Thanks to STWers ive been to robin wood a couple of times on my cross bike and love it, so many little bits to find and there are obviously trail fairies at work. But I know its a cheeky trail so what do you do if someone challenges you? seen a few walkers and runners but i figure they're prob in the same boat as me. Sorry ignorant Scotsman question poss
EDIT: and where do i get a I love cheeky trails sticker 
I feign stupidity, which seems entirely credible 
Do YA WANT A PIECE OF ME THEN?!! WELL?! DO YA!!!*
-
*Or maybe just, "sorry".
nice site, CL.
I usually plead ignorance/not really knowing where I am. I like the official cheeky trails response but it could cause some trouble if they are official. I've had a military escort to off a cheeky trail on Salisbury plain before. They seem to accept that we were stupid and lost.
Heh, "Silly isn't it" is quite a good answer. I just feign ignorance. "Oh, sorry, didn't know- there was tyretracks so I could see other people ride here". Not that it comes up very often here but I have to admit I did end up in someone's back garden today, because I wasn't paying any attention 
"My name is Simon F Barnes, and I really couldn't care less what you or anyone else thinks". 
Edit: Sorry Simon, missed your real post. Yours is probably the best approach, but I know which one I'll be using in future.
A mate was out riding cheeky stuff on his own on Christmas Day morning a few years ago and the only other people he saw was a family out for walk who had obviously had all their Christmas cheer removed. They accosted him with the standard "you shouldn't be riding here" and were met with the reply "I'm riding this for Baby Jesus!"
Cue baffled silence and he rode on.
Another mate, when told he shouldn't be riding there asks them if they are the landowner. The invariable answer is no they're not but this is FP yada yada. He then replies that HE is the landowner and can do what he wants on his land.
Amazingly he's never been challenged with this, no one has ever asked his name, where he lives, how long he/his family have owned the land etc etc.
How exactly can a pedestrian stop or catch a cyclist? Just ride away.
Normal claim to be lost.
I haven't had to use it yet but in a worse case scenario, when you know you're going to get a right bollocking, I thought of saying that a dead relatives ashes are scattered down the path as they loved the view/area so much and I was cycling along the path as I wanted to pay my respects on the anniversary of their demise 
"My name is Simon F Barnes, and I really couldn't care less what you or anyone else thinks"
this ploy is available to everyone else :o)
"Sorry, I must have missed the trail marker and have gone off piste".
Generally most people are fine. I did however get challenged by a woman of late middle age who wanted to know where I might be riding - I was on a bridleway at the time but she wanted to make sure I wasn't going to use the footpath.
I was polite, but informed her I would be exploiting my right to legal access and would take a dim view of any obstruction along the way whilst making note of her registration number. Yep, she was partly blocking the bridleway with her car.
Haven't seen her since.
Have been challenged by an old giffer when on a footpath - but he was reasonable so I just agreed with him politely and rode off. On the other hand the sort of blokes who are just trying to show off in front of wife/kids etc will get a right mouthful.
Did get chased across a field by a farmer in his Land Rover which was fun. Pulled the 'I'm lost' card while looking back at the huge tyre tracks he had just created while catching up to bollock me for making teeny tiny tyre tracks on his land
Happens a couple of times a year to me riding around the woods at Ambergate. Strangely most people tend to ask if I am aware I shouldn't be riding 'here', and I generally politely confirm I do and thank them, and move on. It tends to happen when passing through gates. On the very rare occasion someone is rude about it, I just shrug, smile and continue. On the most part I find people to be fine and friendly, and I show good trail manners etc, as I appreciate I'm not suppose to be there.
my response depends on how the person asking questions addresses me, but yeh just plead ignorance, explain how ridiculous it is that bikes aren't allowed and ride off.
Kev
How exactly can a pedestrian stop or catch a cyclist? Just ride away.
the problem is a) we've had a few lectures about being professional and accountable for our actions even if sitting in a pub etc
and most importantly b) ill end up getting lost and bump into them again
think ill feign innocence and lostness given my accent and the Movember man 'tache most folk tend to be shuffling away rather than towards me at the moment
EDIT: i still need a cheeky sticker!
Speak in a foreign language and smile a lot.
