UK green lanes / off road routes to follow

I'm sure this has been asked lots of time before, but.....

Does anyone know of a good repository of UK green lanes?
I have a couple of my own now, but I am finding that quite often what seems to be legal on the map is not legal on the ground.

Incidentally, Heading to the Pyrenees in Sept if anyone has good routes for that...

Thanks

Douglas

Have you tried the TRF?

-Simon

Hi Douglas,

I ride lanes mainly in Wiltshire but open to other suggestions if you're looking for anyone to ride with.

Also off to the Pyrenees in September (14th - 25th) with the XR, a friend on a KTM450 and a friend in a big ex military 4x4.

James

thanks Simon.. TRF look like a great organisation - I'd not heard of them before.

James... I'd head down that way if you know some good trails !!

Great - I'd be up for something closer to London too. Surrey/Kent way perhaps. In in SE26.

I hope you guys are aware of the NERC bill that passed through parliament in 2006. that bill closed 70% of the green lanes throughout England. The TRF local to where you want to ride should point you in the right direction. they would rather you were a member though.

Of course. In fact I started green laning in 2007 :)

Using up to date maps and keeping an eye out for TROs is the way I do it.

I've joined the TRF ! :)

Not had a chance to look though the database of routes yet though...

I wanted to go to Leith hill in dorking on sunday but have no one to go with.

Only been there once and it was mostly flat off road and mud.

If your in the Home counties area try this mob;

http://www.thegreenlanecrew.co.uk/

That's a good start. Get out to your local group and, most important, make yourself known and join in. Some groups can be a bit wary of newcomers because everyone and his/her brother seems to be against motorized off roading. You could be a spy!! :eek1

Tim you need to get to the other side of guildford if you are looking for more intresting and technical routes
myself and some friends have big loops we do. 130+ miles with not a lot of road work .

just get the os maps out and start riding thats how we did it.

I have found that the maps are not always accurate.
It seems that identifying rights of way is difficult becuase they are embedded in common law and as such not really documented anywhere (accessible).

I'm up for rides in the Leith hill area, just drop me a PM.

Douglas

KCC have a good online map of byways etc.

http://extranet7.kent.gov.uk/explorekentgis/map.aspx

They try and keep it up to date with latest TRO's. If you click on a lane it will give you the info.

Some sections are now getting permit only status and the Police do go up and check.

2 notable ones are Pilgrims Way past Lenham Cross and Breadhurst Woods.

Green lanes - one advantage in living so close to Salisbury Plain. I was out on my XR on Sunday with a mate and did 50 miles and saw no tarmac (lots of ice and frozen mud which feels like concrete when you come off, I've a cracked rib to prove that)

Mate I'd be keen to do some exploring with you. Arm ourselves with some maps and see what we can find.

I'm in London on an unchristened Triumph that's begging to see some hills / mud / gravel.

Drop us a line if you're keen.

Which part of London are you - get down to Kent, there's plenty down here, just waiting for some better tyres before I get too adventurous on my XC......... are you on standard road tyres too?

I'm in Stockwell (south west London). Yep I'm in the same boat as you running the standards at the moment but switching to knobbies next week.

I'll drop you a PM when I can get down that way and gee up a ride if you're keen?

Back to the OP, I've found www.trailwise.org.uk to have a good database covering all of the UK. Quality varies from county to county as it depends upon user input to stay up to date with TROs and changes in local conditions. You'll need to belong to TRF or another participating group to have access to all details. I'm loading up promising routes in Essex, Herts, Suffolk, and Cambridge, checking them against on-line Definitive Maps of the County Councils, then checking the regional discussions on the TRF forum, then riding out to see what I find, then sharing that knowledge backon Trailwise. That's the plan, anyway.

Hi Douglas



Here you prepare offroad routes through the Pyrenees www.motostrailadventure.com

Regards