bikespace Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 (edited) Well I've not got the full story yet, but I'm marking out tomorrow so I'll get it then I would think. One of the best bits of land around is about to be lost. We run around 5 or 6 trials a year up there, and there are about 4 totally separate trials within the land, plus more which we hadn't even opened up. For those of you that have ridden the Forest Trophy Trial and the Mid Wales Novogar you'll know the land I'm talking about - the forest at Foel, West of Welshpool. I've been there so much but don't get bored of it, absolutely brilliant stream sections. Well, it seems like the RSPB has had something to do with it and this weekend will be our last trial on the land, so the Forest Trophy Trial will be no more and the Mid Wales Novogar will need a serious re-work if it's going to happen somewhere else. There has been no conflict up there, no known impact to the environment, you'd hardly know we go there, it's just come out of the blue. I only have half the info at the moment, but I'm absolutely gutted. Bad Day! Edited March 16, 2007 by bikespace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilco Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 (edited) i've been thinking about this land loss thing for a while. Is it such a good idea that we post on here about trial's venue's and practice venue's,After all the web is free to every nutter under the sun to reed. People will see us going through there village on a sunday morning but they don't know where we're stopping at,but they can reed on here and a name of a farm in there area is holding a trial and that's how all this start's. I'd rather keep trial's underground myself. Edited March 16, 2007 by bilco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5again Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Well I've not got the full story yet, but I'm marking out tomorrow so I'll get it then I would think.One of the best bits of land around is about to be lost. We run around 5 or 6 trials a year up there, and there are about 4 totally separate trials within the land, plus more which we hadn't even opened up. For those of you that have ridden the Forest Trophy Trial and the Mid Wales Novogar you'll know the land I'm talking about - the forest at Foel, West of Welshpool. I've been there so much but don't get bored of it, absolutely brilliant stream sections. Well, it seems like the RSPB has had something to do with it and this weekend will be our last trial on the land, so the Forest Trophy Trial will be no more and the Mid Wales Novogar will need a serious re-work if it's going to happen somewhere else. There has been no conflict up there, no known impact to the environment, you'd hardly know we go there, it's just come out of the blue. I only have half the info at the moment, but I'm absolutely gutted. Bad Day! Hi BikeSpace, tragedy if this happens, and I'm sure you guys will be exploring every avenue to keep it available. Just a quickie on something similar that happened a few years ago here, English Nature (shudder!!) tried to ban events on MOD land in Hants / Surrey it transpired that ground nesting birds were the cause. In the end it meant that events were not banned, but restricted to Sep thru' Jan (nesting elsewhere or something) as long as the route / risk assessment was reviewed by the land agent and EN. (of course the armoured personnel carriers, tanks and dog walkers could keep using the land, as the birds aren't worried about them!) - Its not ideal, but its kept the land available. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuessenhigh Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 REALLY bad news from what Ive heard of the event, and I was really looking forward to doing it this year..Forest Trophy trial I mean. Hope that there is some way of getting it back bikespace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted March 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 It appears that the RSPB are actually almost on side (and fairly reasonable), and '5again' youre about right that they're interested only in about 5 or 6 months when the birds are nesting (although this could still kill off most of the trials as we run the risk of flash floods wiping everything out during 6 months of the year - the peat is permanently saturated, so any water flows straight through to rock and on down the valley. I think the root of the problem is pressure applied by a company employed as nature consultants for a company who intend to install 200 wind generators up on the hills. The managers of the land are actually very reasonable, but they only manage it on a clients behalf, and common sense says that if a company is going to pay a few million a year for wind farms then their wishes wil be granted over the trials community who may bring in a few grand for them if they're lucky. We have a potential replacement for the Novogar through 4 or 5 different venues nearer Oswestry - the Welsh Trophy will test this out for us in a few weeks, but there is no replacement for the Forest Trophy Trial where kids and adults ride along side each other over 26 miles all off road for 40 sections. It was too good to be true and now it may be exactly that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitley Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 : Sorry to hear the bad news bikespace I have ridden the forest trophy once and like Stu was looking forward to doing the event again this season! As you say proper sections for every ability, with nowt to get bored with. Lets hope you guys can come to some agreement with the NSPB and still have use of your cracking venue! GOOD LUCK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyl Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Hope you can get something resolved, cracking venue. Maybe we should take up drug dealing and joy riding as it appears us bikers are a much greater threat to soceity and the world in general.!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomant Posted March 17, 2007 Report Share Posted March 17, 2007 I have ridden there a few times myself and without any doubt, it has the best trialing terrain anywhere for miles and miles (and scenery too). The last round of The Greyhound Cup was there which was the last time I rode competively. It will be a great great loss for sure. How has Elwyn taken it Gaz ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted March 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2007 Elwyn gutted the same as the rest of us I suppose, except the Forest is his baby. Over the last 20 years he planted almost all of the millions of trees up there. He almost lives up there before a big trial There is still a small glimmer of hope for certain events throughout the year, but nothing firm yet. Certainly the May Forest Trophy looks doomed because of the nesting season. The job now I think is to salvage whatever we can out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomant Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Elwyn gutted the same as the rest of us I suppose, except the Forest is his baby. Over the last 20 years he planted almost all of the millions of trees up there.He almost lives up there before a big trial There is still a small glimmer of hope for certain events throughout the year, but nothing firm yet. Certainly the May Forest Trophy looks doomed because of the nesting season. The job now I think is to salvage whatever we can out of it. I would imagine Elwyn would have been upset by this news for the very reason's you have said I really hope you can salvage something from this and I wish you all the best Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted April 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Glimmer of hope on the horizon. Nothing concrete yet, but enough to put a smile on my face for now. So don't write the Forest Trophy Trial off yet, it is still a possibility. One comment I liked from the latest YOU HAVE USED WORDS OR A PHRASE WHICH ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THIS WEBSITE. PLEASE DELETE YOUR POST/TOPIC. DO NOT TRY TO CIRCUMVENT THE FILTERS IN PLACE ON THIS WEBSITE, I think from John Hulme himself was portraying trials as one of the most ecological of motorsports, with a bright future because of that, and you know it's not that hard to justify. Sport has to happen, it always will, trials may be one of the least intrusive motorsports possible as far as nature is concerned. Maybe we could all carry binoculars in case we spot an endangered species on the way round, or just make an effort to stop and hug a tree now and then More news to follow once things are confirmed anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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