Riding on Military Land – Farnborough & Aldershot areas

Some months ago and following a series of rumours on various forums about the potential banning of mountain biking on Caesars Camp, Minley, Porridgepot Hill and Tunnel Hill a group of local cyclists got together to form the Trail Action Group (TAG) with a view to working with the military and relevant environmental groups to ensure that mountain biking could continue in the area.

Thanks to having military personnel active in the group we have been able to set up trail maintenance days, put up signs and posters encouraging responsible mountain bike riding in the area and identifying guidelines for riding in Military Training Areas where soldiers are often on exercise both day and night.

The guidelines are centered around being courteous, moving on from areas being used, dimming or dousing lights when you become aware of soldiers training and not to creating new trails or features without permission from the land owner. Common sense really.

Several incidents of riders interupting night exercises have occurred over the last few weeks which only serve to highlight the need for us all to keep an eye out for soldiers training on the land (especially at night). If you see military personnel or any Army or SHB 4×4’s on the land please make your way to the nearest fire road and move on to another area as quickly as possible. If you are addressed directly please show courtesy towards any military personnel – they have much more right to be there than you do!

Also – please dim or completely switch off your lights, they are blinding and ruin night vision for at least 20 minutes making continued operations very difficult. In addition, and as part of some exercises trip wires and perimeter wires are used which can hurt you and damage your bike. So for everyone’s benefit please steer clear of military exercises, apologise if you encounter/disturb them and move on.

With your help we will be able to continue using the land safely into the future.

For more information on the Trail Action Group please check Facebook or visit http://www.trailactiongroup.co.uk

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Your support will be appreciated!

TAG

Good post and thanks for your hard work 🙂

It’s important to keep our permissive use of this land as it makes up a significant proportion of the riding in these areas…..

Good post and thanks for your hard work

+1

fantastic work 😀

well done for being proactive guys, if it wasnt for the strange looks i’d get from my staff i’d be applauding loudly right now!

How do lights ruin night vision equipment for 20 minutes? Just curious – surely when using them they expect gun fire flashes, car headlights, explosions etc? Are night goggles just for surveillance?

Their own night vision as in their eyes not equipment.

Ah! Now I understand…

Delicate issue this. Was talking to one of the SPAM guys at the erlestoke 12 earlier this year. There’s a real threat that SPAM won’t be able to put on events on or around Salisbury Plains in the future. Apparently the MOD’s main issue is the abuse they get when out on exercise and encountering mtb’ers. It’s the same as the walkers/4×4 issue for me, all that’s really needed is a little mutual respect.

Their own night vision as in their eyes not equipment.

Although particularly bright lights can damage Image Intesification (II) night vision equipment – II works by enhancing the available ambient light so any particularly bright light can cause damage to the optoelectronics and sensors, that’s why they can’t really be used in daylight without a special filter/lens cap. II is the stuff that you’ll most commonly see used on news reports and stuff for filming at night – green or white and black and quite grainy and when there’s an explosion or something it causes a temporary white-out.

bigbloke – you are spot on. This is entirely the guys, using their eyes to see in the dark. Your eyes adjust very slowly to be able to see ok in the dark. Bright lights can blow this very quickly.

If anyone wants to get involved then do register on http://www.trailactiongroup.co.uk

Thanks.

never ridden these foreign lands (hour up the road…:)) but good job for trying to keep them open. Theres a place and a time to be rude to other users but on MOD/private property isnt it. You should ATLEAST do what they say when they are there!

Hope I did’nt give the impression we were peeved by clumsily finding our way into an exercise 😯

Just hope to find a way of planning round their activity in the area, as its a great place to ride, and it gets dark a lot at the moment.

Is there anywhere to find out if exercises are planned? Or anyone to ask?

Andy – its just about being aware of your surroundings and being polite. Unfortunately there is nowhere to access a list of areas that are being used. So it is just a matter of keeping an eye out for the vehicles and moving to the next lump of woodland. All the areas are easily linked together so its not too difficult.

Don’t forget to dim those lights next time too!

Good work guys, I use these areas a lot and want to keep riding them – happy to mind my P&Qs, especially if they are carrying weapons 😯

I see from http://trailactiongroup.co.uk/ you are doing a trail maintenance day on October 22nd – will try and rock up for this

It’ll be good to meet you Fleetwood.

