Spring 2019 TRF Trail Magazine

Spring 2019

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship

PARK RANGER

Buxton’s best: We ride the Gas Gas EC300 Ranger

The Great Escape Issues leading up to the 2019 AGM How to get more involved with the TRF Adventure Bike Rider Festival preview Training, learning and safety Advanced riding skills Rural crimewave – Trail Riders can help

Holiday Special Escape to Nepal, Spain, France and err... Yorkshire

THE TRF TEAM TRF Chair & Marketing Director: Mario Costa-Sa mario@trf.org.uk 07721 480000 After 4pm please unless urgent Conservation Director: Dave Carling dave.c@trf.org.uk 07586 325260 Financial Director: Michel Sabatier finance@trf.org.uk 07801 187304 Police Liaison & TRF Governance Director: Stuart Bosworth stuart.b@trf.org.uk Heritage Director: Steve Neville steve.n@trf.org.uk Membership Director: Carla McKenzie carla.m@trf.org.uk Safety & Northern Area Director: Doug Cartwright doug.c@trf.org.uk Technical Director: John Vannuffel john.v@trf.org.uk 07730 796215 Training Director: Chris Barrable chris.b@trf.org.uk TRF Membership PO Box 4829 Shrewsbury SY1 9LP Membership Secretary: Sharon Connor sharon@trf.org.uk 07958 316295 IT: Adrian Allen web@trf.org.uk Equestrian & Events Liaison: equestrian@trf.org.uk TRF Learning Platform: learning@trf.org.uk Press: pr@trf.org.uk Creative Communications & Website Editor: Greg Villalobos greg@trf.org.uk Advertising: Charlie Harris charlie@trf.org.uk 07768 855019 Editorial: Rick Kemp rick@trf.org.uk 07941 233777

Editorial Well, iT’s been a pretty busy first quarter of 2019. Motorcycle Trade expo cleared the Christmas cobwebs in mid-January. At this trade-only event i wore two hats (very fetching): the TRF was represented in The Knowledge shop, where the motorcycle trade seeks information on everything from the finer points of employment law to the practicalities of e-tailing old stock; i was also there working for the major sponsor, the trade publication british Dealer news.

The event is a very good sounding board for the industry and the sales stats make interesting reading. Okay, January isn’t the best month for motorcycle sales but seeing KTM (all models) at number two was surprising (589 bikes sold). Moving on to the year-on-year figures by category, Trail/enduro was the second biggest improver at 17.9% with the Husqvarna Te300 being the best seller. The top category was Adventure sport, up 18.4% on 2018, with the Honda CRF1000 taking the honours. so there you have it, Adventure/Trail between them completely creamed the competition.

A month later the MCn london Motorcycle show was here again. TRF was represented in the Adventure Playground, all set up and staffed by volunteers. My main purpose at the show was to introduce the newest member of the Trail Team, Charlie Harris, to anyone who’d have him on their stand. Charlie will be helping to fill the Trail coffers with advertising revenue. He and i go back a long way both in magazines and off-road riding where Charlie is a bit of a legend. nowhere was this more apparent that at the Classic Dirt bike show, Telford, held on the same weekend as the MCn show but put on by a rival publisher so we shouldn’t be surprised. everywhere we went at the Telford show people were coming up to Charlie and shaking his hand. He was signing books too – see photo, which shows Charlie with Dave Gittins, Classic MX de nations manager and journalist.

We left Telford for buxton, where we had a date with a Gas Gas Ranger – see page 52 for the full story. We intend to do more bike appraisals this year as we’ve acquired the use of some land in sunny surrey, where we hope also to be running some rider training classes for novices and improvers. We’ll let you know on trail.trf.org.uk how this develops.

There are a lot of important topics covered in the Directors’ Reports in this issue – so no skipping pages. This year’s AGM will be held at the Wessex Wanderer event on 11/12 May at Calne, Wiltshire. see you there

Rick Kemp rick@trf.org.uk Trail is published quarterly and is designed and produced by Rick Kemp Media Services, for the Trail Riders Fellowship.

The TRF is registered in England & Wales No.05884933 Registered Office, 218 The Strand, London WC2R 1AT. All advertising enquiries should be sent to charlie@trf.org.uk The views expressed by individual members in Trail are not necessarily those of the Trail Riders Fellowship.

CONTENTS

SPRING 2019 Issue #7

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship 03 Directors’ Report: Loads of really important stuff affecting the TRF’s future 30 Situations Vacant: Your Fellowship needs you 34 Green Road Mapping Project: A call for cartographers 36 Village People: The TRF at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival 38 Obituary: The Isle of Wight Group’s ’Mick’ Holbrook remembered 40 Group Map: All the contacts for TRF Groups in the UK 42 Crossover Benefits: Advanced training applies equally to on and off-road skills 46 Keep ‘em Peeled: How we can help spot rural crime 52 A Quick Leg Over a… Gas Gas EC300 Ranger 60 The Great Escape: It’s not all gun towers and barbed wire 66 Getting High: The roof of the world on Enfields 72 French Fancy: Centre Trail has a certain Gallic charm 78 Plaster Casters: An unlikely liaison between Wiltshire and Mid-Wales 84 You Can’t Beta the Winter Sun: Perhaps you can with Spanish Enduro Trails 90 Tall Trail Tales: A bit of light relief – you’re nearly at the end 94 Strata Florida 50 Years On: That about sums it up 96 Friends of the TRF: Member benefits from those who support us

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Cover and contents pics: Gas Gas, Paul Blezard and Steven Taylor

Directors’ Report Chairman Mario Costa-Sa is looking forward to a new-look AGM and more member involvement for 2019

Leadership of the TRF We have started to prepare for our AGM in May which will kindly be hosted by Wilts TRF at the Wessex Wanderer event.

In the past, finding volunteers for a role on the board has always been a challenge the TRF has struggled with. Of the current highly-productive board of nine it is only normal that a few decide that they have “done their bit” and wish to step down.

We are likely to have three vacancies this year and we have reached out early and openly through the TRF Groups and to all members by Trail magazine and invited interest from members interested in becoming a TRF Director.

I am pleased to say we had around 20 TRF members attending the Directors

Pic by: J Bentman

WITH A WARM spell of weather arriving early this year, it has been good to see so many members getting out on their bikes and on the trail.

This issue of Trail magazine focusses on the import subject of Training. In addition, you will read about progress to record levels of productivity on Membership, Rights of Road cases, Marketing and Partnerships as well as updates on our Financial position and Heritage and, most importantly, a new Safety programme to back up all that we do in the TRF. Underpinning this is the work of members who volunteer to become Group officers and Directors, giving thousands of pounds worth of their time in addition to their membership fee, and without which the TRF would not progress.

