Stanage Long Causeway - Conservation Interest Document

Earlier today I googled for "Stanage SSSI" as I wanted to try and establish the SSSI boundary in relation to the Long Causeway.  At the top of the search results was this link to a pdf file on the peakdistrict.gov.uk site, headed "Appendix 1 - Long Causeway - Conservation Interest".  I haven't yest been able to find out what it's an Appendix to or even if it's meant to be in the public domain but it makes interesting reading.  It's not a long document and below are are the opening paragraphs of each of its three main sections.

Ecological Interest
The whole route passes through the South Pennine Moors Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Peak District Moors Special Protection Area (SPA), the Eastern Peak District Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Stanage Edge Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS), Section 3 Moorland/Natural Zone and the Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area (NIA)

Archaeological Interest
The route forms the boundary of two Historic Landscape Character (HLC) areas – Enclosed Moorland and Open Wastes and Common - and is considered to be of medieval origin. A section of paving to the north of the route is a Scheduled Monument (SM).

Landscape Interest
Long Causeway lies within the Natural Zone within the National Park and the Eastern Moors
Landscape Character Area (LCA).

The National Park is designated for its internationally and nationally important landscape.

I think perhaps the Peak District National Park Authority need to remind Derbyshire County Council of the above.

Yesterday, in an email to someone on this subject, I incorrectly asserted that DCC were one of the stakeholder organisations in the Sheffield Moors Partnership.  I've just checked the draft masterplan document and they are in fact not listed in this capacity.  I find this quite staggering given that a fair portion of the 56 square kms of the "Sheffield Moors" as defined in the draft masterplan lies within Derbyshire. Looking at the detailed map on the SMP website, I see now that the Long Causeway runs right along the boundary of the Partnership area, and it's unclear from the map whether the Causeway lies within their purview or not.

More 'vandalism' of Stanage Long Causeway by DCC

Latest pictures of the resurfacing work that Derbyshire County Council are carrying out on the Long Causeway over Stanage.  This is mostly below the old gate posts towards Dennis Knoll car park but some larger rocks on the track up from the gate posts have been broken up now suggesting they are intending to continue their wanton destruction of this ancient byway.

Just above the gate posts looking towards Dennis Knoll

Looking back up the slope, showing the smashed up larger gritstone boulders

Below the gate posts looking back up the Causeway

 

Below the gate posts looking down the Causeway

I asked one of the guys working on this why they were doing it and I was told "because people wanted it".  When I ask which people, he said "Horse riders"

I don't know if that is the case and if so, if it is sufficient reason for creating this ugly scar through an SSSI.  I doubt that there are many walkers and almost certainly no mountain bikers want it.  I can't see the 4x4 drivers wanting it either - where is the challenge?

The next phase of work is to rebuild a retaining wall on the steep part of the Causeway running below the edge.  This will no doubt create a lot of damage to the adjacent moorland.  I can see the only need to rebuild the wall is to make it 'safe' for 4x4s.  If they re-open the Causeway to this group,  I imagine the amount of traffic will increase over previous levels.  If they cointinue the resurfacing up the top, it will practically be possible to drive from end to end in family car.

DCC is the county authority in whose region most of the UK's busiest national park lies yet they seem to be completely out of touch with how to preserve the natural or rural enviroments.

Why are theyu so intent on destroying this special place in the Peak District and why is the PDNPA allowing it to happen?  Surely they exist to protect the wild places within the Peak District National Park.

Changes along Stanage Causeway to Dennis Knoll

The ride to work this morning started off well.  I made good time to Redmires.

Logging on track to Stanage Pole

I noticed there was some new logging activity going on in the plantation by the side of the track up to the Pole and as I rode along the top, the sun properly broke through. 

Then I reached point where the causeway starts to drop below the Edge and I was a bit surprised to see just how much snow was across the track.

I was able to ride some of it.  Having spent last week riding snowy tracks in the Vosges, I felt I was trained up for this.  However, the combination of ruts, holes, icy hard pack punctuated by patches of soft snow, plus the proximity to a drop over the edge quickly led me to abandon that approach and walk it.

There were signs of a few mini-avalanches.  

 

 

As I walked over/around this one, I came to the conclusion that a mountain bike is not a good substitute for crampons.  But it was a fine adventure and I was in a happy, 'at peace with the world' frame of mind, in one of my favourite places, under blue skies and a shining sun.

Far side of the 'avalanche' - Stanage Causeway

Looking back up Stanage Causeway

Then I reached the old gate posts and found a new stone drainage channel had been built across the track. 

The first channel - by the old gate posts

A pipe has been installed further down, which is a much more 'user-friendly' solution

Further down the track, I found a second channel, which is no subtle affair.  It's certainly not been designed with mountain bikers in mind (unless you ride like Steve Peat). It's wide and deep with the leading and trailing edges lined with stone setts to form steep edges. There is no chance of just rolling up out of the thing, and the two rows of setts are inconveniently spaced apart so that the back wheel is descending as the front wheel has to rise out. 

The second channel

The second channel - another view showing position of  'kerbs' compared to axle spacing

On the way home that evening, I found this third channel under construction

It seems pretty clear that there has been no discussion with the local riders about this.  This part of the Causeway, down to Dennis Knoll, doesn't need resurfacing and it certainly doesn't need drainage channels.  There is never any serious ponding here.  The timing says it all.  DCC have some year end budget to use up, so they rushed this through without consultation or any real thought for the needs of the users.  And don't anyone even suggest that this makes the track wheelchair accessible.  It doesn't.  Not with those drainage channels.

They've taken a track that was fun and fast to ride and buggered it up the same way that was done across Houndkirk.

There were a couple of guys working on the track 'improvements', so I stopped to have a chat with one of them and express my dissatisfaction.  To begin with I thought he wasn't listening to me but in fairness he was just doing what he'd been told and had no awareness of how well it might actually work.  He said they might be able to build a by-pass track round each channel.  So we'll wait and see.