08/09/2010 by Simeon Orme.

I am sure that you will aware of some of the history regarding the query over the status of the Walna Scar Road.

In 2007 we received an application to record the route as a Byway Open to all Traffic. We assessed all the evidence we had concluded that the route should be a restricted byway (for all traffic except motorised vehicles). We made an order for this.

After objections were made and further evidence received, an independent inspector appointed by the Secretary of State decided  that the route was a Byway Open to All Traffic - including motor vehicles.

On 15th June 2010 the route again became available for all traffic.

Following an appeal to the High Court, the inspector’s decision has been quashed, mainly because of some procedural irregularities at the Planning Inspectorate causing potential  unfairness to one of the parties involved, and the whole process must start again.

This leaves us in the position where we effectively have to begin the process all over again, and we expect to take a report to our rights of way committee in January 2011.

The main issue that will determine wheather the right of way should be correctly shown as Byway Open to all Traffic (BOAT), or as a Restricted Byway are the point in time at which vehicular rights were established.

If they were established through usage by public horse and carts or bicycles before the first motorised usage, then it is most likely that the route will be a restricted byway. If the right was created through motorbike and motor car usage between about 1917 and 1930, then it could well be a BOAT.

If you have any information on this or any other relevant evidence that you have not already sent me, then I would be very glad to receive copies. Any evidence already submitted will be on our files and will be taken into account if relevant.

Please note that the desirability of vehicles in the fells will not form part of the decision making process, and neither will suitability or otherwise of the route. The matter will be determined solely on what public rights exist.

I look forward to hearing from you before end of September, as I hope to be preparing the report to committee soon after then.

Yours faithfully

Nick Thorne, Access & Rights of Way Officer, Lake District National Park Authority, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL

The above letter was forward to me by RSF member Matt Hodges the saga of the Walna Scar Road as be going on for number of years now if you have evidence please forward it to Nick Thorne at the above address or e-mail him at Nick.Thorne[at]lakedistrict.gov.uk Hopefully come next year the Walna Scar Road will be turn into Restricted Byway.

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01/09/2010 by Simeon Orme.

On Friday 10th Setepember starting from Kendal Leisure Centre at 6.45pm.

This year’s Kendal torchlight will be headed by a spectacular cycle parade.

Everyone is invited - the only proviso is you must have a bike! We want as many cyclists, families, kids and everyone else to turn up with their bike… so tell everyone you know!

Our colour theme for the Torchlight Procession is Red and Gold. Please wear similar colours to make more of an impact, but if you can’t dont worry - turn up anyway.

If you have a wacky bike - bring it along! The wackier the better. If you can decorate your bike - great! Look through the SLACC Blog for some great ideas on decorating your bike.

Meet us 6.45pm at Kendal Leisure Centre, Friday, September 10th. Any questions please ring Ruth or Lorna on 01539 822165

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24/08/2010 by Simeon Orme.

Walna Scar Pass between Coniston and Seathwaite has been a battle ground between off-roaders and the public since the Trail Riders Fellowship made a claim in 2005 to upgrade it from bridleway to byway open to all traffic (BOAT). The Lake District National Park Authority disagreed and made a provisonal order in 2007 for a restricted byway, which would be open to horse-drawn but not motor vechicles. The TRF objected and protracted inquiry proceedings followed. The Green Lanes Protection Group (GLPG - an alliance of 21 organisations including the Friends of the Lake District) entered the fray but the first round went to TRF. GLPG took the matter to the High Court and has now won an order restoring the original bridleway status, so it is now a criminal offence to drive 4×4s or motorcycles on this route between the fell gates.

Graham Plumbe, Vice Chairman of GLPC said “These off-road vehicles have been a nuisance since they first started hill climbing competitively in 1917 and have few supporters locally. This is an important fell pass, used extensively by walkers to access Coniston Old Man. Sorting out the question of rights has been a battle since the law was radically changed in May 2006, but the position now is that the track is a bridleway and motorised use can be prosecuted by the police. The National Park will have to make new order in due course but, given the amount of historical evidence that has been gathered, it is now extremely unlikely that motor vechicles will gain acceptance in the future. It is understood that special arrangements for Coniston Mountain Rescue Team can be made”.

Above is a press release from Green Lanes Protection Group which was e-mail to me today.

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02/07/2010 by Simeon Orme.

