May building the new start to the first section of The Dog. We'll be digging off the top soil and surfacing with new material. Please come and help - there's plenty to do digging, barrowing, raking and socialising with like minded folk.

Andrew

Steady Progress - Trailbuilding Update

2011-05-01T21:00:00.002+01:00

We realise that section 11 of The Dog has now been closed for a few months but progress has been steady. Not only is the wear and tear being repaired but we’re sprucing the section up with a few sections of boardwalk to bridge boggy areas.

The driest and warmest April on record hasn’t helped as the new surfacing material is too dry and not binding – we desperately need some steady rain on the trails to bind the dusty surface together.

Please bear with us – we’ll get it open as soon as possible.

Andrew

Busman's Holiday - Chase Trails on Tour

2011-04-25T20:00:00.001+01:00

The week before Easter saw eight of the Chase Trails regular builders head north of the border for a week's holiday riding Scotland's famous 7stanes trails. We’d also arranged to meet up with a couple of the guys responsible for the trails to exchange notes and experiences.

Ghost Stane at Mabie

Basing ourselves in a cottage 2 miles from the Ae forest, the red routes at Mabie, Dalbeatie, Ae, Glentress, Kirroughtree and Innerleithen were all bagged. Each trail is different in character and we’ve come back with lots of ideas to incorporate into our trails.

Rock garden at Kirroughtree

A general consensus agreed that Kirroughtree was the best trail overall and the preferred post ride grub was Mabie’s “Shed Burger”. It’s a shame ‘The Slab’ and ‘Terrible Twins’ at Dalbeatie wouldn’t fit into Bruce’s Landrover ….

On the way back, a diversion via Whinlatter to ride the ‘Altura Trail’ saw the only rain of the holiday making the wet slate surface very sketchy. A total of 100 miles of trail riding were racked up over the week – not bad considering it was a holiday!

Andrew

Next Big Build Day - Sunday 8th May

2011-04-14T16:30:00.004+01:00

Just to let you know that our next Big Build Day will be on Sunday 8th May. We will be working on a new entrance to the first section of 'Follow the Dog'.

In previous years, the when the summer concerts have been held, we have had to close this section. With the new start well away from the concert site, we'll be able to keep the trail open. Meet outside Swinnertons, Birch Valley at 10am for an easy walk up to the work area. As usual, food and drinks will be provided at lunch time.

Andrew

No trail building on Sunday 17th April

2011-04-12T09:36:00.007+01:00

As the regular trail builders are taking an early Easter holiday to visit our relatives north of the border, there will be no trail building on Sunday 17th. We're going to ride as many of the 7stanes trail centres as our legs and lungs will allow and bring back a few ideas for our trails.

Andrew

Marshals wanted

2011-03-30T11:19:00.002+01:00

The organiser of three charity challenges for Care International in and around Cannock chase this summer has contacted me looking to try and recruit local marshals to help on the mountain bike course. Ideally they need to have a reasonable knowledge of the area and also be able to help with minor bike maintenance / repairs.

The events are all on Saturdays,
21st May
2nd July
3rd Sept
Marshalling would start from 0600 (for a briefing) and finish by 1730.
The organisers are willing to pay a fee to each person for their support.

Marshalling is great way to be part of an event and can be really rewarding. If anyone is interested please contact
Steven Lindsay
Challenge Events Executive
CARE International UK
lindsay@careinternational.org

I get requests like this all the time so if anyone is interested in other opportunities that might come up in the future please contact me
chasetrails@chasetrails.co.uk

Rob

Surfacing trials (Trailbuilding - Sunday 27th March)

2011-03-27T20:00:00.005+01:00

No, that's not a spelling mistake, it should read "trials" not "trails". Over the last few weeks, the Forestry guys have acquired various types of surfacing materials for us to trial. The latest batch is crushed gritstone which they have dropped at various locations around the Dog. This will be used to repair areas which have suffered the worst over the winter. To make this material go further and to match the colour of the existing trails, we'll mix it with the local "as dug" material. Section 11 on the Dog is our test area as this as probably suffered most. So, while half the group broke up the existing surface of section 11 and dug off the muddy stuff, others mixed the new material with a pile of surfacing material left over from when the section was built.

After some relatively tame wheel barrowing by our normal standards, several metres of trail were surfaced with the new mix ready for Martin in fire up the new wacker. It's a serious beast compared with our old machine - twice the size and weighing in at a hefty 80kg. so it wasn't long before he had billard table smooth finish.

While Martin was giving the worms headaches, the rest of the team headed to the start of the section to retreave several spans of boardwalk left over from the APF show. This will be used to bridge a boggy area of the trail and add a little spice to the section ...

Andrew

Sunday 20th March - No Trailbuilding

2011-03-16T13:24:00.002Z

No trailbuilding this week as most of the regular volunteers are helping marshall the Midlands XC race. Normal service will resume next week.

Rob.

Midlands XC - Sunday 20th March

2011-03-09T10:52:00.002Z

XC racing returns to Cannock with round 1 of the 2011 RRP Midlands XC Series. It's taking place in the Tackeroo block of the Chase on Sunday 20th March. The red and blue waymarked trails will still be open on race day, but there will be marshalled crossing points with the race course, so follow the dog riders will need to be on the lookout for the caution signs.

There is a morning race at 10.30 which comprises the under 18 riders, the over 40 riders and all the female riders. At 13.00 it's the turn of the under 12's to take part in some short course racing, followed by all the senior male (19-39) categories at 14.00.

You can enter online here

There'll be lots of bike bling on display in the arena and the course is a cloverleaf shape, making it easy for spectators to see riders several times on each lap.

Chase Trails will be helping marshall and will have our publicity stand up in the arena so come and say hello.

Pic courtesy of Rob Crayton

Starting at the end (Trail building – Sunday 27th February)

2011-02-27T20:00:00.001Z

The last couple of Sundays has seen us making a start on much needed maintenance to section 11 of the Dog. The trails on the Chase suffer during hard winter frosts – the frost penetrates deep into the ground so when the top layer starts to defrost, the water trapped in the sandy surface has nowhere to go so hence turning into sloppy goo. The trail surface does recover has it dries out but we’re left with ruts and holes.

We started with resurfacing the end of the section which had suffered the worst after the area was clear felled in the autumn. We’ve had our eye on an area of road stone that had been laid for one of the stands at last year’s APF show. The plan was to retrieve this and lay it on the existing trail bed. So with that in mind, a few cleared the muck off the trails whilst others ferried the material back in a trailer.

After much extreme wheel barrowing, the results look quite impressive. The light coloured surface will so tone down after a few tyres have rolled over it.

