Good points for sure. I'm definitely not trying to say that all is sunshine & roses on the shore, it's just that there has been some collaboration and some forward movement, and hopefully those successes will show the way for other areas.

Just to throw something positive in the mix, here in BC there is not only tolerance (generally) but now we're seeing trails officially sanctioned/supported by park services in some areas. There are always the absurdly fierce opponents to trailbuilding, but the hope is that the 'rest of the world' will see that it's possible - and beneficial - to have great, well-maintained, awesome trails on shared land. Meanwhile, you can't blame the landowner for objecting to people being on his property any more than you can blame him if you injure yourself. To call a land owner selfish or whatever just because he doesn't want a bunch of people he doesn't know on his land is ridiculous. The whole idea of private property is that it's private. Go to the land owners and ask if it's OK to build first. If they're an asshole about it, go somewhere else. Otherwise you're pissing in the wind. No one can expect to be happy about having their property trespassed, so put some effort into it and maybe you can change the person's (or council's) negative view of trailbuilding/mountain biking. It takes time for sure, but it's worth it. It's up to us to be ambassadors of the sport we love, instead of acting like a bunch of spoiled babies who didn't get their way. Unfortunately there's a reason why a lot of people have such negative views of mtn bikers - so we have to act differently to change that view.

By paying no attention to the meaning of the word 'classic'.

Love to visit your beautiful country some day.