What's the crack with this Green Laning lark??

OK so I am a self confessed Land Rover nut and love driving off-road. After
a few goes round pay-and-play sites I got sick of paying & decided to try a
bit of laning. Bought a copy of memory-map and got a stack of overlays
showing the locations of 'Green Lanes' around west/North Yorkshire. Set off
this morning for a jaunt and decided to head up to Ilkley as there looked to
be loads of routes across the moors to Blubberhouses, guess what? Every
bloody one had a freshly erected TRO sign at it's entrance :-( so thanks Mr
Blair, the Ramblers, NERC and the rest of the tree hugging
do-gooders.......................

Moved on to Otley and found an entrance to a lane which looked as though
no-one had driven it for years so decided not to try it, particularly as the
GPS co-ordinates on my TomTom didn't match any of those on my PDA
memory-map!

Why is it so damn difficult? Finding any lanes that I can legally drive
looks like it's going to be hard-work!!!

Andy

[1989 V8 90 CSW]

On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:27:55 +0100, "Andy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Why is it so damn difficult? Finding any lanes that I can legally drive
>looks like it's going to be hard-work!!!

Join GLASS or a local Land Rover club.


--
Coming quite soon:
http://www.ulrc.net

On 2006-06-20, Andy <[email protected]> wrote:

> Moved on to Otley and found an entrance to a lane which looked as though
> no-one had driven it for years so decided not to try it, particularly as the
> GPS co-ordinates on my TomTom didn't match any of those on my PDA
> memory-map!

First of all, best go out with someone else, if you get stuck on a
lane then you could end up with at best a long walk to get help, or at
worst, injured and trapped with an indefinite wait for help. It can
be rather easy to get stuck on a lane, many have deep ditches on one
or both sides that some people seem to be particularly adept at
driving into, and once you're in, it's hard to get out.

When driving a lane for the first time, best to take 3 capable trucks
with decent tow points and recovery gear, don't go out with you and
two road-going 4x4s as if you need pulling out then you'll want
something that can pull.

Mud can be tested for depth by walking it in wellies chopping through
the surface with a spade, if it doesn't chime on hard ground
underneath then think about not driving it, but turning round can
often be very hard.

As for finding them, Memory Map, OS maps and so on can be useful but
bear in mind that they are out of date, often by many years, so can
lead you down something that is no longer legal to drive, especially
with this new NERC bill.

As for co-ordinates not matching, figure out which one is right by
driving to an easily identifiable point on a map, e.g. a 5-road
junction, and seeing which one indicates the right point.

> Why is it so damn difficult? Finding any lanes that I can legally drive
> looks like it's going to be hard-work!!!

It is hard work to do it legally, which is why so many don't bother
and just go haring all over the place and then wonder why a farmer
charges them £100 to pull their pride and joy out of a ditch!

As Martyn suggests, a good starting point is to join GLASS so you at
least add to the recognisable numbers of legitimate lane users, and to
try and find a decent local club. Beware of clubs who just go out to
get muddy, try and find one that also organises lane clearances and
does (or used to do) research days. Such clubs tend to be very
helpful when it comes to finding legal lanes, many of which are either
not marked on maps, or are marked as brideways instead of BOATs etc.

Also beware of signs erected by local councils reading "byway",
"brideway" etc, as these are also sometimes incorrect..

Your local council records office should have what's known as a
"definitive map" that lists the rights on routes in the area. To
register with a records office you'll normally need to take some ID
along, e.g. passpord, utility bills etc. You can usually take pencil
and paper in but not pens. Take a laptop with memory map or your OS
maps in and annotate them to match the definitive map. You can also
sometimes call the local council rights-of-way officer to get some
pointers, although some can be rather unhelpful.

Just because you have a right to do something doesn't mean that the
local council won't stand in your way of doing it ;-)

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

"Ian Rawlings" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2006-06-20, Andy <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> As Martyn suggests, a good starting point is to join GLASS so you at
> least add to the recognisable numbers of legitimate lane users, and to
> try and find a decent local club. Beware of clubs who just go out to
> get muddy, try and find one that also organises lane clearances and
> does (or used to do) research days. Such clubs tend to be very
> helpful when it comes to finding legal lanes, many of which are either
> not marked on maps, or are marked as brideways instead of BOATs etc.
>

Thanks for the tips guys, I have an application form to join GLASS but the
lanes I have marked on memory-map are from GLASS! Seems as though it will
take plenty of planning and a trip to the council offices to check the
definitive map before any trip, which kind of defeats the object for me.

There are quite a few clubs around but most seem to run trips at weekends,
whereas I have more free time mid-week so despite the obvious risks this
usually means going it alone with plenty of self-recovery gear (winch,
ground anchor, ropes, waffles etc.) I am not afraid to turn back if the
going gets too tough and often have

Andy

On 2006-06-20, Andy <[email protected]> wrote:

> Thanks for the tips guys, I have an application form to join GLASS but the
> lanes I have marked on memory-map are from GLASS! Seems as though it will
> take plenty of planning and a trip to the council offices to check the
> definitive map before any trip, which kind of defeats the object for me.