Working our way back along the section, resorting the trail, we’ve got a few ideas to revamp what is a fairly unexciting section – watch this space!

The diversion will be in place for a few weeks so please follow the arrows. The results should be worth the wait ….

Andrew

Monkey Tree Hugging

2011-02-25T15:04:00.004Z

Chase Trails Big Build Day - Sunday 6th March

Not all Trail Pixies are this good looking but they are friendly and welcoming so why not join them on Sunday 6th March and help them build some trail. As always we'll provide the food and tools, all you need to do is turn up at Swinnertons at 10am prepared to work outdoors and have some fun...

Follow The Dog - section 11 closed

2011-02-20T22:41:00.001Z

We have started resurfacing the end of section 11 (near Marquis Drive Visitor Centre). Please follow the signed diversion along the fireroads around this section.

The section will remain closed for a few weeks while the new surface settles - please don't ride it until it's ready.

Andrew

Date for your diary - Next Big Build Day on Sunday 6th March

2011-02-07T13:30:00.001Z

Just to let you all know that our next Big Build Day will be on Sunday 6th March - meet at 10 am outside Swinnerton's Cycle Centre (Birches Valley Visitor Centre) for a day of digging, free food and fun.

More details to follow.

Andrew

Toad and a few holes (Trail Building – Sunday 6th February)

2011-02-06T22:00:00.003Z

Today, a few maintenance jobs were on the cards so Martin and I planned to sort those out while the rest of the crew soldiered on cutting new trail over on section D.
With several holes in the trail between the forestry bridge and plank bridge on section 6 needing attention, Martin trundled off with the wheelbarrow to get a few loads of surfacing material, while I scraped off the clag, cleared out the drainage gullies and tamped down Martin’s deliveries. As long as the rest of the winter weather remains favourable, these repairs should last awhile.

We’ve concluded that Alex likes to vent his frustrations wielding an axe ... Petra had wisely opted for the easy route around a stump but no Alex decided it must come out saying the trail wouldn’t flow right. Shall we say it took him a while to beat the offending root into submission. In the mean time, Sally unearthed a friend ... Mr Toad (or it could have been Ms Toad – we’re not sure how to tell the difference).

There was one last job for the maintenance crew – replace a missing waymarker post at the start of section 12, the clearfelled area below Marquis Drive. Even though the ground was a little stony, it didn’t take us long to have the post in and square – we’ve planted the odd post or twenty in the run up to opening The Monkey last year.

After that it was time to call it a day and “hit the urn” back at base.

Andrew

Déjà vu (Trail Building - Sunday 30th January)

2011-01-30T18:00:00.001Z

This week seemed to be a re-run of last week – a bit like watching TV these days. Dave fancied doing some more routing, Ian and Jez rode off to do a spot of “trail inspecting” and the rest of us resumed digging on section ‘D’.

With eight volunteers eager to keep warm and easy digging, progress was swift this week - the dug trail grew by 60 “Martins”. For those that don’t know, we believe a “Martin” is around one yard - his stride length … being one of the older members of the group, he hasn’t been “metrified” yet.

By 2 pm, with weary limbs, we called it a day and returned back to base. Dave had stepped up his game and gone to town with a new design – in fact he was still creating saw dust when we arrived … can you work out what he used as a template this time?

Andrew

Dave’s New Toy (Trail Building - Sunday 23rd January)

2011-01-23T17:00:00.000Z

This week, Dave demonstrated his artistic bent with a router by creating a striking design based on a chainring and our Chase Trails logo on a log off-cut. We intend to knock up a few of these and dot them around the trails.

With last week’s trail inspection of The Monkey turning up a damaged sign - Ian, Jez and the rest of the Pearson family saddled up and rode off to replace it. Personally, I think it was just an excuse to ride rather than dig ….. can’t blame them though!

The rest of the crew tooled up and headed off to continue work on Section ‘D’ – the singletrack climb we started on the last Big Build Day. Walking up what had already been dug on the BBD, it’s surprising just how much had been cut. Whilst Bruce, Liam, Phil, Steph and me carried on digging from where we’d left off last week, Martin started cutting a swath for us to follow.

A little later he came back with a suggestion to modify the original route. We discussed his ideas and it was seemed sound, especially as the existing flagging cut straight through a swampy area. After reflagging the trail, we called it a day and returned to inspect Dave’s impressive handiwork.

Andrew

Building Cakes (Trail Building Sunday 16th January 2011)

2011-01-16T22:00:00.001Z

Today we split into two groups Bruce, Martin, Ian and Steph went over to section 11 to check out reports of a fallen tree on the trail.

The rest of us, The Pearson Family, Phil, Pete and Blade, set out to Deercote valley to continue on the trail that was started on the Big Build Day. The weather was warm and dry and we soon got stuck in to clearing some more trail. Bruce and Steph joined a little while later. We stopped for cakes provided by Sally, thanks Sally and Happy Birthday. We carried on a little longer until it started to rain we cleared a good section of trail before heading back to Birches Valley for a cuppa.

Petra

“Wedge and Feathers” (Trail Building - Sunday 9th January)

2011-01-09T22:00:00.001Z

No, it’s not the name of a local hostelry but a tool for splitting rocks. Most of the rocks left over from our escapades on the Black Monkey are a little on the large side so we’ve been looking for a quick and easy way to break them into smaller chunks – unfortunately dynamite was out of the question! The idea with the wedge and feathers is that you drill a hole in the rock, insert the tool and hit it with a lump hammer. The wedge forces the feathers apart and splits the rock in two …. well, that’s the theory so this Sunday we decided to have a play on the surplus pile of rocks at the start of the Steg.

Our first attempts were very successful – much easier than chain drilling and splitting them with a chisel as we’ve tried in the past. Watch out for more evil slab steps in the future!

Andrew

Big Build Day – Sunday 2nd January

2011-01-02T22:00:00.000Z

Happy New Year to everyone.

A big thanks to everyone that turned up on Sunday – with 33 volunteers, we made a start on the singletrack trail that will replace the long fireroad climb in Deercote Valley.

We started by shifting the brash before digging off the top surface until exposing the sand/stone material below. This will form the trail surface when it has bedded down. Some areas will need additional surfacing material as the ground was either too sandy or soggy clay.

At lunchtime, we broke for hot food, drinks and a chat. Dale and Sharon did a splendid job of feeding the masses – jacket potatoes with a choice of curry, chilli or beans followed by cake and chocolates all washed down with tea or coffee.

As a thank you for everyone’s help, we held a raffle – prizes ranged from Chase Trails mugs and T-shirts to free and half price training sessions with Bike School.net. Thanks to Harry for offering the training.

