Dig For Victory!

Ride Sheffield was involved in two dig days on saturday 11 January. On Blackamoor, an enthusiastic team tackled the last few wet patches at the bottom of the Devil’s Elbow bridleway.  This section is now unrecognisable from the Somme-like mud bath of five years ago when bikes, riders, pedestrians and horses were known to sink into the mire and never return.

Following the work done by the Wildlife Trust and Ride Sheffield two years ago, it has settled down nicely, but a few stubborn muddy patches remain.  These were no match for Ride Sheffield’s crack trail team who beavered away with pick and shovel and then back-filled with rock and gritstone chippings.

One of the major problems is that water drains on to the track constantly so some effort went into clearing existing drainage channels and creating new ones.  If you’re stopping for a breather any time on Devil’s Elbow and you spot a blocked drain, feel free to clear it out – every little helps.

Next target is to address serious drainage problems at the top of the bridleway.  Details will appear on the Facebook page.

Meanwhile, over on Big Moor, Ride Sheffield member Phil Tricklebank had organised the Hillsborough Explorer Scouts to help with building a brand new bridleway.  The Eastern Moors Partnership Project Manager Rachel Bennett was chuffed to bits with the result, “We’ve had a fab day, the sun shone and we made great progress. I wanted to thank Phil for organising the group for us and for all your help and support.”  Good effort Phil!