Derbyshire County Council (DCC) are planning to undertake maintenance works on the bridleway in Cave Dale, a limestone dale and Site of Special Scientific Interest in Castleton, in the Peak District National Park. Other routes are also earmarked for work.

Following earlier works undertaken on nearby Pin Dale, we're concerned that the planned work is not entirely required, nor do we believe that interested user groups have been adequately consulted and their views represented in the plans. The limited plans shared via the Local Access Forum are insufficient to make a judgement.

We are asking Derbyshire County Council to pause planned work on Cave Dale until:

• They share detailed plans of intended works
• They share a timeline of intended works
• They conduct comprehensive consultation on these sensitive proposed plans.

Peak District MTB has repeatedly invited DCC to share more transparent plans more publicly with us and other user groups on Cave Dale and other routes. To date, this has not been the case.

Please add your name to our request for a pause, until further detail has been made available and further consultation conducted. And this isn't just about mountain biking. Cave Dale is an ecologically and historically significant place, loved by walkers, horse riders, runners and others. But below the ground too, Castleton's amazing cave systems are in part fed by water from the dale. To describe any work undertaken on Cave Dale as sensitive is an understatement.

If we don't speak up now, a jewel in the Peak District could be lost.

How did we get to this point?

Pin Dale, DCC and the elusive plans for Cave Dale.