Jimny Adventures - Pt 2 - Mooch

Last month I explored some of my favourite lanes around Preston, but they were quite tame, and I had an urge to drive up to the Lake District and explore something a little more controversial - Parkamoor.

The hour spent on the M6 was a casual one, it has to be as any faster than 60mph and the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and 5-speed manual box in the Jimny becomes quite vocal, and you’ll need to turn the stereo up to 11 (I'm showing my age now, and if you got the reference, you're probably showing your age too.).

To break up the journey, after leaving the M6 at junction 36, I turned right and headed for an enjoyable little green-lane just on the outskirt of Lupton.

TW2 ref - SD5580-02 / All Terrain UK ref - CU U5372

Upon arrival the clouds were hanging low over the hills and there was a dampness in the air, and to my right as I began the steep descent to the ford at the bottom I was disappointed to see that someone had chopped down the trees and hedgerows making it look quite barren, I guess it was some sort of essential maintenance, or something.

First gear low-box is called for as you make your way down hill. It isn’t a gnarly hill, just the odd loose stone but fairly solid - I’ve driven all manner of AWD SUVs up and down this lane over the years.

Despite the recent weather the ford wasn’t as deep as it had been, so after a few posing shots of the Jimny mid ford I made myself a brew and enjoyed the serenity for 30 minutes or so before heading back on the road for Parkamoor.

Up until a few years ago, Parkamoor had the reputation for being one of the gnarliest greenlanes in the Lake District that had some really treacherous rock steps to negotiate. I only ever drove it once, and that was on the new JL Jeep Wrangler launch back in May 2019 - even in the 3-door Rubicon it was challenging.

However, with the risk of imminent closure, a local 4x4 tour company took it upon themselves to grade Parkamoor, along with other lanes in the area.

That led to an outcry from 4x4 enthusiasts nationwide who believed that you could now drive anything up it and that it had lost it’s uniqueness. The point, of course, was to make it accessible for everyone to enjoywalkers, mountain bikers, horse riders.

The first interesting section along Parkamoor is not that far from the start, it’s an S-bend that includes a few steps near the top where I had to carefully consider the Jimny’s wheel placementI really enjoying this type of green-laning

The next section of note is a narrow bit where you squeeze your 4x4 between two stone walls. It was easy in the Jimmy due to its size, especially at one point where the walls lean in slightly and there’s a protruding stone. I wouldn’t want to bring anything wide up here, not without someone to spot me!

A few minutes along and the lane widens up with a stream running to your right, and it’s on this section where I realised just how much stone they’d used to grade the lane - gone are the huge steps that created such a challenge, shame really, but needs must.

Round the tight left hand corner at the top and I was faced with another challenge, this time loose stones and deep ruts, though it wasn’t the ruts that concerned me, rather the high-centred sticky-out rocks that are strategically placed to catch the Jinmy’s diffs!

It was at this point I noticed a problem with the Jimny. Despite being a square box with great visibility, you’re sat quite low in the drivers seat, even me at 6ft2”, therefore I found myself looking across the flat bonnet as opposed to down on it, as you would, say, a Range Rover, or Defender of old. This meant I had difficulty judging how close I was to obstacles, and the aforementioned wheel placement. All part of the fun.

The higher you drive the more the lane becomes tricky as new water channels are being formed that crisscross the narrow lane.

Another section I remembered from the Jeep launch was a gnarly rock step close to another treacherous S-bend. Now it’s a mere hump and the Jimny climbed without fuss.

A little further along I arrived at another section that looked troublesome. It was an outcrop of jagged rocks that from the outset looked tricky. I jumped out of the Jimny for a closer inspection. The gnarly looking rocks would surely ground the Jimny, so again, with my head protruding out of the drivers side window careful wheel placement was required. As the front wheels climbed there was a little wheel-spin as the rear tyres scrambled for grip on the loose stones, but it was short-lived as the electronics swiftly figured things out.

Upon reaching the top I met a lone motorbike rider, and we chatted for a while about the state of the lanes whilst enjoying the stunning views of Coniston below us.

I was saddened to see signs of off-piste beginning to scar the landscape, as it looked like motorbikes are seeing one of the hills as a challenge and riding up it.

Many years ago you were legally allowed to continue and drive the entire length of the lane, these days you reach a gate at the top and turn around due to the other part being TTRO’d. (Temporary Traffic Regulation Order).

That said, as I turned around and headed back down, I had to occasionally stop and let a couple of large groups of off-road trailriders pass as they overtook me. Who knew it was okay for them to ride the entire lane with a TTRO in place?

I’ve mentioned ‘carefully considering the Jimny’s wheel placement’ quite a bit, and that’s because it has a tiny wheel and tyre combo. If I was in Deux Smurf, or a pickup, none of the steps would have caused me much bother as I would have simply driven over them. I can’t imagine I’d have the need to even engage her centre diff-lock either. In the Jimny however, due to its diminutive size and tiny wheels, it did create some welcomed challenges, and it was fun to actually think about wheel placement, and how that would take me to the next step. I’m guessing that having a triple locked 4x4 on 37” tyres can take the fun, and challenge out of a lot of lanes.

From here I headed past Hawkshead towards a lane that was blocked by a broken down 4x4 in last month’s issue, only to find that this time the entrance was again blocked by vehicles. I’m not sure whether it was intentional or pure ignorance, but it was annoying.

At this point I noticed the fuel gauge was getting low, and being a tight northerner figured I could manage to get home without putting any more fuel in. Press cars come with a full tank of fuel, but after that you have to fund the miles yourself! I have to say that I was impressed by the Jimny’s frugality, as after nearly 400 miles of on and off-road motoring, in achieved 37.8mpg, and considering my heavy right foot, that pain’t too shabby.

Despite its limitations on long open roads, keep the revs up and on tight and twisty roads the Jimny comes into its own with rock solid stability and sharp-ish steering, though you will find yourself always trying to change up to sixth gear, which doesn’t exist.

The Jimny remains a cracking vehicle, it’s just a shame it doesn’t come with Suzuki’s fantastic 1.4 litre Boosterjet engine and 6-speed auto, then it would truly be an awesome 4x4.