Hack writer

The hatched area: We asked the chairman for feedback from the special meeting of the Training Grounds Management Board on 22 April, which apparently was dedicated to discussing use of the hatched area. All the chairman could say, tight-lipped, was that no conclusion was reached. Pressed to say what might have been discussed, she added that further legal advice was being sought. So, it seems that the TGMB is wriggling hard to avoid reaching any decision that might involve re-opening the hatched area to hack riders, and is reconsidering its legal room for manoeuvre.

Habitat action plan: We commented that the plan makes no provision for maintenance of the downs north of Grand Stand Road, and ignores the public rights of access to the downs on foot and on horseback. The plan will be taken into account, but not the determining factor, in drawing up a four year action plan for habitat management. The action plan should set out plans to restore to use the various hack rides and areas which are now difficult or impossible to use because of scrub encroachment

Hack riders’ leaflet: This is close to publication, and will be a substantial improvement on the present one.

Events on the downs: We obtained a commitment to look at better ways of publicising events which take place on the downs, and which might interfere with riding: for example, the Cancer Research Race for Life was held on 29 June, but there was little advance warning to hack riders of the event, and plenty of tape fluttering in the wind on the day, enough to make most riders turn round and head home. The conservators will look at better notices (in places where hack riders might see them) and placing details on the website.

Next meeting: the downs tour takes place on 21 August 2008.

A stunning turn-out for this meeting, almost standing room only, but goodness knows why, because nothing much was happening. What might have proved interesting was the expected circulation of the draft habitat management plan, but illness has delayed drafting, and it wasn’t ready. The plan should, among other things, set out an action plan for cutting scrub on the hack rides and hack areas.

Bridleway diversions: Surrey County Council has made an order to divert various public rights of way on the downs, including several public bridleways. Generally, the effect is to regularise existing use, and in any case, the statutory hack rides are unaffected. One benefit is to extend bridleway 65 further north alongside Epsom Lane North, almost as far as Tattenham Crescent. So it was disappointing to hear that the orders cannot yet be confirmed, because one objector is objecting to the diversion of that same path. I understand that the objector is concerned about loss of public rights across Six Mile Hill. But because there is public access on foot to all of the downs, and the old route will remain a hack ride, it’s difficult to see the purpose of the objection. If it’s not withdrawn, the diversion order will have to be referred to the Planning Inspectorate.

Ebbisham Lane: Last month, I noted that Ebbisham Lane had again been made passable for traffic as far as the downs car park. At the conservators’ meeting, suspicions were raised that Surrey County Council would like to downgrade the road to a bridleway. There could be only one reason for that: to reduce maintenance liabilities (not that there’s much maintenance at the moment).

The consultative committee is where users of the downs get a chance to air their views, rather than watching from the sidelines at conservators’ meetings while the local authority members remain silent. There was a poor turn out from the ‘establishment’, with only the chairman present from the conservators, no racecourse or trainer representation, and no downskeeper. And we still managed to keep busy for 90 minutes!

Leaflets for downs users: We’ve been shown a draft leaflet for hack riders, but it’s needed much further work. We obtained a commitment that we’d be shown a further draft before it’s published.

Maintenance of the sand track: This is the sand track, for the use of hack riders (after noon each day) at the foot of Six Mile Hill. We’re getting close to having a commitment to weekly maintenance included in the downskeepers’ operating programme, but it’s suprising how long it can take to give effect to something so simple: we’ve been pressing for something similar for years.

Overgrown hack rides: There’s a commitment to review the several hack rides which have become overgrown with scrub in the last ten or fifteen years. These include across the Warren Woods (see the photo), on Juniper Hill, the afternoon hack ride between Walton Road and the London Road crossing (on the south side of the fibresand track), on the south side of the golf course near top of Rifle Butts Alley, and on the south side of Downs House inclosure. The habitat management plan action plan, currently under draft, will put forward a programme for dealing with these, although results won’t be instantaneous (it’s pretty obvious that some of these paths disappeared without complaint over a decade ago). We’ve been assurerd we’ll be able to review a draft of the action plan before it’s adopted.

Representation of hack rides on OS maps: We’ve now got final approval for the conservators to get the Ordnance Survey to mark the hack rides as ‘permitted bridleways’ on the next edition of the OS Explorer Map. Certain hack rides will be omitted, principally those only available after noon each day, while hack areas will be marked only where there is a defined route from A to B. But it should be much more obvious to riders, armed with a map, from outside the locality, where they can legitimately ride.

