Ten Top Forests For Cycling

Whether you're looking for family-friendly trails or a mountain-bike challenge, England has woods for every cyclist

 Family cycling along the Lakeside Way, Kielder Water & Forest Park, Northumberland. Photograph: Alamy

Wendy Johnson

Sat 3 Aug 2013 00.00 BSTFirst published on Sat 3 Aug 2013 00.00 BST

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Cardinham Woods in Cornwall only opened its new mountain-biking trails – including the fearsomely named Bodmin Beast and Hell's Teeth – this year, but it's already becoming a favoured spot among informed and experienced mountain bikers.

Leigh Woods and Ashton Court in Bristol are perfect for a fast fix. Just moments from the city centre, they couldn't feel further from urbanity. Cycle three marked Leigh Woods trails against a stunning backdrop with views of Avon Gorge and Clifton suspension bridge.

New Forest You won't find trails for the extreme cyclist here, but you will enjoy 100 miles of traffic-free routes on flat, gravel track that is perfect for families.  Summer is an extra-special time as the adorable New Forest foals are around, but do not disturb or attempt to feed the forest ponies.

Grizedale Forest in Cumbria has ancient oak woodlands and glorious views over the Lake District and across to the Old Man of Coniston. Of the six way-marked cycling trails, only one is technical and challenging while the others follow forest roads. All include hills, though.

Kielder Forest in Northumberland (pictured below) is awesome both for its size and variety of routes. This is England's largest forest, so if you are planning to cover more than a fraction of it, you've really got to tackle it by bike.

Forest of Dean offers family routes, such as the Peregrine Path, and mountain biking in the Sallowvallets area. It doesn't promise the biggest terrain or gnarliest descents but fast, fun trails – and incredible bacon butties – have made it the English forest of choice for mountain- biking experts at Wideopen magazine.

Dalby Forest in Yorkshire is one of the best mountain-biking sites in the world. The four-mile, black-graded World Cup cycle trail is challenging, but there are less frenetic blue and green trails (graded easy and moderate), too.

Sherwood Pines mountain- bike trails range from green (easy) to orange (extreme) in the East Midlands' largest forest open to the public. Route 6 of the wonderful National Cycle Network runs right through it too, so cycle tourers get a taste of the woodland as part of a longer ride.

Bedgebury Forest in Kent has an eight-mile single track for mountain biking or a six-mile family trail, which is easy to cut short if needed. It's not possible to cycle in the National Pinetum, but take time to explore it on foot.

Hamsterley Forest in County Durham is a well-known mountain-biking spot, renowned for its downhill trails and offering technical, challenging riding. The Walney to Wear long-distance cycle route passes through this forest, too.

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Planning your visit Cycling trails

Cycling trails

There are many miles of paths and tracks through Moors Valley Country Park and Forest. You are welcome to cycle on any of the gravel or tarmac paths however the best paths 
for cycling are waymarked.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own bikes from home or select from a wide selection of bikes including child bikes, trailers and tag-a-longs which can be hired from the Cycle Hire Centre.

Please Note: cycling is not permitted on the Play Trail or the Tree Top Trail, the Lookout, near the Visitor Centre or around Moors Lake. Cyclists are reminded that they should ring their bells when approaching pedestrians and horseriders and slow down when passing.

‘Forest road’ graded routes
There is a central 2-mile circuit with the option to take three additional loops to extend your ride to 7 miles. These routes follow wide gravel tracks and are waymarked with round posts with the appropriate coloured bands.

Moderate
Our ‘Through the Forest’ singletrack route is recommended for cyclists with some basic off-road riding skills and is not suitable for trailers or tag-a-longs. The trail offers an exciting cycling challenge and includes technical bends and tight turns as it winds its way through the pine Forest and open heathland. The trail is edged by rocks and is waymarked with rectangular posts with blue arrows.

Challenging
The Bike Park is an exciting place for experienced cyclists to develop their skills. Designed in conjunction with local riders and the Forestry Commission, these natural elements require balance and riding skills to traverse and jump. The Pump Track is a sculptured track that includes berms and dips and encourages the rider to “pump” their way around the track with limited pedalling.
Please note: riders should be appropriately equipped and sufficiently experienced before attempting the Northshore elements which require technical ability. Only tackle jumps and other challenges if you are sure you can do them. Please read the safety advice and emergency contact information found at the entrance.

