Newsletter, July 2019

Apologies for the non-standard layout and the delay in getting the newsletter out. We have some technical problems!

Diary date – social ride, 29 September, Alport

Our next stewarded social ride will be on 29th September in the Alport /Youlgreave area. PHP Chair, Charlotte Gilbert, has kindly agreed to provide the Alport venue. It is a scenic route with lots of variety through a beautiful part of the . The ride will be part of the BHS Ride Out UK campaign. We plan to make a donation from the proceeds of the ride to BHS Paths for Communities Fund which is promoting wider access for riders. Entry forms will be available from Sue Mayer at [email protected]

Our last pleasure ride, at Tideswell, had 36 participants and we raised enough money to be able to make a donation to the Cutgate repair appeal (see below). Special thanks to Kay and John Chapman for providing parking and to Sue Mayer for organizing the ride.

TRO at last for Jacob’s Ladder

DCC has agreed to put a TRO on Jacob’s Ladder in Stoney Middleton closing it at all times to recreational motor vehicles. The parish council has been asking for 25 years for something to be done about the lane as it was so dangerous and badly damaged. PHP played a key role in persuading DCC that it needed to take action, including commissioning a safety survey which found that Jacob’s Ladder is too dangerous to be shared between horses and motor vehicles. There is still some work to do at the DCC end to get the TRO in place, and there is always the risk that the motor bike lobby might find a way of challenging the TRO in the high court. But, all being well, this long-awaited TR0 should be in place in few months. It will re-open to riders a valuable circular route between Eyam and Stoney Middleton. High Peak Trail Part of the High Peak Trail was recently closed following a (local) lorry crashing into a historic bridge that takes the trail over the B5056 near Brassington. The damage was so bad that the bridge had to be dismantled. The highway authority (DCC) put in place a temporary bridge and the trail is open.

One of our members sent us this photo of what happened.

Tell Staffordshire to fix it!

We are getting reports that many gates on bridleways in Staffordshire are in a woeful state. The two on the next page are in Narrowdale and have been reported. If you are struggling with impossible gates in Staffordshire, please report the gates and ask them to be fixed. You can use their online reporting system at https://prow.staffordshire.gov.uk/standardmap.aspx Note that you have to log on as a new user before you can make your report. And be prepared to have to ring up and nag them. Nothing happens quickly in Staffordshire.

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Gates in Narrowdale

Cut Gate appeal – nearly there!

Riders have contributed massively towards the £75,000 required to make essential repairs to Cut Gate, a stunning bridleway between the Howden and Langsett reservoirs which forms part of our Kinder Loop circular ride. Dangerously boggy, it was one of the routes identified by the British Mountaineering Council’s multi-user ‘Mend Our Mountains’ campaign as a priority for repair if it was to continue to be useable. PHP successfully applied for a contribution of £7,500 from the BHS Paths for Communities Fund and has had some very generous donations: £750 from the Trustees of the Horse and Pony Society, in memory of Alf Harrop, and £100 from Matlock and District Bridleways Access Group. We contributed a further £250 from last September’s sponsored ride. In total, equestrians have raised £8,600. We are now very hopeful that the overall target will be met through the multi-user fundraising group managed and supported by the Peak District National Park Authority. The group involves riders, mountain bikers and walkers.

Commenting on the successful PHP funding application, Mark Weston, Director of Access at the British Horse Society, said: "Our Paths for Communities Scheme was designed to help provide safe, off-road opportunities for equestrians across the country. We’re delighted to have been able to grant £7,500 to the Cut Gate bridleway, helping to secure future access for riders, cyclists and walkers."