Training and Strategy workshop in March of which around nine we believe are serious about becoming TRF Directors for the future.

It will be good in future years, to give the membership a choice in its leaders that will direct the TRF in the coming years. It is not too late to put your name forward as a TRF Director and bring your drive for change to the TRF Board. Contact us now to take this forward.

Democracy in the TRF The AGM is also an opportunity for members to propose resolutions and vote on them. We have started to work on the resolutions that will govern the TRF and its direction over the year and further ahead. If you are interested in proposing resolutions for the AGM, please let the Directors know now so we can get the right support engaged for your propositions and communicate them to members.

Sustainability The TRF runs on around £3m on volunteer time donations against £230k of income through subscriptions. The goal would be to increase this to £500k of income and £500k

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of reserves to match our productivity in Rights of Road and Road Conservation work.

This is unlikely to be achieved through membership fees alone and we need to seek new areas of income.

With the TRF firing on all cylinders and reaching record levels of performance, succession planning and ensuring that the TRF continues as a viable, standalone organisation, without being excessively burdensome to a few volunteer individuals, is very much on the agenda. A few changes may be required to achieve this goal in the future.

Structure of the TRF With the recent change in our approach – and after over 10 years as a limited company – Directors have discussed whether a limited company remains the best structure for the TRF. There are a range of options that the directors discuss to keep our structure appropriate to our strategic aims. Rest assured any structural change will not happen without full consultation with the membership and voting at a future AGM. I believe any major change to structure to be highly unlikely for a few years.

Governance TRF governance has also seen a transformation in recent years. There has been a notable change right from the top of our organisation and includes the way Directors understand their obligations and conduct themselves, to the way riders are expected to behave on the trail and on social media. The training at the March Directors Strategy and Training meeting focusses on the compliance obligations of a company director and was termed “outstanding” by one TRF member participant who openly came to the meeting, to understand how to progress their own larger organisation as well at the TRF. This is also the appropriate place to thank the Honorary Directors and TRF members who directly support the TRF board.

Amongst others, these include Jonathan Dingle, Stuart Metcalfe and Andrew Dalton.

We would especially like to thank White Dalton motorcycle Solicitors for their generous donation of the Kawasaki KLX250 raffle prize that has helped the TRF reach out to non-trail bike owning members and non TRF members and engage in their support for the TRF’s work.

TRF Insurance THE INSURANCE SCOPE for 2019 has been modified and cover renewed.

The main Insurance scope changes for 2019 is V10.0 from previous V9.0 scope used in 2018 Key changes include: Section 5 Social responsibility in the community – assisting authorities Section 9 Road Conservation - Addition of electronic Green Road Map Section 11 TRF Professional Services to other organisations Section 12 Addition of “Group Officers” to insurance scope as well as “volunteers” Section 13 Land & Property owned by the TRF

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Domestic power tools e.g. strimmers & hedge cutters are covered where permissible.

Please note that cover for use of chainsaws must be renewed annually for named individuals with the appropriate certificate.

For further information Groups Officers should contact Dave Carling dave.c@trf.org.uk For proposed amendments for next year, 2020, please go directly to Dave as soon as possible as discussions with the insurers will be in November 2019 and cover renewed in December.

Engagement through meeting around Riding Events Last year we successfully started a move towards engaging members in meetings around riding events, and we look forward to riding with many of you at this year’s AGM in May – around the Wessex Wanderer. Many TRF members are also Adventure Bike Rider (ABR) subscribers and last year around 25 TRF members assisted ABR with ride outs.

Building on this success, Alun Davies,

publisher and founder of ABR has volunteered to assist the team, led by TRF Directors Steve Neville and Carla McKenzie, in the TRF’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2020, and take us to a new level of TRF member engagement. More details for the ABR 2019 festival and the opportunity for TRF ride leaders are in this magazine, and I look forward to seeing many TRF members at the ABR event later this year.

Countryfile North AS PART OF our push to connect with potential trail riders and connect with our stakeholders in the North we would like to have a significant presence at the Countryfile Live show at Castle Howard on 15-18 Aug 2019 and possibly the Great Yorkshire Show on 9-11 Jul 2019.

The event is described as a spectacular summer day out as BBC Countryfile Live comes to one of Britain’s finest stately homes, Castle Howard, for the first time.

Countryfile is one of Britain’s most loved TV programmes and, having celebrated its 30th birthday in 2018, is still attracting over 5-million viewers each week. Since 2016, BBC Countryfile Live has proved to be highly popular with its fans, which is why in 2019 the event is heading to Castle Howard, the widely recognised filming location of Brideshead. The 1,000-acre site

will host the event’s attractions including the Equine Arena, the Wildlife Zone and of course, The Craven Arms Pub Garden!

The event will embrace its Yorkshire setting, celebrating the British countryside, so why not come along and get your Countryfile fix!

We are pleased to have found a volunteer Project Manager- Jo Johnston for the event and will shortly be looking for volunteer to staff the stand.

This is a great opportunity to be on the inside at these great events and meet with many people who can help or potential hinder our pastime. Anyone who is interested should contact Doug Cartwright doug.c@trf.org.uk for further details.

As John F Kennedy might have said. “Ask not what the TRF can do for you but what you can do for the TRF”.

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Directors Strategy and Training Weekend THERE HAS BEEN an excellent response to the call for nominations for the Directors Strategy and Training weekend. Eighteen TRF volunteer members responded and we had over 24 members attend this meeting.

The TRF mission is the Conservation of Green Roads, and to do that we need to have “influence”. As part of that one of our objectives is to double our size and to seek additional means of funding. The TRF needs to develop progressive ideas which in turn require us to examine our organisation structure.

To move the TRF forward requires new directors and leaders with a wide range of experiences and skills to come forward. In addition, it is only natural that any organisation has members and leaders who will step down. It is critical that our organisation has an active succession plan which identifies and prepares our future directors and leaders The strategy and training weekend held in March was intended to involve all directors and prospective directors and individual members who play a key role in our fellowship.

The aim of the meeting was to: Allow the current Board to review progress over the past year and prepare for the challenges ahead. Review the strategy of the TRF, the programmes and operational responsibilities for the future.

Ensure that we have the right organisation & leadership structure in place.

Provide training and personal development for existing directors, new directors and directors considering a position in future.

Allow “face time” for the TRF Board of Directors to meet with each other and to gather valuable input and feedback from yourselves.

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To encourage future TRF directors and leaders in preparation for our Annual General Meeting on 11 May. The agenda covered the following items: The Role of a company director and directors obligations A review of aims and objectives set at the 2017 board training What did the board of 2018 achieve?

Measurement of aims and objectives.