A detailed ‘Explore’ map which shows all the waymarked walk and cycle routes as well as the Trim Trail features is available to buy for £1 from the Information Point in the Visitor Centre.
We can also offer orienteering by bike on our permanent orienteering course in the forest. Cycle Orienteering map packs are available from the Information Point in the Visitor Centre; priced £3.00 each.

For further information log on website :
https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/planning-your-visit/cycling/

How to Survive a Week Without Running Water

Author
By NICOLE FAIRES

The foundation of every disaster plan is clean water.

The average American uses approximately 80 – 100 gallons of water per day, with the largest percentage of that being flushed down the toilet. Our consumption is one of the highest in the world, even when compared to many other first world countries, such as Great Britain, where the average person uses about 40 gallons per day.

Imagine for a moment that you’re like the millions of people who recently found themselves without running water for a week or more. Would you be ready to live without at least 560 gallons of water?

Related:

• Water Filtration for Emergency Preparedness
• The Outlook for Water Availability in Your Region

Where Your Water Goes

On average, your household water consumption is made up of the following uses:

80-100 gallons per day = about 32,000 gallons per year

Along with this, each person has a greater water cost from food, transportation, and other hidden water uses. The bulk of this ‘water footprint’ is from agriculture: livestock grazing, cotton, soybeans, wheat, fodder crops, coffee, barley and corn, for a grand total of 751,777 gallons of water per person, per year.

Factors Affecting Your Water Source

The water we use directly and indirectly every day comes from groundwater, surface water, and rainwater. Each of these sources is becoming less reliable due to climate change, an aging infrastructure, and industry.

Climate Change

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, our changing climate is altering the hydrologic cycle, changing the amount, timing, form, and intensity of precipitation. Other expected changes include the flow of water in watersheds, as well as the quality of aquatic and marine environments.

Where you live will have a big impact on how climate change will impact your water sources. With greater extremes of weather, flooding and drought, a climate that is already somewhere in the middle or colder will have greater stability.

The midwestern and northeastern United States are expected to experience the greatest temperature increases, which means extreme heat waves. Meanwhile, some areas will get much more precipitation, or far less of it. And many places will have stronger cold seasons.

In the northern US, winter is expected to get worse, but there will be less rain in the summer. The Pacific Northwest is supposed to get less precipitation overall and experience colder temperatures. Meanwhile, the South is going to be a lot drier. These changes will not be the same as small weather patterns, but will hit hard and have consequences for agriculture and health.

Clean and accessible groundwater is already becoming very valuable and harder to find. Analysis of U.S. Geological Survey has shown that water levels nationwide in the United States have dropped 64% due to fracking and agriculture, with an average decline of more than 10 feet.

Even more alarming, the declines were consistent even in wet areas, and not dependent on drought. The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence ranked water scarcity as a major threat to national security in 2016.

Aging Infrastructure

To compound the problem, the United States is using a water system nationwide that is rapidly falling apart. Thousands of cities have cast iron pipes that date back to the 1880s and many more cities have a serious lead problem. Maintaining the current water treatment and pipe system for a growing population is already stretching the economy (which we have seen in Flint, Michigan).

Replacing these systems often only happens when pipes burst and cause millions of dollars in damage—like the town of Warren, Michigan, which had to declare a state of emergency after suffering 107 breaks in a month. Despite these issues, it seems that legislation and funding just isn’t happening fast enough.

Being Prepared for a Water Emergency

To fully prepare for a water emergency, you’ll need to consider what factors affect the area where you live and what type of emergency you might encounter. You’ll also need to calculate how much water your family uses and how much you’ll need to replace for a short-term emergency situation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends one gallon per person (or pet) per day for up to two weeks—and that’s just for drinking. If you plan to cook, shower, wash dishes or clothing, you’ll need to replace considerably more than that.

Once you’ve made your calculation, consider the following solutions.

