‘No Ferry’ signage

Since the ferry closed, we’ve had a procession of walkers and cyclists following out-of-date route maps down the Billy Trail to the ferry only to find they have to retrace their steps!

Neither Hampshire or Havant councils responded to our requests for some warning signage, so we decided to add a sign below our existing map board sited between the bridge and the Billy Trail. It was paid for by a donation arising from last year’s Paris to Hayling ride.

We hope it’s sufficiently prominent to warn people of the problem. We will – of course – be delighted to have to take it down again!

This is the sign’s wording…

The link takes people to this page.

New signage for the Mill Rythe path

We’ve now installed permanent signage at the north and south ends of the new section of shared cycle path going north from the Mill Rythe roundabout.

Our thanks are due to Wilf Forrow who contributed his time, effort and money to install the new signs (I stood around and offered the all-important encouraging words).

You’ll also see that, compared to how the path was last year, it is much improved through the efforts of our supporters, the Registered Riders Scheme and Andrea and Simon Walter (the land owners). The track along the middle of the path is encouraging evidence that the path is being used.

North end of the path

South end of the path

Cathedral challenge

Take the cathedral challengePortsmouth CTC is organising a series of week-end rides for people new to group riding or who haven’t cycled for a while. They start after Easter with short ‘get to know you’ rides that include a free bike check and progress through longer distances, tackling a series of challenges along the way:

  • Bronze: Havant to Portsmouth cathedral and back
  • Silver: Chichester cathedral and back via the South Downs National Park
  • Gold: Winchester cathedral and back

All rides are led by CTC-accredited ride leaders and supported by experienced riders. They start from The Spring Centre in Havant or Bidbury Park in Bedhampton.

The Cathedral Challenge page at…

PortsmouthCTC.org.uk/cathedral-challenge

… includes some inspirational stories from some of our members who have achieved far more than they thought possible. Cycling has the potential to be truly life-affirming.

You don’t need sponsorship and there’s no fee to join any of the rides. The only cost is one-year’s subscription to CTC if you join more than three rides.

Congratulations to Peter McQuade MBE!

It’s fantastic news that Peter – the force behind the Paris to Hayling ride – and a long-time supporter of Cycle Hayling has been awarded an MBE.

The ‘Ride’ has been going for 30 years and the next ride to LeMans is already fully-subscribed (although there are bound to be cancellations, so it might not be too late to enter). So far, it has raised over £1.5m and many local groups – including Cycle Hayling – have benefitted.

Well done, Peter!

More detail here.

Billy Trail repairs update

We’ve received the following from Steve Mountain, the project manager:

We are running a little late (we originally hoped to have had the work done by now) due to the bad weather over the past weekend. HCC has also asked us to do some additional defence work whilst we are on site.

The expectation is that the Trail should be open to the public by the early part of next week.

We’ll let you know when we hear more.

More on the Billy Trail repairs

We’ve received this from Steve Mountain, the project manager…

The Trail will be closed south of the Oysterbeds / Esso car park for up to 3 weeks to allow repairs to be undertaken to a section of the Trail damaged by storms in 2014.

P T Contractors from Southampton have been appointed to carry out the works which will see 110m of timber revetment built to protect eroding clay banks alongside the popular Trail. After the works are complete, temporary fencing which has been erected to prevent users for getting too close to the sheer drop into the Harbour can be removed. The works are funded by Hampshire County Council.

The closure is to allow heavy lorries and other plant to access the working site safely. Whilst recognising the temporary inconvenience the closure will cause, the public are asked to be patient and to respect the closure which is after all for their protection.

We understand from various sources that the work is due to start on Monday, 16 November.

Repairs on the Billy Trail

We understand that work on repairing the section of the trail that eroded away last year is due to start in early November.

This will seek to restore the trail to the state it was in before the storms. It’s not a permanent fix, however. We can expect erosion to continue until a longer-term solution can be implemented.

The work will involve some lorries on the trail and, therefore, some closures. We’ll let you know if we hear more.

Chris Lapthorn

We’ve been saddened to hear that Chris – a long time supporter of Cycle Hayling – died recently after a long battle with cancer.

Chris was an enthusiastic cyclist. He was a CTC member and regular rider with the U3A cycling group. He was planning to join the Paris to Hayling cycle ride last year but was too ill to make it.

He was a well-known figure on the Island through his involvement with a number of groups including: the Bowling Club, HIADS, U3A and Age Concern. He was also a frequent contributor to the Hayling Forum as ‘Hayling Bowler’.

We will miss him.