PHP response to the Review of National Parks The review of the national parks announced by the government last year has been receiving evidence and is due to publish its report and recommendations by the end of the year. PHP responded to the invitation to submit evidence. We called for: direct elections to the National Park Authorities; legal strengthening of national park purposes so that conservation and biodiversity take clearer precedence over promoting opportunities for recreation; and a ban on

3 off-roading in all national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

BW research – cracking ahead We are lucky to have members who are putting a lot of time and effort into making new BW applications. Spurred on the by the approaching 2026 deadline for recording new rights of way, Flick Edmiston, our star researcher, is on a roll and has so far put in 14 applications based on what she has found in historic maps and records. She has more applications in the pipeline and she is helping ‘newbie’ researchers find their way around the Derbyshire Records Office and its historic documents. Below are details of Flick’s applications along with pics of four of the possible new routes:

Alstonefield, upgrade of FP10 to bridleway NORTHWOOD & TINKERSLEY, UPGRADE OF FP8

BRASSINGTON, UPGRADE OF FP12 AND ASHOVER, UPGRADE OF DARLEY DALE FP59 EXTENSION OF BW30 1 AND ASHOVER FP 102

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And here are other claims Flick has made so far: Eaton & Alsop,upgrade of FP13 to bridleway Wirksworth,upgrade of FP16 to bridleway Abney & Abney Grange,upgrade of FP8 to bridleway Doveridge,upgrade of FP54 to bridleway and joining up of Doveridge BW30 and BW44 Kirk Langley,upgrade of FP33 to bridleway to join bridleway 26 Offcote & Underwood, upgrade of route from Ashbourne Green to A517 Brassington, non-classified highway as restricted byway Crich, upgrade of FP40 to bridleway Crich, upgrade of Crich FP31 and Dethick, Lea & Holloway FP26 to bridleway Matlock, upgrade of FP73 to bridleway

Flick is currently working mainly around the Matlock and Crich area but plans to move on to other areas soon. This is what she says:

‘Progress so far this year has been good. A fair number of modification orders have been submitted and accepted for inclusion on the official register. The first three which I submitted back in 2017 have had preliminary consultation done and are hopefully now onto their second stage. However... this is not success. That can only be claimed when a submission has been through all the many necessary processes and has finally been confirmed as a legal alteration to the definitive map... and there is a long way to go before that happens. This is not a hobby for the impatient.

‘Research continues; I am a frequent visitor to the Derbyshire Records Office and continue to find the whole process fascinating. The trouble is that it becomes a sort of hydra – one possible new route seems to spawn so many others that it is sometimes difficult to focus and prioritise so that things get done in an efficient and orderly fashion. This is though, I have to say, the only efficient and orderly section of my life and the present efficiency score runs at Research 9, Housework 1’.

Meanwhile, members of the wonderfully named MADBAG (The Matlock and District Bridleways Access Group) are researching routes in and around Matlock. Christine Harding, the new BHS Access and Bridleway Officer for the High Peak, has started research in the Dark Peak area. Claire Brookes of Access4riders is working on possible claims in NE Derbyshire. Lorna Skinner has been looking into routes in the White Peak, and SPEED (Safe Pedestrians, Equines, the Environment and Drivers) is researching in the Charlesworth area. Diana Mallinson, an expert in rights of way research who has done a lot of work in the Peak District, is helping with advice and guidance. Diana has also put in a couple of Peak District BW claims herself.

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Pennine BW setback Completion of the Pennine Bridleway at Glossop was dealt a blow when the DCC and Natural England application for funding to the Local Enterprise Fund was refused. We are trying to establish how DCC and NE plan to take things forward. We will keep you posted.

A big thank you to Sue and Sue

Since the last issue of the newsletter, Sue Mayer and Sue Dunk have retired from the PHP Committee. Both of them were founding members of PHP and for the last 10 years they have worked flat out to advance riders’ interests. Sue M was a wonderfully efficient Secretary and on top of that led various campaigns and is ace at organising pleasure rides. Sue D was Treasurer and membership secretary and she led for PHP on all the rider issues in the Outseats/Hathersage area. A big thank you to both of them from the committee, and on behalf of all our members. Jenny Campbell has taken over as Secretary and Claire Brooks as Treasurer and Membership Secretary.