After lunch, we continued digging until around 3 pm – a total of around 200 metres of trail has been cut – well done everyone!

We even had a photographer from the 'Express & Star' turn up to take a few snaps - those that read the newspaper may have seen the article and this photo.

Andrew

Chase Trails Needs You. - Big Build Day Sunday 2nd Jan 2011

2010-12-22T10:23:00.002Z

What better way to see in the new year and work off all that Christmas Pudding that a day digging some brand new singletrack that will form part of the 'Monkey Trail'. We have given you all a bit of a rest from building to give you time to enjoy riding the new trail but now we need everyones help to improve what we have even more. We'll be starting with a Big Build Day on Sunday 2nd Jan 2011 when we'll be building 'section D', a singletrack climb to replace the fireroad that runs up deercote slade. As always we'll provide the food and tools, all you need to do is turn up at Swinnertons at 10am prepared to work outdoors and have some festive fun...

The Appliance of Science (Trailbuilding – Sunday 19th December)

2010-12-21T12:55:00.000Z

With the thousands of wheels that have rolled through the first section of The Dog, the trail bed has taken a good battering and a number of areas are showing the signs. The FC would also like to reroute the start of this section away from the busy concert site area so last Sunday with this in mind, we wondered through the trees and started to formulate a plan.

Being the first section of our red grade trails, we deliberated over the possibility of making the section into a sort of “skills area” with low level skinnies, rock steps and other features for riders to hone their skills on. Our plans will have to be approved by the FC but we’ve got a few interesting ideas in the pipeline.

The more observant may have noticed the new sign at the start of “The Stegosaurs”. Erecting this was one of those jobs that we’ve had on the cards for some time.

This Sunday we were back in section 2 to do some detailed planning so proper drawings can be produced for the FC. Armed with one of those digital laser distance measuring thingies, Ian practised his surveying skills whilst Jez held a big measuring stick and Bruce scribbled down the numbers. Martin acted as a banksman asking riders to take care as we were working on the trail. He didn’t have many to warn – something to do it the cold snowy conditions I reckon.

Not sure what happen next as I did a runner – a fellow mountain biker’s wedding was on the cards at a posh hotel down near Stratford.

Finally, Chase Trails wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Andrew

Warning : Trail Trolls at work (Trailbuilding – Sunday 5th December)

2010-12-08T13:12:00.002Z

With rock hard frozen ground and a good layer of snow, digging this weekend was off. So to keep us amused, we decided that a little trail planning was in order. Our ultimate goal is to remove the fireroad from our trails, only using short portion to link the singletrack together where necessary. To achieve this on the Monkey, the long fire road climb in Deercote Valley will be replaced with singletrack in the trees. Early in the planning of the Monkey Trail (or Phase 2 as it was known then) we’d taped a corridor with the view of it being machine built but unfortunately funds didn’t allow for this happen. Now, our plan is to hand build this section over a number of Big Build Days with the first one early in the New Year …. watch this space for more information as we finalise things.

To get the ball rolling, the trail required taping in more detail and heavier brash shifting so it’s possible to get a feel for the trail. These things always take longer than expected so we only managed to get about two thirds the way along the trail. There are a number of tight twists and turns, up and downs to add to the appeal – certainly better than a long fireroad slog but only time will tell.

More of the same next week to finish the top section and check it flows as we want.

Andrew

We must be mad! (Trailbuilding – Sunday 28th November)

2010-12-08T12:25:00.000Z

It was -6 degrees when Dave picked me up at 9:15 on Sunday morning – just a tad chilly!
The plan for today was to finish the snagging work on LSN and the larch bridge sections so we can get them signed off ready for opening.

Whilst the rest of our hardy team made extra wide posts for the grading signage IKEA style, Martin, Phil and I trundled off to the Steg with two loaded wheelbarrows. As the recent wet weather had left a slippery slime on the deck, we were going to sprinkle a sand and grit mix on the rocks and causeway bridge to improve grip. Martin swept the deck clear of snow and I spread the mix whilst Phil did the public relations bit and diverted riders around the bridge – sorry for the inconvenience caused.

We returned just in time to find the guys had finished their handiwork – it was time to weave our way around the Christmas tree shoppers and head out to Rainbow Valley.

While Bruce and Martin planted the new extra wide posts at the start on the black section and just before “Oblivion”, the rest of us headed for the end of LSN. We planted a couple of waymarker posts where LSN and the red trail remerge then worked our way along the trail checking for and removing low branches. Entertainment was provided courtesy of Ian keeping himself warm removing a rather stubborn stump in a fall zone.

After completing the snagging work on LSN to our satisfaction, we forewent an afternoon ride and decided to complete the snagging on the larch bridge section. A couple more waymarkers were erected and fall zones cleared on stumps and brash. With frozen fingers and toes, it was definitely time to call it a day!

As we can’t use road salt on the trails for environmental reasons, watch out for icy patches if you’re out riding in the current wintry conditions.

Andrew

Birches Valley Christmas Parking

2010-11-24T11:54:00.002Z

Birches Valley Christmas Parking

During the Christmas period we are expecting a high volume of visitors to Birches Valley. The top car park is being used exclusively for Christmas tree sales meaning we have reduced capacity for other forest users using the site.

During busy periods this may mean we do not have enough parking spaces to accommodate everyone.

As a solution we are offering alternative parking at Tackeroo campsite (postcode for satnav purposes WS15 2UA). The alternative parking is free but has very limited facilities.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Christmas at Birches Valley

Christmas at Birches Vallety starts on Sunday 28th November with the grand arrival of Father Christmas and his real reindeer. Christmas trees are on sale daily from the Sunday 28th November until Sunday 19th December. Full details can be found on the Forestry Commission website

Buying a Christmas tree from Birches Valley helps support the Forestry Commission and the recreational facilities they provide.

Rob.

2010-11-18T19:08:00.001Z

Evil Slab Number 1 (Trailbuilding Sunday 14th November)

Sunday saw us stealing, sorry, relocating more rocks from the start of the Stegosaurs. If you’ve been out of the trails recently, you’ll have seen that the root step-up at the end of section 12 had been partly removed. With the number of tyres that have spun out on the root over that last 5 years, it had eventually worn through. Rather than lose the technical challenge, we’d hatched a plan to add something different – enter The Evil Slab!

The recent strong winds had left a fallen tree across the trail and a potentially dangerous “hung” tree in the vicinity, our first task was to set up a diversion and tape off the area for safety. A few tonnes of tree landing on your head is going to do some serious damage. If you out on the trails after high winds and find fallen or hung trees, let the Forestry guys know by emailing info-cannock@forestry.gsi.gov.uk and they’ll get it sorted.