Workshop - aims and objectives for the organisation 2019 Board structure and executives needed to deliver the 2019 aims and objectives?

Sessions on: Safety Access Ride leading Green Road map As an outcome of the meeting the following members volunteered to assist the Directors by taking up Executive positions – looking after major projects for the TRF. Steven Taylor – Strategy & Programme Management Doug Cartwright & John V – Safety, Rider Cover & Insurance requests Graeme Collins – Communications Lee Jordan – Regional Group Support and Young Rider Training Kurien Philip – Learning Platform Chris Hall – Increased Access initiatives Alun Davies – TRF 50th Anniversary Celebrations team with Rick Kemp, Carla McKenzie, Alun Davies, Steve Neville Andrew Byatt – New Member take on and TRF Documents Chris Barrable – Member Support and Engagement It is still not too late for your nominations for future Director positions in the TRF. If you

or any of your fellow group members are interested in such a role we have regular opportunities to better understand the responsibilities of a director, a chance to network with the current team and hopefully be inspired to be a leader in

furthering our Fellowship aims of Conserving Green Roads for all.

Carla McKenzie & Mario Costa-Sa on behalf of the TRF Board of Directors directors@trf.org.uk

Safety Project OVER RECENT YEARS you will have become aware that Safety has been the TRF’s number-one priority.

Motorcycle Trail Riding, like many other active outdoor pursuits, is considered a medium to high-risk activity and many members have been asking for advice and guidance on the subject. The TRF has made great strides to address safety over its 50 years in existence and recognises that safety is a continuous and improving subject. We do have many great examples of guidance and training on the subject but recognise that in addition to continuously improving they are varied and do not exist in a form that is readily accessible.

As a result TRF will form a Safety Project team tasked with creating a nationally recognised set of guidelines to include recommendation for members, run leaders and anyone organising TRF events. It is anticipated that this will take approximately six months. The intention is to set up a working group of members to come up with recommendations that will be approved and adopted by the TRF. In addition we wish to seek the input from a suitable external organisation or individual who would be capable of undertaking a review of all our activities and identify what gaps exist, if any, and proposing a set of best practice guidelines.

This is a call for...

1 Members to participate in the Safety Project Team. It is a great opportunity for anyone who has views or an interest on

what the TRF should adopt. We are particularly looking for members who can work in a team environment and work toward a consensus. While not essential, a safety background would be helpful. We are looking for a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences and would like to be able to get input from local groups too. The team will meet on regular basis via phone calls and Internet meetings. It is hoped that volunteers will be able take away small tasks and report back to the team.

2 A suitable external organisation or individual who can conduct a risk assessment of our activities and to provide their recommendations for best practice for the TRF to consider. We would like this organisation or individual to have direct trail riding or similar experience. The expectation is that this would be a TRF funded activity and deliver a written recommendation by the successful external organisation or individual. For further information on scope and a request to tender please contact Doug Cartwright doug.c@trf.org.uk In the meantime, here are links to our current run leader, event organisation learning and procedures along with our learning events schedule. https://www.trf.org.uk/run-leader/ This is Steve Stout’s course https://trail.trf.org.uk/green-road-resources/how-to-put-on-a-trf-event/ (Password eventmanager for TRF group officers only)

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Financial Report Financial Director Michel Sabatier updates us on the state of the TRF’s finances In summary, the TRF financial situation is good and has improved further since the previous year to a new high.

For the year to 31/08/2018 Income has increased by 25% to £230K in comparison with the last financial year Membership costs have increased from £84K to £126K, this is mainly due to the reinstatement of paper Trail (£38K) and to a lesser extent to the increase in the number of members.

Excluding paper Trail, membership costs per member (everything except RoR) has decreased slightly We have spent £167K on Right of Roads.

Of this we have recovered £76K of legal costs

from the court cases we won. The net cost is 42% of our total spend We have made a modest surplus of £13K. Our total reserves have increased by 7% to £203K. Donations from groups and members to the Fighting Fund were £17K for the year.

This helps reinforce our financial stability and allows us to take on more cases if required.

The members voted for an increase of the membership fees. The membership fee had been constant for at least 10 years. This will also allow us to make the trial of the paper Trail magazine permanent.

See how we spend our money below. The detailed accounts will be published before the AGM.

Communication & PR, 3% Finance & Banking, 4%

Administration, 3%

Where do we spend our money?

AGM and Directors, 6%

Marketing, 9%

Membership, 7%

Rights of Road, 43%

Trail & Scheduled Service, 18%

Projects matched funding, 3% Website, 8% 8 Trail Spring 2019

TRF Influence – working with the DVSA Road-book Enduro Tours in France

Just to let you know.

Since the TRF-led CBT project (featured in the Autumn Trail edition) aimed at young riders we have now had positive discussions with the DVSA The DVSA has confirmed its intention to work with the TRF on training as part of its Enhanced Rider scheme, and the TRF now has permission directly from the DVSA Assistant Chief Examiner to use the DVSA logo on our marketing material.

In addition, our senior DVSA contacts have now joined the TRF and can see the benefit to improving m/c riding skills and safety. Please make them welcome when they attend a group meeting.

The DVSA now joins the group of TRF partners alongside other motorcycle training and safety partners which includes RoSPA, IAM and of course the ACU.

DATES FOR 2019 12/13/14 JUNE LOZERIEN BIS 19/20/21 JUNE CANTAL 4/5/6 SEPT CANTALSOLD OUT 23/24/25 OCT MASSIF DU MORVAN 4/5/6 NOV DORDOGNE 20/21/22 NOV NORMANDIE

All trips are priced at £560 (payable to ABTA bonded and ATOL protected UK travel agency S&N Pickford).

Price includes 3 days riding, 2 nights half-board accommodation, loan of road book and road book reader, support vehicle and driver, an opener and sweeper and a classy T-shirt. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like any further information.

Chris Evans, Sport Adventure Tel: 0033 662 487190 chris.evans@sport-adventure.com www.sport-adventure.com

Heritage Report Steve Neville, environmentalist and TRF archivist, takes a bow IT’s noT eAsy summarising almost four years of involvement with the TRF as one of the nine national Directors. I’m aware that any effort I’ve made for the TRF has been dwarfed by that of the other Directors, both current and past. However I hope I’ve been “quite useful” or even just “useful”.

This is my last report as a TRF Director since I’ve decided to stand down and allow another, almost certainly younger member to take my place. Probably owing to my long TRF membership, which started in 1979, that now makes 40 years, my Director’s portfolio

10 Trail Spring 2019

included heritage. In fact it was Charlie Morris’s standing down that led to me being elected in something of a snap decision in 2015. There was no job description and so it came down to me to come up with one.

