Old railway paths.

[cycle cat]

What are your views on old railway paths that have been converted to
walking and cycling paths?
I've cycled on several. We used the Tissington Trail today.
It was rather busy as it's the bank holiday weekend.

There are quite a few signs up telling cyclists to respect walkers.
IMO we should all respect each other.

[cycloret]

It's much more dog walkers who don't control their dogs who give me the most bother. I've had dogs stand stationary in the middle of the path with their owner's just as mesmerised by my approach. Worse though are those using a retractable lead who don't control their dogs so have the lead across the railpath, unbelievable really. I had to stop on one occasion before the path was cleared. One man and his dog, na, it one man and his dogs. Nobody seems satisfied with owning one dog any longer.

[Mick F]

Have a read at my report on The Granite Way.
http://cycleseven.org/the-granite-way

Not keen, to be honest.

[gentlegreen]

I've used parts of the Bristol to Bath path every working day for the past 24 years or so and I ride most of it recreationally at other times.
For me, it's almost the single best thing about Bristol or Bath.

Generally speaking the pedestrians behave sensibly during the rush hours, but sadly cyclists aren't always aware of their responsibilities and pass too close and too fast.

[Alex L]

I've used parts of the Bristol to Bath path every working day for the past 24 years or so and I ride most of it recreationally at other times.
For me, it's almost the single best thing about Bristol or Bath.

Generally speaking the pedestrians behave sensibly during the rush hours, but sadly cyclists aren't always aware of their responsibilities and pass too close and too fast.

There was a group of cyclists stopped across the path yesterday causing me to come to a complete halt before they let me through. I generally use it at night and it is lovely then. Just had some fresh tarmac on which is sooooo smooth.

[cycle cat]

Good article Mick. Just had a read.
It seems a rather disjointed track

I've cycled on the Tissington Trail, the Bristol to Bath railway path and
the Dorset end of the old Somerset and Dorset railway.
It starts near the Willett Arms pub, for any local Dorset people reading this.

All very similar. Users of all types feel safe as they are not on a road.
Dogs are let off leads to wander about, small children on bikes suddenly stop
in front of you and throw their bikes down.

You can't get any decent speed up as you have to swerve around stuff.
They cam be very lonely places for a woman on her own.
You can't use them at night because they re unlit.
So they become day time leisure routes for toy bicycles.

[DavidT]

I tend to find them quite boring, at least the ones I've ridden. A large part of the enjoyment of cycling for me is not knowing what's around the next bend, and what is going on in the next village. Railway path routes often do a good job of removing this interest whilst adding the challenge of pedestrians and dogs.

That said, they can of course serve a purpose. It's been nice to have traffic free routes into and out of towns and cities, for example Derby, Lincoln and Newark (to quote some of the more local one's I've used).

Certainly in the countryside, after a few miles of any given railway route I've typically found myself thinking that I'd rather be on the road. They also tend to suffer from the Sustran's problem of having a mile by mile lottery as to what the next standard of surface is going to be....

[snibgo]

They can be very near to cycling heaven -- eg the Cambridgeshire Busway route, which is designed and built as a cycle path for commuting into Cambridge.

Or they can be designed and built, as cycle cat says, as "leisure routes for toy bicycles".

[cycle cat]

It's a shame really, as all three of the routes I've mentioned have there plus points.
They can be quite scenic. They don't have any hills which is ok if you're unfit.
Otherwise it can get a bit boring.

I cycled through Fish-ponds in Bristol a few years ago and there were drug dealers lurking
about.
Also there are no convenient places to stop for a pee unless you come to a cafe.
I got followed into Bath by an old bloke. Luckily for me I was fit enough to leave him behind.
The paths don't have many exit points, which made me feel vulnerable.
I don't think that would encourage women to cycle to work on them.

[rjb]

It's much more dog walkers who don't control their dogs who give me the most bother. I've had dogs stand stationary in the middle of the path with their owner's just as mesmerised by my approach. Worse though are those using a retractable lead who don't control their dogs so have the lead across the railpath, unbelievable really. I had to stop on one occasion before the path was cleared. One man and his dog, na, it one man and his dogs. Nobody seems satisfied with owning one dog any longer.

You don't know how good life is - down yer in zomerzet we get rope strung across the road when they move cattle - it's not unknown for them farmers to forget to remove the rope

IMO - railway paths are only a start with improvement's and extensions being added on a regular basis. I recall the tarka trail being a muddy track originally but when i last cycled it i was pleasantly surpised that a good deal of it had now been tarmaced. Like any trail they do have busy periods and if you are in a hurry then they are best avoided but overall i think that they are a valuable resource provided you don't mind putting up with the obstacles like anti motor bike traps, gates, etc.

[PRL]

They add to life's rich pageant. I wouldn't want to be on them all the time but it is nice to be away from motor vehicles and , in some parts of the country to avoid hills. I don't really mind them being busy - it is good to see so many people of all sorts on bikes - thinking of the Camel Trail - you just have to be patient.. The Water Rail way out of Lincoln was memorable getting you into remote feeling country.

[matt_twam_asi]

The Downs Link and the Worth Way are both good, although I personally prefer the latter. The downs link isn't very well maintained, especially towards the south end which is a shame as I would love to 'enjoy' riding the length of it down to the coast, rather than what I suspect would be a test of my patience. The Worth Way is much better surfaced and nice to ride on. However neither are in the same league to the properly sealed paths such as the Bristol - Bath trail.

In general (from what I've witnessed) cyclists, walkers and horse riders all get along fine.

[eileithyia]

Horses for courses I guess. Have used Tissington, High peak and Manifold on regular basis over the years, they are not commuter routes and can't comment on those that might be. My son and I used Tissington and HP in order to answer 2 BCQ questions, last year, despite it being a beautiful day, I thought they were far quieter than they had been in their early days.
If you do go such trails you do have to accept that you might have to cope with families, dogs, walkers, hire bikes et al. They are great for getting newbies, families etc out cycling together, but no experienced rider should use them under the allusion they can maintain 12-15 mph.

[LANDSURFER74]

I regularly ride the ex rail tracks in South Yorks and Derbyshire.
Favorite has to be the stretch from Beighton to Arkwright with the bonus of the cafe at Poolsbrook park. Also loads of the Trans Pennine route in my area is ex BR or pit lines .... not worried about surface changes , just use tyres suitable for all .... 28 x 700c Marathons in my case. The mineral trail from Thurcroft to Dinnington is pool table smooth tarmac, but as usual with a track in urban areas it's the dog sh1t thats the problem. Manvers to Barnsley is another smooth tarmacked drag strip.

[pau1ine]

What are your views on old railway paths that have been converted to
walking and cycling paths?
I've cycled on several. We used the Tissington Trail today.
It was rather busy as it's the bank holiday weekend.

There are quite a few signs up telling cyclists to respect walkers.
IMO we should all respect each other.

I think these routes are great - from personally cycling them and as facilities to enable nervous bike owners (and their children) to actually get on their bikes!

The downsides are that 'cycle on the left' can be either ignored or an unknown concept to some users. This isn't exclusive to railway tracks - the same can apply to other routes e.g. the road my local reservoir which is also popular with people who wouldn't cycle on public roads open to all traffic.

As for respecting walkers, it's the cyclists responsibility as the faster moving person, to take care going around pedestrians. This is about the only time that a bike bell is useful.