First task was to dig out the ground ready for the slab and tidy the remains of the root. Bruce, Dave and Jez manhandled the slab into position and tweaked it until it fitted like a glove. A few more rocks were placed around it and surfacing material packed in around them. The results look good and like a fine wine should improve with age.

We’ve also pegged larch logs along the edge of the trail to deter riders from taking short cuts – the slab looks worst than it is to ride.

Whilst we put the finishing touches to the Evil Slab, Martin and Steve headed off to add a rock slab to the top of the log roll at the very end of section 8. You’ll only get to see this if you just ride The Dog – riding the Monkey misses out the part of the trail.

Dave, Jez and myself did a social paced lap of The Dog in the afternoon to inspect and test our handiwork – The Evil Slab should raise a few eyebrows ….

Next weekend should see us doing the snagging work on LSN now the Forestry Commission Engineer has inspected the trail – please join us if you can.

Andrew

2010-11-07T18:00:00.012Z

The Finishing Touches (Trail building Sunday 7th November)

Over the last few months, we’ve been adding black “extreme” grade TTFs (Technical Trail Features) to what was the original Monkey trail. “Le Singe Noir”, as it’s been christened will peel off the existing red grade trail just before the first set of rocks and work its way down the hill before climbing back up to rejoin the red just before the end of the section.

Two weeks ago we finished “The Qualifier” – a rock garden into the tight left hand berm immediately followed by a two foot drop off. It’s a case of if you can ride that feature then you should be able to cope with the rest of the section.

As we’d run out of sensible sized rocks to build the last TTF, this week Dave, Ian and Steve tried their hand at splitting the larger leftovers. With the aid of a SDS drill and chisel followed by careful use of a wedge, the results were very successful.

Nigel and Jez quickly put the split rocks to good use filling a gully with a series of steps.

Whilst all the grafting was going on, Bruce, Phil and myself erected a fence to separate the black from the red trails and Petra finished removing the thick layer of pine needles covering the trail …. it’s been some time since the trail was last ridden in anger.

It shouldn’t be long before the new trail is opened – it’s shortly due a sign off inspection. Other highlights of LSN to look forward to are “The Toboggan Run” and the “Rock Skinny” – we’ll have to name some of the others …. maybe “Oblivion” for the steep rock garden …..

Andrew

The New Railway Crossing Gates

2010-10-28T18:19:00.000+01:00

The Forestry Commission and Network Rail wish to inform users of the Morse Gorse unmanned railway crossing of some recent changes including the introduction of an additional set of pedestrian gates.

The crossing now has a one way system in place in order to reduce the risk of users becoming trapped within the crossing when a train comes along the track. Users are asked to dismount from cycles and adhere to all signage. In particular users should use the left hand pedestrian gates when approaching the crossing and cross straight ahead in single file. Users are reminded that the crossing sees up to 68 trains per day, 7 days per week, travelling at speeds of 50 mph, this only gives around 9 seconds warning from when the trains blow their horns.

Users are also asked to be considerate of neighbours by not congregating outside houses and by keeping noise to a minimum especially because there may be young children and dogs present.

Introducing...

2010-10-28T08:00:00.003+01:00

Introducing some of our friends and supporters.

The Bike School

The Bike School is a newly established enterprise set up by local guys Adam & Harry offering mountain bike training on Cannock Chase. Harry is a long term supporter of Chase Trails especially our work on the downhill course at Stile Cop. The Bike School is offering Chase Trails members 15% discount off their range of skills courses.

Adam & Harry have both come from the local riding scene and have both done their fair share of building as well as riding especially at Stile Cop. They are good guys with a real enthusiam to share their skills with others. They always put something back by supporting the local bike shop, cafe and by spreading the word about Chase Trails.

Swinnerton Cycles Forest Centre

Swinnertons Cycles is a family run bike shop based at the Cannock Chase trailhead at Birches Valley. Run by Mark, Veronica & Jack Swinnerton the shop offers sales, repairs, and bike hire. Swinnertons have been long term supporters of Chase Trails since our establishment back in 2003. They offer discounts and free tea and coffee to members and play a key role in providing the very latest update information about our events and the trails.

Great Haywood Family Dental Practice

Great Haywood Family Dental Practice is small general dental practice in the beautiful village of Great Haywood, only a quick freewheel from the edge of Cannock Chase. Run by Peter Nadin, a long term supporter of Chase Trails, Great Haywood Family Dental Practice offer members of Chase Trails a 10% discount off dental care / treatment.

And if you need any more evidence of Peter's credentials in 2009 he completed a solo 24hr ride at 'Sleepless in the Saddle' raising over £3.5k or the Donna Louise trust, which provides Hospice and respite care for terminally ill children in Staffordshire and Cheshire. A great guy and long term friend of Chase Trails.

A Long but Productive Day (Trailbuilding Sunday 17th October)

2010-10-18T18:00:00.002+01:00

After a phone call from one of the forestry guys during the week, we had three jobs on the cards – trail opening, fence building and continuing with the Black Monkey. Martin and Steve offered to help me with the first two jobs whilst the rest of the crew headed over to Rainbow Valley to continue work on “LSN”, as its now been christened.

Several sections of the Dog had been closed during the APF exhibition and more recently for tree thinning activities. The forestry operations were now over so it was high time to get these sections open again – two of the three had been opened on the Saturday but the final one needed a little more work. Martin dropped Steve and myself off at the end while he drove around to the start - the plan was to meet somewhere in the middle. We moved the brash off the trail and raked off the pine needles – in some places it was difficult to see where the trail went! I think Martin drew the short straw – he had a pile of logs to move as well. The trail now has taken on a different feel – it’s more open and airy – see what you think next time you ride it ....

After collecting up the diversion signs and fencing, we dropped these off at base and then headed over to the top of Lower Cliff for our next job – building a fence to deter the downhillers from making unofficial modifications to the trail. Alex and Phil joined us to assist in the brashing of the “wild” trail whilst we constructed the low fence. Maybe we need to add a few arrows to the fence rail – it seemed surprise a few riders seeing the new addition to the berm.

Having successfully completing our tasks, we return back to base to later find out that the rock crew had decided to forego their afternoon ride to finish their man sized rockery. Taking a small diversion on my way home to have a look, they’ve done a sterling job.

