Off-road
Dorking Veggie Burger
To have the right to ride on unsurfaced roads in Western Europe is a luxury which needs to be treasured, and to have so much of it in England is worth preserving. It is paramount, that as much is done to promote good relations with interest groups of other byway users, such as horse riders and walkers and that priority should always be given by off-road riders to other non motorised byway users to help preserve our hobby and passion. Rather than forbidding it altoghether, which does generate tourism and tax revenue, individuals who do not abide by the law, rules and regulations, should be banned from riding off-road. Also, a total ban would not stop the illegal riders from their activities, and only encourage riding in areas where nature is at risk.
I personally never had any of the arguments with other non-motorised byway users that some other riders report of, and on one occasion I was even thanked by a group of around 50 ramblers for stopping and giving way, with the leader even coming up to me, asking where I was from, and saying I was so much better than her own people (the English). Needless to say, she had never seen me in a bad mood on a bad day.
Byways in England are almost always signposted, and easy to find on maps. Further notices urge riders to stick to the track and to limit damage caused to the environment. Going off-road in Wales is a bit more tricky, as there are rarely any notices, and even going to the council offices to establish legality of riding a certain byway proved unsuccessfull, as they themselves were uncertain.
I know this may seem drastic and draconian, but to ensure the future of our passion I am in favour of an additional reasonable "environment tax" on offroad and dual-purpose bikes, that are taken off-tarmac, and as GPS logging on all vehicles is likely to happen at some point in the future anyway, with downloads straight to the police, offenders should be caught easily. By now some of you may be cursing my typical Austro-Germanic mentality, but I can't help it, it's in my blood. And my ideas ensure you lots of happy muddy hours in the future. Enjoy!
Please consult your council and up to date maps on the legality of any of the mentioned byways, as the laws might have changed since my last visit. I accept no responsibility for anything that happens to you at these locations. I highly recommend the Ordnance Survey Landranger Maps for finding byways in your area, or consult the Trail Riders Fellowship.
