With regard to some of the opinions expressed recently about mountain biking in the Forest of Dean, I have been disappointed by the recurring mountain bikers v Foresters attitude displayed in some of the letters. I am one of the many locals who regularly ride on the Forest trails and I object to being summarily classified as destructive, dangerous or anti-forest. On the contrary, I make great efforts to maintain the natural beauty of the Dean, whilst at the same time getting out and enjoying it at every opportunity.
Many of the mountain bikers who ride paths are local children who use them because its too dangerous to ride on the roads. The excellent facilities in the Cannop Valley are ideal for visiting riders but may be too far from home for children to safely travel to and from. With many children currently being criticised for being constantly hooked on the TV or computers we should be encouraging them to ride, educating them as to which paths to ride on and developing a sense of responsibility in them to preserving the forests. For many of these children, riding their bikes is the only time they get out into the woods to truly appreciate them.
It is also entirely possible that the cyclist who has strayed onto the footpath has done so inadvertently – it can happen. In order to preserve the beauty of the woods it is undesirable to paper every second tree with no entry signs but this means that the status of many paths is not indicated. Rather than assume that the rider is deliberately flouting the law, give them the benefit of the doubt and politely direct them to the nearest legitimate path. You may end up with a mouthful of verbal for your trouble but unfortunately this is more of a reflection on a minority of society as a whole, not specifically mountain bikers.
The most effective way to keep off road mountain bikers within the confines of the Sallow Vallets area is to improve the facilities there so riders will not feel the urge to stray out of the off-road cycling area. The current trail management schemes within Sallow Vallets, set in place by the Forest of Dean Cycling Association with guidance from the Forestry Commission, have received some very positive feedback and help to instil a sense of responsibility and conservation in the bikers that ride and maintain these trails. Similar schemes, where the riders work with the land owners or Forestry Commission to maintain the trails, have been running around the UK with a great deal of success (Visitors to the trail centre at Coed Y Brenin are estimated to have bought in excess of £4 million to the local economy in 1999).
Just because cycling doesn't have a historical prerogative in the Forest of Dean does not mean that it should be dismissed out of hand. Tradition, or lack of, doesn't imply right or wrong, merely that something has been around long enough to become accepted. There are some problems associated with cyclists in the Forest of Dean but none that can't be solved with a little common sense and courtesy. – Matt Frederick, Edenhall, Coalway, Coleford.