A closer look at Moira Junction Nature Reserve and your chance to comment on the North West Leicestershire Cycling & Walking Strategy

My initial plan for the latest blog article was to feature the change in the landscape as viewed from our local network near Tunnel Woods and Castle Gresley.  The 4 cooling towers of Rugeley Power Station finally suffered the fate of the station chimney and were demolished on 6th June.  Having followed clear blue skies on the Saturday I took position to record the moment and the change to the landscape from the picnic tables and see the towers disappear in the distance.  Sadly the weather and cloud were not so good and I may as well have tried to look for Blackpool Tower at the point of demolition.

The signal box hints at the area's railway heritage 

Whilst the changes to the landscape around Rugeley are significant, a more subtle change has recently taken place on NCN63 in Moira and I thought I'd have a closer look.

Approach from Spring Cottage

To those familiar with the area I am referring to the stretch between the Spring Cottage Road lodges and up to the Youth Hostel.  Part of the Conkers Circuit, this section marks the start of the Ashby Wolds Heritage Trail and is where the route turns away from running alongside the Burton to Leicester Railway Line to follow the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway.  Formerly this was a railway junction, hence the signal box and was also the site of a train depot and the Overseal sidings until 1966.

One of the information boards

In 1991 work started to change it into a nature reserve with ponds formed between the embankments of the 2 lines.  In 1994 it was designated as a Local Nature Reserve.  For the last 20 years it has been a feature of part of the Conkers circuit where the route turns back towards Conkers away from the old railway line and has been complimented by the Youth Hostel, campsite and more recently the interpretation hub which features information about the railway history.

The area features ponds and a fair amount of vegetation which make this a pleasant section of the cycle network.  Like other sections on the network the vegetation, if not controlled can cause issues both to the immediate environment and also the surface of the path due to build up over several years.

View  of one of the ponds away from NCN

In the recent winter, a grant funded project took place to improve the conservation value of the area.  We have briefly reported changes immediately noticeable from the path itself - mainly the thinning of vegetation.  As well as being good for the path, and allowing a better view of the ponds, it also allows more light for wildflowers to grow and promotes growth for bird nesting habitats.  This work was led by the ranger team at Leicester County Council and carried out with help from volunteers.

Several changes to conservation methods have taken place including controlled promotion of decaying trees to attract fungi, invertebrates and birds.  The ponds themselves have been worked on too, including cleaning.  Information boards in the area relay this information in far more detail including the breakdown of the 619 species found in the area.  I'm not sure about promoting the search for Fly Agaric - an hallucinogenic fungi found under birch trees!

NCN63 passing through the reserve

It was nice to dismount and have a walk off the route around by the ponds and around the old railway buildings which I have been told were used as air raid shelters during World War 2.  It will be nice to keep an eye on the reserve when cycling through on a regular basis.  It's a lovely part of the NCN.

Changing the subject slightly, but necessarily, the area above falls within North West Leicestershire (NWL) and NWL District Council are currently (until 9th July) running a survey on their Cycling and Walking Strategy.  This strategy mainly covers Coalville and Ashby but also covers Measham and the Heart of the National Forest area.  This is mainly aimed at residents of NWL but I filled in relevant sections as a visiting cyclist within the area and would recommend those with interest in cycling in National Forest and NWL to fill it in.  It takes around 5 minutes.

Documents about the strategy can be found on North West Leicestershire District Council Website and the actual survey can be found be clicking here.

Recent addition to Local Rides Page

During a recent route check on NCN63 I took in a ride to Hicks Lodge from my home in Castle Gresley.  Having worked on the local cycle network for quite some time I suppose I take it for granted.  The aim of the ride was to look at options for signing links from Hicks Lodge back to NCN63 in Moira. 

The link from Moira Furnace to Hicks Lodge is not part of the National Cycle Network but by signposting links between the network and places of interest it adds to the user experience.  The new link means there are now around up to 4 miles of extra traffic free cycle routes directly available off the main routes.  

Having enjoyed this particular ride more than I have done in a long time, I felt it was worth making a feature of it in our local rides page.  You can access that page via the home page and links or by clicking here.

