Protesting Against Paved Footways on Ilkley Moor

[nickp]

Yes we should move on. With hindsight we should have had this debate when the first stone section between the trig point and the masts was laid 18 months/2 years ago. As far as I know we didn't register any concern then - when we may have been able to influence the remaining flagging, and I don't see what is to be gained by the club making an issue of it now that all the planned paving work has finally been completed.

[John Hayes]

Adopting a "do nothing"/"what's all the fuss about?" approach will certainly please those keen to construct more paved footways on Ilkley Moor. I'm sure that they would be very keen to encourage that sort of response.
As to the "reassurance" that no more paved slabs will appear, I very much hope that this promise will be honoured. But the lack of consultation so far gives little reassurance on this. Furthermore, anyone who has watched the unrelenting paving over of perfectly good footpaths in the Lake District and elsewhere also has good reason to be sceptical. No doubt, when they first appeared, people thought that they would only build a few and then stop. If you go on the FRA forum you will read the outrage of runners nationally that - in fact - the building projects have gone on and on and on...

[Paul]

Sorry, I omitted to pass on a useful message from Danny Jackson (BMDC Countryside Ranger)
"I guess I should clarify that the driver for the recent path works was very much the Management Plan and the Watersheds Landscape Lottery project - not FOIM, although they were very supportive. It would be inappropriate to point the finger at them for the flagging work - not that you are, but some of your members might be tempted to do so- I think that's worth explaining.

The working relationship between us, as owner/managers of the moor and FOIM is that both Richard and I are ex-officio members and Richard attends the Committee meetings. They have financially supported some of the smaller access improvements on the moor, plus habitat work and they have a regular volunteer input on practical tasks. We regard them as a useful sounding board to reflect the views of locals and people who use the moor and of course a source of financial and practical support. The wider the audience that they represent, the better, as far as we are concerned."

There was also a useful link pointed out by Morgan http://www.pennineprospects.co.uk/watershed-landscape, and also http://www.watershedlandscape.co.uk/

For information, I'm hoping to meet with Owen Wells the Chairman of Friends of Ilkley Moor next week for some fact-finding prior to the IH Ctee meeting and some information-sharing. I will NOT be presenting a Club stance on this (that is subject to a Committee meeting) but will report the views expressed. So if you've got a view and not made it know yet please post here or otherwise contact me.

Can I ask, yet again, that you do not respond to or argue with others' views here. I do not want anyone to worry about expressing a view for fear of the response, and the rules of the forums http://ilkleyharriers.org.uk/index.php?page=forum include
" Anyone who causes undue upset and work will simply be removed from the Forums (membership of the Forums is not a right of Ilkley Harriers membership)." Thanks.

[Paul]

Joined in Paul O's group run on the paved paths on the Moor today after a few weeks off running with an injury, and my own personal opinion on the slabs is …. it's a shame there are so many of them! So, all that follows is personal opinion based on today's run ...
We ran clockwise, and I was disappointed to see that the already over-long stretch of slabs put in place the other year to replace the broken duck-boards has been extended down to where the path meets Backstone Beck, and extended up at the other end up to the top of the slope just North of the Twelve Apostles. Both these sections of path were 'interesting' before, they were perhaps mildly eroded and you had to mind your step but they should not have presented any real access issues and personally I would not have described the erosion as serious.
Similarly the lovely meandering path up to the trig point has been paved. Again, the old path would not have presented any access issues and did not seem badly eroded so this work seems unnecessary to me. This was one of Shirley's favourite paths on the Moor: she will be gutted when she sees it now. This is the descent route of the Jack Bloor fell race: someone could be badly hurt falling on this path.
The stretch from the trig point over to Keighley Gate Road is now almost entirely slabbed and while there are stretches that are much improved by this work, there were stretches that were fine before and have been slabbed unnecessarily.
We stopped at the Puddle Stones? poetry “installation”, another silly misuse of money. (Personal opinion here....)
At the end of the slab paths I was, for the first time ever, happy to run on Keighley Gate Road as its surface was soft and forgiving compared to the stone slabs. The slabs are a very hard running surface and my knees and shins are sorer than they would normally be after a run on the Moor. (I wore Inov8 315's, which have a fair degree of cushioning in their thick rubber studs.)
I do understand those people who say that a new route has been opened up to them and others. But there are a number like me who would not choose to run on this hard surface, so we have had a route taken away from us.
It strikes me that the slabbed path is more dangerous than a natural muddy one as there are many places you could trip, the slabs could be very slippery when icy, and they will make a very hard surface to fall on.
I don't think the slabs are unattractive in a 'man conquers nature' sort of way, and they will look better when they are bedded in; but to my eye they are not as attractive to look at or as appropriate to the Moor landscape as the old winding paths.
My personal view is that the conservation arguments are weak. I think that the slab paths will result in the creation of more paths and more erosion on Ilkley Moor: from some existing Moor users (like me) looking to get away from their continuous unforgiving surface, and from new Moor users looking for something different after their first couple of slab walk/runs.
So in summary I disagree with the decision taken by BMDC and the people it works with to create a contiguous route of paved path on the Moor.

It's not appropriate in this personal comment to discuss what to do about this: this is just recording my own views from today's run.

What's your view?

[Andrew Sheldon]

Last weekend I ran the paved route anti clockwise from the Keighley Gate end to the Apostles, then down to the path to White Wells , just to have a look.
For the newest section they seem to have used smaller, rougher faced slabs, so to run on the path I really had to watch my footing and it was slow going (for a "roadie"). I wouldn't fancy racing on this section.

It was mid Saturday morning and I passed lots of groups of walkers coming the other way. No runners though. Weather was fine but on the very top, the ground to the side of the path was wet and muddy, not something I would run over, or a hiker would voluntarily use.

I think what has been done on that top section is likely to promote access for walkers and it's fair enough. It reminds me a little of the path going up Great Shunner Fell anti-clockwise from Thwaite , that last top mile section before the summit. But those stones are smoother so you can run them more easily.

There's other routes they haven't paved either side West or East of the Apostles/Masts section. Or Addingham Moorside ridge, or all of the moor north of Ilkley. So there's plenty of running routes around. Are there any routes on the Airedale side of Ilkley Moor that we can explore?

That said, if they carried on paving other paths up there then I wouldn't be quite so accepting. As it stands, the paved path links the routes from White Wells/Apostles/Dick Hudsons to the old road over Keighley Gate. Its enough.