Monday 23 February 2009

Stoke Park

There's lots of online gossip about council plans to turn Stoke Park into a cow field. There are some interesting environmental and economic details, but we are more worried about the social costs of the plans.

Stoke Park is the primary off road motorbiking destination for North/North East Bristol. Southerners have the trails of Dundry, residents of Lawrence-Dubya have the wastelands of Severn Beach, but only here in Stoke Park is a place for residents to come with their family and go off-road.

Here's a lovely summer photo from a rare dry day last August, with a family all out enjoying a bit of motorbiking on the grass.

Nearby, some of the local motorbiking enthusiasts have been doing some trail work

The park connects with stapleton, you can get all the way to Lockleaze or Purdown camp. It is an integral part of off-road motorbike enjoyment of the city's greenery.

This is not compatible with cows.

Some people may say "good, the bikers shouldn't be there", but there is bugger all else to do in Lockleaze; every kid out there is someone who isn't stealing cars or taking drugs. And you know that advert for the army showing soldiers driving around off-road in a landrover in the dark? These bikers can do that -which is the kind of skill the army looks for when recruiting. Given a choice between the motorbikers of lockleaze and the cows of Stoke Park, my money is on the motorbikes.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least they make moving targets, why not get the twelve bore owners out for a bit of sport?

Better than foxhunting any day!

SteveL said...

Too much risk of stray bullets hitting passing cars or houses. That's why in the US they generally ban hunting within half a mile or so of houses.

Anonymous said...

I'm more worried about cows being stolen and joy-ridden. I've come across cows in shaldon road once before.

Anonymous said...

Stoke Park isn't a track for off road bikers. People walk dogs and family's use the park for walking. Cows are a definite improvement on any off roader!

Anonymous said...

I have to agree bikes should keep away. This isn't a safe enviroment for bikers as children use the woods and familys and dogs the fields. If anyone is ever hit you can imagine the outcome.
Those kind of activites should stay to the correct approved areas out of Bristol.