From Castle Gresley to Swainspark (which is a link route itself) and on to the NCN63 which is also the Conkers Circuit and then Ashby Wolds Heritage trail, there are several different off road options to get to Hicks Lodge and back.  There are alternative routes around the Ashby Canal and around Donisthorpe Woodland Park, Albert Village Lake and Conkers.  You can do the full trails once at Hicks Lodge, or just cycle around the lake or follow the Gruffalo trail.  You could go round in circles, do a figure of 8 route around Conkers or just take the shortest route depending on time and who is cycling.

With most of these routes bases around railways and canals it is mainly flat with the occasional hill but generally suitable for families.  There are cafes and toilets throughout the route and plenty of points of interest, lots of nature and signs of the industrial heritage of the area.  There are several access points to enjoy the ride shown.

The link signing between Moira and Hicks Lodge will hopefully be done this year by our local team of rangers.

The route mentioned is shown in preview below.  Hopefully a map will be added in the future.

Early Spring Update / 9 million trees!

Following the snow at the start of the year we can now celebrate the arrival of Spring although even the last weekend in February saw the sun come out and with it a rather large number of users.  Levels of walkers, cyclists and runners normally only seen in the height of summer weekends were out, clearly wanting to enjoy the first weekend of decent weather.

Whilst it is good to see people out enjoying walking and cycling around the local network, we must still proceed with caution and do anything we can to avoid further lockdowns.  As rangers we are not yet doing any group activity but can do a small amount of work individually.  Online, however, we are less restricted.

Vegetation & path work in Moira

A recent update on the Paths for Everyone project was of great interest last week with a notable attendance of very nearly 100 people on a zoom presentation and feedback session.  The presentation provided an update for the Midlands and East which covers a very wide geographical area, hence the large number of rangers on the call.  One of the great parts of being a volunteer for Sustrans is working with rangers from other areas to share advice.  We have several long standing connections with rangers in Derby, The Peak District, Birmingham, Lichfield, Leicester and beyond.

Surface issues near Oakthorpe

The part of our area that was mentioned on the presentation was the work in Burton Town Centre in line with improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure.  There has been another consultation from Staffordshire County Council to discuss the proposals, although the deadline has now passed.

In other online news our friends at the National Forest Company took a novel approach to celebrate the planting of the 9 millionth tree in the National Forest.  This is a huge achievement in the 25 years since the start of the National Forest.  Due to current restrictions the event had to be done virtually and a rather famous cartoon character helped in this special occasion.  To read more, click here.

Tranquil Conkers Basin

The the improvement in the weather I took the chance over 2 weekends to look at 2 different parts of the local network.  The first was the well established section from Church Gresley to Measham for a signing and surface check whilst the second part was looking at new parts NCN63 that will link Swadlincote and Burton.

Luckily there were not many issues noted on the check of the existing areas although the previously reported surface between Donisthorpe and Measham still has some areas that have not fully bedded in.  The surface has improved significantly since it was first installed and much of the loose stone has been compacted through weathering and usage but there are still some areas worth further reporting.  Aside from that there are no significant issues and some areas had been subject to improvement.  The area around the Youth Hostel and Campsite has seen vegetation cut back and the surface cleared around the existing ponds.  Also the vegetation around Conkers Waterside and Approach to Albert Village Lake has been cut back too.

The change of season brings out not only humans but also an increase in the wildlife around the route and particularly the canal.  Moorhens and Coots were noticeably present along with the ducks.

Residential streets used too.

Multiple options but barriers.

The following weekend looked at the future of NCN63 and the important link towards Burton and around Newhall and Swadlincote.  The infrastructure for this is starting to take shape through the partially completed developments aside William Nadin Way.  Whilst still some way from being complete it is good to see some progress with much more to follow.  

With the Paths for Everyone mantra in mind, we are also checking for obstructions that might cause an issue to some users.  It was good to see that barriers that were far too close together previously have been respaced, however, their placement still needs to be scrutinised further.

Still much to do!

The links are not fully complete yet and the link between the 2 estates is currently a narrow footbridge unsuitable for riding over but there will be other links eventually.

Decent wide surface

Even at a state far from completion the developer has already put up cyclist dismount signs on one estate at a junction.  Whilst it is correct that cycling on pavements is not legal for most, putting up such signs before the infrastructure is complete tells me that cycling provision is an added extra rather than the natural focus.  No doubt there will be cars mounting the pavements to park at some point.  They know it's wrong but they don't put signs up telling drivers not to do things.