Horse Access Campaign (HAC UK)

HAC UK is a single voice for horse access. It has been set up to bring together all organisations and individuals working for or supporting the provision of safe inclusive access routes and networks for the horse. Groups, organisations, individual riders, carriage drivers, horse owners and others are all invited to support HAC in creating a single, powerful lobby which demonstrates that horse riders are not the minority they are often perceived to be. The campaign operates via Facebook. See https://www.facebook.com/groups/HorseAccessUK/about or just Google Horse Access Campaign.

Resurgence of Dark Peak BW group Faced with the possible loss of a number of riding routes in the are Dark Peak Bridleways Association (DPBA), after a number of quiet years, is firmly back in action to provide a voice for riders in the Kinder and surrounding areas of the northern Peak. Some of the issues they are dealing with are on the next page:

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The state of BWs in the Hope Valley With reported recently in the national press as the most popular walking destination in the country, and the Castleton and Edale valleys firmly established as the go- to areas for mountain biking, many of the ancient packhorse trails used for generations by local riders are now struggling to cope with the increasing demands placed on them. Currently, the main casualty is the packhorse trail (BR 19) into the Edale Valley at Jacobs Ladder. This is now effectively closed to horseriders due to erosion over the last 20 years resulting in a narrow, rocky and unrideable surface. This means that the circular packhorse route from Hayfield to Edale via Jacob’s Ladder, returning via Chapel Gate and The Roych, a spectacular day ride, cannot be done in safety. DPBA will be doing all it can, with help from other interested parties, to secure this important piece of local heritage for the future.

Bog Bridge, Leygatehead Moor Rotten planking on the ‘Bog Bridge’ on the packhorse trail between Hayfield and Glossop (BR47) was reported to DCC and the Peak Park last August. The bridge is the only way of crossing what walkers used to call the ‘Liggate Swamp’. Despite DPBA’s recommendation that the bridge be closed, this was not done. Only when a horse put its foot through the planking in December (thankfully escaping unharmed) was it immediately closed. A second closure notice has been extended to the end of April while riders await the installation of new planking. Until this happens, the route is inaccessible.

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Hayfield campsite route DPBA were alerted by Hayfield Civic Trust to problems with speeding mountain bikers on the campsite descent section of the Pennine Bridleway (BR66), making walking and horseriding dangerous through the woods where sightlines are poor. A DPBA meeting with the Peak District Mountain Biking Group resulted in an on-line campaign via Facebook and Twitter, encouraging mountain bikers to take care on this track. So far this has been successful and the bikers have been responding to the ‘Be Nice Say Hi’ campaign.

Fernilee Reservoir in the Goyt Valley DPBA are seeking an upgrade to FP102 in the Goyt Valley. This would take riders off a dangerous section of the Whaley Bridge/Buxton Long Hill Road and connect riding routes in the Goyt Valley with Chapel-en-le Frith and beyond. The route was highlighted by former County Bridleways Officer, Alf Harrop, many years ago as a possible upgrade and in the intervening years DPBA was able to acquire the reservoir plans, which show it as a bridle road. Diana Mallinson’s application was accepted onto the DCC register in November last year.

Meanwhile, the concessionary bridleway alongside Fernilee Reservoir is in the process of being resurfaced as part of the Peak Park ‘Miles Without Stiles’ project. We are assured that the fine- graded surface will find favour with both wheelchair users and horseriders. Any riders wishing to use the gated concessionary bridleway can apply for a key. Please contact Christine Harding at [email protected]

Offroading update Meadow Place Grange route, Over Haddon to Youlgreave The public inquiry into the BOAT claim which was due to be held in September last year but pulled at the very last minute (because of technical errors in the public inquiry paperwork will now be held on 26 and 27 November.