'que'
yeah i was thinking today just chat in spanish but inevitably these things always backfire on me 
tbh i dont know if it will even come up-2 walkers today stopped and held their dogs while i passed, big thankyous were shouted as i went past
Not quite the same but.. Thursday nighti cut across a pavement in the town, startled a woman walking backwards whilst talking to her friend. I didn't think much of it untill about a mile down the road, a car pulled across the cycle lane i was on, blocking it. The passenger window dropped and the same woman started shouting at me, over her kid that was sat in the passenger seat! She was totally oblivious to the fact that she had potentially committed roadrage to point out i shouldn't be cycling on the pavement! It was lucky that i am quite laid back really, or if it was someone else they may have reacted differently. My answer was 'sorry, now f##k off'
The majority of folk have no idea of the bridleway vs footpath legalities.
I wouldn't worry too much as long as the cheeky path doesn't go through a farmyard or someone's garden.
If you really want an 'Oi, clear off' experience, try riding the Isle of Wight coastal path between Ventnor and Shanklin. As you pass by Luccombe village, there's a miserable old git who spends the entire day on his patio waiting for cyclists to pass by. If you reply with some f and c words, he'll try (and fail) to run after you.
The key is not to wait for them to question you but to actually approach them first with your 'confusion'.
For example, I was riding along, clearly not on a PRoW of any sort when I saw what turned out to be a gamekeeper. Now, needless digression to belittle the monsterous stupidity of using land so rich ****ts can come along and shoot 'game' as 'sport' aside, cheerfully asking "Excuse me, is this the Gloucestershire Way?"* relaxed him mightily and even gave me directions.
Heh heh heh.
* WARNING: this probably only works near Gloucestershire.
slur "isss thisss the waaay tooo the puuub?"
or as once worked for me "i am aware this is private property, i own it! Do you have permission to be here?"....probably wont work if they are the land owner!
Speak in a foreign language and smile a lot.
I used the same techinque when I took my bike on the tube and it works just great.
whats cheeky trails?,all free access up here north of the border but i like your excusses
"Silly isn't it?" works for me and tends to catch them off guard.
Or I have once just denied that it was a footpath despite standing near the sign for one particularly officious woman.
wot stickers?
Just reply:"Anteeksi,en puhu Englanti "
Finnish for "Sorry,I don't speak English"
Bit of a toughie this
On the one hand I am often out with the kids and dog on FP's and reckless t0ssers on MTB's just dont do anyone any favours
On the other some FP's are just luuuurrrrrrrrrrvly to ride arent they
The reality is I only do cheeky after dark and have only ever been challenged once when my answer was to refer the good gentleman to the Kinder trespass and point out the Duke of Devonshire would have had him hung, drawn and quartered for walking on his land before then
move to scotland. problem solved.
I apologise and that usually is it. The girl card works well.
To be honest I only tend to ride cheeky on my own or with one or two others so I hardly get any comments, once a year if that!
If it's a Ranger, then I claim to be lost, but if it's a member of the public, then my response varies.
When told "you're not supposed to be riding bikes here" my usual response is along the lines of "yes, that's a bit silly isn't it really?".
A group of us encountered a woman on a local moor in the Summer and she started spouting off, so I politely informed her that she shouldn't have her dog loose either. She started trying to defend her flagrant disregard of the rules to suit her personal situation and therein the defence rested.
I have also been known to completely lose it with really arrogant people as well though.
i usually pretend that i am in scotland, talk in a scottish accent and wear a skirt when riding cheeky trails
Its so rare anybody says anything but how I react really depends on them, if they are civil so am I, I usually just reply with a yes silly isnt it and ride on, if they are off hand I just tell them to get on with their own lives. Pretty much only do cheeky stuff late and in the dark nowadays and never have a problem.
wear a skirt when riding cheeky trails
my gooch hurts enough thanks, the thought of riding for a few hours with nothing but rough wool between me and my undercarriage brings tears to the eyes
Local MP Ron Davies and cohorts have recently purchased an area we've been riding unbothered for the past 20yrs, and has taken to telling bikers they shouldn't be there. Still not sure if it'll be acceptable to tell him we're not actually cycling, but looking for badgers.
Also worth trying-"We've got special dispensation under the "dilligaff" ruling." (google it if you're unsure)
Tell them its not illegal to ride on a footpath, but it is on a pavement - them leave them with the usual confused look.
If anyone catches you in Robins Wood then thanks to the way its owned by teh parish and leased by the FC then the person doing the catching (unless its someone from the FC which is unlikely) is comiting just as much of a crime as you.
p.s. Its best avoided after Haloween, its very muddy and i once came arorund a corner to find a zombies strung up accross the, nearly shat myself even more than the first time i rode on stanage edge!
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