Green Laning?

[Alex225]

Just wondered if anyone on here did any green laning or off roading at all?

I'd been wanting to get into something other than just detailing and using my cars. I did have a car I was aiming to use as a track car but kids came along and that went 7 years ago. Also, track days aren't something that I'd take kids to but it seems green laning is a bit more family friendly.

Anyone here do it? I wasn't looking at doing anything too heavy duty, just pick up something cheap and fairly capable. Had my eyes on an old ML270cdi.

 

[DSM10000]

My advice is to join a local club.

Safety in numbers in case you break down or get stuck.

Clubs will also know the areas you may legally use.

Expect to be challenged by horse riders and people who just think you should not be there.

A Series Landrover is fun if you are competent at DIY and cheap to run if it buy and are very capable vehicles without complexity.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Depends on where you live . I have covered many thousand miles on green roads (they are not called lanes) I have a drawer full of OS maps from all over the country but I have given up now. It's just too easy to accidentally break the law or simply come across a locked gate (that has previously been unlocked for 50 years) due to some small local change.

I did all my miles on road legal off road motorcycles and have led small groups of like minded mates all over the place. So many B.O.A.T and R.U.P.P's have been downgraded to byways or footpaths your head spins trying to keep up with them.

The reasons are complex but it is often councils that simply do not want to pay the upkeep which they have to do because they are technically roads...not lanes. And of course it is always VERY popular with non motorised users when 4x4 and motorcycles are banned.

There is one green road that I found once that started in Wiltshire and popped out the other end in Hampshire, The Wilts side was a legal trail for me but at the (invisible) Hampshire border it became a signed Bridleway (not marked as such on my map) . I had technically ridden half the distance illegally and more importantly I could not return down the same route as I now sat at the beginning of a bridleway !

I did most of my riding before everyone was using tech to follow/check the status of route so even if your OS map was brand new the status of the route could have changed last week and (obviously) not marked on your map.

Don't quote me but I think the Hampshire/Wiltshire/Dorset area had about 1000 Kilometres of legal routes for motorised vehicles , I think that's down to about 100 K's now. Oddly that has made things worse because you are cramming the same amount of vehicles on shorter routes. I did most of my riding on weekdays and on one memorable day I saw just 3 other people walking dogs on the entire 90 Kilometre loop, hardly overcrowded .I avoided going out riding on weekends rather taking time off work to avoid the 'crowds'.

Riding/driving in big groups will attract even more hatred than the usual distain . I never took out more than 3 other riders with me , less arms and legs to break and less mechanical breakdowns to risk - I have removed the clutch assembly from a Honda XR400 in the pouring rain as it lay on its side in the mud of Strata Florida in the middle of winter because the num nuts who owned it bought it because he had heard they were 'bullet proof' ...they are , but they still need the odd oil change

Anyway , I am rambling here (see what I did there) .

If you really want to get into this join a club. Something I refused to do and I did a lot of my riding alone , not advisable and certainly not on 4 wheels , but I was a bit of a risk taker and got a kick out of it.

P.S I quote in Kilometres because OS maps are metric with one square = 1000 sq M making it easier to quote and follow grid references . Tech has that all covered now. I always had my GPS unit with me ...but I also had my maps with me.

 

[Doodle]

I used to, but after a while it got boring for a variety of reasons. There's only so many times you can drag your compatriots dead/stuck Land Rovers out of trouble with good humour (warning - don't be the only Landcruiser in a group full of green ovals. You will become the defacto rescue wagon). Keeping on top of the changes in open/closed routes became quite a mission, and as above, you'll get no thanks from anybody. Even when you've just driven the paramedics out to them in the back of beyond because their half a ton of very rare boucherie has thrown a strop and pitched them out the saddle.

I found that going to Wales or up north meant you could get some properly long routes where you could spend extended periods off tarmac, but this meant a 4hr slog to get there to start with.

 

[Tuercas viejas]

Oh green laning, a very Brit term to what is called "dirt roading" in some counties or maybe camel tracks!
To many locals it can hardly be a form of off road recreational entertainment, but rather a method of going from A to B.

