So there we were riding along The Moresdale Road near Reeth, which is a BW, I’m in front nearing Schoolmaster Pasture (if anyone knows it) & I notice a small truck coming towards me. It looks like an en ex army type of affair, probably about a 2 tonner, dark green with a canvas cover over the back. Anyway I slow down to get past & so does he, except he blocks the whole track so I have to stop anyway. He’s got his window down & shouting ‘get off the **** road then’! To which I say’eh?’ & he repeats himself a number of times before I remind him it’s a bridleway. He then says ‘oh is it, & who builds the **** thing then, what the **** do YOU contribute to it’? (I mean, effing & jeffing constantly) My mate & son are there by now & Steve tries to tell him we have every right to be on there as it’s a BW, Loonies having none of it & continues with his tirade, which I can put up with until he calls me a ‘four eyed ****! (a number of times) I think he may have gone down this road to get a rise out of me but as I get called worse most days at work it didn’t happen. I think I started smiling at this point so he just kept calling me names, proper insults etc. He started to drive off & I shouted, ‘thanks, cheers for that!’
Got home & phoned a mate of mine who’s a Sgt with Durham Constabulary who told me It’s a public order offence & to definately report it which I have done, the woman on the phone was really helpful (& interested) & said they’d get back to me with what was happening but that someone would be looking into it more closely.
I hate to think what this crank may have done if there hadn’t been 3 of us (or if WE’D been nasty types who could’ve dragged him out of the truck & kicked his lips off)
I got the registration & a brief discription of him (J728 XAJ, late 30’s early 40’s, short brown hair, no distinguishing features, bit non-descript really) Just watch out if your’e up there.

Mods, sorry about the swearing, just quoting.

Sorry to hear you had this totally unnecessary confrontation. Tossers in all walks of life. Maybe the ‘slow look up and down him’ followed by a derisive snort/laugh should have been employed? I find that really gets to people who think they are ‘it’.

Email Yorkshire Dales National Park who look after all the rights of way there. Kathryn.beardmore@yorkshiredales.org.uk then email Stu at Dales MTB centre. He will deff know who the owner of the track is and will be able to keep the police informed etc. email NY Police (info is on their website).

certainly carry on using the route. Note numberplates etc and keep the police informed. Keep calm, don’t do anything that will leave you in any position other than in the right.

It’s very unusual in the Dales to hear of this kind of thing

C

You need to do something like this comment.

then email Stu at Dales MTB centre.

We called in & Stu was as bemused as us, he’s going to ask a guy who works on the estate & rides with Stu’s bunch if he’s got any idea.

As I said, I’ve informed the police but I’ll also inform the National Park people.
I’ll be back in 2 weeks watching & following The Scott Trial. Keep calm,

Thats my trouble, being a prison officer!

You need to do something like this comment.

That is quite frankly brilliant.

Had a similar incident not far away earlier this year on the b/w from Grinton by the side of the Swale. I stopped to let a red faced old woman and a herd of dogs pass and got a torrent of abuse about it not being a ****** bridleway and I had no right etc. At first I just thought she was channelling the Dawn French/Jennifer Saunders sketch of the 2 foul mouthed posh old country women but no she was serious and replied to my offer to show her the OS map with more industrial language.At least she didn’t offer physical violence but her dogs definitely looked at me funny.

Cheers ChrisE, I’ve mailed the Yorkshire Dales National Park just to keep them informed.

You did well.
I’d have invited him down from his cab for a chat.

**Then rode away quickly but tutting loudly.

or if WE’D been nasty types who could’ve dragged him out of the truck & kicked his lips off

you dont need to be a nasty type ..no witnesses an opportunity if ever there was

When he is finished you need to say…

“I am sorry would you mind repeating all that I am rather deaf”

Just make sure you can get away after. I had a middle aged woman swearing her head of at me in a car park. Worked a tat she didn’t know whether to apologise or explode.

I think I borrowed it from a book originally but a firm favorite.

More helpfully report to every relevant body you can think of. someone ran over and killed an of road motorcyclist in the south a few years back.

You should have taken out your phone and videoed him.

kicked his lips off

Mint, I’ll be using that one 😆

You should have taken out your phone and videoed him.

Haha, that would have pee’d him off even more. 3 of us videoing him!

I wonder if we’ll ever come across his unattended truck up there, be terrible if he had 4 flat tyres on soft ground.

Unbelievable – all those rules and restrictions you have, and you still get this on one of the few places “open”. By the tone (assuming the splats are sweary words), it may be wise to keep eyes and ears open. You may have upset a stickman – or worse.

