Written by Mark,
14th October 2004
Vandals have damaged signs and notice boards
for mountain bikers on Leith and Holmbury Hill this week. By
removing signs on Holmbury Hill the vandals have jeopardised
mountain biking in the Hurtwood Control managed area.
Redlands Trails, the mountain bike organisation that built Summer
Lightning and Waggledance on Leith Hill, has a public notice
board near Coldharbour village. Mountain bikers’ notices
were removed from the board sometime between Sunday evening and
Wednesday night. Vandals have also removed a direction signpost
from Holmbury Hill that was put up by the Hurtwood Control ranger
Peter Haynes.
Haynes reports that the trail near Park Life has been
extended into a conservation area and that Hurtwood
are not pleased that its conservation activities have
been damaged by the extension.
Hurtwood erected the signs near on the trail that
runs between the bridleway and the western edge of
the conservation area to direct mountain bikers away
from the heathland. A tree was also felled to block
riders from extending the trail and riding across the
conservation area. The tree’s branches have been
cut off and it had been moved to the side of the trail.
Hurtwood Control is very supportive and tolerant of
mountain bikers, but is obviously unhappy that its
efforts to support conservation and mountain biking
have been ignored. These actions could jeopardise the
goodwill towards mountain biking on Hurtwood Control
managed land.
These actions threaten the good reputation mountain
biking has in the Surrey Hills and strong relationships
with land-owners such as Forestry and Hurtwood Control.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 October 2004 )
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