[Closed] cheeky trails-what do you say if stopped or caught?

[url= http://www.cheekytrails.co.uk/ethics.htm ]The Rules[/url] (with the answer to your question at the bottom)

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 [i]might[/i] 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? 😉
[img] [/img]

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 [b]Robins Wood[/b] 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!

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.

Quality 😆

Dunno, I live in Scotland 🙂

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

Embrace the Mo "I'm sorry old boy, I simply haven't the foggiest what you mean, I simply had to pinch this boneshaker to get aaay from those insatiable convent girls..."

My other bike is a Jaaag

Simples!

Flutter eyelashes, some bottom lip trembling and a touch of "check out my ar$e" pelvic swivelling 🙂
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Of course those who ride with me know fine well this has no chance of working so it will be a case of "sorry I forgot my bifocals and where can I get a nice cup of tea?"

Been thinking about this recently, as my newly found wonder-trail is about 99 per cent cheeky (and that 90 minutes worth of riding!) First time I rode it I got asked "are you lost?" to which I simply replied "yes" and rode off.

🙂

Whilst riding with the Bogies over to Studley Pike we were challenged by a water authority person in a landrover who said. Do you know you shouldn't be riding here, to which someone answered Yes and i also know there's nothing you can do about it. At which point we rode off.

On another occasion whilst riding with B.A.D, we were challenged by a fell runner with a similar question, the response that time was, Its OK we won't be here for long.

Usually i ignore such questions as i don't feel they deserve a response.

I've never been stopped or caught but I have twice have people shout "Oi, this is a footpath" at me. I've replied with "Yes, I know" both times.

I was recently out with a group who were stopped on a fp by a couple of Peak District rangers. I wasn't at the front so don't know exactly what was said but I understand they claimed to be lost which, given where we were, was frankly ridiculous. I'm sure the rangers didn't believe it.

I don't think I'd claim to be lost if I wasn't. I personally don't think there's anything wrong with riding on footpaths. I think if I ever were stopped/caught I'd have the discussion and agree to disagree. Note that this would be a theoretical discussion unless I was talking to the landowner.

Whilst riding with the Bogies over to Studley Pike we were challenged by a water authority person in a landrover who said. Do you know you shouldn't be riding here, to which someone answered Yes and i also know there's nothing you can do about it. At which point we rode off.

Hmmm...

One person out walking his dog said "you can't ride here" to which I replied "I know but's a lovely evening to be out isn't it?" Seemed to break the ice as he agreed and then thanked me as I'd slowed down to pass them. BW's cross the area and I was just linking up two - TBH I think the local kids just blast past people and have been a nuisance so I avoid the area in dog walking time now.

Hey, we're in an over-regulated country and sometimes people just need to stand up and say "NO".

Yesterday I was reading in The Times about Brian Haw, a protestor who has been living in Parliament Square for more than 3,000 days. We need people like him, he feels so passionately about the Iraq war.

More of us should be protesting about every single triviality that affects us.

...sometimes people just need to stand up and say "NO".

Are you saying that you should stand up and say "no" to cyclists riding where they shouldn't be or are you saying that you should stand up and say "no" to people telling you that you shouldn't be riding where you shouldn't ought to be?!? 😀

I generally ask the complainant who they are; no-one has yet wanted to share this information so I generally just say "ah, nobody; just as I thought" before I carry on my way.

As trespass is not a crime, my response would be "sue me".

"Yesterday I was reading in The Times about Brian Haw, a protestor who has been living in Parliament Square for more than 3,000 days. We need people like him, he feels so passionately about the Iraq war"

He is quite, quite mental though. Nice enough chap but not all there.

yup, brian haw is a few soilders short of a platoon.

spoke to him for a few minutes once. the girlfriend had her photo taken with him (not her choice as such but there was some other equally odd woman pushing for it).

Here in OZ some authorities have a bit of clout!
[IMG] [/IMG]

Never had an issue to be honest. I usually greet walkers with a cheery hello before they manage to say anything anyway.

There is one person around our area though who is proper hardcore militant. He/she builds walls across the paths in various locations and we have even seen wood and nail caltrops in the same area. Never come across the person, but the walls are still being put up. What I find ironic is that they add a little more of a challenge to the path, enhancing the riding. Also, they are actually removing the stones from a drystone wall in order to build them. Cocks.

daveatextremistsdotcouk - Member
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 first house after you get through Luccombe that sells ice creams? Oh yes, i got both barrels from him this summer, he really is a charmer! Replied to him "seeing as you asked SO nicely" and walked for 10 yards then rode off. Even the people he was talking to were taken aback. It is fun though, espcially when you can see him go BRIGHT red and his veins start bulging on his forehead. Nobber.
Given the path is mostly broken up asphalt, i see little likelihood of any trail erosion occuring.

On another occasion whilst riding with B.A.D, we were challenged by a fell runner with a similar question, the response that time was, Its OK we won't be here for long.

Surprised fell runners comment! I do both and as a fell runner I have often ended up the wrong side of a wall/fence etc.

Dog walkers are the worst. I always try to be cheerful. Some guy stepped in front of me on Saturday because he said I shouldn't be on the path. Almost knocked me off. It was a bridleway as well!!

i like something along the lines of:

"hundreds of thousands of people are starving and made homeless due to violence and draught in countries like Sudan, Western Governments pursue immoral foreign policies and illegal wars - justified by a need to secure resources, the climate of the earth is changing through people's greed and thoughtlessness, "

.... you get the idea, add whatever you fancy .....

