We can't dig at Ashton Court on Saturday the 6th as Carl the ranger isn't available, but we will be digging in 50 Acre Wood instead.

Meet at the lower layby on Weir Lane at 10.00 or come and find us. We'll be working on the first climb and the muddy section immediately after it. For more details post below or ring me on 0771 265 0857. Tools and materials are supplied but please wear sturdy footwear with grippy soles.

If you want to know more about what we do then there is a guide to trailbuilding here.

I hope you didn't get too hypothermic on Saturday, sorry not to brave the conditions myself...though I did feel a little guilty while leafing through your feature in the MBR magazine at WHSmiths! Thanks to your continued commitment, we still have a trail to ride.

When walking the estate the other day I was pleased to find that recent repairs are holding together nicely...unfortunately the unreenforced sections are a sad state once again. I wouldn't want to get high handed and completely ban use in wet conditions, but would like to see a show of hands from the worst offenders to see how many of them are putting in the time/effort to maintain this manmade trail.

JIM

Well, it wasn't an ideal day for it on Saturday, but me and Neil went out and filled a few of the worst holes on the first climb. The section after it (the more gentle climb up the side of the wood) is in terrible nick and looks like it needs some quite drastic repairs. We'll be digging there later this month, so any help would be much appreciated.

Interesting point about riding in the wet. I put a rant about it on the front page of the site a couple of months ago which probably came across as a bit sanctimonious. I ride in wet conditions quite a bit (nothing like as much as in the summer though), it's a good -*test*-('") of skill and when it's as wet as it's been recently you don't have much choice really. It also reveals weak spots in the trail that can be replaced with something more sustainable.

What I would say is try and stick to official trails that can be fixed, rather than mullering the unsurfaced trails in places like Leigh Woods. If you come to standing water on the Timberland Trail, chances are there'll be a hard surface underneath, so don't widen the trail by going round it. And of course, if you do ride in the wet you're adding to the work the volunteers have to do, so please come out and help.