as we were descending towards Coniston yesterday, we saw a group of motorcrossers making heavy weather of the climb. I usually shoot their number plates but I didn’t bother, as they slowed as they drove past, but when they got a bit further up (we were stopped for a flattie) we heard shouting and at first we thought they were fighting, but then we realised they were throwing large rocks at a couple of walkers, and shouting “F*** off!”

The walkers joined us shortly after, and one told us he was a local access officer and had told them the road was now closed to vehicles and when he’d tried to take their registration numbers they started throwing things 🙁

They were obviously very poor riders and were having a lot of trouble getting their bikes over the rocky bits.

I can understand the ban, as the channelled zigzags are now a mess of shattered rock, having been shredded by powered vehicles.

If they can’t ride that they’ve never ridden before. I’d assume it’s a stolen bike.

I’d assume it’s a stolen bike

there were 5 of them…

Just the one that couldn’t ride, or all of them?

Just the one that couldn’t ride, or all of them?

hmmm, yeah, I think one was worse than the others – I wasn’t really paying attention and they were quite a distance away most of the time, though one did pass me with neither foot on the pegs…

Why didn’t you call the Police? Throwing rocks is not big or clever!

Agree with Woody. Police should have been involved.

Police should have been involved.

having failed to get their registrations I figured they’d make a clean escape, and to be frank I didn’t think the cops would be much interested in threatening behaviour resulting in no injuries 🙁

funnily enough simon……….i never seem to have any hassles when out and about on the bike……… 😉

That’s cos you always carry a nice fist pie in your bag Ton. Simon’s a bum ogler not a fighter 🙂

.i never seem to have any hassles when out and about on the bike

me either, usually, in fact I’ve had far more animosity on here than ever IRL 🙂 I did get accosted on the back of Ingleborough last summer by an old couple who said we had no right to be there, though ironically, it wasn’t even a footpath so neither did they :o)

Simon’s a bum ogler not a fighter

whereas Tony is way too old for that kind of nonsense 🙂

barnes the bum ogler

that is a name that could stick………….. 😆

sad state of affairs.

barnes the bum ogler

don’t worry ton, yours is quite safe 🙂

seriously tho, if they were throwing rocks at people, that is shocking.

Hmm… motorcyclists have just as much right to lob rocks at walkers as mountain bikers do, they’re our spiritual brothers you know, ban motorised recreation and we’ll be next etc.

What is it with mad people?

to be frank I didn’t think the cops would be much interested in threatening behaviour resulting in no injuries

You might be surprised, especially if there happened to be some bike cops gagging to try out their offroad bikes in earnest. They may well be on the lookout for a group as big as 5 anyway if that sort of behaviour has happened before and there is a reasonable chance they are local.

Taking the debate off at a tangent, how do MXers actually shred rock?

how do MXers actually shred rock?

it’s not bedrock, but tumbled slate. The surface was formerly relatively stable and rideable, but now it’s all churned up with a lot of the slate standing on edge to expose knife edges, and also shattered into small pieces which move under your tyres offering scant grip. More confident riders than I were able to blast through at speed but it scared me…

You might be surprised, especially if there happened to be some bike cops gagging to try out their offroad bikes in earnest.

and where do the bike cop SWAT team hang out ? Admittedly, Dunnerdale has only a few (widely spread) exits, but it’s hard to get around at speed…

The walkers joined us shortly after, and one told us he was a local access officer and had told them the road was now closed to vehicles and when he’d tried to take their registration numbers they started throwing things

I imagine that

1. he got at least one plate
2. the plates would be for legally owned bikes hence the rock throwing
3. the Access officer is able to use a phone

4. a visit from the plod is/will happen

motorcyclists have just as much right to lob rocks at walkers as mountain bikers do, they’re our spiritual brothers you know, ban motorised recreation and we’ll be next etc

PMSL

1. he got at least one plate

not sure about that, they were undersized, only about 5″ wide and hard to read…

not sure about that, they were undersized, only about 5″ wide and hard to read…

Well, assuming the original photo is much larger than the one posted on here, you’ve got a pretty decent shot of the guy lobbing the rocks.

you’ve got a pretty decent shot of the guy lobbing the rocks.

he was about 150m away, so the shots are very fuzzy. They show a middleaged stocky bloke with dark hair and a greying fringe, just like about 10 blokes you’ll see in every pub…

he was about 150m away, so the shots are very fuzzy. They show a middleaged stocky bloke with dark hair and a greying fringe, just like about 10 blokes you’ll see in every pub…

Yes, but 10 blokes you’ll see in every pub won’t be MXers.

You can already make out some detail on that small pic, so I’m sure it wouldn’t take much for a resourceful copper to find out who it is – a few questions at local MX clubs/shops, etc.

You’ve already gone to the effort of posting it on here…

I agree – should have called police immediately.

You’ve already gone to the effort of posting it on here…

well, we were just bystanders. We saw the walkers in the pub later and they were laughing about it, but I imagine a bloke in charge of rights of way would know more about the police interest.

and where do the bike cop SWAT team hang out ?

Anywhere that there is a mx problem. I see them regularly round my way as it is the only way they can catch them.

They look like scumbags not MX’ers. Get in touch with the cops, something might happen vs nothing happening if you sit on the pictures.

I hope karma has a nice spinal injury coming their way.

Anywhere that there is a mx problem. I see them regularly round my way as it is the only way they can catch them.

Judging by the photo you could just walk over and smack them on the head with a truncheon.

On the telly I’ve seen people press the image enhance button and get the number plate that way.

Wozza – Member

They look like scumbags not MX’ers.

+1.

MXers would be on an MX track. 🙄

On the telly I’ve seen people press the image enhance button and get the number plate that way.

Works every time.

hard to enhance the image of something at right angles to the camera and pointing at the sky 🙂 I suppose if the moon was out there might have been a reflection ?

The walkers on Ingleborough probably did have a right to roam there if it was on unenclosed, rough moorland.

On the telly I’ve seen people press the image enhance button and get the number plate that way.

It does seem like a job for CSI Coniston.

The walkers on Ingleborough probably did have a right to roam there if it was on unenclosed, rough moorland.

the map says they were at 599 metres 🙂

I was the first one to meet the MX’ers head-on yesterday, and unlike other groups of MX’ers who we meet quite frequently on legitimate trails who are always courteous and give way when needed to us / horses / walkers, not one of this bunch (who were quite spread out) showed any sign of giving way, and I had to change lines to avoid a collision. I did think they seemed like a bunch of C U Next Tuesdays even before I found out they were throwing rocks at the walkers!

I saw a similar (maybe the same) motorbikers on Walna Scar last Saturday. They didn’t give a monkey’s about walkers and just barged along the trail, taking liberal detours wherever they fancied. On reaching the watershed, they tore up the fellside onto White Maiden, where they stopped for a fag. They seemed delighted to leave as much scaring as possible on the ground. Whilst there were a few horrified / afronted walkers around – no one seemed interested in confronting these guys as given their utter lack of care for rights of way or landscape it seemed likely that they wouldn’t care about a GBH charge either. They didn’t appear to have number plates or if they did they were tiny. I was sat on Brown Pike watching the whole sorry event.

We saw 2 groups of mx’ers yesterday. One group of 3 had just come up the beast and were heading towards win hill. I didn’t realise that they shouldn’t be there until they’d gone but we bumped into them again later. I got the number plate of one of them then. Where do you report it?

There was another group of 3 whose number plates I didn’t get. I did explain to one of them that this was a bridleway and they shouldn’t be on it. I made a point of getting my OS out and waited until they went back the way they came (on a bridleway, I may add).