Proposed workdays - Sheffield North

Four workdays are proposed for North Sheffield for early 2013

Day one  (March) Litter picking Parsons Cross – Shire Green

Day two – (May to coincide with Blue bells) drainage work in Beeley Wood followed by a ride and drainage work and track improvement at Oxspring near Stables (steep downhill section is rutted up just south of A616).

Day three – (June) Drainage work Greno woods, permanent sign improvements and litter picking Parsons Cross

Day four – (June) Vegetation clearing ride – meet Meadowhall loop via Parsons Cross, Grenowoods, Beeley Woods and back to town. 

If you're interested in helping out leave  a comment on the blog & we'll be in touch. 

Sustrans Network Review

Weather permitting, we're heading out on the 9th Feb 2013for a ride around the National Cycle Network in Sheffield to see how it's fared over the winter, what needs doing, where the signing needs fixing and whether there's a need for a workday as we move into Spring. Back by 4 latest. Meet Sheffield University concourse 10 a.m.

Penistone Workdays

   ++ WORKDAYS on the TRANS PENNINE TRAIL ++

               TRANS PENNINE TRAIL conservation volunteers (Penistone - Dunford Bridge)

Saturday 1st December 10am – 4.30pm - near Hazlehead Bridge (details below)

Wednesday 12th December 10.30 - 4.30pm - venue to be decided

If you haven't come out with us before, don't worry - we generally have a mix of old hands and new, and we’ll explain exactly what to do.

You'll need to bring some lunch, but FREE tea*, coffee, and delicious biscuits** will be supplied (please bring your own mug).

You don't need to let us know if you are coming, and if you can only stay for part of the day that's fine- although you might find it useful to catch the introduction at the beginning of the day.

Saturday 1st December :-

Meet at 10am on the Trail at the Hazlehead Bridge access; please click here for a map.

  

What will we be doing? 

We will be pruning out trees and overhanging branches, in order to widen the Trail and allow more light to reach the surface; trimming the cut timber to create a number of desirable habitat piles.

Parking If you are coming by car, please be aware that parking is extremely limited at Hazlehead Bridge itself. You might consider parking at Bullhouse Bridge instead and walking along the Trail (20 mins), or even coming on your bike!!

You will need to wear warm clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, and gloves to protect your hands. It can be quite wet (okay, very wet) underfoot, so make sure you wear wellies or sturdy, waterproof, boots - and it’s always a good idea to bring waterproofs.

  

We do have some tools, but if you can bring bow saws, loppers, or secateurs (if you have them) that would be helpful. Other equipment will be supplied.

Children are very welcome, accompanied by an adult.

  

If you have any questions….

Please see the website http://TPTcv.btck.co.uk  or ring/text 07704333445 or 01484 865852.

Best wishes,

Kate Dobson

*   Herbal tea now available!

** Some of the biscuits might be mince pies.

Secretary: TRANS PENNINE TRAIL conservation volunteers (Penistone - Dunford Bridge)

Workdays Organiser: Sustrans Volunteer Ranger (11232)

http://TPTcv.btck.co.uk 

           ++ Lopping, Chopping, and Chatting ++

 

Sustrans Route Inspection

I'm going to do a Route Inspection this Sunday, 11th November, of the National Cycle Network between
Prince of Wales Road and Handsworth. As it's 11/11 we will of course start at 11:00. It will be a walking inspection - for those with bikes, a ride will start at 10:30 from Sheffield Station, and we can walk with bikes  from there. Volunteers, Rangers and Helpers are welcome.

The walk takes in Carbrook Ravine, a Sheffield Wildlife Trust Site and Bowden Housteads woods, a site of Special Scientific Interest.

The idea is to survey the route and get ideas for enhancements. We may do a little light maintenance en route - vegetation cutback and temporary sign replacement for example. Following this we will draw up a plan for a workday and set a date.

The walk will start in the Travelodge Car Park on Prince of Wales Road.

To get there on public transport, catch the 22 bus at 10:31 from Sheffield Centre, Arundel Gate/AG3, 37022802 Manor, HARBOROUGH AVENUE/The Crossways, 37022769 and walk: Walk in a north-westerly direction along Castlebeck Avenue After 45yds, continue into Beaumont Road North After 17yds, turn right into A6102< After 35yds, turn left into Dawlands Close After 200yds arrive at Sheffield Park Academy, Beaumont Road North, Sheffield, S21SN Cross Prince of Wales Rd (the big dual carriageway) and wait in the Car Park of the Travelodge.

To walk there all the way just follow the Blue Walking and Cycling signs for NCN627 towards Rother Valley Country Park.The easiest place to pick it up is at Park Square where it runs parallel to the Parkway for about 100 yards.

By car, take the A57 Parkway from the City Centre and turn off for the A6102 r. towards Handsworth.

