This is quite a complicated subject as the waters are quite muddy on where, and where you can not ride. The most important thing that you can do is to ensure that you are completely road legal, your bike is taxed, insured and has a valid MOT because you REALLY don't want to be associated with rogue off-road riders who completely take the mickey, riding over farmers fields on illegal MX or Mini-bikes. These people are the main reason for us legal folk getting such a hard time from the law. Right, now I have that off my chest let's try to unravel this mystery!
First we will look at Public Rights of Way.....
BYWAYS OPEN TO ALL TRAFFIC (BOAT)
These byways are, as the name suggests, open to all vehicles. In actual fact, they are simply unsurfaced roads and can vary from a gravel graded path to a complete mud bath. You will be sharing these byways with walkers, horse riders, mountain bikers and possibly 4x4 vehicles. Some are used more than others but generally, they are quiet during the week.
These tracks are marked on Ordnance Survey Landranger Maps as a series of red dots and crosses and on Ordnance survey Explorer Maps as green crosses. Be aware that these lanes have been subject to change over the years and even though it may be marked on an OS map, it does not neccessarily mean that you have a right of way. In general you should not have a problem with these lanes but if you really want to be sure, you can contact your local highways office for information.
UNCLASSIFIED ROADS (UCR)
These are slightly harder to define and some may simply be a tarmac road! These usually appear on OS maps as white roads with either a broken or solid black outline. There are many throughout the UK and some are superb routes but, as with BOATS, you can not automatically assume that you have rights of access, but in general, you can ride them.
ROAD USED AS PUBLIC PATH (RUPP)
This class of byway is subject to a lot of dispute. Up until November 2006, these were free to ride on with no problems, but then interfering do gooders decided they did not want off-road vehicles riding along these lanes (Ramblers Accociation were the main perpetrators). Without going to deeply in to this subject, the outcome was that they are wll being reclassified as Restricted Byways (see below) thanks to the governments NERC Bill.
It is the local councils responsibility to re-sign all of these byways and reclassify on their definitive maps, but, many have not done so. By the letter of the law, you are not really allowed to ride these but if the signage says Road Used As Public Path, then my personal opinion is that you should ride them - the clue is in the title (ROAD). A lot of these routes are actually ubder contention to have them reclassified as BOATS, which is good news for us.
RESTRICTED BYWAYS
You are not allowed to ride these, although many people still do. The reasoning behind continuing to ride these are because the original criteria, according to NERC, was that they have not had vehicular use in recent times (not true!) and can thus be reclassified. If people contiue to ride them and can prove that they did so before the NERC bill then they could have a case for rights of way - BUT this is a murky area and many user groups such as the TRF (see below) do not encourage useage.
BRIDLEWAYS & FOOTPATHS
Do not ride these, unless you know for certain that they have dual use as many do in Wales. You should check with your local rights of way office.
Riding in Events.....
ENDURO EVENTS
There are many enduro clubs around the country and this can be a great way of getting in to off-road riding. It is not everyones cup of tea, but if you would like to ride around on a private circuit with other like-minded people then this can be great fun. For those who want a gentle introduction to enduro events , WOR Events hold Race Experience Days (RED) where you can go and ride one of their tracks for around 3 hours, have a lunch break and then enter a mini-enduro of 1 hour. There are lots of experienced guys around the track to give you help and advice when needed, a superb introduction to the sport as well as a great opportunity to just go along and have a practice. I have listed a few Enduro Event Organisers below - just click for more info.
WOR EVENTS
CHILTERN HILLS ENDURO CLUB
TRAIL BIKE ENDURO CLUB
DIRTBIKE - TRAX
There are many, many more enduro clubs around the country so I would suggest simply doing a google search.
Joining a Club or Association.....
TRAIL RIDERS FELLOWSHIP - click to visit their website
The Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) is a good place to start but please be warned that it is 'pot-luck' if you get a good local branch. This fellowship is dedicated to fighting to keep lanes open, which is a good thing but in the past they have been shown wanting. Some groups will be very welcoming and will take you out and show you where to ride, where some other groups seem to treat it like a secret society. They have recently undergone some changes which, hopefully, we make things much better for newcomers. It costs £40 to become a member for a year.
THE GREEN LANE CREW - click to visit their website
Perhaps not the most 'politically correct' group of people in the country, this FREE club goes out of it's way to welcome newcomers. They have a very active forum on the internet and organise local ride-outs all year round as well as organising trips further afield, and even abroad. Their ethos is simply to get on their trailbikes and ride them! If you want a nice relaxed attitude to riding, then give them a try, they are more than willing to show you where you can ride in their local area.
OTHER CLUBS
There are quite a few rider groups dotted around the country including the Leicester Area Riders Fellowship (LARF). Search on Google for your local club or organisation.
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