Aside from that pet of hate of mine, there looks to be plenty of optimism.  The good thing is that the estates look to have a couple of options for cycling and walking through which is good for links and variation too.  Also the surfaces are good.  Hopefully these will not only provide a through route for the National Cycle Network but also encourage people to cycle and walk to local employment areas and schools from this new community and existing local communities around the area.

We will keep readers updated on the progress as it is likely to change frequently.  Once these sections are complete we will keep an eye on progress of the route via the new golf course and through to Park Road in Newhall.  In the other direction we will also monitor work around the new development around the old council depot site.

Stay safe everyone.

Welcome to 2021

Happy new year to all readers.  I started to write this as a fresh blanket of snow settles over South Derbyshire. I’d originally wanted to post as Autumn drew to a close and the last of the golden leaves deposited themselves onto the ground but a busy run up to Christmas and a general shortage of news put paid to that.

Sparse Vegetation

Unfortunately there has not been a lot of action throughout 2020 understandably, though clearly there has been increase in walking and cycling on parts of the network.

Whilst there have not been many activities happening on he actual surface there have been some notable changes just back from the route near Conkers Campsite, with trees taken out to provide more light on some of the ponds.

With the recent falling of snow, cold weather and subsequent ice I decided to use our local NCN routes as over 50% of users do - by foot.  Our local community magazine in Swadlincote featured a walk written by a local walking enthusiast which also related to the history of the area.  The chosen route featured the section of NCN64 around Church Gresley and have a more leisurely opportunity for a route check.

Icy surface but a pleasant walk

We are looking to do update some local signing soon.  Ideally this is the sort of activity that is good to do as a group but during the restrictions due to Covid this will be done individually when weather conditions are suitable.  With the routes currently wet and muddy we'll be looking to do some remedial work when the weather is better and the rules allow a team based approach.  One of the good things about winter is that the sparse vegetation means that the signs are generally more visible.

Before Christmas we saw some sad news in relation to a group featured on the blog - the campaign for Reopening of the Ivanhoe Line
(CRIL) who were featured in this article on the blog.  Sadly the chairman of the organisation Geoff Bushell recently passed away.  Geoff put a lot of work into the project and showed great passion and determination to raise the profile of the group.   

He was always genuinely pleased that people took an interest in the work of CRIL and appreciated any support given.  Thoughts are with Geoff and his family and friends at this sad time.  I hope his immense work can be continued by others in the organisation and sure it will be.

Hope to update more soon - there is plenty to do.

2020 Summer Update and Staffordshire CWIS consultation

This is the first blog item for quite some time.  2020 has been a year like no other and activities like cycling and blogging have taken a back seat to other priorities.

The effects of Coronavirus are evident throughout the many different forms of media and it has affected us all in some way.  Thoughts go to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives to the virus in particular.  I hope a thorough enquiry is made into the initial response to the pandemic, particularly in relation to the strategies of those countries who appear to have managed to suppress the spread of the virus to a significantly greater extent than here in the UK.

Whilst there are encouraging signs that the rate of infection is decreasing there is still a sense of caution, although for a minority it is debatable whether lockdown ever applied anyway.  Hopefully we can avoid a second wave.

For cycling, walking and general outdoor exercise the situation has led to a noticeable increase in activity.  Clearly when all other options have been restricted and an hour of outdoor exercise was allowed and the weather was nice, people took full advantage of that hour ( or several more in many cases).

The great thing about cycling and walking is that it does allow for social distancing, perhaps not as much as it used to but it is good to see people take steps they wouldn’t normally do.  Hopefully this will encourage people to do so on a regular basis and discover the cycle network but in a safe way, within guidelines.

From a volunteering point of view all group activities were suspended at the start of lockdown and only in the last few days have Sustrans advised we can now volunteer individually on our sections.

Despite not being able to have a network of volunteers on the ground Sustrans have been busy lobbying for changes in cycling infrastructure as always but also involved in promoting schemes such as cycles for key workers.  For more information  click here.

There have been a lot of changes to cycling infrastructure during lockdown, particularly in cities and towns as temporary pop-up cycle lanes have become a common feature.  Money has also been made available for walking and cycling schemes although many schemes were already in a bidding process or had been approved.