" and you're worrying about a guy on a bike riding along a path in the woods?"

if you don't like the international politics and climate change angle, there are plenty of others, ...

btw i keep trying to log into the cheeky trails site, but it never works, i keep getting a new password through to my address to try to sort it, but none of them work.... am i gonna have to start a new address just to see what's in there?

and another ting:

i think i'm right in saying that on BW's we're supposed to give way to walkers. how does that work if we're coming up behind them?

you got to admit, that's a tricky one, ain't it?

i dont think there is any reason to be rude or a smart arse. i usually just say sorry and go on my way

btw i keep trying to log into the cheeky trails site, but it never works, i keep getting a new password through to my address to try to sort it, but none of them work.... am i gonna have to start a new address just to see what's in there?

Doesn't work for me either, apparently you have to be one of the special people.

i dont think there is any reason to be rude or a smart arse

true.

But equally I dont think there is any reason to say sorry either.

i dont think there is any reason to be rude or a smart arse. i usually just say sorry and go on my way

[s]Big[/s] [s]Clever[/s] cheeky lite to subtly link a couple of bridleways following an old trackway is one thing but there are some who feel they have no reason to even bother to look at rights of ways on maps other than as a hint in unfamilar areas. This type of use is noticed and a number of proposals to build extensive promoted routes in the Welsh Mountains have been killed because of landowners real concerns that it will only lead to an invite to a sizeable number in the increase in trespass. Irrespective of the SFB law about the rights of land ownership in Norman Britain the law favours those with an acre or two.

Smug scottish correspondents should have noticed in the press a recent legal case where a landowner denied and then succesfully fought a court case thereby gaining the right in law to block horseriders from enjoying their Scottish rights where there reduce contributed to a potential degradation of ground conditions. Bad case law indeed if you are planning to wear some gnarly singletrack in on a Ben near you soon.

If you insist on being cheeky you may of course disregard the views of other users about the legitimacy of being there but anything less than courtesy to landowners simply hands reason for the next Tory government to introduce legislation making it easier for landowners to apply for blanket bylaws turning illegal access into a criminal offence.. one other good reason to disregard the anti broon tory boys here and keep the red flag flying.

Ignorance is by far the best answer.

gaining the right in law to block horseriders from enjoying their Scottish rights where there reduce contributed to a potential degradation of ground conditions.

it thought that related to two parallel tracks - one suitable for horses, one not? The right of way itself was not impaired.

I find this works best:

[b]Rambler[/b]: It's illegal to ride on this footpath you know
[b]me[/b]: Thats nothing, I murdered someone here last week

Just puff up the chest look at them with 'wired eyes' showing all the whites and if you are built like a brick out house nothing nrmally is said or needs to be said. 😆

daveatextremistsdotcouk - Member
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.

bigyinn - Member

The first house after you get through Luccombe that sells ice creams? Oh yes, i got both barrels from him this summer, he really is a charmer! Replied to him "seeing as you asked SO nicely" and walked for 10 yards then rode off. Even the people he was talking to were taken aback. It is fun though, espcially when you can see him go BRIGHT red and his veins start bulging on his forehead. Nobber.
Given the path is mostly broken up asphalt, i see little likelihood of any trail erosion occuring.

I thoroughly recommend this experience to anyone doing a Wight trip. The bugger goes totally mental and has even been known to jump in his car and drive to the point where the path meets the road just to continue the verbals. Luckily he's too old to get physical.

It seems the whole village is at it. The path (wide enough for vehicle access by the way) goes past the back gardens of a load of houses and there's an old dear selling home made jam who will also have a shouting match.

Next time I'll say that the voices tell me to ride there.

I moved to Scotland.

Cheeky trails do not exist.

fetler: lol it's not like your bike is gonna do a sh1t and pollute the water course!

... a number of proposals to build extensive promoted routes in the Welsh Mountains have been killed because of landowners real concerns that it will only lead to an invite to a sizeable number in the increase in trespass.

If you insist on being cheeky you may of course disregard the views of other users about the legitimacy of being there but anything less than courtesy to landowners simply hands reason for the next Tory government to introduce legislation making it easier for landowners to apply for blanket bylaws turning illegal access into a criminal offence..

I first started out riding about 20 odd years ago on the a particularly remote stretch of the coast path on the north coast of Anglesey - 100% cheeky singletrack and great fun but I genuinely didn't realise I was doing anything wrong at the time - never really saw anyone else so it wasn't an issue (almost killed myself a few times mind!). Where I live now (Kent), there is a great but very underused right of way network - barely see anyone on the bridleways never mind the footpaths but here's loads of bits of bridleway that can only be linked up by going cheeky. Never had a problem round here.

Funnily enough, the only time I have ever been challenged was the other week in Ambleside - had just come off a particularly wet evening ride round Loughrigg and was desperate to get dry so took the short cut over the little bridge back into town. Met a couple of dog-walkers and got off the bike each time to let them past. Second guy complimented me on my lights but pointed out that I shouldn't be riding there - just feigned ignorance, thanked him for the advice and rode on.