The Ridgeway is something of an iconic route in the UK. Sure, it’s not all that technical and it’s not singletrack, but it’s long, historic, has some great views and you actually get somewhere rather than riding round and round in circles.

Fair sections of it aren’t in great shape, though. Over half of it is open to motorbikes and 4x4s and nearly all of it is used by farmers to get tractors and other agricultural machinery in and out of where they need to be. As a result bits of the Ridgeway often deteriorate into a soggy, rutted mess, not much fun for bikes, walkers or horses.

So moves are afoot to sort things out. There are a host of things in the pipeline, with various maintenance and repair strategies, drainage works, agreements with 4×4 and trailbike groups and so on being mooted. Nothing’s set in stone yet, though, so you’ve got a chance to have your say.

Take a read of the Surface Improvement Proposals – Consultation Draft and send your comments to the people mentioned therein. It’s quite an illuminating read for anyone interested in heavily-used sustainable trails, whether you feel compelled to have your say or not.