As we get more information locally, we’ll share on these pages.  We will be having some online sessions about the Paths for Everyone project too.

In the mean time there is a detailed consultation regarding cycling and walking schemes in Staffordshire which I’m very pleased to see and share. This is part of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS).  Part of the National Forest area is within Staffordshire and Burton on Trent is a key part of the consultation.  I encourage anyone who has cycled in Burton in particular to have a look at the consultation.  The consultation only runs until 7th July. To read the information around the planned implementation of the scheme click here.

As we get back into cycling and walking the network we’ll be updating with more upbeat articles about our activities.  I’ve also done a quick update of some of the links on the pages on the blog as some were a bit out of date.  I’ve not had the chance to update those in the many posts as yet.

Hope you all enjoy a decent summer of cycling in the National Forest but above all, Stay Safe.

NCN54 Branston Locks Diversion

Approach to the school based on a wide shared path.

Although most of the National Forest cycling network is based in rural settings there are several built up areas including Burton, Swadlincote and Coalville.  All of these places have seen significant growth over recent years and one area of Burton is going through a particularly significant change which has had a major effect on the National Cycle Network (NCN).

The Branston Locks development is a large mix of industrial and residential development which covers a large section of land between Tatenhill and Shobnall, bordering the A38 and including the Trent and Mersey Canal.  NCN 54 formerly passed through this area as a quiet track called Anglessey Street.  Access to this lane has now been obstructed  by the development and an alternative route has been sought after by ourselves for some time.

Jim signing new entry from Shobnall Road to Callister Way

We discussed several routes around the development and finally had clearance to start signing a route earlier this year.  It is proposed for this route to have proper signage provided by Staffordshire County Council but until this is done we have signed it as best we can with our adhesive signs.

When the Branston Locks development is completed it should feature a number of different cycling and walking routes which could be adopted as NCN54 and hopefully this might follow the Trent and Mersey canal.

The route that has been replaced was good as it was flat, direct and in quite a peaceful rural setting, despite it's proximity to the A38 as it approached the Albion pub.  Whilst the alternative route goes through more built up areas, the vast majority of it is off-road on shared paths.  There are also a few eateries, shops and pubs on the route and it passes close to Branston Water Park.  Though it does intersect some busy roads most of the crossing points are Toucan crossings.

The initial route planning was done by our ranger Jim and after some discussion with one of our Network managers we agreed on a slight tweak.  The signing was done in 2 stages due to a shortage of signs and the need for a second look at one of the key areas within Branston village.

Description of the route (West to East - Tatenhill to Shobnall)

End of cycle route sign despite brand new path to Tatenhill

From Tatenhill, the route makes the most of a new path to John Taylor Free School which starts approximately 300 yards from the junction in Tatenhill.  For some reason this path is not signed as shared and not quite 3 metres wide even though it is clearly a safer alternative to the adjacent road.  The egress from the path in direction of Tatenhill is not ideal, which might be a reason for this.

At the end of the new path the route into Tatenhill is road based.

At the school there is a wide Toucan crossing which now carries the route safely across the road.  The route then follows a shared path through the car park and drop off zone, past the rugby club entrance and along Branston Road then onto Tatenhill Lane.  This shared path is continuous all the way to the Bridge Inn at the Trent and Mersey canal.  Clearly, during school run times, this area will be busy but should be quiet outside of the peak times.

At this point it is necessary to cross over the road and continue down Tatenhill Lane.  This leads to a dead end at the A38 and is relatively quiet though there is a new housing development under construction in this area.  Passage under the A38 is made via a shared path tunnel and there is a link to the nearby Branston Water Park.  The tunnel features some barriers to deter motor vehicles which may be tricky for certain bikes.

Hopefully the future route will feature a nice wide canal towpath

Once through the tunnel the route is on road but through the residential area around Branston Main Street before crossing the main road via a Toucan Crossing at Rykneld Primary School.  After another tricky barrier the route continues onto The Parkway - the main road into Burton from the A38 Branston exit.  At the junction by the Carvery restaurant and adjacent Steakhouse the route crosses the Parkway via a double Toucan crossing and subsequent further Toucan over First Avenue before continuing.

Safe passage under the A38 but mind the barriers.

