What’s the difference between the Cinder track and a poorly maintained sustrans route?

[rualexander]

Did the Cinder Track last July on gravel bike with camping gear.
Thought it was good, surface pretty reasonable for most of it.
As with any old railway line route, the scenery can be pretty limited due to cuttings and tree lined embankments.













It seems like a lot of these old railway routes that were transformed by Sustrans 30 years or so ago are falling into disrepair due to lack of maintenance now.
If you thought the Cinder Track was bad, don't try the Formartin & Buchan Way 😂

 

[Mike_P]

The Cinder Track has been improved in quite a few places recently (albeit mainly at each town end), but yes it still has plenty of rough bits. I guess Scarborough council cant afford to resurface the whole 20 odd miles

Scarborough Council no longer exists
In a quite barking decision the whole of North Yorkshire was made a single huge unitary authority. Contrast that with Cumbria which was made into two
NYC appear to be skint due to the costs of the likes of social services and education.

 

[Drago]

The pitiful excuse is/was that the 'cinder' composition is heritage so has to be left alone!

Ah, carcinogens are ok if theyre "heritage".

 

[PaulSB]

Did the Cinder Track last July on gravel bike with camping gear.
Thought it was good, surface pretty reasonable for most of it.
As with any old railway line route, the scenery can be pretty limited due to cuttings and tree lined embankments.
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It seems like a lot of these old railway routes that were transformed by Sustrans 30 years or so ago are falling into disrepair due to lack of maintenance now.
If you thought the Cinder Track was bad, don't try the Formartin & Buchan Way 😂

Obviously a little difficult to see the surface very clearly though I think the last image, across, an open field gives a good impression. For a gravel rider, perhaps averaging 11/12mph, like me, that looks like a fantastic route, both surface and surroundings, to be on.

If I put on my roadie hat, perhaps 15/16 average, I could cope but wouldn't want to.......if that makes sense. I'd only take my new Cervelo down there once, I'd take the ten year old one without worry. By the same token I wouldn't take a club ride down there.

The OP doesn't say what he was riding but in my view unless one is an out and out roadie it looks pretty good. I feel Sustran's role was to provide cycle facilities for all. I certainly don't expect to be on a surface where I can be at 18 - 20 or more.

 

[Sea of vapours]

If I put on my roadie hat, perhaps 15/16 average, I could cope but wouldn't want to.......if that makes sense. I'd only take my new Cervelo down there once, I'd take the ten year old one without worry. By the same token I wouldn't take a club ride down there.

That is fair. I've done it three times on a prissy, 'delicate' road bike with 28mm, tread-free tyres and it was fine for pootling along slowly, meaning about 15kph average. For me, it's certainly preferable to the A road alternative. it's vastly better than many supposed cycleways, though I'd not do it in wet weather.

 

[albion]

In certain conditions tyres pick up the cinders flinging it everywhere.
The loos are occasionally 'black as the ace of spades' at the Hayburn Wyke.

 

[OldShep]

Rode it a few years ago on 28mm and 4 panniers 😄
The Whitby end, on the day, was being resurfaced, ignored the closure signs and among the first to ride it.
Memories of the washboard effect at the Scarborough end are still fresh.

 

[rualexander]

Certainly it's a preferable surface to 'tarmac' that hasn't been maintained and has lots of tree root bumps all over it like a lot of the paths have now

 

[PaulSB]

Certainly it's a preferable surface to 'tarmac' that hasn't been maintained and has lots of tree root bumps all over it like a lot of the paths have now

Those are a nightmare, a very uncomfortable nightmare.

 

[geocycle]

I rode it about 15-20 years ago on a thorn raven tourer with panniers. It was already pretty rough back the especially the bit with bricks sticking up. But it was great fun with some good views and a good option compared to the A road. That said there is a good case for a tarmac route between Whitby and Scarborough given the potential tourist use.

 

[Big T]

Much of the NCN was built on a shoestring, using little bits of active travel funding here and there. Try reading Laura Laker’s book Potholes and Pavements and you will wonder how much of it got built at all, so it’s no wonder that some of it is falling into disrepair. Councils are strapped for cash so have to prioritise their spending. Railway lines weren‘t built for the view, so when they are converted into cycle routes they don’t magically become scenic.

 

[albion]

Much of the NCN was built on a shoestring, using little bits of active travel funding here and there. Try reading Laura Laker’s book Potholes and Pavements and you will wonder how much of it got built at all, so it’s no wonder that some of it is falling into disrepair. Councils are strapped for cash so have to prioritise their spending. Railway lines weren‘t built for the view, so when they are converted into cycle routes they don’t magically become scenic.

You will find much tourism around the cycle trails of The Peaks.
The historic Cinder Track could have been one of the most esteemed in the UK with some investment.

 

[T4tomo]

That said there is a good case for a tarmac route between Whitby and Scarborough given the potential tourist use.

I would disagree:
a) much of it is in the middle of nowhere and very few "tourists" are going to walk or cycle 40 miles in a day (the approx return trip)
b) A tarmac surface would increase the speed differential between cyclists and walkers puting the latter in more danger
c) Unless maintained properly and redone periodically, a broken tarmac surface is the worst & dangerous,
d) It would be horrendously expensive to do on a limited budget for such

A decent sealed surface in the immediate environs of Whitby and Scarborough has its merits
Crushed / rolled gravel makes more sense for the remote sections, cheaper and easier to put down and maintain.

The above holds for most similar routes / paths that are primarily leisure cycling / walking routes.

 

[geocycle]

I would disagree:
a) much of it is in the middle of nowhere and very few "tourists" are going to walk or cycle 40 miles in a day (the approx return trip)
b) A tarmac surface would increase the speed differential between cyclists and walkers puting the latter in more danger
c) Unless maintained properly and redone periodically, a broken tarmac surface is the worst & dangerous,
d) It would be horrendously expensive to do on a limited budget for such

A decent sealed surface in the immediate environs of Whitby and Scarborough has its merits
Crushed / rolled gravel makes more sense for the remote sections, cheaper and easier to put down and maintain.

The above holds for most similar routes / paths that are primarily leisure cycling / walking routes.

Ok perhaps not tarmac but something accessible linking the caravan sites and Ravenscar from each end. The cafe and ‘lost resort’ of Ravenscar are a focus for people staying at either end. Personally, I quite like the rough surface but others might find it challenging.

 

[albion]

There is Hawsker, Robin Hoods Bay, Ravenscar and Hayburn Wyke on the route. All good cafe stops.

The condition if the track is so bad I often choose to use the road, especially so after rain.