Water Purification

A reliable water purification system is vital when you’re in a situation where water is still plentiful, but it’s not clean, such as when a storm or flooding damages clean water sources or the city declares that the water isn’t safe to drink due to failed infrastructure.

Most jug-style filters don’t remove heavy metals like lead and other contaminants. The Berkey Light Water Purification System reduces the concentration of lead and other heavy metals in the water by over 97%. It also requires no electricity and can filter up to 3,000 gallons.

For compact water filters that are easy to stow, the LifeStraw Family 1.0 can filter up to 4,750 gallons of water, removing viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. The Lifestraw Personal Water Filter easily fits into emergency kits in your home or car. Each one filters 264 gallons of water.

For survival situations where contamination from heavy metals and waterborne illnesses are a threat, consider filtering by distillation. A still uses heat to turn water into steam, leaving contaminants behind. You can get a portable survival model which can even desalinate ocean water.

Storing Municipal Water

Whether or not you have a water filter on hand for drinking water, it’s wise to store water for drinking and other uses.

Unfortunately not all water storage solutions are created equally. Many plastic containers contain harmful chemicals, such as BPA. Plastic or waxed cardboard containers that once contained milk or fruit juice can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria. Glass containers aren’t ideal either, because they’re not earthquake proof and can break during a flood.

Outside of purchasing bottled water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using food grade containers manufactured for storing water. Containers like the WaterBrick are made from durable food grade industrial plastic and hold 3.5 gallons each. They can stack compactly into a small area, saving you a ton of space. They are also portable enough to take with you if you ever have to evacuate.

To prepare any plastic container for storage, wash thoroughly before filling, making sure to carefully rinse any soap residue from the inside of the container. Next, sanitize each container by swishing with a quarter cup of bleach mixed into one cup of water. Thoroughly rinse your container with clean water to remove all of the sanitizing solution.

If your municipality treats your tap water with chlorine, go ahead and fill your containers. If you’re storing well water or water that hasn’t been treated, add two drops of liquid household bleach for each gallon of water. Replace your stored water every six months.

Rainwater Storage

Depending on where you live and your roofing materials, rainwater storage is another viable alternative for your emergency water supply. Consider these facts:

• For every inch of rainfall on 1,000 square feet of roof, you can collect 600 gallons of water.
• The average home has a roof area of 1,500 square feet.
• A desert is an area that gets less than 10 inches of water a year.

While it may not supply all of your needs, a 60-gallon rain barrel can supplement your drinking water and provide an extra supply for cooking, laundry, and washing. (If you’re unsure whether your stored rainwater is suitable for drinking, have a test kit on hand to check the water yourself.)

Combined with 16 WaterBricks, a single rain barrel could supply you with over 110 gallons of water without much storage space, enough to get a family through an entire week if combined with the water-saving solutions below. For more information on rainwater storage, read our article: Harvesting Rainwater for Residential Security.

Getting Ready to Use Less Water

In most water emergencies, you’ll need to reduce your water consumption dramatically. Since we’ve seen that most of our water gets flushed down the toilet, a Honeybucket chemical toilet or the Potty Box can take care of 26% of your water consumption.

Another 21% of your water use is in the laundry. Not only will you be wearing clothes a lot longer than you would otherwise, you’ll need to make some hard choices about some eco-friendly items. If you are using cloth diapers, cloth pads, and washable cleaning cloths and rags, you will need to keep a supply of disposable diapers, pads, sterilizing wipes, and paper towels on hand.

A Scrubba™ Wash Kit will allow you to do your laundry with a tiny amount of water and no washing machine. Washing clothes by hand in your bathtub or sink is laborious and doesn’t do the job effectively. The Scrubba cleans clothes in three minutes with very little water.

Keeping clean is another huge challenge without running water, yet hygiene is important in an emergency situation. Use a Simple Shower attachment to create a shower head out of a two liter bottle and keep a large supply of Action Wipes on hand to maintain a normal level of cleanliness. Action Wipes are extra large wet wipes that are safe to use on the whole body, including kids’ bodies, and have a sudsy but quick-drying cleaning solution.

Peace of Mind

Wherever you live, chances are you’ll sleep better at night if you plan ahead and secure enough water for your needs. With a few thoughtful steps, you can ensure that you and your family can weather a water emergency.

