I'm thinking about selling my very high spec DH bike to fund something that will actually get used. My thoughts keep turning to some kind of enduro or adventure style motorbike.
No interest in a ballistic, crotch rocket. Just want something for cruising around so I don't have to drive the van all the time. But, I'd really like the opportunity to get muddy and disappear with a bivvy bag. Don't want to tear the place up, but don't want to be restricted to the tarmac. I'd just like to go exploring the same way I did when I first got my MTB as a kid.
So how much of this kind of riding actually exists in the UK? Can you ride around off-road legally and string a nice big route together? I'm in the north east so easy access to northumberland, borders, north yorks etc..
I imagine myself doing a bit of this;
[img] http://goo.gl/AetTAi [/img]
But realise this is probably more likely;
[img] http://goo.gl/e39ryV [/img]
Is it worth the bother, or has everything been fenced off and closed up?
Is that the Salter's Road? ^
Save us the bother of getting annoyed with you in the hills. Get a jet ski instead...... :-/
There are a few around but some are getting closed down to motorised traffic.
I have ridden one once on a friends 'cross bike. Makes going up very much fun, but I reckon I would be much quicker going down on my pushbike (granted this is speaking as being very inexperienced on a motorbike so my skills will have been <1%)
Depends where you live but there are lanes dotted around. Most of the ones I've been down in South England have just been farm tracks and not exactly extreme. A car would get stuck but its not pushing the limits of off roading. Usually far too spread for linking up, too. In Wales, however, there are some cracking tracks that really feel out there with a degree of jeopardy. All perfectly legal and signposted. Pretty easy to put a good loop together. Probably similar further North.
Used to loads around Salisbury plain and the neighbouring areas. However, I don't think anywhere else (bar Wales) has as many routes so close together. If you're thinking about it, joining the trf is supposedly helpful in finding unmarked (os maps) routes.
As for the bike? You can use anything with knobblies; they are tame lanes, until they get submerged or the 4x4s do a spot of bogging. I used to ride a DR125 all over the place all day on the plains and regularly got held up by people on their orange crushes (KTM EXCs == Orange Five).
Loads of tracks available, usually referred to as BOATs (byways open to all trafic)
Check with the local council for a definitive answer but this map has most on it.
http://bywaymap.com/
I've just been checking out some forums and facebook pages. Looks like there's loads of it around County Durham and Northumberland. Just found a photo album entitled "140 mile loop"! Not sure how much of it is tarmac though.
If you're thinking about it, joining the trf is supposedly helpful in finding unmarked (os maps) routes
Turns out I have two local groups. Thanks.
I just want to point out I wasn't referring to cheeky routes. IIRC a Bristol TRF rep mentioned having agreements with certain landowners when I expressed my dismal results on looking for Green lanes in the area.
I'd suggest you have a look at the [url= http://www.trf.org.uk/ ]TRF[/url], ask the question on their forum. They would also have some valuable opinions on bikes.
Cheers, Rich
this is a useful resource.
http://bywaymap.com/index.html
if you zoom out it gives you an idea how 'good' an area is.
jonnuk, there are loads of lanes around Bristol, you can easily go out for a few hours around the Chew Valley and then link into all the tracks around Wellow and Peasdown south of Bath. In the dry they're a pleasant cruise, in the wet there are some tricky old sections (and one hill that repeatedly defeats me).
The Bristol TRF do know a lot of completely legal routes, not sure what the rep you were talking to was on about.
You can't beat mid-Wales for some long days out, but for a couple of hours out from the front door down here is actually really good.
'Orange 5' rider.
Just bought a bike (f800gsa) so will be trying the same soon!!
Rachel
jonnuk, there are loads of lanes around Bristol, you can easily go out for a few hours around the Chew Valley and then link into all the tracks around Wellow and Peasdown south of Bath. In the dry they're a pleasant cruise, in the wet there are some tricky old sections (and one hill that repeatedly defeats me).
That's a lot closer than the Malmesbury->Swindonish->Calne area I explored before retiring the bike (gearbox needs a rebuild). In it's place I started Enduro/Hares this year...until my RM250 got knicked.
If you want to some overland stuff then the horizons unlimited site is brilliant
Check out the rights of way definitive map (will be on council sites for area) as that will clearly show what is actually legal(boat,rupp)
Deffo speak with trf
Rachel(sorry but this is well meant) but thats a hell of large/heavy bike (in off road terms and i suspect breakable bits if dropped). I ended my trail bike career on a tiny 105kg xt225 and even that could quite easily decide where it was going and play the time honoured horsie game of 'get off you ba........'
I gave it up as lots of tracks in my area were downgraded and it was becoming increasing confrontational especially with people who didn't understand the law but were very keen to implement their opinion.
That said it's the most fun I've ever had,truly special memories, have fun.
^^^
I would imagine that a GS800 probably isn't too far off the weight of my first bike, a Suzuki DR750. Although the BMW certainly holds its weight lower down, being stuck underneath a DR in a ditch once was an interesting experience! I needed to dig a small trench to extract my trapped leg before I could then get the bike upright again...
While a big bike is awesome fun, half the fun of off-roading is the bits which aren't easy, so there is a chance of falling. The bigger the bike, the more of a challenge to get up again afterwards.
