EXTENDING THE OFF ROAD CYCLING NETWORK
The issue of right to access is very live in the Forest right now.
Forestry England have made a proposal to the Verderers for a larger and better connected off road cycling network.
40 miles would be added to the existing 124 miles of off road routes better connecting towns and villages and helping to connect previously disparate and random stretches of trail.
Read the proposal here and see the map of the proposed extensions to the network here.
THIS IS HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL
SEND A MESSAGE TO THE VERDERERS VIA THE WEBSITE. We know people opposing the plans are using the contact form to express their views. It’s important that we do the same.
GIVE A PRESENTMENT AT COURT. If you’d like to hear more about how to do this, please email the club at hello@thenewforestoffroadclub@gmail.com and we can share with you an information sheet about how to do this. We will support you every step of the way and you’d be participating in unique Forest law and custom.
SET AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE WHEN RIDING BIKES IN THE FOREST. As a community, we understand that the Forest wouldn’t be the place it is today without the commitment to preserving it by the Verderers. We need to demonstrate, at every opportunity, that people who ride bikes in the Forest
Stay on way marked paths
Slow down when passing others
Say hello to people
Actively learn about the Forest and what makes it so special. As a start, we recommend visiting the New Forest Heritage Centre, following New Forest Commoners on Instagram, listening to this incredible podcast all about William Rufus and reading ‘The Forest’ by Edward Rutherford.
“My highlight was the climb, ride along and descent of Hampton Ridge. The views and nature were amazing.
I loved being out in the forest, riding my bike always makes me feel free, escaping from my busy life, so I felt great.” Alice Fowles.
WHO ARE THE VERDERERS?
In short, their job is to protect and administer the New Forest’s unique Commoning practices. There are 10 Verderers who have either been appointed or elected and every 3rd Wednesday of the month they meet to discuss Forest issues. They have the power to make and amend byelaws.
WHAT ARE ‘COMMONING PRACTICES?’
Commoners of the New Forest are those who occupy land or property to which attaches one or more rights over the Forest. There are 6 different rights including the right to retreive firewood (Estover) and the right to dig clay to improve agricultural land (Marl, no longer practised). The most practised today is common of pasture, the right to turn out animals in the open Forest.
You can read more about Commoning and learn the answers to questions such as “Is Commoning profitable”* here.
*Spoiler, it’s not. It actually costs a huge sum of money to be a practicing Commoner.
HOW DID COMMONING RIGHTS COME ABOUT?
William the Conqueror designated the area we now call the New Forest as a Royal Hunting reserve in 1067. The designation resulted in the introduction of Forest Law which meant that the land couldn’t be enclosed for agriculture or housing. The Law established common rights to be exercised by those who owned or rented land within the hunting reserve.
From the 12th century onwards, increasing areas of land over which common rights were exercised were incorporated into the great estates of the nobility and church.
It is widely understood that the enclosing of land by private owners and the erosion of Commoning culture has been to the detriment of biodiversity.
Only 3 percent of land in the UK now has either ‘Common’s’ or ‘Commoning rights’.
“Going through a difficult period in my life, I desperately needed to be in nature, surrounded with kind people and also cycle to let my mind breathe a little. At the end, I was filled with a rainbow of feelings: grateful and warm with love and kindness; proud of myself and every other single person; exhausted but happy; healthy and capable of everything; curious; part of an ancient and magical land and most importantly, welcomed, accepted and cared about.” - Marsha Franco
WHAT ARE THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST
ENCROACHING ON COMMONING LAND.
The perception by some is that this proposal involves creating new cycle paths that would encroach on commoning land needed by free roaming animals.
This is a fair concern - if it were true. Only 4 miles of the proposed paths would need to be freshly laid on commoning land. The remaining 36 miles are already there on the ground, and simply require a change of signpost, from footpath to bridleway.
BAD BEHAVIOUR. A minority of people cycle dangerously around the Forest, racing past walkers and horse riders. Not giving people or animals enough space when passing.
We know these people exist. We've all met them! But we also know this group is in the minority and we are committed to using our marketing channels to educate other bike riders to understand the damage to the cyclist community as a whole when people behave this way.
DETRIMENT TO TRANQUILITY. The proposals feature paths in areas of the Forest that are deemed to be the ‘largest and most tranquil’ in the area. Particularly in the North of the Forest between Fritham and Hyde.
