LANING LIFE

by Lauren Eaton

Read about green laning as seen through Lauren ‘Sunshine’ Eaton's windscreen at The Green Lane Association, and find out what’s hot, or not, in the laning world each month. Enjoy!

It’s Adventure Time!

I am sat writing this at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire. It is a bit different to what I usually do, namely because as the name suggests, the event is aimed at trail riders rather than 4x4s.

I am here with the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) to talk about green lane conservation, the threats and opportunities to our hobby, and what we can collectively do to protect what we all love, whether on two or four wheels.

I have done my stint on stage today, accompanied by Steve Stout of the TRF, and a resident of Cumbria. He is currently involved in the repairs to Breast High Road and is very knowledgeable about lane projects.

Something Steve mentioned really stood out to me. He said that one of the most important things we can do to help change perceptions of us as motorised users, is to drop the defensive 'us and them' attitude, and I completely agree!

We receive a fair bit of animosity as green laners, but much of it is unfounded, exaggerated, or downright untrue. Anti-access organisations use the few examples of poor behaviour they can find, and make sure the world knows about them. It is no wonder that the general public, and even we, think that there are far more problems on the green lane network than there actually are.

One person puts a foot (or wheel) wrong, and it is all over the internet in a matter of seconds.

How many times have we seen one incident of off piste driving or someone stuck somewhere shared dozens of times on social media by other laners, let alone antimotoring organisations like GLEAM?

It paints a picture of what green laning is, and it is not a good one!

Meanwhile, while one person is stuck axle deep on Happy Valley and the photos are being shared far and wide, making it feel like the problem is far bigger than one person’s mistake. There are people repairing, clearing, and reopening lanes day in day out, and fighting legal cases on our behalf, but this news rarely travels far, and few people ever see it.

As we all know, there has been plenty of venom thrown from our own community at those who work to protect our rights. Quite frankly it can be atrocious and extremely damaging to our community. While the antis are creating their own biased narrative so are we. In fact we are handing the 'evidence' to them on a plate, and this is far more of a threat than what is actually happening on the lanes.

The vast majority of byways (BOATs) and unclassified county roads (UCRs) are used legally, responsibly, and are in a reasonable condition. The problem areas are localised to a handful of locations compared to the 20,000 (approximately) green lanes in the UK.

If the problems we share were as widespread as social media and the media in general make out, there would be countrywide outcry and understandably so. Even government commissioned assessment reports agree that problems are isolated and local rather than being widespread and countrywide.

Overall, far more money is spent on repairing non-motorised routes and the repercussions of foot traffic.

All the positive evidence is there to share, but sadly it rarely gets much attention.

Many of the problems we do have are not because of people driving off piste or irresponsibly, they are due to neglect by those who are responsible for them. Going back to Happy Valley, the issues there are not because of responsible green laners, but because of total neglect by the managing authorities. If the drainage was sufficient and maintenance was carried out, no one would be getting stuck.

While authorities continue to fail to do their legal duty, green laners are busy funding legal action and giving up their time to put their failings right.

Far from being the problem, green laners are often the solution.

What we need to do is be advocates for that work, instead of sharing the negative stories we should be shouting the positive ones from the rooftops!

This is exactly why I am at the festival this weekend, to work with other organisations to champion what we do as a community - to change perceptions, build relationships, and advocate the truth about who we are and what we do.

Having spent years travelling to where people shout the loudest against us, I have seen first-hand what really happens on the lanes, and behind the scenes at meetings as far north as Northumberland, as far south as Essex, across Wales, and in the east. While every problem will find itself in my inbox at some point, I have seen and heard far more positive stories.

Green laning and trail riding means so much to so many. I have sat with people this weekend who, after health problems or accidents, have found freedom and catharsis in being able to access the countryside as a motorist. I count myself in that group too - after cancer and other health problems a 4x4 is my way of maintaining the lifestyle I lived before ill health.

Then there are those who use their vehicles to help others, fundraise, carry out repairs, explore remote locations, deliver aid, and make the world a better more connected place.

I am in awe of the people I have met in the last few days! Extend that to the years I have been in the green laning world, and I could write a book about all the amazing positive people and stories I have witnessed.

To celebrate all that is good in the motorised world of green laning and trail riding, we have two papers that will be published to share this information, not only in our own community but with those outside it.