Looking back at some older reports I’ve recopied something entitled The Heritage of our Green Roads – April 2016, that is a framework of motorcycling heritage. I will leave it to the members to judge my success, or not.

I’ve made a few attempts to get information from the membership on heritage but whilst

there must be a rich source of information out there, I’ve not been very successful in obtaining much. In April 2017 I wrote to some of the longer serving members asking for any anecdotes and received just a few replies.

In 2017 the Kent TRF purchased a small document scanner, which is summarised below: TRF Heritage Archive - December 2017. This has been successful to a limited extent in that the Kent TRF document archive is complete and also a chunk of the national document archive that had been in storage for decades. I still have the scanner. The final question is in which data storage “Cloud” to put it? I have it in my iCloud and backed up in various places, but we need to have it put into a TRF Cloud, somewhere. That’s still a work in progress.

I know that there are about a dozen members who are keen to become a TRF director and it’s important to know that a Director’s job has been to support the board and be seen as a team member. There is

plenty of TRF documentation on this. The current board is much more cohesive than it was in the early days and I’m pleased that I’m leaving the TRF in a better state than then; for which I accept only a very little of the credit.

Being a Director has also been about attending TRF board and other meetings around the country. Also meeting up with other organisations like GLAss or perhaps a Chairman’s meeting, attending another TRF Group or writing an article for the excellent newly regenerated paper Trail. next year the TRF will celebrate 50 years since its inaugural ride and formation in January 1970. I’ll be happy to support this in any way I can. I am planning not to be in the UK for too much of the winter of 2019/20 but only if my dream to return to new Zealand actually comes to fruition. exploring the south Island, hopefully some of it by motorcycle, is a long held dream. so to my successor I wish you well and trust you will take up with pride a TRF Directorship into the future.

The Heritage of our Green Roads December 2017 in the sky, free of Rambliers.

Being a living historian following the two World Wars, I am acutely conscious the part that motorcycles played in these two terrible conflicts. In the 1920’s survivors of the horrors of the Western Front had been introduced to motor vehicles and the motorcycle became transport, a working tool and a recreational vehicle at the same time. some of them used motorcycles as a form of escape. The most significant of these was perhaps T.e. Lawrence who owned several Brough superiors.

Reliability trials were attended by thousands of competitors and spectators as the Pathé newsreels of the period show. This continued after the second World War when ex WD stock was sold off for a few pounds. A Matchless G3L will sell for over £5000 today. This is all part of our motorcycling heritage.

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WHen I WAs appointed as Heritage Director at the AGM in 2015 I had a fairly open brief as to what the appointment actually required.

In actual fact there was little idea given to me as to what might be expected of a Heritage Director. one of the most important aspects of heritage are ourselves, the members and hence green-road motorcyclists. This is not forgetting that of our forefathers who went “riding rough” or took part in “reliability trials”.

We are as much a part of the heritage of what we now call “trail riding” as the green roads we know and love.

I’m keep to capture our reminiscences of the lanes we’ve ridden and the bikes we rode; not forgetting our past companions in the Fellowship. some might still ride with us but others may have moved on to other places or interests; or perhaps they are no longer here; perhaps gone to ride that green road

I’m interested in finding out what your reminiscences are of the lanes you’ve ridden. not each and every one, but perhaps places you have fond memories of, or places we can no longer use legally in the 21st century, on a motorcycle. Greg Villalobos has been conducting interviews from TRF members and is keen to build an audio archive of historic reminiscences of green road riding.

The final aspect of heritage is the motorcycles we used to use. Axiomatically, like the green roads themselves, without these motorcycles we could not have ridden.

Whilst we all love our modern KTMs, yamahas, suzukis, Kawasakis and even Hondas (sic) etcetera, for the purposes of

heritage I am more interested in the “motor cycles” of yesteryear. But briefly for the future, do you think that could be electric motorcycles or will they only ever be “niche”?

What I am hoping to do is to build up a library of reminiscences of long-serving members. This is not just to look back, but to use the information to emphasise that riding motorcycles on green roads is part of our cultural heritage and to remove this right is also to destroy a small part of British Heritage. Perhaps we are correct in asserting that repressive legislation closing oUR green roads is also to remove a right that those veterans of the two World Wars fought for; and to enjoy this green and pleasant land.

TRF Heritage Archive - December 2017 oVeR THe PAsT few months, I have been scanning the contents of dozens of boxes of old TRF documents. These have come from a multitude of sources with records going back to the 1950s. Those of particular interest were a set of papers that once belonged to norman smith.

As some of you may know he was a pioneer motorcyclist from the 1930’s and very active within the BMF and ACU. The latter documents are mainly copies of meeting minutes, records of many AGM, plus a multitude of rights of way (as we used to call Rights of Road in past times) related matters.

There is also a series of interesting correspondence from the 1980’s between our national secretary John Higgin and the previous Lord strathcarron, inviting him to be our patron. I have also scanned dozens of ring binders containing documents about Rights of Road in Kent Going back to the early 1980s.

The scanner I am using is a brilliant little Fuji scansnap iX500. This will auto feed up to 50 documents at a time and scanned in duplex (double sided), plus there is an option to use optical character recognition (oCR). This creates an index so that the

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PDF documents are fully searchable.

I have kept the originals of some documents that I feel are very important but for the most part they have been “de-cluttered”. The TRF was spending about £75 per year in storage costs for these documents, so the directors believed that the money was better spent elsewhere.

We are planning to make most of these documents are available through web TRAIL in the near future. If anyone has old TRF documents that need scanning and recording please get in touch with me, Steve Neville, Heritage Director.

TRF National Raffle Following on from the last edition you can still purchase raffle tickets from the TRF website www.trf.org.uk/raffle/. The money will go towards the fight for the Amesbury 12 byway, also known as stonehenge Drove, and any residual funds will be placed in the TRF fighting fund.

The tickets are £2 each and you could win one of these prizes: 1st prize – A brand new Kawasaki KLR 250 2nd prize – A one-day course at the yamaha off-Road experience in Wales 3rd prize – A set of Michelin Medium tyres so please rev it for our first national raffle. The tickets make terrific presents for the trail rider who has everything.

A huge thank you to the vintage motorcycle club The VMCC who have kindly agreed to share their administrative expertise and manage our raffle payments.

, T S A F G N I GO R TICKETS HERE!

GET YOU ffle/ a r / k u . g r o . f r www.t

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Marketing Directors Report 2018 was a busy year for TRF Marketing and the TRF generally with progress across the board in working closely with TRF Membership and local groups on new member growth – Marketing Director Mario Costa-Sa We appeaR To have achieved the magic formula sought by all subscription organisations of recruiting new members whilst retaining existing members, driving “churn” the proportion of members leaving the TRF to an all-time low.