I had the opposite today. An old boy encouraging me and a mate to lift the bikes over a gate and into a private wildlife trust area where he is a member because he thinks we would love it on bikes, was very refreshing, the guy must have been 75-80 and was insistent that we have a ‘cracking day and make the most of it’

So we did…..

“I am sorry would you mind repeating all that I am rather deaf”

Yes, I have to admit to doing this to a guy who was raging at me for seemingly just being a cyclist, but very shamefully I employed a type of voice that often accompanies someone who has always been deaf (not remotely proud of this incidentally but it was an instinctive reaction to make the aggressive scumbag who was shouting at me feel absolutely awful as opposed to a calculated insult to the deaf). I just smiled and said “sorry I’m deaf”.

His face immediately dropped as he had spent at least 2 minutes shouting at me, his face turned red and he walked away looking like his world had just ended.

scandal42 – Member

I had the opposite today. An old boy encouraging me and a mate to lift the bikes over a gate and into a private wildlife trust area where he is a member because he thinks we would love it on bikes, was very refreshing, the guy must have been 75-80 and was insistent that we have a ‘cracking day and make the most of it’

So we did…..
Had that a couple of years ago, descending a super step bit of NT land heard a couple walking up so got off and started pushing only for a retired major type to shout “good god man that looks far to much like fun get back on and ride it” 😀

We also have a local area that the locals encourage everyone to trespass on to stop a consortium shutting paths off 😉

**Update**

North Yorkshire Police have just been round to see me to see where I want it to go (pretty good service IMO)
Two options are, take it waaay up the line, court was mentioned, but I can’t see any point in that seeing as there was no actual physical contact or verbal threats, so the other line is that the local bobby goes round to see him & reminds him he’s been naughty & can’t go around calling complete strangers a ‘four eyed Charlie Uniform November Tango’ (even if he is)
If he denies it I’ll call up my lad Mark & Steve as witnesses & make sure he knows I’m serious
The vehicle is registered to a particular person & matches the description so at least I got the number right.
We’ve been riding over that way for 20+ years & this is a 1st for us.

Great, well done for following this up.

Carry on down the police route. I had similar a long time ago and although it never went anywhere, his work against mine, etc, the police warned him it had been logged and if he ever got reported again then ete, etc, etc………..

presumably he is not daft enough to do it again

C

Dunno what he’s gonna do when 200 trials riders are bombing around his patch in two weeks time.

Carry on down the police route. I had similar a long time ago and although it never went anywhere, his work against mine, etc, the police warned him it had been logged and if he ever got reported again then ete, etc, etc………..

I will, don’t worry. Except if it happens again I’ll know what to expect & how to retort accordingly!

Nice work esselgruntfuttock, feels like you are doing some really good things there!

Sounds like the chap may end up enjoying the hospitality at Mr Esselgruntfuttock’s hostelry…

I wish the police around my way were as obliging, I was the victim of a road rage incident (whilst driving) (for politely asking a guy to reverse his bus) on a minor road in a local village that he was blocking, the guy got off the bus, used very similar language to your new friend, threatened me, raised his fist to the window etc etc, so I rang the police to be told to ring the bus company for an apology, and ring them back if I wanted to after………..

*Another update* Got this Email back from The Dales National Park Authority, & thanks to ChrisE for the link…

Dear Jim

Thanks very much for your email. I’ve copied in the Area Ranger Michael Briggs, so he is aware of the incident. I am also glad you have reported it to the police. It certainly does appear to be a police matter.

With regard to your question, in general we, (Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority) maintain and are responsible for the surface of public rights of way in the National Park, up to the standard appropriate to their status on the Definitive Map (ie the legal record of public rights).

We have taken on this responsibility on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, as we recognise that a well maintained rights of way network is of fundamental importance to people’s understanding and enjoyment of the area. However, who actually undertakes the maintenance isn’t ‘back and white’. Where routes are maintained to a ‘higher’ standard, for private use for example, eg where they are a shooting track or are needed to allow motor vehicles access to property then the landowner often undertakes the maintenance and repairs – to facilitate this private use. I don’t know the actual route where the incident took place, so in this instance I am unable to say whether it had been maintained by the landowner or ourselves. That aside, as you know you are legally allowed to ride on a bridleway and all users should follow the Highway Code, and be courteous to others.