Andrew

Return to Le Singe Noir “The Monkey Black” (Trail building 10th October 2010)

2010-10-10T18:00:00.016+01:00

Today we were working on the rocks for the Monkey black option. It was so much fun, first everyone watched Andrew ride the bit we were going to be working on (to see if it needed any rocks in at all .... or see if he crashed). He said it was fun but to make it a black option and to make the trail last we would have to armour the surface with some rocks and steps. The men cut back the corner to make it wider to make the approach easier.

Dave and me (Jessica, his daughter) walked the trail and cut back any branches that were in the way (save doing right before we open the trail).

We walked back along the trail and helped with the rock feature, Andrew rode the trail again "it was fun" he said but need some more work before it would be ready.

Please do not ride the closed sections

This is a long hard process and we worked until 14:00 hrs and then we packed up.
Thanks for the really great day TRAIL BUILDERS.

Jessica aged 10

Whatever the Weather (Trailbuilding Sunday 3rd October)

2010-10-03T22:00:00.000+01:00

Considering the atrocious weather, we had a good turnout today. Whilst Ian and Peter were dealing with one or two “minor” floods on Tackeroo, the rest of us armed ourselves with spanners to continue dismantling the APF display start ramp.

The local wildlife wasn’t so impressed with our demolition work – Sally disturbed a sleeping toad that looked a little grumpy. We did our bit and relocated him out of harm’s way under the bracken.

Just as we were ready to start loading the trailer, the heavens opened! Luckily smart forward planning meant we were able to shelter under a tarpaulin until the downpour subsided. Later we found out that Ian and Peter weren’t so fortunate – Ian looked like a drowned rat when we saw him back at base!

Andrew

Rest In Pieces (Trailbuilding Sunday 26th September)

2010-09-26T22:00:00.000+01:00

Now the APF is over, it was time to start dismantling the timber work ready so it could be stored for use elsewhere on the Chase. The sky berm will be going up to the downhill area on Stile Cop and we’ve got plans for the boardwalk on Follow the Dog - watch this space.....

Andrew

APF Exhibition (Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th September)

2010-09-25T22:00:00.002+01:00

Thanks to all the hard work over the last few months, we finally were ready for the putting on a show. Whilst Bruce, Dave, Liam, Rob and I talked shop to the public, several of the Racers Guild boys were breaking into a sweat riding our impressive display throughout the day.

Talking to various parties and the event organiser, our stand was well received and showed land owners what they could do other than just grow trees.

Andrew

The End is in Sight (Trailbuilding Sunday 12 September 2010)

2010-09-12T22:00:00.000+01:00

This week we continued work on our APF display. Alex and Mick constructed the start ramp onto the sky berm. It wouldn’t look out of place covered in snow ready for a ski jump competition.

Liam and new volunteers Simon and Harry dug out the peaty top soil between the dirt jump boxes ready for a good thick layer of surfacing material.

The rest of us completed the North Shore section by joining the existing framework up with the end ramp. We’ve even made provision for a skinny down into our stand area – all we need is to make sure the riders don’t come flying through the back of the gazebo.

Whilst Jez and Martin cut the decking to size, Bruce, Nigel and Steve made a start on screwing it down. We’ve purposely left large gaps – they’re not for a gap jumps but to stop it being ridden before it is ready.

More of the same next Sunday – it’s the last one before the exhibition starts on Thursday 23rd .... now will we get it finished in time?

Andrew

It’s starting to take shape… (Trailbuilding Sunday 5th September 2010)

2010-09-09T16:58:00.003+01:00

If you’ve been out in the woods recently (riding around the Dog), you may have noticed that the timber work for the APF exhibition is starting to take shape. So far the start ramp, sky berm and North Shore framework are in place.

Last week, we moved the sky berm that Alex, Bob and Mick have been building onto site and started work on the end of the North Shore.

This Saturday, the DH lads (Alex, Bob, James and Mick) lifted the sky berm into place – it’s over 5’ up in the air! I’m glad it’s these guys that will be riding it.

Sunday saw Phil and new volunteer Joe clearing the area where our gazebo will be – right opposite the burger van I’m told … what more could we want? Alex, Bob and Bruce stayed back at base to build the remaining boxes for the dirt jump whilst the rest of us headed up to the site to continue with the North Shore. A few hours later we had the basic frame work in place when a trailer load of dirt jump boxes turned up. These were manhandled into place to complete our display.

Alex, Bob and Harry wanted to crack on and start decking the sky berm so we left them to it – after all, it was rapidly approaching ride o’clock.

Next weekend, we’ll be building the on and off ramps for the sky berm and start decking the ‘shore. Stop and have a chat if you want to know more.

Andrew

APF continued (Trailbuilding Sunday 29th August 2010)

2010-08-29T22:00:00.001+01:00

We continued work on the APF woodwork this week. Progress is going well. Full picture update next week.

Rob.

APF Starts Here (Trailbuilding Sunday 22nd August 2010)

2010-08-22T22:01:00.001+01:00

We’re only a few weeks away from the APF exhibition so it was time to crack on with the woodwork for our free ride display. Now, the most sensible place to start would be with the start ramp that will shoot our intrepid riders into the wall ride. Whilst Alex and myself scratched our heads as we gazed at the plans, the rest of the team started digging around the stumps left from the trees that were felled last weekend and de-barking them ready for cutting.

With a stake in the ground, well, yellow flag, Alex and myself started marking out where the uprights for the structure were going. We even used a bit of trigonometry to get everything nice and square. As the posts we we’re using were 8 foot long (2.4 metres for the younger readers), we needed our taller members to drive the post knocker and even they had to dig a starter hole to plant the post in! It will be a few years before our junior trail builders will be tall enough …

After returning from their trip to the Red Monkey rocks (see later), Bruce and Dave assisted with the construction. It didn’t take too long before things started taking shape. In the meantime, Martin cut the tops of the stumps off below ground level so they can be covered with surfacing material.

All in all it had taken the whole day to get the start ramp frame work finished. We won’t be decking it until just before the event for safety reasons. As you can see from the warning sign, please keep clear and don’t climb on the structure. The APF display will be taken down after the event but it’s been built with the intention of erecting permanently elsewhere on the Chase – Stile Cop for the more extreme features and the Monkey for the tamer North Shore woodwork that we’ll be building in the coming weeks.

We’ll be out same place same time next weekend doing more woodwork – stop and have a chat or lend a hand if you want.

Andrew

Red Monkey Rock Repairs (Trailbuilding Sunday 22nd August 2010)

2010-08-22T22:00:00.001+01:00

After the tools were unloaded, Bruce and I headed over to do some essential work on one of the Monkey rock sections. During our group ride on Saturday, we found that one of the rock sections was getting excessively covered in loose black soil. The reason for this is because some riders are panicking and trying to ride around the rocks instead of riding over them.