Marking of hack areas and hack rides: Officers have agreed to meet us to discuss waymarks on the downs, particularly where we think new ones are needed (some rides aren’t marked at all). In the meantime, the arrows on the existing waymarks are being repainted. And all the public bridleways should be signposted if the present programme of diversions is completed.

Golf course: We’ve flagged up a few minor concerns about hack rides on the golf course. It’s not always clear who is responsible for cutting back vegetation and scrub, so sometimes it doesn’t get done. Along Grand Stand Road, the hack ride lies across one of the raised tees, which can discourage equestrian use (particularly if golfers assume riders shouldn’t be there). And some of the new ‘golfer’s’ paths on the downs, although not constructed for equestrian use, can hardly be avoided because there’s no other way to go (which gets the golf club upset). It looks like these concerns will be taken on board as part of discussions between the conservators and the golf club about maintenance of the tenanted areas.

Next meeting: Takes place on 12 June 2008.

The consultative committee tour took place this evening, in what ought to have been estival evening sunshine, but started out dull and windy, and became wet and horrible. People took some coaxing to dismount from the Epsom old peoples’ day out minibus which had been provided for our use.

We had a look at the Langley Vale Road horse margin (strictly, nothing to do with the conservators), and agreed that it’s pretty grotty for use by horses in training, but since nobody had any power to do anything about it (it’s a Surrey County Council responsibility), it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

The hatched area (below) at the foot of Six Mile Hill was inspected, a now frequent ritual, where we say we’d like to ride there (as envisaged under the 1984 Act), and the Training Grounds Management Board say ‘no’. We’ve been invited to present a case before the TGMB later this year, when we’ll put forward a plan which may or may not meet with approbation.

Everyone agreed that the diversion of bridleway 65 across the south-east corner of Six Mile Hill would be a ‘good thing’, if only Surrey County Council could get on and do it, but apparently it’s being held up by negotiation about whether the order should be a diversion or an extinguishment and concurrent creation. Meanwhile, time passes… .

Then we moved on to look at the Langley Vale Woods hack ride, or rather, we would have looked at it if it hadn’t become obscured by overgrowth about 15 years ago, and unusable. Agreed that the woods were in an awful state, and needed better management all round.

Finally, to the Downs House hack ride (the one on the south side of the Downs House enclosure), which is supposed to extend about six metres across the grass on the downhill side of the hard track, but the marker post is nearer about two metres. Nick, the conservation adviser to the conservators, had a root around in the scrub between the track and the Downs House fence, and reckoned the track itself had been rebuilt further out, neatly snaffling about four metres of hack riders’ grass and leaving the original track languishing in the undergrowth.

Middle Hill: These markers (see photo), formerly at the top of Middle Hill, used to prohibit passage across a 20m strip of grass onto Walton Road. Riders were, technically at least, expected to turn right before reaching the strip, and walk up Downs House Road onto Walton Road. The trainers agreed that the strip no longer needed protection for use as a training gallop (its formal designation), and the posts have now been removed.

Chalk Lane: We’re still concerned about the level of traffic using Chalk Lane, with further increases likely following the completion of the hotel development. We’re expecting the conservators to press for new traffic calming measures.

Next meeting: Takes place on 6 November 2007.

Signposting: Lots of new warning signs have been put up, but we’d noticed that plans for refurbishing the hack ride markers seemed to be gathering dust, even though we’d been asked for comments late in 2005. It’s now been agreed that the staff will look again at the plans, and we’re hopeful there will be some clearer waymarking, with new posts where necessary, and redundant ones removed, some time in 2007.

Publicity: The council plans to go live on 1 September with new webpages for the downs. We’re still pushing for the conservators to produce dedicated leaflets for users of the downs, including horse riders, who could download the information from the website.

Post-Derby clear up: We complained, not for the first time, about the standard of clearing up after the Derby. A fortnight after the event, there were still large quantities of glass on the raised bank next to the home straight, and on the bridleway 127 part of Old London Road — something which wouldn’t be accepted for a moment on the training gallops. The detritus on the Hill, near the Tote stand, which reappears after each Derby, was left again this year. And the litter clear-up failed to reach down Old London Road to Buckles Gap.

Sand track: We’ve asked for the depth of the surface in the sand track, at the foot of Walton Downs, to be reduced, as (ironically, compared with a year or two ago), it’s now too deep!