Of memory in 9 months (1974) living and working in Bolivia doing altitude trials for Leyland trucks , driving an FJ40 or L/Rover Series 2a I scrounged from a Chilean, cured my romance of off roading !
Oh sorry dust laning.
Then in the ME supporting British exports' (don't laugh) driving from Baghdad to Amman to Damascus to Dammam to Akabah , then to Cairo on to to Khartoum and eventually to a one horse town called Juba on the Nile was "enough" in a Series 3 Landrover! All part of the job description supporting British exports at the behest of the cocktail swillers at the British Embassy in Cairo ! Oh Me Gawd !
Still in all that I had just a puncture outside Amman on the return trip, but looked forward to some form of civilization and a pint of Scherezade in the British Club in Baghdad, some twelve hours away past Falujah.

Now here in Colorado & up in the Northern Tier I have done some off roading up to and above10,000 ft in a Landrover Discovery 2 and an ex Swiss Army 1974 710 M Pinzgauer .
For you avid off roaders or green laners the trails await , see Wolves, Coyotes, Cougars (Pumas) the 4 legged kind ! Bears, both Brown Black & Grizzlies . Wild horses, moose, elk and white tailed deer.

Here's something to whet your whistle if you really want to do green laning, but bring a bed roll .
Yah never know who you might meet, maybe a two legged "cougar" driving Jeep on a trail, and never want to go home ! Oh me gawd !!
Tuercas viejas

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,

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Oh green laning, a very Brit term to what is called "dirt roading" in some counties or maybe camel tracks!
To many locals it can hardly be a form of off road recreational entertainment, but rather a method of going from A to B.

Of memory in 9 months (1974) living and working in Bolivia doing altitude trials for Leyland trucks , driving an FJ40 or L/Rover Series 2a I scrounged from a Chilean, cured my romance of off roading !
Oh sorry dust laning.
Then in the ME supporting British exports' (don't laugh) driving from Baghdad to Amman to Damascus to Dammam to Akabah , then to Cairo on to to Khartoum and eventually to a one horse town called Juba on the Nile was "enough" in a Series 3 Landrover! All part of the job description supporting British exports at the behest of the cocktail swillers at the British Embassy in Cairo ! Oh Me Gawd !
Still in all that I had just a puncture outside Amman on the return trip, but looked forward to some form of civilization and a pint of Scherezade in the British Club in Baghdad, some twelve hours away past Falujah.

Now here in Colorado & up in the Northern Tier I have done some off roading up to and above10,000 ft in a Landrover Discovery 2 and an ex Swiss Army 1974 710 M Pinzgauer .
For you avid off roaders or green laners the trails await , see Wolves, Coyotes, Cougars (Pumas) the 4 legged kind ! Bears, both Brown Black & Grizzlies . Wild horses, moose, elk and white tailed deer.

Here's something to whet your whistle if you really want to do green laning, but bring a bed roll .
Yah never know who you might meet, maybe a two legged "cougar" driving Jeep on a trail, and never want to go home ! Oh me gawd !!
Tuercas viejas

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,

We did a few off-road adventures in Austraila, BirdsvilleTrack, Ooodnadatta, Simpson Destert Crossing and many others . I initially towed a camper trailer as in the picture below and later replaced it with an off-road caravan. Towing something heavy makes for very instering dirt road driving. When we went to the Simpson, it rained for the first time in 15 years many bogs and detours.

 

[Chugg]