Yours sincerely

Kathryn

The police have also been back in touch with a positive update but I was at work a bit late tonight so I’ll phone them back tomorrow then let you know what happenned. The Leyburn PC said they’d seen him & ‘advised him’ about his behaviour & to call them back to get more details. 🙂

*Update on the update*

Hello Jim

Thanks for your report but sorry to hear about the abuse you and your fellow cyclists have suffered.

Firstly let me make it clear that (as you probably already know) you were on a legal route and had every right to be cycling it. The actual section of the route you were on is outside the National Park Boundary so is strictly under North Yorkshire CC’s jurisdiction – therefore I have copied them in to this reply.

However, I do know that this route is popular with visitors to the National Park as it links well to our network of Bridleways. In this case, as with many in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, the bridleways are kept in a very good condition by the estates that own or manage them for grouse shooting. This is of course entirely the decision of those estate managers; the fact that they make enjoyable riding routes is a bonus to those using them as such.

Unfortunately you have been at the sharp end of what I presume was an angry game keeper and you were right to report this behaviour to the police. I have a good contact with the local police so I will make sure that the issue is addressed. I have been at the receiving end of a similar attack so I know how unsettling it can be. I don’t know who the keepers are on that side but I presume the Police will.

I have copied in the local bike centre too as they may have had similar reports too.

Thanks again for including us in the report – it will be useful if there are any other incidents in the future. I hope you are not put off visiting the Dales again.

Kind Regards

Michael

Also…

Morn’in Jimmy

Hope you are well, I’ve just been cc’d in an email from Michael Briggs

Well done for reporting the incident, hopefully it will send a very clear message to estate’s and estate workers as to their behaviour whilst out there meeting the general public. In 20 odd years of MTB’ing in Swaledale I personally have only had one negative encounter with a miserable old guy telling me I shouldn’t be riding along this track, yes a bridleway. Obviously I put him right but what you experienced at the weekend was totally out of order and needs the authorities to address it. I’ve not spoken to the people I know on that estate yet, I don’t want to in effect pre warn them of potentially the police and the national park about to be on their case. Please do keep me up to date with any response you get from the police, nobody wants to be on the receiving end of what you had, it really can’t happen again.

Take it easy buddyJ

Regards

Stu Price

Dales Bike Centre
Tel: 01748 884908

I’m still waiting to speak to the officer who spoke to the guy in questioN. More 2 follow.

Good work!

Glad to hear it is being taken seriously too.

The guy is obviously not right in the head, he should have been shot at birth. Well done for the calmness I’d like to think I would do the same.

I notice a small truck coming towards me. It looks like an en ex army type of affair, probably about a 2 tonner, dark green with a canvas cover over the back.

One of these?

Well done. The Yorkshire Dales National Park are really pretty good and have been strong supporters of MTB’ing in the Dales ever since it started. Many of the officers of the Park and the rangers are keen MTB’ers too when they are ‘off duty’. It makes us very lucky here. They often go out on joint patrol with the police, checking out offroad motors etc so have a close relationship with them.

Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

C

Nice one for staying calm and seeing it through. Angry gamekeeper type? Probably means the moron legitimately has access to firearms. At least the police now have a record and indication of how well balanced he is? Having the incident on record my deter him from behaving the same way to others, may be not.

One of these?

Similar, that kind of size but with a flat front.

FC Landrover?

(A 101 or 110 chasis, but the cab’s mounted over the engine like a truck to make space for squadies/artilery/radio equipment in the back)

Interesting. Had one of those following me on road in the South Dales and the driver was screaming and cursing at me to get out of the way so loudly I could hear him over the engine with the windows shut.

Obviously, the correct response was to take primary all the way through the next village. 🙂

Wasn’t a Landy & the officer I poke to says it came up on the PNC as no particlar make (?)

I’m still waiting to speak to the officer who interviewed the driver.

Had one of these in the south a while back. I was in the wrong though, as it is a footpath (naughty I know, sorry, won’t do it again), though I was going slowly uphill. Saw an old guy and his dog coming the opposite way so in plenty of time I got off and put myself and my bike in the bush so he could get past.

A Daily Mail fueled, hair-drier-style tirade ensued, me on the receiving end. Due to work I speak a bit of Russian and I find if I open with it, chuggers, sales people etc. give up and bugger off. Not this guy though. Ten minutes later he’s still waving his arms and shouting “Taboo! Taboo!”

I’m pretty sure that’s french

Final update! An officer from Leyburn has spoken to the guy who is head keeper and got his story. No surprise that he told a few lies but admitted his wrongdoings. The estate manager is also aware of his employees actions and according to Plod ‘won’t be pleased’
Good result really, and if anyone comes across a similar scenario…report it!