Wetton TRO The Peak Park has agreed to press on with its Traffic Regulation Order to exclude recreational motor vehicles from the green lane used for offroading at Wetton Hills. But there is a delay in

8 getting the TRO in place. The motor bike lobby is taking action designed to force Staffordshire CC to repair the route, presumably in the hope that this might stymie the Peak Park TRO. The Peak Park has met and discussed the situation with Staffordshire but is being tight-lipped about what it is going to do about the TRO. We think the TRO will go ahead anyway because the legal grounds for it have nothing to do with the state of the surface. It is all about conserving natural beauty and the amenities of the area and the SSSI which the route goes through.

Back Lane, Darley Dale There has been a further and rather bizarre hearing on the BOAT claim on Back Lane. The public inquiry held in January 2018 decided that the top and bottom parts of the lane are byways open to all traffic, and that a short tarmac bit in the middle is an ordinary road. This was very disappointing for riders and local residents as all the unsurfaced parts of the lane have been wrecked by 4x4s and motor bikes and parts of the route are simply dangerous. In an unexpected turn of events, the motor bike lobby objected to the inquiry decision as far as the top section of the route is concerned, arguing that this bit of the lane should also be an ordinary road. We took part in the hearing and are waiting for the outcome.

Callow Bank (Hathersage) and Pindale (Castleton) There will be separate public inquiries later this year into the rights of way on these two routes. DCC says Callow Bank is a BW but the offroaders are objecting. DCC says Pindale is BOAT; we are objecting and will making the case for BW at both inquiries.

Repairs DCC has finished what it called experimental repairs to the Rushup Edge end of Chapel Gate but as no work had been done drainage, the repairs washed out almost immediately. It is unclear what DCC will try next. They plan to repair Hurstclough Lane (Bamford and Hathersage) during 2019. Everything has gone suspiciously quiet on the promised repairs to the route. A technical spec for the repairs has been prepared but there is no sign of any action on the ground and so far no commitment to a date for starting the repairs. The route is deeply rutted.

Double loop Jessica Green’s Mum, a keen horse rider, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease when she was only 55. Jessica, supported by her sister, did a sponsored ride of the South Peak Loop last year and raised £735 for Alzheimer’s Research. (You can read about this in our July 2018 newsletter.) This September, Jessica and her horse, Poppy, will ride both of PHP’s long-

9 distance rides (the South Peak Loop and the Kinder Loop) consecutively. This is quite an undertaking. She would love to raise double the amount she managed last year.

You can sponsor Jessica and Poppy via their Just Giving site at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jessica-green27?utm_campaign=pfp- share&utm_content=Jessica- Green27&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=XwJ5P4bBW

Ancient route reopened to riders – after a very long haul After 11 years’ delay, a route which starts in South Pilsley and is thought to have been part of an historic link between the Hardwick and Haddon estates is at last being reopened to riders. Riders had used it for many years, but in 2007 it was blocked to riders when the gates on it were locked. A BW application was then made, based on long use by riders before the gate locking. DCC agreed in 2013 that the route does indeed have rights for equestrians and it made an Order to that effect. At that point all should have been well. But there were objections to the Order. Rather than progressing the case, along with the objections, in the usual way, DCC simply parked it and did nothing until local rider Julia Hardy, and then the BHS Derbyshire committee, took it up and pressed DCC into making a new Order. The original objections have now been withdrawn, the route is legally open to riders and the landowners concerned have been advised by DCC to replace the pedestrian gates which are on the route with gates which are suitable for equestrians. BHS Derbyshire has offered to help with the cost of the new gates. And the moral of the story is: persistence pays off. Well done Julia and thank you Karen Haywood and the BHS committee.

Julia and Maddison back on the re-opened route’

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Thanking careful drivers SPEED (Charlesworth Bridleway Group) want local business drivers to be considerate to horse riders. So, they wrote to their local companies. Instead of being negative and complaining, they used a different tack. They issued thank-you certificates where they were deserved. Sometimes it pays to be positive!

You can contact PHP at [email protected]

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