Hi @Alex225

Good replies from the other posters. If you are doing ‘serious’ green road driving/riding good to be in a club/organisation, if just pottering around no real need, just stick to the ‘etiquette’. Not sure where you are or about other councils, but here in the north of gods own, NYCC have it all online now, no real need for paper OS maps as they outdate, but good as they don’t need mobile signal to use!
I’m a member of BORDA (British Off Road Driving Association) which I can highly recommend and the training is brilliant and covers most popular off road vehicles, Toyota, Land Rover, Ford Rangers, Quads etc. all have different abilities as do the year models of the same. Not too sure of costs at my work provide it as my job involves negotiating terrain in the NY moors and dales in a Hi-Lux. I’ve taken it places you wouldn’t dream of passing on foot, and thanks to the quality training, have never got stuck. As my instructor says ‘I’ve never seen a Hi-Lux that’s got stuck, but I have seen a driver get one stuck’. Incredibly capable machines. I would recommend over Defenders as they are permanent 4WD and centre diff lock only, no front or rear diff lock, meaning they can get stuck surprisingly easy, think one front wheel and one opposite side rear wheel off the ground and your 4x4 is now no wheel drive with the two in the air spinning, and you’re going nowhere. Not sure if the new Defender has three diff locks though?
The only true 4x4 of the of the type is the G Wagon (naturally!) as it has locks for all three diffs, but as we know are expensive.
In my own time, like PetrolPete I go on two wheels. Great fun.

Link:

Spectrum Spatial Analyst

maps.northyorks.gov.uk

You can toggle the layers to just have B.O.A.Ts (byways open to all traffic) and U.C.Rs (unclassified roads) on. Vehicle need to be road legal.

Bearing in mind classifications can change and might not be updated, but I’m sure a non-motorised user will let you know when you’re there! Plan the journey and make sure someone at home knows you’re going as mobile signal can be poor in remote areas.

All in all though, it can be brill fun at not hellish costs.

 

[Chugg]

We did a few off-road adventures in Austraila, BirdsvilleTrack, Ooodnadatta, Simpson Destert Crossing and many others . I initially towed a camper trailer as in the picture below and later replaced it with an off-road caravan. Towing something heavy makes for very instering dirt road driving. When we went to the Simpson, it rained for the first time in 15 years many bogs and detours.
View attachment 113592
View attachment 113593

That looks awesome! 🏜

 

[Tuercas viejas]

Chugg
You didn't mention Pinzgauer in your narrative!
(Only the G Wagen probably having the styling of a 1970's dated filing cabin, but in fairness it did emerge once upon a time from the Gratz plant as a Mil Truck bearing Steyr Puch on it! )

Pinzgauer In 4x4 & 6x6 variants WITH locking differentials on all axles, its probably the "tops" when you need a vehicle that can act like a mountain goat.

Used by many military organizations including British Army its the closest thing to having a tracked vehicle.
(Tatra trucks share the same drive line configuration)
They, UK squaddie's experienced them back in the 80's with captured/abandoned Argentinian units in the Malvinas
Tuercas Viejas
(still have the Styer Gratz training certs in a folder dated 1971 )

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Watch a Mercedes fail against a Tara on this stuff!

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[Alex225]

Thanks for all the helpful replies and info. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go full on hardcore off roading but enjoying some 'off road' driving or whatever the term is. Also noticed there are some pay and play places fairly local to me that would be good fun.

I've found a local Facebook group and will look for a local club. Plus a friend of mine goes with another friend of his so would be good to meet up and start with the basics.

 

[Doodle]

The only true 4x4 of the of the type is the G Wagon (naturally!) as it has locks for all three diffs, but as we know are expensive.

Also a factory option on the 80 series Landcruiser, but those too are a fair sum these days.

 

[Petrol Pete]

"I've found a local Facebook group and will look for a local club. Plus a friend of mine goes with another friend of his so would be good to meet up and start with the basics. "

Good thinking and without doubt the best way . I have had a few biking friends who decided to join me after I blathered on about how great off road biking is (was) and my first motorcycle experience (before I got into the road bikes as well) was off road and I grew up riding on the loose stuff so - in my opinion - once I got on to a road bike I had all the basic skills covered.

One of my friends on the other hand came from big road bikes to off roading I was pleased when he said he wanted to buy a bike to come ride with me and I offered to help him decide on what bike was best . I was less pleased when he called me to say he had his new bike....A Yamaha WR 425F, an absolute beast of a bike for a beginner to ride but him being from the road bike world thought 425cc was a small engine

He stuck with it for a while but the task of learning the difference between dry tarmac and a water filled muddy rut while trying to pilot a bike that was not really designed to go slow soon made him give he whole thing up. I have no doubt the same applies to 4 wheels as well.

