I went up to the woods today and took a load of pics. It's all looking a bit chewed up with lots of off cut branches and debris everywhere. A lot of the original stuff is there (buried, but still there). There's loads of loose wood for berm building, campfires, etc. And so many new gaps for new lines. Have a look...

Hopefully this link will work

http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photoset.gne?set=72157612099349071&nsid=31531850@N06&lang=en-us

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28.02.08 - met with Steve Ayres from Forestry Commission

1. Weekly inspections. The trails must be inspected every week and report sent to Forestry. Each trail must be visually inspected and ridden to check condition. Minor repairs to be made if possible, or trail closed if not repairable there and then. This is not somethhing that can be ignored, regardless of the weather or whatever.

2. I.D Cards: In order for ID cards to be issued, mug-shots need to be taken.

3. Insurance: Policy must be in place before re-development. Time to dip into those pockets guys...the more of you willing to chip in, the cheaper it'll be.

4. Full Inspection: whole track needs to be checked and any problem areas noted, such as slippery surfaces on northshore and jumps.

5. Bank Account: needs to be opened asap. need Adam and Jon to come to bank with me to provide signatures and ID...so spare an hour on Wednesday and this box can be ticked finally.

6. Chainsaws: there are special provisos for chainsaw use. This is only relevant to myself and Krchton...copy of NPTC certificate must be provided to Forestry and PPE inspected. Other requests/rules also apply and will be discussed with Forestry later.

7. Felling: The planned thinning of the trail area is set to take place around August. Until this work has been completed, trail building is on stand-by. See note on planning the new trails.

8. Taunton Freeriders Meeting: We need to get everyone together ASAP to discuss the organisation and future of the Taunton Freeriders project. We can do this at my place, out on a ride or another venue if required, but it needs to be done within the next two weeks, so let everyone know and come up with a date and time. I emplore everyone to attend.

continued in replies....

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Hi there, I'm currently looking at moving to Horton and wonder what the local trails are like. The OS map for the area shows a bit of greenery nearby called curland common/staple common and I was wondering if there are any MTB trails buried in there? Any local riding advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Ok so its basically litter picking. Need a couple volunteers to help with a litter pick on and around the trails (including the fire tracks). There's quite a bit of rubbish up there at the moment and its starting to look a bit unsightly. Would like to get it done within the next couple weeks.

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Any ideas you have for the trails, website, or any other aspect of Taunton Freeriders, post them in here.

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RULES & REGULATIONS

LIABILITY WARNING NOTICE

The trails are not suitable for novice cyclists without previous off-road Mountain Bike riding experience. We ask that you approach your riding with due caution, and ride within your limits and the limits of your equipment at all times. Riders use the trails strictly at their own risk at all times and we require that riders inspect all structures and obstacles before attempting to ride them.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT

You will require safety equipment to use any of the trails, riders must have a Mountain Bike safety helmet (EN1078), gloves and knee/shin guards as the minimum. We strongly recommend that all riders wear full-body armour with chest and spine protection, knee/shin and elbow/arm guards, gloves, eye protection and a full-face Mountain Bike or Motocross helmet

STAY SAFE

We strongly advise that you dont ride the trails on your own, we encourage all riders keep an eye out for each other & provide assistance to other riders involved in accidents.

TRAILS

Do not under any circumstances alter or adapt any of the trails in anyway.
Any kind of ‘illegal building’ will result in a closure of the project and a whole heap of really really annoyed local riders, so please, just don’t do it!
If you find any broken woodwork or blown-out dirt sections, please inform us so that repairs can be made asap.
Please respect the environment around the trails and do not attempt to remove or modify any bushes, plants or trees close to the trails, the trails have been carefully designed to work with their surroundings.

TRAIL ETIQUETTE

Never walk back up the trails, stop on a stunt or on the run-out of a trail or structure or you could cause a serious accident for any approaching rider.
Do not leave your bike on a trail or clear fall zone - unthoughtful actions can jeopardize the safety of other riders using the trails.
Take your litter home.

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Many Thanks to everyone who attended the meeting at Haldon Hill on 2nd December. We gained alot of insight and are now busy with sorting out insurace, paperwork and new & bigger trail designs. Most of the new development wont happen until late 2008 as the Forestry have alot of felling work taking place on and around the trails, which will mean complete closure of the site in Spring/Summer 08, but also a slightly bigger site. In the meantime there is much to be done. We will be arranging a meeting at the Wych Lodge (Portman) trails in the New Year. (Date will be posted when we know it).
Many thanks to the guys from Haldon Freeride/ Oke Freeriders, and Steve & Ian from the Forestry Commission.

Cheers,
Andy.

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