And me, and my ,mini me, youngest son, leaning on a rake,
in the East Meon Project, I'm actually hiding in the bushes,[camera shy ], That's been one our really great success stories of that area, where residents always give us a friendly wave.
Mike

Been out yesterday to find a couple of lanes in the peak district now have TROs on them

Time to join the TRF i think to keep up with the latest events

back off road wrote:Been out yesterday to find a couple of lanes in the peak district now have TROs on them

Time to join the TRF i think to keep up with the latest events

Unfortunately,as the late great Spike Milligan used to say, "there's a lot of it about".
Yes, joining the TRF is a great start, even if you only want to ride confidently in other area's, but it's also very rewarding to get involved in the redressing of the public misconceptions, widely distributed by the Ramblying community .
Mike

I can safely say that joining the TRF has been one of the best things I have done. Superb group of guys that find some of the best legal lanes, work hard to keep them open and respect other users. If you want to go off roading these are the guys to go with. On my first ride out with them I could not believe where we were riding (and it was legal!!) I would have never found half of the lanes they know.

Happy Days

do you think they would help sort out a bike hire? I might head back to the UK for a break this year -

I have an international license - ( or my Hong Kong one is valid it seems - )

unfortunately my local ( East midlands ) doesnt have an email contact.. ( might have to call him )

looked at some of the ride outs - look amazing actually!

they wouldn't, but a trawl of the internet should throw up a few companies that hire out every thing you require for a dirty day out.
Mike

fishtail wrote:do you think they would help sort out a bike hire? I might head back to the UK for a break this year -

I have an international license - ( or my Hong Kong one is valid it seems - )

unfortunately my local ( East midlands ) doesnt have an email contact.. ( might have to call him )

looked at some of the ride outs - look amazing actually!

Insurance is a big problem for private individuals with no uk address but here are a couple of companies who hire bikes and lead rides.

http://www.trailridinguk.com/

http://www.trailrides-wales.com/

Depending when you are likely to be coming over I may be able to take you on a ride but you would need to sort the insurance.

Here is a couple of vids of my last two weekends.

http://youtu.be/Phvosag4BA8

http://youtu.be/taWh9LRYfXo

Hi Eddie - yeah some cracking trails there!

thanks for the links!

some pretty good option - but not super cheap! ( i'm not far from the peak district at all )

actually at those prices I'm wondering if I could pick up a MK1 - get my bro to buy it.. and insure it..

he lives in Ashby - ( near castle donnington ) so I do sort of have a UK address I can "use"

I did fill in a MCN insurance quote form a few months ago - and looked like 150 quid for a year on a Hornet 600?''

not yet sure of the dates - I'm self emplyed so hard to predict - some time between may - september - ( ie not too bloody cold!!! )

cheers!

fishtail wrote: actually at those prices I'm wondering if I could pick up a MK1 - get my bro to buy it.. and insure it..

he lives in Ashby - ( near castle donnington ) so I do sort of have a UK address I can "use"

that would probably be the easiest (and cheapest) way of doing it - when I am back in the UK visiting I get insured on my Dads BMW R1200RT and that costs around £50 for a month (and half of that is an admin fee). The only thing that maybe a problem doing it this way is that you don't have a UK licence. Get you brother to call his insurance company and ask.

apparently if I send my license in ( HK license ) then I can transfer it to a UK one

altho I have to say I am a UK resident. - I can use either my Mums address or my Bro's - both are in Ashby as it happens...

( I am a UK citizen )

I might risk it if I was in the UK - at least have some evidence of being there- altho its supposed to take 3 weeks...

longest I spent in the UK in the last 18/19 years is probably 8 consecutive days ( been back 6 or 7 times I guess )

I sort of just want to support the TRF so when I do get back then I got somewhere to go! and hopefully they will help take legal action on behalf of gary greaves...

i met these guys at motorcycle live and promised i would join.........but havent.

I did attempt to contact my local group in the black country which meets at Cannock but got no response so lost interest.

Maybe I will try again in the new year as i would love to know where a few places I can go on my bike are.

It's worth persevering with trying to contact them I'm sure if you don't get a reply to an e mail then a phone call will get you through.
If all else fails turn up at their meeting.
Good luck.

Contact John Osland
E-mail john.oseland@blueyonder.co.uk
Phone 01902 656011
Group meeting location The Longford House, Watling Street
City Cannock
County
Post Code WS11 1SJ
Website
Info 1st Tuesday 9pm

That all makes sense - i told myself to do it, just havent got round to it!

I have just forward my email to him again to ask about next meeting. The stuff TRF does appears ideal and is what i want to join in with but I am not paying £40 if no one local goes out every so often. I would be happy with 2 rides out a year for £40, dont want much at all but if there isnt anywhere round here or no 'trf's' local (as i havent got any friends into biking), i would be a lone laner and that doesnt appeal.

I have no knowledge of your local group so cant really comment on how active they are but I will say what my experience has been.

The first meeting I went to was disappointing. I had gone there expecting to find out everything there was to know about trail riding. On reflection it was my expectation that was not realistic.
I was greeted by the chairman who spent some time talking to myself and another couple of newbies. He arranged a ride for us but I could not make it due to shift work.
Other than that I just talked to other trail riders in the room. Now I knew trail riding was for me so I continued to make the effort to go to the meetings eventually my shifts allowed me to get out on a couple of rides.
Slowly the room of strangers turned into a room of friends who I had ridden with. I realized there is no secret knowledge as it is all there on a modern OS map(not the case years ago) It is just the application of the knowledge that is so important. I also began to realize that if it was not for the work the TRF had been doing for decades there would not be any trail riding today.

By persevering at the start I have gained and continue to gain so much. Give it a go remember that everyone at the meeting will be trail riders and make sure that you pump them for the information you want. It is only the National Exec that are taught mind reading.

I was first pointed in the direction of the TRF by a member of this forum. He also told me how to find the lanes on OS maps which I now have on my phone (orux maps). I have found heaven starting 10 miles from my doorstep since! For this alone I think the £45 to help the cause is well worth it. Even if I just go on the odd ride out with them The signs Derbyshire county council put up are confusing at best. For example, I saw signs saying they will confiscate my bike at junctions. There was no sign saying which way was legal I had to resort to a map and then smile at the sign. There was one that said "If you don't want to loose your bike don't ride it off road". It felt like they was trying to scare legal riders away totally and they could have been a lot clearer you were allowed along the route you was taking.