Have you been without water for a week? What was the most surprising challenge you experienced?

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~~
Nicole Faires is an urban farmer and best-selling author of books on sustainable agriculture and food policy. Originally from Montana, she now lives with her family on the West Coast. Find out more at http://deliberatelife.ca or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

For further information log on website :
http://learn.eartheasy.com/2017/09/survive-week-without-running-water/

How to Establish a Clover Lawn

Author
By SHANNON COWAN

Why the humble clover plant is infusing conventional lawns with more than good luck.

Ah, the backyard lawn, that controversial patch of greenery adored by some and shunned by others. Restricted to the aristocracy before mechanical mowers made them possible for humbler folk, lawns have become the norm of boulevards and subdivisions alike. But how ‘green’ are they?

On the one hand, lawns require large amounts of water to survive. They are monoculture crops that provide minimal benefits to nature. On the other hand, lawns are ground covers that can prevent the encroachment of unwanted or invasive weeds. They also generate oxygen, provide a lush carpet for children’s barefoot play, and offer a pleasant setting for active summer living—badminton anyone?

• Lawn alternatives
• How to Reduce the Size of Your Lawn

However you feel about lawns, one thing is certain: you can make yours more sustainable by considering clover. Before chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, the humble clover plant was a common resident in backyard lawns across the country. Almost everyone’s had some clover growing in it—and some lawns were entirely made of clover. There were good reasons for this.

Not only is clover a leguminous plant, meaning that it can fix nitrogen from the air and release it slowly to the other plants in your lawn, it also stays green longer and needs less water than conventional grasses. Whether you are establishing a new lawn or maintaining an old one, there are great reasons to add clover to your mix.

Benefits of a Clover Lawn

• Clover is affordable and easy to grow.
• A nitrogen-fixing plant, clover brings nutrients to your soil and requires no fertilization. When mixed with other grasses, clover can reduce or eliminate the need for regular fertilizing.
• Clover is drought tolerant and grows despite lack of water once established. This contrasts starkly with traditional lawn grasses, which usually need watering all season long.
• Full sun or partial shade? Clover is tolerant of many conditions and outcompetes other weeds. Some of the newer micro-clovers are even more tolerant of shade and can grow in high-traffic areas.
• Clover is versatile. Add to a regular lawn to help invigorate tired turf or plant a full clover lawn on its own for lush, year-round greenery (depending on your geographical location).
• Wildlife such as bees and deer love clover. If you’d rather not have bees visiting, simply mow your clover before it blooms.
• Say ‘good-bye’ to burn marks—clover will not turn yellow as quickly as a regular lawn when pets are around.

To be sure if a clover lawn is right for you, contact your local garden center to ask about the success of clover in your region. Most landscape professionals recommend a ratio of 15-20% clover seed to 80-85% drought-tolerant grass seed suitable for your area and location. Since clover is not as hardwearing as grass, a mix ensures your lawn will withstand foot traffic and won’t need regular reseeding. However, new micro-clovers developed in the last few decades offer more resilient varieties that many people are choosing to sow in much higher concentrations—up to 100%. Whatever mix you choose, the balance of clover and grasses will change over time and reach an equilibrium that works well for your soil type and local conditions.

Which Type is Best?

The two varieties most commonly used in lawns are Dutch (or dwarf) white clover (Trifolium repens) and more recently, micro-clover (Trifolium repens var. Pipolina, for example). Here’s what you need to know about these options:

Dutch white clover:

• Usually needs reseeding after 2-3 years.
• Stays green all year round (depending on geographical area).
• Blooms when mature, providing food for bees.
• Does best with 4-6 hours of sun daily.
• Seeds at a rate of about 1lb per 1000 square feet.

Micro-clover:

• Is fairly shade tolerant, though does best in areas with sun.
• Can be mowed shorter than white clover.
• Is tolerant to more foot traffic.
• Produces about 90% fewer blooms than Dutch white clover.
• Turns brown in winter due to dormancy period.
• Seeds at a rate of about 1lb to 300-600 square feet.