Below e-mail is from Liz the Transport Group Co-ordinator at South Lakeland Action on Climate Change -Towards Transition about the Workplace Cycle Challenge in Kendal:

“Hi All,

We are now part way through the Workplace Cycle Challenge, which is turning out to be highly successful event with around 135 cyclists registered in 27 teams from 15 employers and, best of all, 10 new or returning cyclists taking part. Since Cumbria County Council reckon that it takes on average £10,000 of expenditure to produce each new cyclist, this is an amazing result for almost no money but quite a lot of a few people’s time (if that makes sense). We are upping the ante this week and challenging the teams to find more new cyclists to add to their number, and awarding all new cyclists with double miles for remaining weeks of the Challenge. For info go to www.summerofcycling.org.uk and click on Challenge.

The other elements of the Summer of Cycling are coming along - the cycling map of Kendal is almost ready for publication, as well as being distributed by SLACC will printed in the new cycling route leafet for Kendal to be published by Cumbria Tourism. The cycling marketing information request card will soon be ready for distribution to every house in Kendal, and at this point we will need volunteers to deliver it. Following that, we well also need volunteers to deliver the information pack to households who request it by returning the card.

We haven’t convened a meeting recently as most active Transport Group members doing stuff for theseevents have been busy organising cycling smoothies for Challenge teams, toting round for Challenge prizes, updating leaderboards and resending press releases to the Gazettee when they ‘lose’ the ones we sent previously, amongst other things. We have all felt that we needed another evening meeting like a hole in the head. But now we really need volunteers to make the Summer of Cycling a success, so please come to a meeting in the Intro Bar at the Brewery on Monday 12 July at 7.30pm.

I promise that this time and venue will not change at the last minute, and hope that you will be able to come. If you can’t make the meeting, but are willing to help with leaflet distribution or putting information packs together, please let know and I will contact you to let you know when and how. My phone details are 07774-044428 or 01539-735628 or e-mail liz.ashburn[at]phonecoop.coop

I hope you can help, and look forward to seeing you on 12th if you can make it 

Liz “

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02/07/2010 by Simeon Orme.

On 15th July at the Malt Room, Brewery Arts Centre at 7:30pm Kendal resident Mike Berners-Lee will be giving a talk and discussion on his new book ‘How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything.

Some quotes about the book:” It is terrific. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that was more fascinating and useful and enjoyable all at the same time” Bill Bryson.

 ”Mike Berners-Lee knows more about cardon footprints than anyone else in the UK.” Chris Goodall, author, Ten Technologies to Fix Energy and Climate.

“An engaging book that manages to present serious science without preaching” New Scientist.

“Curiously fascinating to both climate geeks and well-rounded human beings alike.” Franny Armstong, Director of Stupid and founder of 10:10.

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19/06/2010 by Simeon Orme.

Churches in Cumbria are calling on local cyclists and walkers all ages and fitness to visit as many churches as they can in their local area on Saturday 11th September in a bid to raise funding towards the up keep and restoration of our beautiful historic churches.

Ride and Strides is a sponsored journey where participants visit as many churches, chapels, meetings houses etc in one day from between 10am - 6pm either by foot or by bike.

Gina Dowding, co-ordinator at the Churches Trust for Cumbria, who is helping to organise the event said ” The beauty of the event is that you can start where you like, it’s suitable for all ages and abilities because you devise a route to suit yourself starting and finishing at a church of your choice.”

Participants from previous years will taking part again: Rodney Sale, from Crosthwaite near Kendal, cyclist aged 74, who last year won the award for raising most money said ” The event is great - it’s a lovely way to visit some hidden church tresures in one day - and it gets you out into some areas of towns and countryside that you wouldn’t normally visit.

How does it work?

• Participants can visit ANY church of any denomination. Most churches will be open and some will provide refreshments. Many will have a sign in list but participants keep a record of which churches you visited.
• All the information for participants, including sponsor forms, and a list and map all of churches is available and downloadable on the Churches Trust for Cumbria website. We will send out form to anyone contacting us on 07501 469374 or rideandstride@ctfc.org.uk
• Each participant is encouraged to get sponsors for number of churches visited or for fixed donation.

Saturday 11th September is in middle of Heritage Open Days weekend, and most churches will be open. Ride and Stride is a national event and thousands of cyclists and walkes will be dropping in on churches across the whole country.