TRF Website – TRF.org.uk has matured and the rich collection of articles has been streamed into themes assisting members to share links to the relevant articles. We changed the focus of TRF.org.uk to be more outward facing and talk to key stakeholders and influencers. This was a strategic decision to help bring in organisations such as the police, councils and trade partners. I believe that this has seen some success recently.

Solutions to anti-social motorcycling – TRF.org.uk/police TRF contribution to green road clearance and repair – TRF.org.uk /conservation Training for trail riders – TRF.org.uk/training Greg Villalobos looks after articles on the “open to the public shop window” TRF.org.uk, Mario and Stuart Bosworth at their meeting with Sergeant James Shirley of the Derbyshire Police

whilst James Higgs cares for the members login inside pages trail.trf.org.uk In 2018 the new joining system was launched aimed at making it easier to join and renew than ever.

The old Coach Road and Stonehenge Crowd funding was a big fundraising success, helping to exceed its financial target and get the route repaired by many partner organisations. It also helped to get the TRF message out to a wider audience including TeT viewers.

Trail.trf.org.uk has taken steps towards pulling together a more formalised TRF events handbook that can be used by all groups around the country. There’s more to be done here but we are in a stronger place now than before where a lot of this info was not centralised.

Reach out The Scheduled Service continues to grow in the GDpR world and focusses on safety and items in the public interest including changing behaviours. It now reaches around 25k trail riders and continues to distribute our positive messages to a wide audience.

The TRF successfully implemented a GDpR policy centrally and at Group level. Many thanks to Ceri Charlton, volunteer Data protection executive, for leading with policy, and Sharon for making operational changes to membership processes. This work ensured a smooth transition to a GDpR-compliant environment.

Trail Magazine – The launch and growth of Trail magazine has perhaps been regarded by TRF members as a major achievement in 2017/18. In the words of the TRF Membership Director, the TRF has finally got its voice back.

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Building on this success in 2018, the updated 2019 list with over 60 events can be seen here http://www.trf.org.uk/events/ and for those interested we can provide a Facebook report on the key statistics for 2018.

There was been a drive on updating events for the Wall planner and TRF annual. Winter Trail finished off 2018 in an “annual” format and was to be sent out just before Xmas.

The TRF stand at the NEC

Many thanks to editor Rick Kemp and his highly talented designer andy Riley for making the TRF look good in print. Rick and andy’s work extended to the TRF annual incorporating a Handbook with most Groups contributing to this task.

Events – There are around 60 events on the Wallchart for 2019 and 72 listed on the TRF website. Due to event planning cycles we may finish the year on 100 events, and event managers are now encouraged to plan dates for their 2020 events by october 2019 to get them into the 2020 TRF Wallchart which goes to print in November. on the back of Trail we have now picked up on our advertising business with many new customers coming including two major manufacturers. Two more will be announced in 2019 and a special link trf.org.uk/trade has been opened to support our work for the motorcycle industry.

TRF Events In 2018, through the national facebook page alone, we have planned 49 major events countrywide with circulation to 135,000 people with 12,000 responses and 216 ticket responses. all of this is in addition to the majority of interaction with riders which is rightly at local group level.

Spring 2019 Trail 15

TRF Shows Meanwhile, many thanks to Robin Hickin and the team of over 50 volunteers who worked on Motorcycle Live at the NeC and alcuin Wilkie and some 20 volunteers who worked on the London Motorcycle show in February.

Rupert Trigg hard at work for the TRF at the NEC Show

Influence – Continuing to build the TRF’s influence, we will lead the way in partnering countryside user groups. Greg will be leading a new format to help create conversions between TRF and Landowners, equestrian Groups, Walkers, Cyclists, police, Rural Businesses. I believe we have created a fantastic format that can be quickly replicated. This will help put Trail Riding and the TRF right there as a rural pursuit that has benefit to rural communities.

Green Road Map – will be made member facing across this year. The non-technical aspects of this have been driven by Marketing and of course the communication of the information to members.

Tom Carnell continues to drive our presence at Countryfile Live and new for 2019 we have found a volunteer event Manager for Countryfile Live North.

Behind the shows is new creative talent with hidden volunteers such as Rupert Trigg and Graeme Collins. Both have donated exceptional amounts of their professional time without charge to the TRF’s marketing effort - helping us look good in public.

Partnerships We now have formal arrangements with other influential groups such as aCU ,MCIa, DVSa, RoSpa and the IaM. We have started to work with the VMCC – notably in the TRF raffle,, and have started discussions with the MCC over support for events and access for TRF members The year ahead Looking ahead for 2019 we will be working on the following areas.

Safety – Support for Doug Cartwright in his leadership of the Safety programme.

Communication to members and bringing about permanent change in the TRF.

16 Trail Spring 2019

Training – assisting with training at all levels in the TRF adds value to our membership experience.

Supporting the TRF in its 50th-year celebrations. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our success, highlight the heritage of the club and remind the world that people have been exploring england on motorcycles for a very long time.

Marketing support for Group Initiatives – there are more groups becoming directly involved in Central Marketing and leading programmes that benefit all TRF members.

Norfolk on events and Loddon Vale on the ICe card being prime examples. We look forward to supporting this excellent work.

Mario Costa-Sa and Stuart Bosworth at the NEC Show

Photo: R. Schedl

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Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations! ations! The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrationss feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

Membership Matters Membership Director Carla McKenzie highlights the more positive aspects of the TRF’s charitable activities WeLCoMe To THe spring report from the membership team. I am delighted to report that the hard work of TRF volunteers has seen our growth continue. We are now a fellowship of 5,422 members. The UK population of trail riders is estimated as steady at 10,000 regular riders, so we represent the majority voice. In addition there are plenty of riders still to be recruited to our ranks!

Growth over 5% was seen in the following groups: South West Wales peak District oxfordshire Mid-Wales Thank you to all those members who have encouraged riders to join our ranks. With growth come new challenges and the need for volunteers to share an increased workload. a special welcome to Matt and Reece, whose extraordinary overland journey, as Seen From a Sidecar can be found on their Facebook blog. We look forward to seeing you out on the Trail.

My own story of volunteering for the TRF began back in 2015. at the age of 50, I found myself volunteering to raise funds for Bike Tours For The Wounded. Having been wedded to the tarmac since my earliest motorcycling years, I rashly agreed to ride from John o’Groats to Land’s end on trails – how hard could it be? Six months later, having broken 12 bikes, endured 28 crashes and lost two and a half stone, thanks to the support, training and guidance of the Wiltshire TRF members, I was just about ready for this slightly eccentric challenge.