Things to Know Before You Start

Clover does best when planted in clay or sandy loam soils with a pH between 6 and 7. To find out your soil’s pH, use a soil test kit or a pH meter. If your soil isn’t in this desirable range, you can adjust the pH using lime (to make your soil more alkaline), or peat moss (to make your soil more acidic).

• Natural Lawn Care: Tips and Non-toxic Products for a Healthy Yard
• Lawn Care Chemicals: How Toxic Are They?

The best time to plant clover is after the last frost in spring, when rains will help you establish new crop and competing grasses haven’t yet taken hold of available nutrients. Fall planting may also be a possibility if you live in an area with mild autumn weather. Temperatures should remain above 40˚F (4˚C) for the clover to take hold before winter.

As noted above, lawn specialists recommend using both clover and grass seed to establish the healthiest lawn possible. However, don’t spread these different types of seeds together. Since clover seed is so small and dense, and usually clumps together at the bottom of the spreader or seed bag, spreading with grass seed usually results in uneven coverage. Instead, determine your desired ratio of clover to grass and spread separately.

Planting Your Clover Lawn

Overseeding a Clover Lawn:

To add clover to an already established lawn, begin by mowing close to the ground and raking out any thatch that developed over the previous growing season. If your lawn needs aerating, now is the time. Your clover seed will benefit if sown after a thorough aeration. Mix your chosen clover seed with fine sand, sawdust, or soil, and broadcast over desired area. If you are seeding a large expanse, you may want to use a broadcast spreader on the smallest setting. However, keep in mind that many spreaders don’t accommodate seeds as small as clover.

Once planted, water your clover seed every day for two weeks. This will give the seeds adequate moisture for sprouting and help them get a good start in their new location. Be sure to keep deer and other clover-eating animals off the lawn.

The key to giving clover a boost over competing grasses is to cut back on nitrogen-based fertilizers. Since clover fixes its own nitrogen, it will thrive even if this nutrient is lacking (while grasses usually won’t). Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are important, however, so choose a fertilizer with a low nitrogen component in favor of P and K.

Planting a New Clover Lawn:

If you are establishing a new lawn, prepare your soil several weeks in advance by removing weeds, stones, and other debris. Rake or till the top layer of soil to loosen the substrate and then water the area to encourage any remaining weeds to sprout. A day or two before planting your lawn, remove any newly sprouted weeds and rake to a smooth, even texture.

Mix your clover seed with sand, sawdust, or fine soil to make spreading easier. Use a broadcast spreader (if you can find one that accommodates clover) for large areas to ensure even distribution. Do not fertilize. Follow with grass seed if using.

Rake the planted area to lightly cover the seeds. They won’t sprout if buried too deeply. Compress with a roller or by walking over the area. Water regularly until established.

Before trimming your lawn for the first time, wait until the clover drops its seeds, and then cut fairly close, about 2″ from the ground. This will also favor the clover over the grass, and help the clover plants establish their roots. Leave the clippings on the lawn (they are a valuable mulch). Once the clover begins to thrive, you can reduce the mowing by letting your lawn grow to 3″. You can always overseed with clover if the grass starts taking over.

• Would You Expose Your Family to Neurotoxins for a Greener Lawn?
• 6 Reasons to Avoid Using ‘Weed n’ Feed’ on Your Lawn

Other Things To Consider

• Never use herbicides on a clover lawn. Your clover won’t survive!
• A new clover lawn won’t usually flower until after its first year. After this time, mow once weekly to control bloom coverage (if desired).
• If you don’t already have clover growing somewhere in your area, you may need to inoculate the soil to prepare it for the clover seed. You can buy inoculant from your local garden center. Mix into your prepared soil or broadcast with your clover seed at planting time. Some clover seed comes encased in inoculant.

Adding clover to your existing lawn or planting a new lawn with clover in the mix will help reduce the impacts of your little patch of green. With fewer requirements and care, and more time for enjoyment, a clover lawn is a natural choice for your overall sustainability solution.

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~~
Shannon Cowan is the blog editor at Eartheasy.com. She lives on six acres of land with her husband, daughters, and backyard poultry flock.
~

For further information log on website :
http://learn.eartheasy.com/2017/04/how-to-establish-a-clover-lawn/