No real need to check the DM before every trip, just keep an eye on it
from time to time, lanes don't change status that often. Records
offices are usually open at the weekends for half the day, depends on
the council, so get yerself down there and mark your maps up and
you'll be better prepared than most.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:04:28 +0100, "Andy"
<[email protected]> scribbled the following nonsense:

>"Ian Rawlings" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On 2006-06-20, Andy <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>> As Martyn suggests, a good starting point is to join GLASS so you at
>> least add to the recognisable numbers of legitimate lane users, and to
>> try and find a decent local club. Beware of clubs who just go out to
>> get muddy, try and find one that also organises lane clearances and
>> does (or used to do) research days. Such clubs tend to be very
>> helpful when it comes to finding legal lanes, many of which are either
>> not marked on maps, or are marked as brideways instead of BOATs etc.
>>
>
>Thanks for the tips guys, I have an application form to join GLASS but the
>lanes I have marked on memory-map are from GLASS! Seems as though it will
>take plenty of planning and a trip to the council offices to check the
>definitive map before any trip, which kind of defeats the object for me.
>
>There are quite a few clubs around but most seem to run trips at weekends,
>whereas I have more free time mid-week so despite the obvious risks this
>usually means going it alone with plenty of self-recovery gear (winch,
>ground anchor, ropes, waffles etc.) I am not afraid to turn back if the
>going gets too tough and often have
>
>Andy
>

If they are from the Wayfinder project there is a disclaimer stating
that you should check the routes are legit. Some people use the
Wayfinder Project for driving, others use it as a research tool for
discovering ancient rights of way.

If you join GLASS, you may find many people actually go laning during
the week when it is quieter (eg the retired etc). I never greenlane
alone, even on routes I know like the back of my hand. For example,
you get a puncture, start changing the tyre, car falls off the jack
because the ground is soft and soggy, lands on you. Who is going to
go get help????

Having said that, I am the Finance Director for GLASS, so my views may
be slightly biased ;-)
--

Simon Isaacs

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote"
George Jean Nathan (1882-1955)

ROT13 me....

I only ever seem to go laning by myself, but the lanes down here in
Hampshire (we do have a few left post NERC) are generally fairly tame.

I tend to drive most lanes during the week (on the way back from business
meetings!) and it is very rare to bump into anyone at all whilst I am doing
this. I deliberately do not organise trips as keeping to the '4 vehicle'
rule is difficult but I do encourage everyone to go out and explore the
lanes themselves or in small groups. I find a good old fashioned OS map
works a treat.

--
Patrick

GLASS Area Rep for Hampshire

"Simon Isaacs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:04:28 +0100, "Andy"
> <[email protected]> scribbled the following nonsense:
>
> >"Ian Rawlings" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> On 2006-06-20, Andy <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> As Martyn suggests, a good starting point is to join GLASS so you at
> >> least add to the recognisable numbers of legitimate lane users, and to
> >> try and find a decent local club. Beware of clubs who just go out to
> >> get muddy, try and find one that also organises lane clearances and
> >> does (or used to do) research days. Such clubs tend to be very
> >> helpful when it comes to finding legal lanes, many of which are either
> >> not marked on maps, or are marked as brideways instead of BOATs etc.
> >>
> >
> >Thanks for the tips guys, I have an application form to join GLASS but
the
> >lanes I have marked on memory-map are from GLASS! Seems as though it will
> >take plenty of planning and a trip to the council offices to check the
> >definitive map before any trip, which kind of defeats the object for me.
> >
> >There are quite a few clubs around but most seem to run trips at
weekends,
> >whereas I have more free time mid-week so despite the obvious risks this
> >usually means going it alone with plenty of self-recovery gear (winch,
> >ground anchor, ropes, waffles etc.) I am not afraid to turn back if the
> >going gets too tough and often have
> >
> >Andy
> >
>
> If they are from the Wayfinder project there is a disclaimer stating
> that you should check the routes are legit. Some people use the
> Wayfinder Project for driving, others use it as a research tool for
> discovering ancient rights of way.
>
> If you join GLASS, you may find many people actually go laning during
> the week when it is quieter (eg the retired etc). I never greenlane
> alone, even on routes I know like the back of my hand. For example,
> you get a puncture, start changing the tyre, car falls off the jack
> because the ground is soft and soggy, lands on you. Who is going to
> go get help????
>
> Having said that, I am the Finance Director for GLASS, so my views may
> be slightly biased ;-)
> --
>
> Simon Isaacs
>
> "Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote"
> George Jean Nathan (1882-1955)
>
> ROT13 me....

Andy wrote:
> "Ian Rawlings" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> On 2006-06-20, Andy <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>> As Martyn suggests, a good starting point is to join GLASS so you at
>> least add to the recognisable numbers of legitimate lane users, and to
>> try and find a decent local club. Beware of clubs who just go out to
>> get muddy, try and find one that also organises lane clearances and
>> does (or used to do) research days. Such clubs tend to be very
>> helpful when it comes to finding legal lanes, many of which are either
>> not marked on maps, or are marked as brideways instead of BOATs etc.
>>
>
> Thanks for the tips guys, I have an application form to join GLASS but the
> lanes I have marked on memory-map are from GLASS! Seems as though it will
> take plenty of planning and a trip to the council offices to check the
> definitive map before any trip, which kind of defeats the object for me.
>
> There are quite a few clubs around but most seem to run trips at weekends,
> whereas I have more free time mid-week so despite the obvious risks this
> usually means going it alone with plenty of self-recovery gear (winch,
> ground anchor, ropes, waffles etc.) I am not afraid to turn back if the
> going gets too tough and often have
>
> Andy


I dont think there are that many round here anyway Andy, but I'm up for trying to find some with you.
Need to get a few bits of kit first, but I'll give it a go!

The P38 is surprisingly good off road!

Nige

--

Subaru WRX
Range Rover 4.6 HSE (The Tank!)

We might be going on a summer holiday, the Greece Ball rally!!!!