Good work. I’m in Fleet and ride quite a bit on these areas. Not sure I can make the October maintenance day but will keep an eye on the site and come along to the next one.

Thank you TAG. Great work.

Andy – its just about being aware of your surroundings and being polite.

I’m always polite. As far as being aware, it was once we had been warned of trip wires that we suddenly saw bodies on the ground all over the place.

TBH, the only clue was the barrier to the land near star wars was open when we started the ride.

Hope we didnt upset the exercise

All good comments, keep up the good work! 🙂

Don’t forget it’s not just us MTBers it’s the Dog Walkers not keeping there dogs under control or picking up there poo!!!

Can’t believe “abuse” on Sailsbury plain! That’s nuts!

Like walking into a company’s office and telling them all to **** off.

An office where they’re all hard and tooled up…

Edit: good work OP, TAG and similar groups. Great that you’re doing it, a bit sad that you have to!

Will try and make your trail day, as it all sounds good to me.

i would suppose the main problem is people thinking it’s there land as they have been walking on it X ammount of years. Crazy.

The more the merrier for the maintenance day. There are three areas that we are going to be working on. I would expect we will find our way to the pub afterwards.

Andy – I wasn’t suggesting you weren’t polite – I just know that from some of the complaints that are recieved some people aren’t.

If people can spread the word that will be great. The other thing we need to be on the look out for is people building trails without permission – generally this is confined to the folk from Gorrick and TAG. Building big jumps is frowned upon so if you see kids building jumps please do discourage them!

Thanks.

Good post and thanks for all the hard work. There’s brilliant riding in that area and plenty of it, it would be a great shame to lose it because a minority are being discourteous.

Don’t forget to show your support by signing up to TAG!

Cheers.

The other thing we need to be on the look out for is people building trails without permission – generally this is confined to the folk from Gorrick and TAG.

You’d think both those groups would know better 😉

You’d think both those groups would know better

yeah, just round them up and the problem’s mostly solved…

Gorrick and TAG who seek and get permission! So sod off!! 😀

To confirm Gorrick and TAG have permission for the work they undertake. It is not often that other groups will get that authority.

Bit of a numpty question. Are we allowed to ride the existing trails?When you read the byways rules it suggests that you should stick to the fire roads.

If you strictly adhere to the Byelaws No, How ever common sense prevails.

Sorry guys did not make this in the end, hope it went well? Keep us posted for future work days.

have to agree with nedrapier i ride on army training land in colchester and no way would i abuse soliders if i stumbled into them whilst there on exercise as not only are they tooled up and hard they are also bored and pi*sed off because they have spent x amount of days soaking wet and running around in circle thats only going to lead to on conclusion and that solider 1 mtb’s 0(ie you get a kicking)that said in friday woods training ground they tend to tape areas off with red mine tape if they don’t want you in there.

If N E 1 sees any MoD Training area gates please close them as they are not supposed to be left open and if open a sentry is to be posted buy it, as this is a Security risk and could lead to Fly Tipping.

I know it’s not your job but it just helps.

Cheers

Are Landmarc the people to contact if the gate can’t be closed? (i.e. in case the padlock has been removed)

I’ve been riding around Ash Vale ranges and Pirbright for years. I’m grateful to see you guys helping to keep the trails open. Thank you.

Fortunately, I’ve not come across any trip wires. Tempting fate now though eh!

Yepp contact Landmarc or the Training Area Marshall on the number given on the TAG signs.

Alot of MTBers on Tunnel hill today!

Bump!

“Bear in mind any behaviour which might be seen as inconsiderate or as a nuisance by the Army could have a negative effect on everyone’s access to the land. Strictly speaking we shouldn’t be riding in many of the areas that we do, but all the while we don’t make a nuisance of ourselves the Army seem willing to let us carry on- very much a privileged and not a right. With the right attitude we can hopefully all enjoy use of the same land.”

Some more info and a article in MBR.

http://www.mbr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P018019_trailhead.jpg LINKS DONT WORK! COPY AND PASTE.

Also have a look at this lot http://www.trailactiongroup.co.uk/code-of-conduct are working hard behind the scenes for all to keep mountain biking alive on MoD land! Sign up to support this, this includes not allowing races on Mod Land which will affect loads of peeps.

http://www.trailactiongroup.co.uk – Just fixing the link.