Off-roading at Kirton

The last bloke is a bit brave to say the least... No wave, so i assume he was stuck?

On or around Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:20:49 +0900, Mark Solesbury enlightened us thusly:

the bits you've got pictures of look a bit extreme.

On or around Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:20:49 +0900, Mark Solesbury enlightened us thusly:

It'd be handy for the proposed northern unofficial.

Dont be misled guys, yes there are some *very* extreme chunks for those brave/foolhardy/skilled enough, but you dont have to be bonkers as there's plenty of more moderate bits there too. Remember there is five hundred acres there, so there's bits to suit all levels, in fact the chap I took with me was a bit of a virgin so we played moderate all day and still didnt do the same bits more than twice. As for an unofficial, they would be open to suggestions - I know the organisers there are looking at opening other than they do now as just one Sunday per month

Ho yuss .. well and truly. He'd nose-dived in and drowned the engine, so got winched back. I thought I'd left a comment or two, but might not have done the right keypresses. By the time he'd got quarter way back the waterline inside was the same as outside. Should have took a video of the doors opening, seemed just like a bow-wave .. ;)

The first two pictures were the first two sections we saw, and gulped a little, they are a tad extreme, but to be honest we spent four hours in the place and didn't go over a section twice, though we did sometimes do them in reverse direction.

Loads of flatter less gnarly areas, we found some guys with barbecues setup, deckchairs and having a rare old time... ;)

Varied terrain too, mostly gravelly/sandy/wet sections, but also a lot of wodded/muddy/dry(ish) sections too. Lots or axle-twisters, lots of moderate to dodgy for standard Discos, but to be honest there's so much area to play in and so much choice the place would suit anyone with any vehicle, 'cept maybe full-on desert racers. Indeed the site limit is 10 mph and most of the places you'd be hard pushed to do much more anyway.

Only thing that bothered us, with seven people in, was the depths of some of the bits of water, we were worried about grounding and drowning, but tbh, those fears soon evaporated as (using good off-road practice) it's fairly easy to see where the deep bits are. And we mostly watched when someone else went through first .. ;) Also some of the climbs were a bit steep with very sharp departure angles, so again with the weight, and a tow-bar we were a bit hesitant in some areas. Again, though, it has to be said, we could have stayed much longer and still not seen all of it.

Well impressed with the place, and the organisers. CB calls for assistance were met professionally, politely and promptly, couldn't ask for more. We were pulled out within three minutes, but then we just happened to flag down a passing Defender ... ;)

Even the wife enjoyed it.

They´d want more than the 10 or so AFLérs that have turned up at previous events though.

Steve

You fixed that axle yet then?

I know you can't rush a good job but surely gold plating is a bit OTT ;-)

As for a Northern Unofficial I'd be happy to attend pending being able - this year things are very tight on the weekend availability front due to lot's of irons in the fire. Where exactly is Kirton for those of us not in the know?

For me it seem's sensible to go when they are open anyway - the next issue being to find somewhere to Camp for all with creature comforts and GS of H when we turn up in a fleet of Solihulls finest. Roll out the barrel and crank up the brazier :-) And as always to balance life out something other than Landies of interest too for those not wishing to get muddy - there are afterall some Landie owners who like shiney... I like both :-)

Lee

Don´t start - I got an earful at the committee meeting on Saturday too. Though I did acquire a 101 winch for my pains.

Look at the bloody website !

I can recommend this site

- which is about 35 minutes from the offroading place.

Steve

steve Taylor uttered summat worrerz funny about:

I've slept since that link... point taken... still none the wiser...s'pose I'll have to click on it now. :-)

Will look at that too shortly.... but definately before the axle is done :-D

Lee

On or around Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:06:04 +0000, steve Taylor enlightened us thusly:

yebbut, you could time it to co-incide with a regular playday.

freaky. as I typed "co-incide" there, the woman on the radio news said "co-incide"

I'm going to get some pics up this evening (cant do it now coz I'm on the laptop) to show more of the variety at Kirton. Its *such* a large site, though, that it'd be perfectly feasible to camp *there*, rather than a dedicated site. Obviously you'd have no power, but for those running gennies or even caravan batteries a night's stopover shouldn't cause a problem? I'm sure they'd give you access to the loos, anyway (not that they are what you'd call spiffing). I hasten to add, by the way, that I have no connection whatever with KORC - I just go as often as I can and like the place so am happy to recommend.

nullified uttered summat worrerz funny about:

We can pitch anywhere on the proviso we will still be there in the morning and not pick up a million Nails etc. I do however have sympathy for those who like a shower and camp in tents / vehicles. It's not such a fun weekend if you ming for 3 days. Not saying we ming, our caravan has a shower and heating.

It's also en easier sell for other 'alfs if there is an element of none

4x4ing ness. Mrs D is suitably brainwashed and indeed try getting the Disco keys from her, however I'm mindful others may have other 'alfs not so tollerant.

Lee