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32 Comments
What do you think the solution is? What did I miss?
Contrast Coillte with the Forestry Commission by cultivating positive public engagement when Osborne and Cameron tried to sell it to their mates for a packet of crisps and a mars bar there was near revolt and they backed off (back when the Govt was concerned with public opinion.) I don't suppose it matters much of Coillte is already being run as private company.
We seem to have great illegal and legal mtb trails all across Co. Cork. I never met anyone who stopped me riding the trails, and I've been riding them for 8 years.
I hear the local MTB club get nothing but head aches from Coilte, though. They have to officially engage and obey or get shut down.
In Scottish Forests own by government or trusts have recently allowed Camper Van overnight Parking in forest Carpark, for a few £.
Bloody knew it was going to come down to litigation. You know what the solution is? People taking some responsibility for themselves and not immediately thinking "oh i'm going to sue whoever" the minute they themselves do something stupid.
As for the events, surely the events could take on the liabilities and cover it off the back of entry fees or something?
Stumbled across your channel just there, sick video man and beautiful production value
It seems to mostly run on "ah sure it'll be grand" here. It's not permitted but widely tolerated, but it feels like this is an intentional imbalance to offset how messed up liability and insurance can be here. I don't think we can reform one without the other
I'm learning things about my own country. Thanks.
That's something I did not know was illegal in Ireland yet I only live a few miles from the border and take it for granted you can cycle the trails in the forests, another well made and enlightening video Stephen.
The government in Ireland don't make good green ways for the locals because they don't care about you. It would be very stupid to assume they want to care for you and your wellbeing.
Both in NI and The Republic, the Primrose is a protected plant. The law prohibits picking, uprooting, or damaging them, as well as interfering with their habitats or offering them for sale. What you did at the 50 second mark is a wanton act of vandalism.
About time someone made such doc film!
I hiked my bike up that 1st hill with a view at start and cycled it down – who’s a big dog 😂
Did you get all the silly txts on your phone when you cycled over to north Leitrim?
When I worked there I lived right on the line which my phone was going wild 😂
“Cheesy suits you” 😂
It’s a bivvy now 😂 you called them small tents ⛺️ 😂 😂
I’m in the wild camping world of camping where I feel ⛺️ and as always leave no trace only foot prints!
3:49 Ryan George wants his catch phrase back.
Good video.
The Partition of Ireland…
Those dawn shots at the lake were stunning
Don't you think it's weird that the essentially privately owned Scottish countryside has right-to-roam, plus an increasingly large amount of (often privately driven) rewilding projects, whereas the R of I, got rid of the landowners, and ended up with no right to roam, and it would seem, an addiction to Sitka.
Separate country really don't blame me
We are so lucky here in Scotland. Can't really comprehend the situation in Eire
I am a Walker not a cyclist and it’s bad north and south of the border. Scotland is not as good as you might think either. Right to roam works well in unpopulated areas but is terrible elsewhere. England and Wales with the dense network of maintained footpaths, green lanes etc is completely marvelous. You can walk pretty much anywhere, there are stiles, bridges etc it’s the best and cheapest public health measure ever invented
1. As I understand it, the lack of enforcement shows a lack of intention to enforce. If you formally prohibit something but allow it to take place over a long time, you have shown that you did not really intend the prohibition. you cannot therefore suddenly enforce against somebody.
2. You need a system of accident compensation as exists in New Zealand. There you cannot sue for accidental injury but you are entitled to compensation. Takes away the need for prohibitions that exist only to limit liability.
83% of scotland is privately owned, so that's only part of the problem
if its government land then there is no problem because they work for us,
Where to start? Coillte are 'owned' by the State as in, it answers to the Department of Finance and the Department of Agriculture. In short, its job is to manage its land reserves (agriculture) on the basis of making money (finance). The only way Coillte can become the asset that it needs to be for the people of Ireland is for the government to give it, and the NPWS, the mandate to manage the land on a biodiversity heritage side (as in removing all the SS when matured and rewild), and on the other side, a recreational resource based on mental well being and health.
In specific terms, this was already achieved piecemeal in the Dublin Mountains, where under the Dublin Mountains Partnership, the activists (recreational users like me as The Dublin Mountains Initiative), Coillte, three county councils and the NPWS have transformed the local area to be fit for purpose. For every Euro contributed by the councils, it was reckoned that we provided 3-5 times that amount with voluntary work.
This includes opening and closing of the car parks, volunteer rangers, mountain bike trails, orienteering trails and the Dublin Mountains Way – a 43km East-West waymarked trail. During this time, the frustration was mostly getting things against the backdrop of recalcitrant communities and landowners, often for very good reasons.
Lately, after my time, they are moving into increased biodiversity though thinning and clearing SS while introducing and fencing off native species. It had been hoped that the template would be followed and matched elsewhere, I have not seen this happen. So for sure, ROI can do a lot better, but the constraints come from planning, from existing laws, insurance, and inertia from successive governments.
As far as I am aware, I have never known anyone to be prosecuted using a fire trail on Coillte land, although there has been prosecutions in civic courts with out of control MTB'ers and scramblers.
One final thing, Tayto in NI is a pale imitation of the one and only King Crisps.
The Department of Rural and Community Development cover the Walks Scheme and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme under Embracing Ireland's Outdoors. They work with Coillte on projects like walks and moutain biking trails. If you want more done for cycling in these spaces contact your politicians, or the head minister at that department and make you're voices heard. The more people do that the more it will happen.
This sounds more like small print style legislation to cover the landowner if someone has an accident on their land. They probably don't mind people cycling on the land but don't want to be sued if anything should happen. Its a bit like legality of wild camping in England, basically it ain't legal except on Dartmoor however its extremely rare that anyone gets thrown off. I actually don't think its the worst arrangement, not perfect but not terrible. It allows people to do what they want to do but also protects landowners from irresponsible morons, we all know the type! Its a kind of common sense arrangement which is rare in the dumbed down world of health and safety.
Great video Steve. Really interesting, did not know that. Did I hear a Ryan George joke at some point in that video? 😉
It's only illegal if you get caught 😅😅😅
the north of ireland is beautiful
The forest service is not Coillte in the ROI it's the forest service in the Dept of Agriculture who regulates forestry activity in Ireland. Coillte are the state owned forest manager of forest lands.
Nobody from coillte will stop you from riding. I've met workers while riding and had conversations with them. They will only enforce it if riders are causing hassle i.e disturbing walkers or causing damage. It gives them legal backup to ban troublemakers that's all.
Bureaucracy at it's best there Stephen, why not just let people enjoy the land responsibly?
That said though, you have inspired me to come over to your beautiful country next month to explore.
I'll be travelling from Belfast to Malin Head along the coast road you showcased in one of your previous videos.
The reason it's illegal to go wild camping etc is because the government won't pass freedom to roam laws ecause land owners don't like them and politicians are afraid of land owners