Instead of sharing the negative, we will be able to show who we really are and what we really do. I just hope that there is as much interest in that information as there inevitably will be about the next person who gets stuck on a mountain somewhere.

Because I have already written the papers which will be freely available to anyone who wishes to read them, there is little point in me blithering on, so let’s turn our attention to something more fun…

The Adventure Bike Rider Festival was an absolutely awesome event!

While there may be little 4x4 related stuff to mention, there were plenty of fascinating talks from overlanders, plus it gave me a chance to test out Ralph the Range Rover’s new setup.

As a green laner and overlander, I always kit out my vehicles so that I can spend either a day or many months on the road. Ralph has taken longer than most due to Covid, but I have finally completed the main elements of the build, although he is not finished yet!

On the exterior I have Radar Renegade RT+ tyres. Thanks to Julian of Beartown Tyres, I am really impressed with the Radars, they are an all-terrain/mud terrain hybrid and while they perform brilliantly off tarmac, they also have excellent road manners.

On the roof, attached to the Range Rover cross bars (available from various sellers) is the new shape Landtrekker 270º awning. The roof bars are great as they have bolts that make mounting the awning a doddle! Huge thanks to Kieron at Landtrekker for helping me fit it and for a great chinwag about all things Land Rover. The awning comes with optional side walls which I am yet to try out, but I can honestly say I was extremely impressed with the canopy, especially in the strong winds over the weekend. Overnight I have an LED awning light strip from Direct4x4.

Inside I have fitted a slide out kitchen unit from Direct4x4. The unit has three slides, a fridge slide at the top, and two worktops that can be used individually or fully extended together. The cooker station has a windbreak that can be fitted to face in either direction, and fold out legs for extra support.

On top of the slide unit is the 55ltr dual zone compressor fridge freezer also from Direct4x4. This plugs in to any 12v plug but also has the option of a battery. I have to say I am very impressed!

The capacity is huge, it runs quietly, and the battery lasts ages. It is totally multi-functional, you can set each compartment to be a fridge or freezer, or turn one off to use less electric/battery. You can also switch from high to eco mode, I have had it in eco mode and used the battery for three days and the temperature stayed constant, and my milk stayed cold! It also has Bluetooth, but I am yet to discover the benefits of this!

Beneath the kitchen under the boot floor, I have installed a second battery. I wired it into the fuse box with a wiring kit supplied by Luxury Land Rover Upgrades, along with a 1000W inverter from Sealey.

The full length of the near side is taken up by my bed. I made this from an old futon, and it lifts and folds to provide storage underneath and access to the spare if needed.

I have storage boxes and some other storage ideas still to install.

The spare wheel is also in the boot floor, I have made that accessible by creating a frame that can be lifted with the help of a couple of gas struts. When travelling the frame is bolted to the boot floor using wing knobs that can be removed by hand without the need for tools.

There is still one rear passenger’s seat in place for Celyn! I also have a Joolca Hottap2 to install for instant hot water and a shower while on my travels, although I doubt Celyn will be as excited about that as I am!

In the front there is a considerable radio set up, everything came from Thunderpole. There is a fixed T-2000 CB and a TTI-TCB-H100 handheld CB, both work off the same roof mounted antenna by way of a switch. There are also 6 PMRs in case I am out with a group who don’t have their own CBs. The tablet is a Samsung Galaxy 10.1” Tab A.

I have still got my new cast iron two-burner LPG cooker to install, at the moment I am using up my old canisters for my Campingaz single burner.

The AlpKit BruKit is always handy to take along, it boils water super quickly for a brew stop and costs less than a JetBoil. I also have an Envirofit solid fuel burning Rocket Stove.

Overall, it has worked extremely well on a test weekend at the Festival. I do need to cut my memory foam mattress from my last build down to size though as the bed is a bit too firm with just a self-inflating mattress!

I will be on my next trip before the next issue comes out. A road trip around the Highlands and islands of Scotland for an indeterminate amount of time, I’ll come back when I’m ready!

Don’t forget as a GLASS member Direct4x4 and Thunderpole offer discounts to our members along with dozens of other supportive businesses!

That’s all from me this month folks!

Happy laning and drive (or ride) safe!

Lauren & Celyn x