Cyclists

Trail works in Hodgemoor, July 2024

Trail works in Hodgemoor, July 2024

Marcus Bicknell

Following the decisions of the Hodgemoor Riding Association’s AGM of November 2023 (see footnote [1]) we have received and accepted contractors’ quotes. Forestry England undertakes the works at the cost of the Hodgemoor Riding Association under the contract of 2016 (see footnote [2]) under which horse riders have the right to use the permissive trails in Hodgemoor and the obligation to fund maintenance. Since 2001 we have raised over £250,000 and have helped make Hodgemoor Woods into an amenity of such value to all users including walkers.

Cyclists are permitted to go on the bridleways (a statutory right) and the horse trails (a permissive right accorded by Forestry Englanbd and the Hodgemoor Riding Association) but are not allowed to ride on footpaths or anywhere else in the woods. Horse-riders pay and annual membership; cyclists are encouraged to contribute by joining (link at footnote [3])

Works start on Wednesday 31 July and will continue for about 10 days. The car park in Bottrells Lane will be closed during the works to minimise danger to walkers, cyclists, riders and dogs around the heavy earth-moving equipment. Work is done respecting the woods’ status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Natural England’s requirements including the use of pH-neutral hoggin. Each part of the work in the list below has an alpha-ident relating it to the map at https://hodgemoor.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Hodgemoor-trails-2023-needing-work-2024-MB-SAB-alpha-idents.jpg

D – Amber’s Trail link to Bracken Ride.  

Rebuild 10 metre section of the trail which has turned to mud – 250mm depth of 50mm limestone and 50mm depth of hoggin.

10T limestone and 2T hoggin.

E – Yellow Brick Road. 2 x 10 metre separate sections half way up trail- 250mm depth of 50mm limestone and 50mm depth of hoggin.

20T limestone and 4T hoggin.

F – Rawlings Corner. Build up the ground between the two southerly posts preventing vehicles from getting into the woods, puddle all year.

3T type 1 granite

I – The Mount. Break-up of surface on the slope due to uncontrolled flood flow. The solution is to install water bars or interceptor dykes, large stones or strong wood embedded diagonally in the trail at intervals.

5 x 2m length waterbars – made up of 150mm-300mm limestone rocks.

J – The Mount. 20m section of path. The tree roots at the top of the Mount are quite an obstacle now – raise the surface of the path with new material – 250mm depth of 50mm limestone and 50mm depth of hoggin.

20T limestone and 4T hoggin.

K – The Glade. The Glade needs 10 metre resurfacing as it has turned to mud over the culvert pipe. Second area further up needs 10 metres resurfacing – 250mm depth of 50mm limestone and 50mm depth of hoggin.

20T limestone and 5T hoggin.

 L – The Glade. Large puddle at the bottom of the Glade towards Widmer Corner, junction with the Dell – 2 x Culverts and 25m resurfacing required – 250mm depth of 50mm limestone and 50mm depth of hoggin.

25T limestone and 5T hoggin.

300mm diameter culverts – 10m and 3m lengths

M – Western Bridle Path (aka Old Bridle Path). break-up of surface on the slope at the Widmer end creating gorge. Install culvert and ditching.

300mm diameter culvert – 5m length.

Circa 15m ditching (300-500mm depth)

N – Western Bridle Path (aka Old Bridle Path). Some work needed one third of the way to join sections of surfaced track – 50m length – 250mm depth of 50mm limestone and 50mm depth of hoggin.

45T limestone and 10T hoggin.

Total Materials Required

140T 50mm limestone, 30T hoggin (locally sourced), 3T granite type 1, 18m 300mm diameter culvert and 10m length of waterbar (large rock/limestone)

 

Map at https://hodgemoor.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Hodgemoor-trails-2023- needing-work-2024-MB-SAB-alpha-idents.jpg  

 

Marcus Bicknell, chairman, Hodgemoor Riding Association

and voluntary Forest Warden, Hodgemoor, Forestry England

Susie Bicknell, secretary, Hodgemoor Riding Association

 

Hodgemoor Riding Association

A Charitable Unincorporated Association under the United Kingdom’s 2011 Charities Act.

Homefarm Orchard, Kirby Close, Threehouseholds, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks HP8 4FF phone 01494 872447 – Marcus mobile and WhatsApp 07748 111444 – Susie mobile and WhatsApp 07876 581144.

https://hodgemoor.org.uk     https://www.facebook.com/hodgemoorwoods

[1] https://hodgemoor.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/trail_works_2024_with_map_november_2023.pdf

[2] https://hodgemoor.org.uk//wp-content/uploads/2017/06/forestry_commission_hodgemoor_agreement_2016.pdf

[3] https://hodgemoor.org.uk/cycling/ and scroll down to payment options.

New map of Hodgemoor

Marcus Bicknell

Thanks to our friends Bob Beresford and Mark  Thompson in the Thames Valley Orienteering Club, we are proud to make available to riders, cyclists, walkers and all users of Hodgemoor Woods a new detailed map (thumbnail on the right).

The bridle-paths are shown in red and the permissive horse trails (where cyclists may also ride) are shown in blue. Neither cycling nor horse-riding is permitted on the footpaths (in black) or elsewhere in the woods (Forestry England bye-laws). Roads are in light brown.