Having said that, if I'd just got an 800 BMW and had some knobblies, I'd certainly be wanting to get it muddy 😀
Cheers, Rich
TRF is a good place to start, although they keep their maps close to their chest, so to speak. The bike doesn't really matter. They're all good fun. Just be aware if you venture out on your own and you're you're on a big 1200 twin and you drop it on an off-camber trail you're gonna be in trouble!
Buy a nice small trail bike to start with. I mean something like a CRF230 or my Chinese CCM 230. (maybe not that actually)
Green laning/trailriding is most definitely a victim of NIMBYism and the urbanisation of the country and thus scope has dropped since I started nearly 35 years ago.
Forget politics though.
TRF is the obvious place to start.
Use OS maps. BOATs are fair game as are virtually all ORPAs as these will be unclassified roads. Any RUPPs shown have been blanket down graded although the odd one survived. Careful with local old timers pursuing their old habits. They know where and when to use the old lanes.
Don't ride in big packs, you will upset both residents and local trail riders who tend to be very protective.
TRF groups are usually not to big and also keep the speeds down. Its not a race.
Bristol isn't a bad area. Not to far from lots of places
jonnuk, there are loads of lanes around Bristol, you can easily go out for a few hours around the Chew Valley and then link into all the tracks around Wellow and Peasdown south of Bath. In the dry they're a pleasant cruise, in the wet there are some tricky old sections (and one hill that repeatedly defeats me).
Out of interest, which hill is that?
mattsccm - Member
Buy a nice small trail bike to start with. I mean something like a CRF230 or my Chinese CCM 230. (maybe not that actually)
Green laning/trailriding is most definitely a victim of NIMBYism and the urbanisation of the country and thus scope has dropped since I started nearly 35 years ago.
Forget politics though.
TRF is the obvious place to start.
Use OS maps. BOATs are fair game as are virtually all ORPAs as these will be unclassified roads. Any RUPPs shown have been blanket down graded although the odd one survived. Careful with local old timers pursuing their old habits. They know where and when to use the old lanes.
Don't ride in big packs, you will upset both residents and local trail riders who tend to be very protective.
TRF groups are usually not to big and also keep the speeds down. Its not a race.
Bristol isn't a bad area. Not to far from lots of places
Not just NIMBY-ism, it's the stupid behaviour of dimwits on powerful bikes charging along byways at ridiculous speeds with scant regard for other users.
I'm thinking in particular of the Ridgeway and the byway from Rockley to Barbury Castle. I've personally witnessed cretins on dirt bikes tearing past groups of walkers and cyclists, leaving huge clouds of dust, spewing gravel out from the tyres, and even popping wheelies, and in one occasion, as I was riding back towards Avebury from Barbury Castle, because of the troughs caused by 4x4's I was off to one side, but had to go out around a large bush. As I did, a bike, which I couldn't see, and who couldn't see me, came straight at me at somewhere around 40-50MPH, and missed me by less than a metre. Absolutely scared me shitless! His slower moving mate caught the full flow of my profanity-laden rant about his brain-dead, lunatic companion.
It's [i]this[/i] sort of behaviour, and bike clubs actually holding races along byways, that REALLY pisses people off!
Back in the day used to do loads of trail riding around the Ridgeway, wiltshire & wales, particularly around Brecon Beacons, loved it and really miss all the old XT's and XR's I had. Did a few led French trips too, superb. Not done it for years but as others I'd suggest TRF as best source for local knowledge. Someone told me there are far more TRO's now stopping you riding a lot of the old routes these days. Go for it, don't get a monster trailie though, at some stage you will need to pick it up or drag it out of deep mud. I'm sure there are knobs out there though that give riders a bad name, so do get in touch with TRF and follow codes of conduct etc
It's clowns like these tearing around that gets responsible trail riders a bad rep:
[img][url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14557489788_2b0606768a_o.jp g" target="_blank">
Not helped by convoys of these, either, (same stretch, same afternoon):
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3884/14557695667_6725fb5055_o.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/countzero1/14557695667/ ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/countzero1/ ]CountZero1[/url], on Flickr
[img][url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2917/14741810714_a63df18aec_o.jp g" target="_blank">
Just be aware if you venture out on your own and you're you're on a big 1200 twin and you drop it on an off-camber trail you're gonna be in trouble!
Have a look at this amazing thread
Check out page 1 to get a flavour of what they're doing then skip to page 9 for the fun to start
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=877576&highlight=Mongolia
Rusty Spanner why do you walk down a road and complain about the traffic, there are hundreds of miles of footpaths and Bridleways where you can legitimately moan about illegal riding and 4x4 ing.
The Ridgeway was a road hence the traffic.
Ridgeway is believed to be the oldest road in Europe and should have protection. I've walked its length, a wonderful experience.
Advrider is a great way to waste away most of your working day.
Thanks for all the pointers, I only just got a chance to sit down and read it.
Pretty much decided I'm selling the DH bike so I'll free up some cash and garage space. There's loads of youtube videos of lanes in areas pretty local to me.
I'm not going to go out terrorising ramblers immediately but it's nice to know I have the option 😉
The Ridgeway was a road hence the traffic.
I think we should all pause for a moment to remember and thank those stone age people who had all that incredible forethought to design a path for fat people to chug along in their "One life live it stickers" emblazoned Defenders.