Who do I ask? Where do I find?

in article snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Mr.Nice. at snipped-for-privacy@-nospam-clara.co.uk wrote on 20/1/04 9:39 am:

First place to have a look at is the GLASS website.

A copy of the Ordanace Survey map for your area is also needed - the yellow one if I remember correctly - this should have the Byways marked on, but again the definitive map needs to be looked at before hand as some of them may have their use changed to bridleway or even footpath.

Another one to try is the local Land Rover club as they ususally have a Right of Way person who has done all the work looking at the maps and probably has a fairly up to date list.

Twas Tue, 20 Jan 2004 14:06:07 +0000 when Nikki Cluley put finger to keyboard producing:

righty ho.

I hadn't thought of that..

I have OS maps but that only shows what's there, not their current state/class of use. I'd hate to go somewhere that pi**ed people off.

Another great Idea ;o)

Thank you Nikki..

-- Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.) ___________________________________________________________ "To know the character of a man, give him anonymity" - Mr.Nice.

Buy the OS maps covering the area you are interested in. Ring up local council and arrange to visit their definitive rights of way maps. Copy info onto your OS map. Job done, but comply with any TRO signs you find at the start of lanes.

Don't go alone, do have recovery equipment and tread lightly! :)

in article snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Mr.Nice. at snipped-for-privacy@-nospam-clara.co.uk wrote on 20/1/04 2:21 pm:

That's OK.

On or around Tue, 20 Jan 2004 14:21:14 +0000, Mr.Nice. enlightened us thusly:

a commendable attitude - there are too many people going where they please and pissing people off in the process, to the detriment of us all.

The county council for the area concerned should have definitive maps showing where vehicular rights of way are.

but beyond that, consider the state of the ground when you get there, and if it looks like by driving it you'll cause lots of damage, don't.

The situation with greenlanes is an ongoing and very emotive thing - everyone seems to have their own axe to grind and 'most everyone is keen to pass the buck or the blame to someone else, in some fashion.

what's needed IMHO is a change of attitude by many of the green-lane users from "it's our right to be here, and the council should maintain it if it's in bad condition" to, dare I say it, a more responsible approach. There are in some areas some very good groups who *are* doing this, and I applaud their work, they help maintain the lanes rather than just using them and complaining that the council won't maintain them, to the benefit of all. Sadly, in other areas, there are the types who carry on regardless, and in all too many cases this ends up with the lanes being closed, as is about to happen to one in this area, which, it now transpires, the council has "discovered" doesn't have vehicle rights after all. Until the said lane got over-used to the point of near-destruction, I doubt the council were even aware of it - but the people (and one organisation features prominently) who have done the damage have pissed off the locals, who have complained, and now the inevitable has happened.

I'm all in favour of keeping these old byways open, and of preserving vehicular rights where appropriate, but the plain fact is that we should regard these rights as a privilege rather than a right, and act accordingly.

Hear hear - well said that man! I do quite a lot of laning, and spend a lot of time delivering to land owners, some of whom have lanes crossing their land - I also make a point of talking to farmers etc if I come accross them while driving lanes. I would say their top complaint is noise and speed. Just imagine what happens when someone goes tearing past a milking shed at milking time - all those cows in stalls and then someone goes by revving the nuts off their more-or-less un-silenced V8 - the results are at the very least messey, and can easily lead to animals harming themselves. The same applies at this time of year to animals being kept inside. Also at this time of year, it might be amusing to chase those silly sheep out of the way, but there is a good chance they will be about to lamb, and causing them to abort is not going to impress anyone! Being nice and quiet and trundling along slowly does impress - it really does.

I spent a day out with another group a couple of years ago who all had tricked-up Land and Range Rovers with all the toys. It was the most embarassing day I've ever had off-road - their macho tyres ripped up the ground, the V8's were being revved mercilessly and all their motors suffered serious damage. My mate and I just pootled round nice and quietly in my 88 with Michelin OR's (very tame tread) and followed then everywhere, with no problems, no mad wheel spinning, no red-lining, a lot more quickly and with a lot less noise and damage to the lanes and off-roaders reputations - and no damage to our vehicle and a hell of a lot less fuel used! At one particular point they spent an hour of furious revving and wheel spinnig, which must have been audible for miles, getting three motors up a hill - It took us three attempts, with no revving at all, to get up - a bit embarrassing, as I've been up there dozens of times without stopping!

If I want a day out giving my motor some gyp, I go to an off-road day or a trial, if I want to go laning I do just that, and keep my foot off the accelerator, not least because I want to keep being able to do so.

I was thinking about buying some land a while back that had a lane going over it. It was pretty rutted (farm trafic!!) and it certainly changed my thinking about lanes when I realised just how much work, and money, would be required to maintian that lane - and then do it all again next year.

Richard