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25/04/2010 by Simeon Orme.

Have you cycled over Cat Bells Hill to the west of Derwentwater? The Lake National Park is keen to upgrade 200m section of footpath to provide legal access to the current cul-de-sac to the local bridleway network. The Local Access Forum knows this short section of footpath is used by cyclists but needs evidence of cycle or equestrian use. The path can be found at map reference 251187 on Ordnance Survey Landranger 90. If you or know someone who has cycled this path please e-mail julia.knott@lakedistrict.gov.uk with approximate dates and please copy of your e-mail to colin.palmer@ctc.org.uk

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24/03/2010 by Simeon Orme.

The next meeting of SLACC Transport Group is on Tuesday 30th March at 7.30pm at Ye Olde Fleece Inn in Kendal.

The SLACC Transport Group have been awarded funding to run a cycling promotion project in Kendal under the Cyclefest banner - they have about £4,000 in funding for this, plus probably a bit more from various other sources. They also looking for funding for Staveley Gti which will also discuss at the meeting.

So to that end they need to put together a series of events and promotional resources during spring and summer, one of which is to produce a cycling map of Kendal, various other resources as well as a marketing strategy for getting it out there. They also need to promote all the existing cycling events in the area and redesign the CycleFest website to reflect this years events. All exciting stuff!

They would like invite any cyclists living in the Kendal area to go to meeting, so that events can be organised.

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17/12/2009 by Simeon Orme.

Dear Simeon,

The reason I’ve emailed you on this occasion is to ask for your, or your members’ help…

I’m lucky enough to live in Troutbeck in the Lake District, directly opposite the Garburn Road, the famous and historic track that links Troutbeck and Kentdale valleys across the 1500 foot high Garburn Pass.

This unpaved (and now badly eroded) track is much used by mountain bikers and walkers, and until recently was also heavily used by motorised cycle ‘trail riders’ and 4×4 ‘off-roaders’, who were widely blamed for the destruction of the track itself, and ofits peace and tranquility.

The Lake District National Park Authority was successful a couple of years ago in banning these motorised vehicles from Garburn Road, but in the last few weeks this ban has been overturned by a legal challenge from the Cumbria Trail Riders Fellowship. The trail riders have successfully exploited our country’s byzantine legal framework for regulating country byways, and apparently the Planning Inspector’s final decision on Garburn Road will be based on weather motorised vehicles were its first public vehicle users (as claimed by the trail riders), or whether it can be shown that other non-motorised vehicle users (ie carts, carriages or bicycles) pre-dated this use.

Hence this post! I am looking for documented evidence of use of the Garburn Road by cycles before 1930!

If any of your members can help in any way with this quest — ideally with evidence such as written journals, published maps, guides, photos etc — or can point me in the direction I might look for these, this would be a great help!

We’re up against a deadline — written objections have to be lodged by 7th January 2010!

Best regards

Brian Liddell

Brian e-mail me above on the 16th December 2009, if you can help you get in touch with Brian by e-mail at brian[at]liddell.co.uk and also post comment on this blog. I would ask other webmasters of cycling websites to post above on your site.

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06/11/2009 by Simeon Orme.

Two Notices of Definitive map orders have be made by the Lake District National Park Authority under section 53 of Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on 13th October 2009 to upgrade footpaths 573015 and 573014 to a bridleway573044 which will start from Grid Ref: SD 3806 8244 about 80 metres east of High Cark Hall and finish at public road U5193 east of Seatle at Grid Ref: SD3797 8320.

The other Definitive map order is to upgrade footpaths 573004, 506020 and 506018 to a bridleway starting from bridleway 576017 at point 285 metres north of the Wood Broughton Road at Grid Ref SD 3773 8171 Then heading north eastwards along stone then grassy track for about 440 metres past Sturdy’s Farm to the parish boundary at Muddy Pool at Grid Ref SD 3808 8189. Then east of Muddy Pool for 120 metres to point where footpath 506018 branches off to the south at Grid Ref SD 3821 8194. Then north east wards for 45 metres along Watery Lane to the parish boundary at Grid Ref SD 3824 8199. Then northwards along Watery Lane for 485 metres to finish at public road U5188 east of  High Cark at Grid Ref SD 3830 8247.

If the orders are confirm in the new year, there will two more bridleways for us to enjoy in the Cartmel and Field Broughton area.

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