You can download an A4 copy at 830kb at https://hodgemoor.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/hodgemoor_map.jpg

This map has a QR code which is used on display posters in the woods and in horse livery yards for users to access on their smart phones. Point you smartphone camera at the QR code, then click on the yellow link which appears towards the bottom of your screen.

We also have a high definition copy at 2.16mb which you can get from us by email; request at chairman@hodgemoor.org.uk

Water run-offs and dry trails

Marcus Bicknell

Here are the photos of Frank Everest at work and the water run-offs afterwards. Success. The trails have negliible standing water on them. More text below the images.

This started off as a little posting to thank Frank for digging out the water run-offs last Friday. It is turned into a much wider celebration of everything that is good in people. It’s easy to post a rant, isn’t it, and unfortunately NextDoor.com is full of them. So when something is good in life, we owe it to ourselves to post that as well. Susie and I find it such a privilege to be part of a very positive group of people, the horse riders, who have found a way over the years to coexist beautifully with walkers and cyclists (in all but a very few cases). There has been peace in the woods for many years, and we all relish the idea that so many people can benefit, both in physically and mentally, from it as an amenity for all of us. It has been very difficult to get more than three or four people at a time out for the volunteer sessions when we chip away with our little spades or clip away with secateurs. So when there is major work to be done we normally have to recourse to spending tens of thousands of pounds of club money (your money, not tax payers’) to get the contractors in. By the way, the next phase of trail renovation will probably be in summer 2024.

One task which does not require a huge contract is digging out the water run-offs, or ‘grips’ as Forestry England call them. These are needed so that water does not accumulate on the path but runs off into small metre-long man-made ponds off the side. Water pooling on the trails means the horses hooves turn it to mud and that little stream of water eventually destroy the surface of the trail. Remember, building the trails costs about £110 per metre; and that’s your money, members’ contributions, and some fundraising.

Imagine our delight, then, when Lana Craker of Waylands Equestrian, long-term supporter of the Hodgemoor Riding Association, called us to say that her partner Frank Everest was willing to deploy one of his diggers and his own services for a day. Having got the permission of Forestry England (thank you Rob and Simon) and completed the Health and Safety paperwork requirements we managed to get out in the woods on Friday. I had marked most of the sites and accompanied him throughout. Frank’s skill both in the dig and in the beautifying enabled us to complete two days’ work in four hours between nine and one, including the really big culverts on Susie’s Loop east side and the Mount (top and bottom). I am extremely grateful to Frank and appreciative of his fine work.

But you can see why I choose to write about the bigger picture. When we work together it can be harmonious and satisfying. That is a life many of us like to lead.

Post-script 3 days later. Success. I have been looking in the last couple of days at the results of digging out the water run-offs by Frank Everest and the results are excellent. In every case, the trail is free of water, even after these heavy rains, and the run-off shows signs of water having been collected, and then absorbed. we feel confident that the life of the paths are greatly extended by this work. A stitch in time saves nine. Comments always gratefully received. Marcus

Clearing the water run-offs on the trails in Hodgemoor Woods

Marcus Bicknell

On Friday 13th October 2023 our friend Frank Everest will be using one of his mini-diggers under Forestry England supervision to clear the silt and debris from about 50 grips along the trails in Hodgemoor Woods. Thank you Frank

    1. A grip is what Forestry England call a water run-off, that is a hollow in the earth next to the trail into which rainwater can flow. Why are they important? If water lies on the trail then the passage of cyclists and especially horses turns the surface into mud and breaks up the hardcore hoggin if which the surface is made. Such degradation massively shortens the life of the trails on which the Hodgemoor Riding Association has spent over £250,000. You can see the detail of these sums on our web site at HodgemoorRidingAssociation_21year_income_deployed
    2. With the passage of time silt and debrtis runs off the trails and fills up the grips, rendering them useless. See the four images at the bottom of this page. Regular emptying of the grips is therefore essential. We will be giving attention to those on the steep parts of the trail, notably at the Mount, where diagonal channels lead rushing rainwater away from the path. The places where work is needed have been indcated with yellow marker on 10 October (right).
    3. We can remind members that at the request of Forestry England cyclists have been permitted to use the horse trails, without contributing money, since 2017. Cyclists are not allowed anywhere else in Hodgemoor, neither on the footpaths nor free-riding.
    4. The minutes of our last AGM recorded “370 metres of trail repairs were done in October 2019 at a total cost was for £29,800 to which the Association contributed £15,300, about half. Forestry England agreed to pay half this time because of new regs imposing on us a contractor which was more expensive than our regular one. You can see a map at https://hodgemoor.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/hodgemoor_trail_works_2019_map.pdf · With income of about 5,000 p.a., the Association would by 2024 have about £28 ,000 available with which we could rebuild 350 metres if the rate is still £80/metre (if FE do not contribute). Forestry England would prefer to wait till 2024 and do more metrage as the last works were disruptive. With that in mind, the the Chairman and Secretary proposed next works in 2024, for economies of scale. The meeting agreed.”
    5. How are we doing with trail repairs? We request members (and walkers and cyclists) to let us know where you think work is needed. Susie and Marcus are compiling a list which will be submitted to Forestry ENgland shortly after the AGM of Monday 20th November. Speak now! Your help is much appreciated (and of course useless if after Nvember!). If a member would like to suggest expenditure of club funds ouside Hodgemoor then please do so. We do have reserves, as published on https://hodgemoor.org.uk/downloads/, Treasurer’s Reports