New signage near canal-side Bridge Inn

The crossing at First Avenue features the most ridiculous cyclist dismount signs (aimed at deterring cyclists from cycling along the rarely used footpath along First Avenue).  They are around the size of a bank card but placed aloft a dedicated post - a completely unnecessary but no doubt significant on-cost to cycling infrastructure.  The picture below shows this, but you may struggle to see it.

Award for the most pointless dismount sign

One part of the new link which gave us cause for concern is the crossing at the roundabout of Second Avenue, near the Corner House and Holiday Inn Express.  Although there is a refuge and it is slightly away from the roundabout, there is no lighted crossing and the roundabout is busy with a 40mph speed limit.  During our check of the signing there were roadworks in place here with the inevitable cyclist dismount signage!

Once over this road the shared path continues along Parkway, crossing Third and Fourth Avenue before a relatively long section to Callister Way roundabout.  Whilst the path is wide, there are sections of vegetation which protrude significantly in some places.

Vegetation narrowing the path!.

At Callister Way the route turns away from Parkway and heads over the Trent and Mersey Canal and through an area yet to be developed, onto an off-road section which rejoins the old section of NCN 54 on the other side of the A38 from the Albion pub close to the Marstons brewery.

The new route will take slightly longer than the old route, perhaps around 20-25 minutes without stopping but does feature a lot more in terms of refreshments and facilities.

We will continue to monitor the new route and also intend to look at routes around Burton next year amongst several other areas.  We'll also be keeping an eye on how the Branston Locks development progresses and ensure that the infrastructure is of NCN standard.

Bikes on Trains - the debate goes on.

The subject of cycling is one of many debated daily through many social media channels.  Social media certainly provides an outlet for debate; often for frustrations and occasionally some praise!

One recurring theme is about being able to take bikes on trains.  This is often debated on the Facebook page for the National Cycle Network but a recent tweet certainly ignited the debate once more and I feel compelled, albeit with delay, to comment on the events.

We've discussed the issues with taking bikes on trains on this blog.  My experience of taking my bike from Burton to Stafford was ok but there were a few issues even on a short journey as the blog item explains.

Another blog post recently discussed mobility cycling and the fact that bikes are a mobility aid and vital to people who may not be able to walk long distances.

One item that certainly provoked response on Facebook was when LNER (who operate the East Coast Mainline from Kings Cross to Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh amongst other places) announced the arrival of the new Azuma train.  The Azuma has been brought in to replace an ageing fleet of diesel 125 trains and electric 225 trains.  A similar thing happened on the GWR network from Paddington to South West destinations too.

Whilst the new trains are an improvement in many aspects it is noted that in terms of cycling space they lack the spacious facilities of the 125 which had a large guard's van and the 225 which had a large driving van trailer.

As the poster shows, there is only space for 4 bikes on a 10 coach train and 2 on a 5 coach train on the Azuma.

The type of storage adopted typically used now requires the user to lift the bike up and suspend the bike from a hook mounted high.  This is mainly due to spatial economy.

125s have provided good bike storage since the 1970s

The problem with this is that it is not often easy to fit bikes when fully loaded with panniers (for those travelling long distances) and there is certainly no space for other adapted bikes or tandems.  Whilst I'm not particularly strong I'm fit and able to hang my bike.  Unfortunately not everyone is.  I mentioned above about bikes being a useful mobility aid but not everyone capable of riding a bike is physically capable of lifting a bike.

When browsing Twitter fairly recently my attention as drawn to an issue involving Cross Country trains.  A passenger had tweeted to ask about help to hang the bike as they knew they were not physically strong enough.  It is also not easy to locate someone to help hang the bike on the train and it can be very tricky when a train is crowded, which they often are.  The final response from Cross Country as shown is extraordinarily disappointing in a number of ways and does not inspire confidence, especially as Cross Country are the only operator from Burton on Trent.  Whilst Health and Safety are paramount, the tone of the response is poor. 

It's not all doom and gloom though, as Scot Rail are making some alterations to some older trains on the West Highland Line which is a popular tourist line and popular with cyclists.  More information can be read by clicking here.

It is difficult to see any significant improvement forthcoming on the railway network in the near future but the lobbying needs to continue and hopefully longer term the picture will change.