We, people who ride bikes away from traffic, on trails that are flanked by nature, not tar mac, understand the value of tranquility and seek to preserve it.
STRAYING FROM EXISTING WAY MARKED PATHS. Riding bikes on paths that are not designated cycle paths.
This is easily done as way marking in the Forest is not clear. The proposal for a better connected network will reduce the need for cyclists to ride ‘illegal trails’.
THERE’S ALREADY ENOUGH OFF ROAD CYCLE PATHS. The network as it currently stands is poorly connected. Currently, there are forest tracks that you can’t ride on but people can drive on. This doesn’t make sense and contradicts the Verderers own ‘Tranquility Policy’.
MORE PEOPLE IN THE FOREST INCREASES THE THREAT TO FREE ROAMING ANIMALS
A little known fact is that if a free roaming animal harms a visitor, the Commoner who owns the animal is liable. If free roaming animals are worried by people who don’t give them enough space or disturb their peace, then accidents with humans will happen.
Instead of limiting access to the Forest for people who ride bikes, we believe that there is a huge opportunity to better educate visitors to the Forest about not only how to behave around animals but also why free roaming animals are intrinsic to the ecology of the Forest.
LEARN HOW TO SERVICE YOUR BIKE BY CLICKING HERE
〰️
LEARN HOW TO SERVICE YOUR BIKE BY CLICKING HERE 〰️
“My highlight was stopping on a bridge on the dragon route, closing our eyes and turning to face the sun that popped out briefly. Inhabiting stillness and peace as a group was really powerful.” Sophie Gregory
THE NEW FOREST OFF ROAD CLUB’S STANCE
We understand the arguments against the proposal. We value the legal process of the Verderers and their aim to preserve the rights to Commoning in the Forest.
This unique landscape that we love only exists thanks to the dedication and hard work of generations of Commoners over the past thousand years.
And, today, stewardship of the Forest is rightly and safely in the hands of the 730 working Commoners – for, when Commoning rights are eroded, biodiversity suffers.
And it is by this same principle that we stand by the proposal to expand off road cycle access in the Forest.
Because we know – as well as anyone – that if people have the opportunity to experience the majesty of the Forest, then they will fight to protect it.
“To go slowly and to experience being present in the Forest was something I really really enjoyed. It made me feel so comfortable and happy riding my bike. My inner history geek was also so happy, I learnt so much about the Forest. Kat Swindells Ridley”
The access debate is, and always has been, about more than ‘rights of way’.
It is about who belongs, and who says so. It is about identity: class, race and gender; it is about autonomy, tradition, custom, law and community.
The New Forest has the highest average house prices of any national park in the UK. That’s not going to change any time soon.
We have a duty, therefore, to promote sustainable access in other ways, so that those of us who will never wake up to the sound of piglets snuffling in the mast, still have abundant opportunity to feel the higher calling of nature and learn to cherish and preserve the Forest’s natural history.
As a cycling community on a mission to connect people with the Forest, others and themselves, we strongly support the proposal for a better connected off road cycling network.
Kat Swindells Ridley on our Forest Folklore weekend.
IF YOU AGREE, THIS IS HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL
SEND A MESSAGE TO THE VERDERERS VIA THE WEBSITE. We know people opposing the plans are using the contact form to express their views. It’s important that we do the same.
GIVE A PRESENTMENT AT COURT. If you’d like to hear more about how to do this, please email the club at hello@thenewforestoffroadclub@gmail.com and we can share with you an information sheet about how to do this. We will support you every step of the way and you’d be participating in unique Forest law and custom.
SET AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE WHEN RIDING BIKES IN THE FOREST. As a community, we understand that the Forest wouldn’t be the place it is today without the commitment to preserving it by the Verderers. We need to demonstrate, at every opportunity, that people who ride bikes in the Forest
Stay on way marked paths
Slow down when passing others
Say hello to people
Actively learn about the Forest and what makes it so special. As a start, we recommend visiting the New Forest Heritage Centre, following New Forest Commoners on Instagram, listening to this incredible podcast all about William Rufus and reading ‘The Forest’ by Edward Rutherford.
“I learnt things about the forest I didn’t know and loved the focus on the trees – it has certainly made me look at and appreciate the trees I ride and walk past every week.” Emily Dineen. Lyndhurst resident.