I left John o’Groats with a team of intrepid TRF volunteers who had kindly agreed to

18 Trail Spring 2019

‘shepherd’ me along our meandering 1800mile route. Throughout the country, members of the fellowship supported the challenge, turning out to guide, repair and share knowledge and local hospitality.

I arrived with the team at Land’s end 18 days later, with the challenge complete. at 50 I thought I had life ‘nailed’, but by the age of 51 I had discovered that by becoming just a little bit vulnerable my life had been greatly enriched. I will always be grateful to the TRF members who helped me achieve that ‘JoGLe’ challenge. The whole saga can be found here: www.jogler.wordpress.com Two years later, with the support of the membership, I find that I am in a position to give back by volunteering. Life as a volunteer in the TRF is always busy. The organisation is fortunate to have many members who are passionate about preserving and riding trails. our members are committed, questioning and keep me on my toes! In return, volunteering is rewarding and contributing to the common purpose does make a difference.

Thank you to all the groups who have promptly filed their group returns. our appreciation for their hard work goes to the retiring group officers and a warm welcome to those who have picked up the volunteer baton.

In this edition of Trail you will find a new initiative, our volunteer ‘Situations Vacant’ page. please consider giving back to our organisation. Whether you can volunteer on a national or local level, your support and help would be greatly appreciated. our first national raffle is now underway. a huge thank you to the VMCC who have been managing the sale of tickets. Raffle tickets can be bought online at www.trf.org.uk/raffle/ Thank you to: Dalton White Motorcycle Solicitors for donating a brand new Kawasaki KLX 250, Yamaha

off-road experience have given a one-day course and to enduro Tyres Durrington for their continued support of the TRF. Just when we all thought we had seen the end of the Christmas season, Hywel Thomas of Mid-Wales TRF sent through a press cutting. Intrepid TRF members donned Santa outfits, hopped onto their trail bikes and delivered gifts to farmers as a thank you for their support of trail riding and to generate goodwill. The event also raised £600 for local charities. Up in the far north, Tyne, Wear and Teesdale members also did a Santa run to deliver gifts and seasonal goodwill to the farming community!

It is not all one-way – I have been privileged to see first-hand the work of the TRF in Wales. Rescuing lambs on remote trails and returning them safely to fields and farms that they have escaped from. as we head into spring, watch out for the new, inexperienced ck on the trails and if appropriate, please support our local farmers as they enter this busy period.

Bravo to paul Smith and the team from Tyne, Wear and Teesdale who have raised over £4,000 for the Great North air ambulance. It is a tremendous contribution for a key service which is completely funded by volunteer donations.

Spring 2019 Trail 19

Sharon and I have taken on a project to look at TRF regalia. We hope to launch a new shop range across the summer period. Keep an eye on social media for updates.

We are on the hunt for unsung TRF heroes in 2019. If you know of a member who has gone the extra mile, please let the membership team know. of first hero of 2019 is Dave Walters, Chair of Worcestershire TRF. Four years ago, David took on the role of Chair to ensure that the group kept going. Dave, a massive thank you for your hard work and continued dedication.

Next year the TRF will be celebrating its 50th birthday, I am looking for founder members who can share their stories. please get in touch at membership if you would like to take part.

I am looking forward to meeting members across the summer. please let the team know if you are doing a fundraising event. Finally, a gentle nag: if you are able to give a few volunteer hours to the work of the fellowship, we would really value your support.

TRF member Fern Hume and her partner Ferdinand were speaking on the adventure travel stage at the exCel show, “How to Have a Bike adventure Holiday on the Cheap” proved a popular theme.

Unsung Hero Vernon Glashier I lost count of the number of emails I sent Vernon asking for advice before I had even met him. a friend who had recently joined the TRF and knew I was interested in doing the same, met him and asked if it was oK for me to make contact. of course he agreed. I bombarded him with questions; Which bikes to consider? What to look for when buying etc? Then when I’d found one; What mods should I make?

What jetting should I use? Which tyres should I fit? each question was answered comprehensively with a depth of knowledge I now know many people trust and regularly call upon. Despite not knowing me, his time and advice was offered freely whenever I asked for it. When I did eventually meet him at the essex TRF monthly meeting, he politely declined

20 Trail Spring 2019

the pint I offered by way of a very small thank you.

I then started joining the rides he regularly offers out to members. as ride leader, he made sure we were all happy, that we understood what was expected and he paced the rides to suit the slowest. as the Rights of Roads officer for essex his route planning was and is superb, meaning the rest of us can simply enjoy the ride. He always seems to be the first to offer help to new members, answering calls for ride leading to those that are new to the TRF. Two friends of mine recently saw just how much fun I was having and decided to buy trail bikes and join the TRF. I mentioned this to Vernon and he was quick to suggest that he plan a route suitable for new members and to “pick a date to suit them” and he would lead.

Technical Director’s Report John Vannuffel outlines the Rights of Road activity across 2018 TRF’s RighTs oF Road activity continues to grow year on year. in fact, we have increased activity so much that i couldn’t quite make the deadline to provide a detailed report for this edition of Trail, hence this brief report. a detailed report will be made available for the agM in May. The TRF’s litigation is dealt with via one firm of solicitors, which makes it a simple task to ascertain how many case files the TRF has opened with lawyers over the years.

The breakdown is as follows:

Year

Number of case files opened

1970-2006 Perhaps 5 – none recorded with current solicitors.

2006 1 2007 (TRF incorporated 1st January) 0 2008 0 2009 1 2010 1 2011 4 2012 2 2013 2 2014 2 2015 (TRF restructure) 7 2016 10 2017 14 2018 (TRF membership fee increased) 25 2019 2 so far The opening of a case file is an indication of workload associated with litigation/potential litigation. it does not reflect a substantial proportion of TRF’s RoR workload – which is concerned with avoiding the need to spend money on lawyers!

2018 saw the conclusion of the house of Lords select Committee on NERC and the publishing of their report. TRF welcomed the select Committees’ recommendations for greater use of intelligent TRos. Following the select Committee report, there seems to

22 Trail Spring 2019

have been a reduction in attempts to make clumsy TRos that place excessive restriction on responsible motorcyclists.

The early part of 2018 also saw the TRF adopt a new Code of Conduct, Bylaws, aims and objectives, together with a Vision for trail riding and green Roads.

The document suite has been well-received by the authorities and has also proven useful in litigation (and to prevent the same). a substantial amount of progress has been made on the green Road Map. getting the foundations right has required a lot of technical RoR input. a framework has been put in place to ensure a consistent standard for data entry and source checking.

The dEFRa Motor Vehicle Forum has now progressed to a stage where dEFRa officers are gathering information for a revision of Making the Best of Byways. No further meetings are arranged at present.