First things first, we set out our trail warning signs. A big thank you to all the riders who did slow down but as usual, there are those who don’t think that the rules apply to them. Please slow when you approach trail warning signs.

The rocks are installed in these areas to give protection to the trail but they also give us an added bonus of a trail feature. Riding around is probably harder than riding the section but as an added incentive we decided to lay some larch logs along the edge so that riders stay on the trail to prevent any further damage. If you don’t feel confident to ride these features you should dismount and walk down the trail and not try to scoot over the rocks.

After clearing some to the debris from the rocks, it was time to rejoin the other builders and continue with the work that was being done for the APF.

Dave

The Holidays Over (Trailbuilding Sunday 15th August 2010)

2010-08-15T22:00:00.000+01:00

We arrived nice and early at the container; it was soon time to decide what the highest priority was and where we were going to work after our little outing to visit some of the 7 Stanes.

It was decided that Martin, Jez and Alex would go and cut down some trees to clear the area where we are setting up a Demo for the APF as this is quite a dangerous operation it was decided that we would take the younger trail builders to work elsewhere.

Bruce, Steve, Phil, Sally, Petra, Charlotte, Jessica and I went to do some work on section “H” we started building a log roll like the one on Section 8 of FTD. This is to allow the trail to drop to the fire road before crossing onto the skinny; we started putting in the posts while Sally and Petra started to re-shape the landing leading to the log roll. Phil was re-shaping from the fire road crossing to the Skinny to try and make sure you didn’t hit the skinny whilst being off camber. After a short while the structure was starting to take shape. Caution this structure is not complete do not ride it was quite interesting to see that for a closed trail how much it was being ridden and from the number of riders that came down the trail to where we were working.

This section is closed some of the features may not be complete and may be unsafe.

The people that are riding these closed sections are making it harder for us to complete as we have to keep going over the same work that we have already done, so if you want to moan about the trail not being open or the braking bumps why don’t you come and give us a helping hand.

Dave

Chase Trails Scottish Summer Shenaniganry

2010-08-13T22:00:00.002+01:00

On Friday we drove up to Scotland and set up camp at Hoddam Castle, near Lockerbie. There were to be eleven of us camping there. The facilities were good, plenty of toilets, showers, washing up area and laundrette. Some alcohol was consumed by a couple of members of the party and a good laugh was had by all.

On the Saturday we did Dalbeattie, the girls rode some of the red then went on to the blue to avoid doing ‘The Slab’ and the men rode all of the red. I really enjoyed this trail as it was technical, there were lots of boardwalks, rocks, drop offs and a rocky descent reminiscent of a down hill race course. I really surprised myself by doing most of the technical features and after looking at the rocky descent I summoned up the courage to do it, although I was rather relieved when I managed to get to the bottom in one piece. The girls finished up by doing the skills loop which I enjoyed.

On Sunday it was Glentress, this started with a climb up through the trees with technical bits, rocks and skinnies. We reached the skills area, this had a skinny with corners on it, after falling off several times I managed to complete it then I attempted the rock drop off which I managed to do, I did, however, fail to do the rock climb which consisted of a rock step up. We then split into two groups some of the men did the red and the rest of us did the blue. There was lots of climbing, some on single track and some on fire road. Then came the descents, there was a very long descent through the trees, this had some roots and switchbacks but went on for a long time. The rest of the descents were shorter and these had rock drop offs on the trail and larger ones to the side for the more adventurous then we crossed over a bridge with a drop off the other side of it. Another couple of sections of switchbacks and we arrived back at the cafe.

Monday we went to Kirroughtree, we started by having lunch in the cafe then started our ride. We started off on the red route and this had technical features with occasional black options to the side. After doing some of the red the girls split off from the boys and did the blue, the descents were nice and flowing and we really enjoyed them. The ride finished at the cafe, but we decided to climb back up the first section to do the skills area. This was good as it had a blue loop, a red loop and a black loop. We did the blue loop a few times and then stepped up the challenge for the red loop, this consisted of a rock step up, immediately followed by a rock switchback climb another switchback and then a couple of rock drop offs. As it had been raining and the rock was wet it made it difficult to manual over the step as the back wheel kept sliding and then there wasn't enough momentum to get around the rock switchback, I did give it a go but ended up having to dismount and push my bike around the corner, unfortunately I slipped on the rock whilst pushing my bike and managed to land on my hip which came out in a huge colourful bruise. I continued around the rest of the loop and then gave it another couple of attempts. I didn't manage to get my back wheel over the step up but I gave it good try. We got one of the lads to show us how to do it but he appeared to have the same problem as we were, although he said something about wet rock being slippery and not having the correct tyres for riding rock. Then it was quickly back to the cafe for a hot drink before they closed.

Tuesday we packed the camping gear away amidst torrential rain thunder and lighting and hail stones. At one point there were three of us with umbrellas huddled over the electric hook up to make a drink just as the heavens opened up again and the hail started. When we eventually managed to get packed away we headed for the Lake District to ride Whinlatter. It was late when we arrived and so, of course, we had to check out the cafe as we had missed lunch. After eating we set off for our ride, we did the north loop this consisted of single track with a drop to the side. We climbed up rocks and roots and climbed and climbed some more then we came onto a fire road and climbed a bit further as we entered the single track again guess what? Yes you guessed it more climbing but what goes up must come down and the down when we got to it was great, flowing single track with drop offs and steep down hill sections and switch backs going through the trees which by this time was quite dark as dusk was fast approaching. When we arrived back at the car park it was virtually empty, quite late and we still had to drive back home.

Petra

Fab company; lots of laughter; superb trails; great biking; brilliant hills and to top it all . . . the coconut and cherry scones at Kirroughtree!

Sally

The two things I enjoyed at Scotland was having a laugh with the trail builders and Glentress. I enjoyed Glentress because of its blue routes last three sections (they are all downhill). The best bit of them was the bridge going over the other trail and the jumps. Thanks for organising it. It was so much fun.

Jessica aged 10

Abby and I don't do camping ... that was blatantly obvious from our lack of camping gear! No tent, no sleeping bags and no camping style catering implements! But that didn't matter too much, as our fellow holiday goers were well equipped! Thanks to all who we scrounged from!

It also goes to show how much of a draw mountain biking is for us ... choosing to sleep in a field to ride some of the country's best trails says plenty.

Both Abby and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves ... I'm already thinking when I can go up there next!

And the riding? ... It is a completely different story up there, the terrain, materials (and money) used to build them culminates in some seriously bonkers trails. They are trails that EVERY mountain biker should ride at least once.

