Stupid bastards at Erlestoke yesterday

Had a really unpleasant experience while out with my wife and our three dogs yesterday at Erlestoke Woods, which is halfway between Devizes and Westbury in Wiltshire.

I used to walk in these woods all the time with my mother when I was a kid. She died recently and it had been on my mind for a while to go back and walk there – hadn’t been there for 30 years.

The woods are owned by the MOD and have a couple of pathways through them, but they are not open to vehicles and never have been. There are lots of signs up to remind people of this. As soon as we arrived a military Police Hilux appeared and we were told to be careful because there were illegal vehicles using the pathways. As we were talking two Moto X bikes appeared and the MPs disappeared off after them.

The walk was a total disaster. The woods were full of bikes and a couple of Discos and we spent the whole time dodging them. They passed close by us on several occasions not bothering to slow down or show us any consideration at all. The pathways are deeply rutted in places and verging on the impassable. We met several other walkers, many of them quite elderly, some of whom were genuinely shocked and upset.

Eventually I had had enough. A couple of bikes came up behind us and I stood in front of them, forced them to stop and made myself pretty unpleasant. I’m not a small person and I’m not afraid to get involved. We videoed them and I refused to let them pass – eventually they were forced to turn around and go back.

We took several other videos of the bikes and the Land Rovers and I have sent these to the Military Police this morning.

I love green laning in my Land Rover, and I know there are plenty of legal byways open within a few miles of Erlestoke where you can fill your boots. These idiots, through their selfishness, stupidity and arrogance, are ruining everything for all of us and they must be stopped.

post the vids on yutube and any pics on here - name and shame .

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

YouTube - mcupis's Channel

Afternoon, similar thing up here too no 4x4s but young lads on dirt bikes flying past some doing about 50mph id say. Police cant do anything as theres access to the woods from about 3 different roads.

Iv gotta 1 year old Patterdale pup which one of these idiots nearly ran over as he went flying past just wish i could have got my hands on him..

you sure it wasnt byways?

I find it funny when the MOD police and the range warden go mental even if you are driving up and down a muddy hole on a byway in the middle of nowhere on plains and say you are damaging it too much..

and then on some of the hills you see something like someone has been doing doughnuts in a tank! and the way it looks it seems like there was no porpuse for a tank to go there.... the tracks go off the main road, couple of dougnuts and then back to the main road again...

just saw your videos, yeh that definately aint byways lol

wheres the discos?

would have been fun if that MOD police had slammed into the bikers like he was pretending to do... he would be in a real ****!

Also, something I dont understand....

Why you turning guys around on that road? is it a footpath? only asking as there's a freelander that drives past, and also I think there's a Jimny there?

Turned them round because they are on Moto X bikes on a public highway. Unlicensed, uninsured, untaxed, heading for pathways they aren't allowed to use to intimidate...us.

how do you know all that?
do you know motoX bikes can be road legal? even without a front headlight? there's daytime MOT you know?

the offence they could be commiting there would be maybe riding without a plate...

filming people doing stuff is ok(ish), but blantently filming like your missus was doing, if it was with me, you wouldnt have gone home with your camera.

I'm a biker as well as a Land Rover owner JP. The bikes are a Kawasaki KX125 and a Husqvarna CR125. They are Moto X bikes, no lights, off road tyres, unregistered, uninsured and untaxed. So, if I'd let them go and ten minutes later I'd been seriously injured by one of them on the paths, what do you think would have happened?

im a biker as well, those 2 bikes can be insured, they dont require lights if they have a daytime MOT, and indicators are not a legal requirement on motorbikes, if they are present they have to work, but legaly they are not a requirement.
off road tyres... loads of land rover have off road tyres and still are road legal.

your statement of being unregistered, uninsured and untaxed has no fundament.

I see your point of filming people going through paths and being in illegal places, but filming them the way you did.....thats not right.

I don't agree, and neither does the TRF.

Malcolm,

I have been through the footage and watched the activity.

From a Wiltshire Trail Riders perspective we would disassociate ourselves completely from the motorcycles in the clips.

They appear unregistered and are clearly behaving illegally.

It is exactly the sort of action that we want to see eradicated. Our members are road legal on trail bikes and ride to a code of behaviour.

Unfortunately often the response is to call for a ban on any vehicular activity. Restricting Byways and rights of way will unfortunately not put a stop to this type of action they are not even using "footpaths"
here.

Like you I photograph the activity and send it to either the police or the council to assist. I applaud your actions here and do the same when I come across it.

Just a point on the internet - you have quite a lot of people now looking at your links. Might I suggest that a different title might be in order when you go through to them. I think we all probably agree with the sentiment but it might be wise to change it.

In Derbyshire operation Blackbrook has had the support of a group of agencies in the Peak district. Stopping, educating, ticketing etc has been very effective whilst working with the Police. I understand has worked wonders.

I think your actions might have dissuaded at least two riders from doing it again. They however did not appear to be the guy who avoided a crash.
One hopes that even he might have had a learning experience from the encounter.

Kind regards,

Don Oakley - Wilts TRF Chairman.

[JP];1416252 said:

im a biker as well, those 2 bikes can be insured, they dont require lights if they have a daytime MOT, and indicators are not a legal requirement on motorbikes, if they are present they have to work, but legaly they are not a requirement.
off road tyres... loads of land rover have off road tyres and still are road legal.

your statement of being unregistered, uninsured and untaxed has no fundament.

I see your point of filming people going through paths and being in illegal places, but filming them the way you did.....thats not right.

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all bikers are homosexuals

they say... "appear unregistered..."

you stated "unregistered, uninsured and untaxed"

As I said, the only thing you can say is they dont have license plates, the rest you can only assume.

there will always be young lads drving there moto x bikes in woods all around england, wether your allowed or not, i say leave em to it, stops em spoiling our lanes we like to drive on, them messing in woods arnt going to put tro's on greenlanes,

I am new to this forum but have been using green lanes for fun for quite a while.

Not knowing much about the correct protocol I searched for lanes and areas that I could take both my bike and the Disco and it wasn't long before I found many miles worth of great lanes that take us into some lovely countryside. As such I have enjoyed many days playing around and getting dirty.

I live near the MOD driver training area and the other day walking the dog I came across 2 trial riders which had no place being there and soon left when I got the phone out to call the MP's.

My point is simple, there are many places that you can enjoy yourself which are both legal and fun so why be inconsiderate and tare around areas that are restricted for a reason.

After all it is always the few pointless idiots that make it harder for the rest of us to enjoy the countryside on BOAT's and for this reason I would hope we would all act the same and shame them.

joe disco said:

there will always be young lads drving there moto x bikes in woods all around england, wether your allowed or not, i say leave em to it, stops em spoiling our lanes we like to drive on, them messing in woods arnt going to put tro's on greenlanes,

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:doh::doh::doh::doh:

wtf do you think it's going to do? You think all the bobblies are going to come out and say..."guess what we are not going to try to get the lanes closed because the mbikers are all on our footpaths..."

No... they are going to claim that the small brained, thick witted, ****ed up, moronic, ass shagging bum bandits that are riding their bikes on their footpaths are justification for banning all motor vehicles from the countryside.

AND

The councils will agree with them and slap a TRO on any lane they can find as quick as they can... just to show that they are doing something positive.

A lot of bike bashing going on here not much about the Disco"s:doh:

disco drivers are gay chavs

Series71 said:

disco drivers are gay chavs

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fookin hell things are a changin since when has pikey looked like a gay chav