A decent article for the BBC and it demonstrates the need to get out there and be more active in helping to maintain the green lanes as members of GLASS.

We all need to be more mindful of the councils tendencies to just close lanes as a short term solution to the problem of insufficient funding to maintain the highways. It is a shame and sadly only ramblers are the only group to rejoice in the loss of vehicular access and it is a short term win for them and a long term tragedy as these rights of way fast become overgrown and unusable to anyone.

I urge anyone reading this to join GLASS and help them as much as you can to keep our rights of way open.

https://t.co/u4lfutoAD1

Makes a change for the BBC!!!

I think so long as we choose or lanes wisely, and unfortunately, too many people don't, it would make our lives so much easier. I'm with M.G.L.S. (look up the page of FB) and we only drive sustainable routes, avoiding lanes that become wet and boggy unless the conditions are good and we're not going to cause any damage.

My membership to GLASS needs renewing, but I'd highly recommend joining. They do good work and you also get access to Trailwise - the best database of green lanes you'll find.

Some of the local lanes close for winter down here and due to this
They are not like mud runs.
If someone decides to go off piste the hidden cameras catch them out.
I can see a rambler while out on my bike & they are so up themselves. When I find 1 injured in the middle of nowhere with my landy it's the rambler who is happy to see me now.
Yes green laning has got a larger following but so has the distruction
That 1 motor can cause.
Some lanes have been lost due to this all. Some good lanes round Wales closed for good.

Living on a dead end in terms of vehicular access (the road leads to a bridalway over the fell) I only see irresponsible / illegal use, and there is no shortage of it. They come in many forms, from land rovers to balls out roll caged utvs.

Hicap phill said:

Some of the local lanes close for winter down here and due to this
They are not like mud runs.
If someone decides to go off piste the hidden cameras catch them out.
I can see a rambler while out on my bike & they are so up themselves. When I find 1 injured in the middle of nowhere with my landy it's the rambler who is happy to see me now.
Yes green laning has got a larger following but so has the distruction
That 1 motor can cause.
Some lanes have been lost due to this all. Some good lanes round Wales closed for good.

Click to expand...

Yes but we are at a point now where there was money enough but they spent it elsewhere in the good old days back round the turn of the millennium, and now the money has run out they are only too happy to close them anyways as a means of saving money, before it was to appease the bobblies, now it's because they have no cash (actually that's a lie, they just waste it on virtue signalling garbage and over paying useless w4nkers).

I would rather they just left them open or re-opened the ones they closed previously, at least if they re-opened the ones closed then there would be more choice for recreational users, there will always be numpties in the world, but by closing lawful rights of way they merely stop legal use and encourage illegal use as options are limited ever more.

Go to some lanes in Oxford area & they don't cut back the bushes. After some time these become self closed.
Council won't cut these back & people won't drive these to keep bushes at bay.
It's not just 4x4s this affects it's any thing with feet/wheels/hooves.
Each time they shut something it puts pressure on other lanes & councils.
Council will always side with foot fall as this is less damaging but these clubs do least to repairs.

Look at snowdon 1 path is ripped up & large rocks placed(with gaps)for walkers. Mountain bikers have to carry their bikes. Then walkers moan about the bikes so a voluntary bike ban is in place. This is between certain times of the day.
Trouble here is even when the bikes are permitted there are too many walkers. Even at 05.00hrs you get the idiots walking no lights on moaning about bright light on bikes.

Yes I get up early to be free of walkers/horses

Friday night rant....

The sad thing is, there'll always be idiots that ruin it for responsible users. And I don't just mean 4x4's. Ramblers, horse riders, motorcycle riders. What we could really do with is having the responsible users from all walks weeding out the irresponsible muppets!! I love driving Snowdonia, and we're always very careful as it's also very popular with walkers. One trip, we had large groups of bikers riding off piste, then using any banks etc as jumps to jump over the tracks, and generally riding faster than the permitted speed.

Horse riders should also avoid wet boggy RoW's too. I had a small disagreement with a bobblehead claiming that the damage a 4x4 leaves is danerous to everyone else. I asked what they thought of horses being ridden along there in the wet, and they felt it was fine. It was only when I explained the damage a horse does, ie punching holes in the ground which held water, whereas the tracks 4x4s use will allow some run off for the water, that he realised he was a little naive and his argument was starting to lack substance. Having grown up near the Cotswolds, I loved walking with my family and our dog, but hated areas where horses had left their holes in the ground, then when the ground was hard due to heavy frosts, it was lethal!! More chance of spraining or breaking an ankle there than any of the 'ruts' left by 4x4's.

I think with some proper education, for all groups, it would lead to more positive relations. Like Hicap Phil said, the ramblers are glad to see us 4x4 drivers when THEY need US or when it suits them, yet are happy to drive us away when they feel it.

Sheer laziness on behalf of councils, 100hp tractor, flail hedge trimmer, tow along grader, trailed vibrating roller could fix 95% of all lanes, buy one, employ a decent bloke to use it and crack on.

It's not rocket science!

@dieseldog69 you up for green laning in Wiltshire bank holiday Monday?

Hicap phill said:

@dieseldog69 you up for green laning in Wiltshire bank holiday Monday?

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That sounds pretty cool

Incoming PM