Red grade trail really is red up there ... you think werewolf drops is difficult ... ride one of the red sections on Kirroughtree and you won't think twice about riding werewolf again.

Oh and now we have some ideas up our sleeves. Expect some 'upgrades' over the next few months, all of which we will need your help with!

E:)

Chase Trails Scottish Summer Shenaniganry Awards

Best Cafe - Mabie - “I'll have a Shed burger and Shed Chocolate please” (for those that stopped the full week )
Best Campsite Cooking - Profiteroles & Beer - we ate like Kings (again, for those that stopped the full week )
Worst luck - Jez (broken spoke & shock two rides in a row)
Most punctures - Dave (every time he rode a black feature!!)
Most forgetful - Rob (gloves, bottle, glasses - maybe I just like doing that first climb twice!)
Most improved - Petra (seemed capable of riding anything)
Best Riding - Bruce (nailing The Slab)
Best trails - Kirroughtree and Dalbeattie

Rob

I too could be nominated for the worst luck award as after breaking my frame a couple of weeks ago, the replacement didn’t arrive until 4:30pm on the Friday afternoon before our trip. If the courier had delivered in the morning, I’d have had my “new” bike ready to ride in Scotland but c'est la vie …. Thanks to Dave and Jez for lending me their spare machines and Jack and Steve at Swinnertons for trying to get me back on the road in time.

Andrew

Normal service resumes (Trailbuilding Sunday 1st August)

2010-08-01T22:00:00.003+01:00

We’re a little late posting this but it was back to business as usual …. well, not totally as our first task was to clear the area for the Chase Trails display at September’s APF event. This is a trade show for all things forestry … from big tree chopping machines to woodcarving with chainsaws. We are there to show land owners that there are much more exciting things they can do with their land than just growing trees. A few months back, Alex had planned where the temporary trail was going but bracken now covered everything. So, armed with slashers and rakes, we beat the bracken into submission … now we can see the flags and markers on the trees. The plan is to build a short impressive freeride style display with boardwalk, jumps, wall rides and the like to wow the punters …. more news at that as work progresses.

Next on the list was a little tlc for Lower Cliff. Starting at the bottom, we worked our way up removing the worst of the braking bumps, sweeping away the loose marbles from the berms and hacking back the overgrown bracken and brambles. At least now you can ride without sliding off the trail or being lacerated by trail side vegetation.

There was no trail building last weekend because we were all off on our holidays! It was the “Chase Trails Summer Shenaniganry” in Scotland …. more on that in next post …

Andrew

And now for something completely different…

2010-07-25T22:00:00.000+01:00

If you were around Birches Valley last weekend, you couldn’t fail to notice an increase in the number of runners and the hi-viz yellow waymarkers. The Concert Site had been taken over by the “Love Life Love Running” event for the weekend. Earlier in the year, we were approached via Pat Adams of Pro-Velo fame (organisers of “Mountain Mayhem” and “Sleepless in the Saddle”) to plan, waymark and marshal the 3 courses. With an offer to increase the Chase Trails coffers, we agreed to assist.

On the Friday afternoon, the Pearson Syndicate joined me to waymark the charity mile course ready for the Saturday morning. After finishing taping the start area, we headed for the catering tent for a well earned burger and brew.

Saturday morning started early for Dave and myself – we loaded up with stakes and signs ready to drive around the Chase marking out the 10 km course. In the meantime, Sally joined Petra, Charlotte and the birthday girl, Jessica for the Donna Louise Charity Mile fun run. Well done to Jessica for finishing third!

Bruce and Jez rode around the course in double quick time to check all signs were still in place and add the kilometre markers so the runners knew how far they had to go before they could collapse in a heap at the finish – the course had some nasty climbs!

Following a quick briefing session, we headed off to our marshalling points before the run started at 1pm. Even the slowest runner completed the course in around 1hr 15 mins which was no mean feat.

After a much needed brew, we decided on a quick blast around the Dog (we do occasionally get to ride) and then joined the rest of the Pearson family for Jessica’s surprise birthday party in the Treehouse Education Centre. No jelly and ice cream but we did play “pass the parcel” and have delicious home made birthday cake thanks to Dave’s mom. Even the Easter Bunny (aka Rob) made an appearance in a bit of a inebriated state – Dutch courage I believe they call it.

Another early start on the Sunday – the 10km course required tweaking to reduce it to 7 Km for the 6 hour challenge event. I think it was meant to be for teams but there were some nutters who ran as individuals for 6 hours – respect!

Whilst some of us marshalled, Ian, Jez, Martin and Steve spent the morning tweaking the last corner before the rock steps down to Klondike bridge. The dry weather had caused the surface to break up and become badly rutted.

To finish the long weekend off, Dave and I rounded up all the waymarkers before we all headed off home for a hot bath and an early night!

Andrew

Flourescent Traffic Lights (Trail Building Sunday 18th July 2010)

2010-07-20T09:50:00.009+01:00

Caffeine ... thats the usual thing that kick starts us in the morning! One by one, we gathered outside he bike shop, discussing all sorts of things ... funny and serious. It was soon 10am, and we were joined by a new trailbuilder, John from Loughbrough - welcome John, we hope you had a good day?

We all trundled round to the container where we worked out what to do today. There are a number of things on the To Do list, some more urgent than others. It was decided that we would finish off what we were doing last week. With that, The Fairere members of the Pearson Clan (sorry Dave ;) ) joined Andrew, Martin and Steph finishing off the boards on the Stegasaurus and tidied up some of the rocks for use elsewhere.

The Ugly members of Chase Trails and headed over to Back Monkey to finish off the stepped rock turn. The technical crew headed down to the corner to install rocks, Bruce finished up on the rock step a bit further down and Jez ... hit stuff with a sledge hammer!

There was a display of more extreme wheel barrowing from Pete and Nigel, loading fairly large rocks into the barrow, before working their way down onto the live trail and unloading onto the closed trail. Now there is obviously a danger here, with a lot of people riding on the Red Monkey we needed to install a traffic control system ... seen as i had ridden over to the site, i couldn't play with rocks as i only had cycling shoes on, so i ended up on the trail making sure there were now wheel barrow / bike conflicts! Most riders understood and appreciated why we stopped them and held them up for a few moments.... most did, but there is always one person who just doesn't get it... you didn't do mountiain bikers any favours that day sir...

Back down at the corner, things were coming along nicely. The last section of rock was complete, the retaining crib was finished and the surfacing shaped into place ... which meant test pilot time!

Dale and i kitted up, checked out the line and then comitted ... rides nice too! Here's the test ride.

