Two examples of thoughtless and destructive behaviour in and around Hambledon have been brought to the attention of the parish council and the village website team.

In both cases it is likely the actions were well-intentioned, but certainly ill-advised. They involve damage to the countryside and on private property.

• One concerns the secret construction of downhill mountain bike tracks through woodland close to Hydon’s Ball. This has involved digging and engineering using spades, axes and loppers, which were found concealed under bushes. Deep gullies have been made close to tree roots, the tracks snake through previously undisturbed woodland, and jumps have been created.

The tracks have been established away from public footpaths, on land known as The Tolt, a small hill on the western edge of Hydon’s Ball.  The landowner has contacted the police and an officer has visited and given advice. Action is to be taken.

However, to correct an erroneous message put out by Surrey Police on its Waverley Beat Facebook page, officers have not removed the tracks. And the tracks are not the work of children simply looking to enjoy riding their bikes during lockdown. It is a sizeable construction by adults who have deliberately attempted to conceal what they have done; have significantly altered the natural environment, disturbed habitats including that of nesting birds, and have done so without any attempt to ask permission. (Note: This is NOT the same mountain bike trail discovered on nearby National Trust land, which volunteers have blocked off)

• The second concerns the hacking of ivy growing on trees in the village. The following is from Stephen Dean.

“Walkers at Lane End, and on the road to the shop, opposite the pond, and elsewhere, will notice that much ivy has been cut on trees, leaving stems trailing desolately and brown dead foliage at the top. This was not undertaken by the landowner (myself) but by an unauthorised person with an axe, apparently in the belief that he was helping the trees.  He was not – his ill-aimed axe damaged the trees by cutting chunks out of the bark.

Ivy does not kill trees and in most cases does not harm them.

It is a climber, not a parasite, taking no sustenance from its host. Cutting ivy deprives many small creatures of food and shelter: birds nest among ivy’s dark leaves and bats find a daytime roosting place. Flowering from September, ivy offers late-season pollen and nectar for countless insects, including bees, butterflies and moths. By January many of the clustered berries have ripened to black, providing emergency rations for blackbirds, thrushes, wood pigeons and other birds.

One beneficiary is the ivy bee (Colletes hederae), which forages on ivy blossom and was unknown in Surrey before 2007. Since then it has spread rapidly. These harmless bees are a wonder, swarming in dizzying numbers low over South-facing slopes of the Common on sunny days in October. Each bee excavates a burrow to lay its eggs, raising a mound of silver sand.

For more on the mountain bike track, the following is an edited version of an article in the March edition of Hambledon Parish Magazine.

The Tolt is a small hill on the western flank of Hydon’s Ball and is on land owned by the Parker family. Tim Parker contacted Hambledon Parish Council to alert it to the mountain bike tracks and to seek advice. Police have since visited the site and offered suggestions on how to deal with the problem. Action is to be taken.

Stewart Payne, on behalf of the council, visited The Tolt and took photographs. On one occasion, a cyclist who appeared to be aged in his 20s, was present and attempted to dissuade inspection. It was clear that every effort had been made to keep the site hidden

Stewart found a plastic bag full of tools that had been used to cut down trees and branches and to dig banks and excavate troughs. It was hidden under a pile of branches and the tools included an axe, various loppers, a spade and a shovel.

There were three down-hill tracks, sharing the same starting point. Larges holes have been dug and the soil used to create banks and jumps. Some of the earthworks are shored-up using felled branches and it was clear that considerable time and effort has been put in to making the tracks. Litter, including discarded water bottles, was found and there was a chair for a marshal or spectator to use.

The Parker family do not prevent a path on the opposite side of The Tolt being used by the public, even though it is on private land. However, the bike track was an understandable concern.

It appeared that the tracks were still under construction. They are separate from the ones that criss-crossed National Trust land on the main slope of Hydon’s Ball, and reported on previously.

The NT said it had a country-wide problem caused by a minority of mountain bikers in search of downhill thrill rides, is a national one and has been exacerbated during the lockdown. Locally, the Friends of Hydon’s Ball, a group of volunteers, has successfully blocked the tracks on the slopes of the Ball itself.

It was made clear this is the work of a thoughtless minority and the majority of bikers adhere to established bridleways to enjoy their recreation.

Mountain biking activity raises several important issues. The tracks are not on public paths, so are an incursion into the countryside, damaging flora and fauna. They present a danger to unsuspecting walkers and riders, particularly where deep holes have been dug. This raises issues of insurance and liability.

• The Tolt is steeped in local legend. It was believed that ancient treasure is buried there but cannot by searched for because the land belongs to the Devil. In reality, the site has been investigated and evidence of a possible mediaeval human settlement found.