Give it a try with people who know what they are doing. It's fun.

 

[Alex225]

"I've found a local Facebook group and will look for a local club. Plus a friend of mine goes with another friend of his so would be good to meet up and start with the basics. "

Good thinking and without doubt the best way . I have had a few biking friends who decided to join me after I blathered on about how great off road biking is (was) and my first motorcycle experience (before I got into the road bikes as well) was off road and I grew up riding on the loose stuff so - in my opinion - once I got on to a road bike I had all the basic skills covered.

One of my friends on the other hand came from big road bikes to off roading I was pleased when he said he wanted to buy a bike to come ride with me and I offered to help him decide on what bike was best . I was less pleased when he called me to say he had his new bike....A Yamaha WR 425F, an absolute beast of a bike for a beginner to ride but him being from the road bike world thought 425cc was a small engine

He stuck with it for a while but the task of learning the difference between dry tarmac and a water filled muddy rut while trying to pilot a bike that was not really designed to go slow soon made him give he whole thing up. I have no doubt the same applies to 4 wheels as well.

Give it a try with people who know what they are doing. It's fun.

Yeah I'm more than happy to learn and this friend of mine appears to have got into driving off road only in the last 5-6 months but does it with a friend who drives an L200. A vehicle I've driven and was hugely impressed by in my only off-road adventure. My mate drives a Freelander but he said without low range it's really harsh on the clutch.

Funny you say that about the 425cc engine seeming 'small' to your friend. I've been seriously considering a Mitsubishi Shogun Sport which is a 2.5 diesel but only 114bhp and 177lbs-ft. Now considering my S Class isn't double the weight it has 280bhp and 470lbs-ft I can see where your friend may think it seemed a bit weedy. That said, the Shogun has low range which as I understand doubles the torque and having driven an L200 up slopes in low range without touching the throttle, it changed my opinion.

 

[Doodle]

The size of the engine is largely irrelevant, as long as it moves the car. One of the most unexpectedly capable 4x4s I've driven was a Suzuki 413, with a paltry 65hp.

 

[Deleted member 150136]

I do green laneing on a motorbike, I do enduro events too.
Been to Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria so far.

I generally ride around the NY moors, but the 4x4 crew get a bad rep as they generally ruin the ground.... A lot more than the motorbikes.
There is a camaraderie amongst the bikes and 4x4s though, but it's usually the 4x4 that get the lanes closed through the abuse they give to the tracks.

 

[Petrol Pete]

As Cab says above ^^^ On one ride I came across a closed gate and turned around to go to the farmhouse to ask why it was locked after all these years .

Bottom line was some 4x4 weekend warriors had lost control of a vehicle that slid down the hill and took out a fence . They recovered their 4x4 and buggered off without telling the farmer that the fence was down.

Hundreds of his sheep then went walkabout through the gap in the fence.

Another one I know of with the 4x4 contingent like to play is a big dip in a route where they get 'stuck' so they can use their winches to get free as a result the whole area is virtually unpassable on foot.

Anyway , enough negativity . Get out there and do it while you still can

 

[Doodle]

Realistically, if you're laning and need a winch on purpose to get out, you probably shouldn't be there.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

The size of the engine is largely irrelevant, as long as it moves the car. One of the most unexpectedly capable 4x4s I've driven was a Suzuki 413, with a paltry 65hp.

Not really - unless you are playing “offroader" 5 miles from your house. I’ve seem loads of Suziki Jimnis on beaches nipping around without a worry. However if you are doing a long trip and need to carry food, water, camping gear, extra fuel etc something a bit more powerful is needed.


Not really

 

[Doodle]

Not really - unless you are playing “offroader" 5 miles from your house.

Which by comparison to roaming the outback, covers pretty much any laning trip in the UK

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Which by comparison to roaming the outback, covers pretty much any laning trip in the UK

Sounds like a beach buggy wth a VW engine would do the trick. I recall a trip to the Okavango swamps in the 60s where 2 German guys had driven to Maun from Johannesburg (quite a trip in the 60s, miles & miles of corrugations, thick dust / sand and then bogs in the swamps) in a beach buggy.