Feeling pleased with ourselves, we packed up ... just as Martin appeared with a trailer full of rocks! all the rocks were unloaded and some were moved down onto the trail (installing the traffic lights again). then we packed up and headed back to Birches Valley.

After a few snacks, Dave, Andrew, Jez, Pete (with Blade in tow) and myself headed out for a ride. Unfortunately for Andrew and Dave, their ride didn't last past secion 8 ... Andrews bike decided it has had enough ... and broke quite spectacularly! Andrew was ok, but his pride and joy is not ... both chain stays broken, a warped rotor and buckled wheel. Andrew peeled off to the link, while Dave went back and fetched his car to pick Andrew up ... lucky we weren't in the Peak District!

Back at Birches valley, we treated ourselves to Ice Cream ... interesting day, lots to talk about too!

E:)

Loose Boards (Trail Building Sunday 11th July)

2010-07-11T22:00:00.000+01:00

The original plan was for us all to head up to the Black Monkey to continue with the crazy paving but Rob turned up with a copy of the monthly inspection report for “Follow the Dog” in hand. With the wood drying out, there were several loose deck boards on the Causeway Bridge and these needed sorting pretty quickly so we split into two teams. Charlotte, Jessica, Martin, Petra, Steve and I loaded up with drills, screws and the genny then headed to the bridge whilst the rest headed for Rainbow Valley. We also hitched up a trailer so we could retrieve a pile of redundant rocks – at £900 per tonne, they’re best put to good use and not left decorating the side of the trails.

The junior trailbuilders helped me erect the diversion signs then we closed the start of the Steg which leads down onto the bridge. Next, the extension leads were unravelled and I fired up the genny. Meanwhile, Martin and Steve had loaded up the trailer with rock so Martin headed over to the Monkey to give the others some more material to play with.

After a while, we got ourselves organised: I counterbored the planks, Steve drilled the holes, Charlotte and Jessica pushed the coachscrews into the holes and tapped them down with a lump hammer leaving Petra to screw them in. Thanks to the chap who stopped to lend Petra a hand – all help is greatly appreciated.

We continued until we ran out of screws so we’ll need to come back next week but all of the loose boards are now secure. Advanced warning to all Sunday morning riders – the Steg and bridge will be closed for a few hours.

Andrew

Daylight Rock Raid (Trail Building Sunday 4th July)

2010-07-04T22:00:00.000+01:00

Whilst the rest of us headed up to the Black Monkey to continue our latest feature which we’d started last week, Pete, Martin and Steve hitched up a trailer and went off to liberate a load of smaller rocks so we could rock pitch the steps on the corner. See if you can spot where the rocks were taken from next time you’re out on the Dog – answers on a postcard ….

A big warm welcome to new volunteers Debbie and Harvey - thank you for coming along and lending a hand. They helped Petra, Charlotte and Jessica remove the slippery sand from the Red Monkey rocks and then made a sterling job of brushing a thick layer of pine needles off the Black Monkey. It’s been a long time since the original Monkey has seen regular traffic.

The new feature we’re working on is a bit of a mixed bag – a rock skinny leading into a stepped corner finishing with a berm to kick you round and off a rock step. Frank and Dave did a grand job of pitching the steps, big men Jez and Steve bashed in the wooden posts for the larch planks to support the berm, Bruce and Martin arranged three rocks to make the step whilst Nigel and Pete perfected their extreme barrowing technique bring rocks down from the trailer. The berm and last step need more work but the results so far look impressive.

It’s surprising how long it takes to build a rock feature that will take moments to ride – if you think the Red Monkey rocks are a little too tame, come and lend a hand to make the Black Monkey really rock!

Andrew

Rock, Rock and more Rock (Trail Building Sunday 27th June 2010)

2010-06-27T22:00:00.000+01:00

After meeting at the container and picking up a new willing volunteer, we decided we would work on some more of our rock features; we made our way over to Rainbow Valley and started to unload the tools. Our work continues with some of the original sections of the monkey where we are in the process of rock armouring certain sections to make it more sustainable because of the high volumes of traffic and to make it nice and technical.

We were joined by another wiling volunteer who was out for a ride “Thanks for the help” Pete was busy bringing down the rocks using his extreme wheel barrow approach whilst the sledge was being prepared to bring down the larger rocks.

Petra, Sally and the girls were clearing away some of the debris from the red rock sections and slowing down riders as the approached the area where we were working.

Ian was busy removing the old berm as the material was not up to the required standard, this will require posts driving in and some substantial timber to be installed before it can support the material required for the new berm.

We continued laying out the rock as they were delivered, some of the rocks made it quite interesting and we kept the width quite narrow, this gave the rocks more of a rock skinny feel to it.

Martin and Jez went to move some of the way marker posts as they needed a little tweak to make them more affective.

All done we headed back to unload and so those that wanted to could go and watch the match, Jez Andrew and myself decided to go for a ride around the FTD. We found Charlotte and Jessica paddling in the ford, as it was such a nice day it only seemed natural that we would ride through and drench the kids who actually enjoyed it.

See you next week.

Dave

Must be summer we have roadworks on the trail (Trail Building Sunday 20th June 2010)

2010-06-20T22:00:00.002+01:00

We met up at the container to decide what was on the agenda for the day; we decided that with the volume of traffic that the monkey has seen and our Saturday ride we would do some essential maintenance.

Martin, Pete & Blade went to move some logs from Rainbow valley to a feature that was going to be build on section H and then proceeded to Lower Cliff to repair a piece of fence that had been knocked over.

We made our way over to Rainbow valley where started by taking out some of the breaking bumps at the end of section B before the drop onto the fire road.

We then started working from Klondike Bridge checking the switch backs and working our way to a section part of the way up where the edge of the trail has collapsed. This was due to people riding to wide around an old tree stump, but then it is a mountain bike trail. We decided to reinforce the edge of the trail with some timber and resurface it, Thanks to all of the people taking notice of the signs and dismounting as requested. If you see Warning signs please obey them and slow down or dismount if requested, this is for your safety as well as ours.

We split into two further groups and one team carried on walking the section checking the trail while the others went to Deercote and worked their way back in the opposite direction. We met up at one of the log steps that needed some work on the outside edge again because riders are running wide on the trail, after building up the edge and surfacing the area we watched as some riders were locking up their brakes on the approach and were ripping up the trail. Remember “Skids is for Kids” and for all those that like to skid, they are very welcome to join us every Sunday to see what goes in to repairing the damage to the trails.

Job done, we all made our way back to the container and the cake that Petra had made for her birthday.

Dave