The end of greenlaning?
AMONG my favourite features in LRM are your greenlaning adventures, in which you explore our country’s byways and give good advice on where to drive and where to stay. I have followed a few of your recommendations over the years and made some nice memories, and encountered some nice people along the way.
But I have noticed in the last year or two a very different sort of reception from the people I meet on these lanes – some rather standoffish, others quite hostile. For me, that takes away the enjoyment of greenlaning, so to be honest I hardly go any more. After all, who wants to spend their leisure time doing something that’s likely to lead to confrontation?
The truth is that we only have ourselves to blame. There has always been a rogue element in the Land Rover and 4x4 scene that make a nuisance of themselves by driving badly, and recklessly, off-road. They are a minority, but not such a tiny minority as many people believe. In short, there are a lot of yobs with Land Rovers who go out into the countryside at weekends and make a lot of enemies among other countryside users.
I say we have ourselves to blame, because this is something the Land Rover and 4x4 clubs should have stamped out long ago. Anybody found damaging greenlanes should be banned from any club. But the unpalatable truth is that some of the worst offenders are members of Land Rover clubs. You know who you are!
I know that GLASS and other considerate greenlane enthusiasts have been working hard to build bridges, but to be honest it is too late. For 20 years or more, Land Rover and 4x4 owners have been using greenlanes as free off-road courses, deliberately getting stuck in mud, deploying winches, causing deep ruts and turning pleasant grassy lanes into churned-up no-go zones.
We are hated in the countryside, because these idiots have besmirched the reputation of
4x4s. Sooner or later, recreational 4x4s will be banned by all councils from all rights of way. I would be interested to hear what fellow LRM readers feel about this? Name and address withheld by request
The harsh reality is that there are rogue elements everywhere. All of the clubs that I have been out with have acted in a responsible manner. They have also acted when observing others who were doing damage to the lanes. As users of the lanes we should be prepared to report those not playing by the rules – Ed.