mcupis
Member
- Posts
- 63
- Location
- Bridgeyate, South Gloucestershire
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 hadnt 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. Im not a small person and Im 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.
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 hadnt 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. Im not a small person and Im 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.