From where we emerge in Handsworth, (the walk should take no more than a couple of hours) you can get the 52 back to the City Centre and University. For cyclists we can do a longer ride from here.

Let me know if you're coming along  and how you plan you get there.

Sorry about last-minute notification of this. Hope you can make it. 

Heading East...

Am meeting up with someone from the Council today to look at a part of the National Cycle Network over to the East of the city which is missing signage and will take stock of what else needs to be done on the route (If anything - but there's usually something! ) Depending on what I find I might organise a workday. Hopefully we can get the Sustrans society and the new volunteers we've got from the University involved. 

Our Volunteers win an award!

At the Sustrans Volunteer meeting in Doncaster yesterday (or Duncaster as Apple Maps would have it) I accepted an award on behalf of the Sheffield & Rotherham Ranger groups. Although the award was ostensibly for work on the resigning of Sheffield's routes, the  Discover South Yorkshire map, the Northern Rail Cycle Forum and the development of Route 6 into the Peak District, some of which I've taken a lead on, the fact is I couldn't have done this work had not the Volunteer group stepped up to the mark in terms of looking after the Network, leaving me some time to take on this development work. Tim & Ted in particular have done some great work, with Tim taking on the signing of 627 up to Penistone and beyond (I travelled that route this week and it was very clearly marked.) and Ted going beyond his brief as Rotherham co-ordinator to keep the routes in the east of Sheffield in reasonable order. You've all done superb work on the Network, so consider yourselves Awarded!

May I also take time to commend the North-East Derbyshire group, an area I used to look after, for the great work they've done - the ride down to Chesterfield from Rother Valley is a real pleasure.

Five Weirs Walk

A quick amend to my former blog post on this. Dick from the council has pointed out that not all the proposals are funded. He says: 

...estimate of around £750k for tarmac surfacing (to Rotherham boundary), £100K for the Cobweb Bridge, leaving (maybe) £250k for the other 9 (I think) interventions.  We need these last 9 prioritising because we don't think that there will be enough funding to do all 9 interventions with whatever is left after the tarmac and cobweb bridge works.  We won't probably, therefore, be able to fix 'just about every problem' on the 5WW - don't want to raise expectations too far.

I got late to the meeting so perhaps didn't pick up on this point in my euphoria! 

What will definitely happen is cobweb bridge and tarmacing to Rotherham. 

The other proposals are: 

Crossing at Blonk St.

Leveson St to  Warren St Crossing point

Improved crossing of East Coast Rd

Link between 5WW & Wincobank

Meadowhall Way crossing

East Coast Rd to Stevenson Rd resurfacing

Milford St to Carbrook St improvement

Link to Tinsley. 

Improvements due for Five Weirs Walk

At tonight's City Cycle Forum, Paul Sullivan brought along funded proposals that would fix just about every problem on the Five Weirs Walk, from fixing the Cobweb Bridge to a toucan crossing at Meadowhall Way,
and continuing with tarmacking the footpath along the South Yorkshire Navigation to Rotherham.

More details when I have them electronically, but it sounds like great news. 

News from up the trail in Penistone

We have moved the regular workday from Sundays to Saturdays, because Sunday was proving to be a popular day for everything else! Consequently the next three workdays will be on:

Saturday 6th October, Saturday 3rd November, Saturday 1st December 

Workdays

Having carried out a survey of the whole stretch of the Trail in April, we have decided to concentrate our efforts on the section between Shore Hall Lane and Hazlehead Bridge. This part of the Trail suffers a great deal from shade and overhanging branches, which prevents the surface from drying out and inhibits the wild flowers which might otherwise generate -not to mention making it very difficult for people riding horses! (Click here to see a map)

We’ve also revised our working practices: apart from tackling the most pressing areas first (which remains the same) we shall be working on small stretches of about 50 metres, rather than over a long stretch; returning to the same section on the following workday. In this way we can be more thorough and our work should be effective for far longer.

In order to try and get to grips with this stretch of the Trail, we’ll be putting on more midweek workdays.

The Saturday workdays will begin at the Hazlehead end: the midweek workdays will concentrate on the Shore Hall Lane/Bullhouse Bridge area.

Seating areas

We’re making the seating areas along the Trail a particular focus of our efforts. We think that if a seating area has been provided beside the trail, it should be attractive and offer a pleasant experience; particularly for children. Obviously that means no rubbish, but it also means being able to see the seat as you approach it, having a reasonable space around the seat; and if there’s a view, being able to see it and enjoy it. We’ve already done some work on a couple of seats, and will be doing more as we go.

If you have any questions or suggestions please see the website  http://tptcv.btck.co.uk/  

or contact me on 07704333445 /             01484 865852      .

Kate Dobson

A Day out in Bradford