Counsel represented the TRF at two public inquiries concerning the proposed downgrade of UCRs to BoaTs. additionally, Counsel’s input has been obtained for other UCR to BoaT downgrade cases. We await the final outcome of those cases. in the meantime the immediate benefit is that the TRF is now much better equipped to prevent definitive map powers being misused by authorities to record ordinary roads (UCRs) on the definitive map.

Most TRF cases are settled without going to a full court hearing. Three cases did go to hearing in 2018 – Warnford TRo, stonehenge ETRo and heaven hill stopping up.

www.cambrianway.com Tel: 01550 750274 email: info@cambrianway.com

Warnford TRo was found against the TRF but we have been granted permission to appeal and the case will be heard in July 2019.

TRF was successful in the stonehenge ETRo and heaven hill cases. Further input from TRF’s lawyers has been required to address the ongoing matter of an illegal obstruction to heaven hill, which the Council has now responded to by initiating legal proceedings against the landowner/occupier responsible for the obstruction. one green Road (Kirby Bank) was lost to an unjustified TRo in 2018. it became apparent that the decision to impose an unjustified TRo was made well in advance of the TRo process commencing – indeed, the TRo process was clearly designed from the outset to deliver the decision, with much of the evidence being exaggerated and/or fabricated.

There’s a great deal more information to come in the detailed report for the agM and i’m pleased to say that it’s good news.

Spring 2019 Trail 23

To advertise in Trail magazine contact: Charlie Harris T: 07768 855019 E: charlie@trf.org.uk or visit www.trf.org.uk/trade

Training Report Training Director Chris Barrable on TRF learning strategy and member road map This is a guide to help TRF membership to understand where they are on their learning journey and is a written description of ‘levels’ or ‘classes’ of member and the associated desirable level of competencies and training packages available. Members should consider themselves moving through the levels as they gain experience and get more involved in the fellowship.

Each level has specifically desirable courses listed.

1 – Beginner and/or Novice to green laning.

You’ve got a bike, maybe you are doing your CBT or have already passed. You may already have reasonable bike riding experience but are new to dirt roads or maybe you just haven’t ridden dirt roads for some time.

You want to enjoy riding the UK’s green road network. at this level of member you should really be concentrating on your riding skills and understanding the language and behaviours relating to trail riding on Britain’s green roads.

You should take some time and familiarise yourself with the TRF public website and content https://www.trf.org.uk/ You may want to join the TRF’s closed group on Facebook and may wonder if there is a local TRF group in your area: check out the web based club finder at: https://trail.trf.org.uk/local-groupsmap/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/profilemap&map=1&gid=22&reset=1

24 Trail Spring 2019

You should probably be content to follow the leadership of other more experienced TRF members in your group and ‘learn the ropes’ a bit before moving on.

The TRF web-based learning platform offers the following resources Beginners Guide to Trail riding TRF Code of Conduct Green road terminology TRF aims and Objectives TRF strategy and Core Principals Basic m/c maintenance Trail Tools Reading Maps & GPs 2 – Basic Training – Full and Active TRF member: You are competent riding your bike off tarmac with or without your local TRF club. You can read a map/GPs and navigate yourself fairly well and consider yourself reasonably active in your local TRF club.

a full and active TRF member rides regularly with or without their group either locally or further afield. They attend regular TRF meetings and participate in club activities, events and generally are seen to be active within the club. You are not required to be a keyboard warrior on social media to be active! You may occasionally help in planning or leading rides, understanding rights of road issues locally and you should have an understanding of how the TRF is structured and operated.

You should be familiar with the Trail Riders Fellowship aims and Objectives as well as many of the helpful written guides such as our Code of Conduct and the preservation of green road status through responsible use.

The TRF web-based learning platform offers the following resources Navigation and planning your route Rider skills training: Guides and links to TRF-accredited training providers First aid awareness and training aCU competition and licences TRF member Duty of Care Physical fitness for trail riding TRF’s Green road mapping Rider skills coaching of others RosPa iaM DVsa ERT 3 – ADVANCED – TRF Group Officer: You are so enthused in your local area or group that you’d like to be involved with the running of your local club and its interaction with the wider TRF. You should be more familiar with the organisation of the TRF and its document suite and the roles and responsibilities of the club officials.

4 – ADVANCED – TRF Ride Leader: You want to lead your merry band of followers on group rides, taking responsibility for route planning, group behaviour and safety.

TRF web-based learning platform offers the following resources: Ride Leader Training Trail riding Risk assessment training

5 – ADVANCED- TRF Events Organiser: You do or want to organise specific events for your local or broader TRF clubs, taking responsibility for organising, and creating a fun and rewarding experience for TRF members.

TRF web-based learning platform offers the following resources: Ride Leader Training Trail riding Risk assessment training First aid Training and certification.

TRF Event Organiser training aCU Clerk of Course training and certification.

SPECIAL OFFERINGS 6 – Police and Authorities Special training see trf.org.uk/police Contact stewart.b@trf.org.uk

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7 - TRF Director: You need your head examining!

TRF web-based learning platform offers the following resources Director Training TRAINING DELIVERY Our ways to deliver this learning is a combination of: in person – preferably by kinaesthetic training The Moodle platform (TRF name needed) And for advanced courses the Outcome awards/accreditation form; aCU DVsa iaM ROsPa NEXT STEPS Training courses will become available on https://www.trf.org.uk/training/ across 2019 Training – Ride Leaders Ride Leaders theory training has been arranged for 8 May in hertfordshire The scope will cover Role & Duties of a TRF Ride Leader Duty of Care aCU accreditation & its value insurance TRF & aCU Ride Leader Briefs & Legalities indemnities Medical Briefs On the Ride Leadership styles Ride Group Dynamics Managing Risk Environmental Responsibility – Code of Conduct & Least impact Guidance share the Trail & Dealing with Conflict Dealing with Police Challenge s 59 Major incident Process Essential Equipment Many of these modules will be covered by the TRF web-based Training platform in future We will be aiming to get 6 regional trainers to do these courses in future as well as handle the associated practical training exercises.

26 Trail Spring 2019

Contact events@trf.org.uk and look at trf.org.uk/events for further information.

Training – Rights of Road steve Mann – a senior TRF Roads Conservation officer and former police officer has offered to become the first TRF Rights of Road trainer. he is offering to do 4 regional Rights of Road presentations per year for interested local group.

The content includes: Public rights of way & roads BOaTs TROs and PTROs UCRs. ORPas How to check legality.

The List of street (Los) The TRF Green Road Map Entitlements Offences - section 59 & TROs The authorities – ha CC & LaFs User Groups LaRa, TRF, GLass, Bhs,CTC,Ra Building a Local Road Conservation organisation Next steps for the TRF and yourself.

We envisage this course will be web based in 2020 but until then it is instructor led and is best suited for a half-day or evening slot of approx 4 hours.

For further information and to sign up for training in your group or region please reply to Rortraining@trf.org.uk

In Case of Emergency WiTh This EDiTiON of Trail magazine you will have received both an in Case of Emergency card (i.C.E) and a helmet sticker. These were something i started to produce on behalf of my local group Loddon Vale and the felt it would be a great idea to make these available to the entire membership. sadly, despite us all being riding gods(!) sometimes things do go wrong, and when they do, having vital medical and contact information is the upmost importance. We don’t always know the people we are riding with and in cases like this the need for the information is even more important. alongside the basic contact information

on you and your emergency contact, the card provides space for you to detail other medical information such as, allergies, medical conditions, blood group, medication and doctor’s information.

Through laminated, the card is not waterproof so should be kept in a waterproof place in an external pocket on your jacket to enable easy access. The helmet sticker should be fixed to your helmet in a visible position to alert both your riding buddies and the emergency services that you are in possession of the card.

We sincerely hope you never have reason to need it!

Thanks to Graeme Collins, Loddon Vale TRF Chairman & TRF Marketing Volunteer

Spring 2019 Trail 27

The TRF Learning Platform ThE TRF LEaRNiNG platform is a technology solution to enable the TRF to provide structured learning opportunities to our members. a learning platform is also referred to as an LMs - a Learning Management system.

Kurien Philip has recently taken charge of the TRF Learning Platform

28 Trail Spring 2019

a learning management system in any organisation is used to manage and track learning of its enrolled learners/members.

This management and tracking by the LMs is done within a framework for learning which is being deďŹ ned by the TRF under guidance

from the TRF’s director of learning. You will hear more about that from Chris Barrable & stuart Bosworth however, to put the LMs and its working into the right context, as a brief outline, the TRF learning framework will include basic, intermediate and advanced courses, including learning pathways from basic to intermediate to advanced.

This will help with defined, structured learning for TRF’s enrolled members. Members will be able to choose their learning pathways depending on their areas of interest within the domain of trail riding. This can including leading rides, organising events, and many other activities. Courses will also be planned in coordination with our various partner organisations. The theory for some courses may be provided on the LMs followed by hands-on/classroom-/field-based training to develop the required skills.

On the technology front, we have chosen to use an open source LMs called Moodle. The acronym MOODLE stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment.

Moodle is used by many of the top universities and corporates in the UK and worldwide as their LMs to provide structured courses and content to learners/employees/members. Moodle has the largest global installed user base for any LMs. The Open University also uses Moodle as its LMs. For the technophiles among us, Moodle is built on

the LaMP platform and currently hosted on a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) instance running Debian 9, PhP 7, apache 2 and MysQL/MariaDB. Currently on a g1-small (1 vCPU, 1.7 GB memory) instance, as the load increases, we will move the server to a higher performance instance.

Moodle as an LMs allows us to create courses. Each course is made up of a set of topics. a topic can have further sub topics and learning elements such as text, videos, animations, exercises, quizzes, and discussion boards. The learning elements in a course are dictated by the course author - elements that can help make the course more interesting and effective. an example of an area of training can be a “Run Leader Training”. This can possibly be divided into multiple courses. a Run Leader Training intermediate course may include the theoretical aspects of the Run Leader Training on the LMs. an advanced course may include on-site practicals and a final assessment on the LMs including a certificate and a report signed by an authorised assessor/run-leader. structured learning and training opportunities for members also helps to demonstrate the TRF’s commitment to responsibly riding green lanes. it also provides the members to learn within the context of a domain that we enjoy - trail riding (learn while we play?). i am sure that there are many of us who work in the L&D domain. any feedback on the courses that we should include, please send an email with your ideas and inputs to learning@trf.org.uk. Watch this space for more information on the learning and training opportunities with the TRF.

Spring 2019 Trail 29

Situations Vacant With the show season rapidly approaching there are many opportunities for TRF members to get involved to help raise the profile of the fellowship ...

TRF Helpers needed for horse events Why should I get involved?

Enjoyable. Your TRF Team Leader will show you what to do.

BIG BENEFITS for trailriders and the TRF. Raise funds for the TRF. Doing “your bit” to support the TRF and trailriding – along with leading trail rides, dealing with Rights of Road issues, helping with Green Road maintenance projects, helping at exhibitions, helping to organise events, etc.

Horse event Organisers obtain landowners’ permission for us to ride in places we can’t normally go – giving a large amount of off-tarmac riding and breathtaking scenery.

Horse event Organisers are happy that a large part of their event is efficiently sorted.

Without the TRF they would need lots of their own helpers doing a lot of hard work – or it may not even be practical.

events shows that we can co-exist quite safely. It also helps to break down any prejudices – on both sides! As well as to the horse riders, our activity is demonstrated to riders’ crews, spectators, landowners, and many other people.

Horseriders also talk to other horseriders.

Then, when you are on a Green Road and meet a horserider out ‘hacking’, their mindset will be better and the meeting should go smoothly. Note that much of the horse’s behavior is inflenced by the rider’s reaction.

However, be aware, you could still meet horseriders who have not yet had experience of meeting people with motorcycles.

If help at horse events is done well then trailriders and Rights of Road campaigners in the TRF, both locally and nationally, will face less resistance – and maybe get support!

The funds raised for the TRF are a bonus.

What will I be doing?

Turn up with your trail motorcycle – you will need to be able to ride it quietly and unobtrusively. Your TRF Team Leader will show you what to do – explained later.

So, what will I be doing?

Your TRF Team Leader will show you what to do, having made all of the arrangements with the horse event Organiser. You will be kitted out as a “HORSE event Steward”. If you bring a trailer or van there will be a place to park.

You will be part of a team. When not helping you can chat with other TRF Helpers, event helpers, or other people. Free (and extra paid-for) food and drink is available.

There will be toilets. There should also be medical cover at the event.

If you really can’t make a full day, then come for a part-day – every little helps!

It may be possible to ‘camp’ at the horse event ‘Venue’ – ask your TRF Team Leader.

All of this is common to horse events, including “endurance” and “eventing”.

What are these “BIG BENEFITS for trail riders and the TRF”?

The anti-access industry is constantly trying to convince MPs, the Government, County Councils, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding National Beauty, and other bodies that trail riding should be banned from places where we may meet horse riders.

These places are the Green Roads where we usually ride – unsealed ‘County Roads’ and ‘Byways Open to All Traffic’.

Interacting with horse riders at horse

30 Trail Spring 2019

OK, what will I be doing at an “endurance” event?

Firstly, ‘endurance’ is long-distance horse or pony riding, mostly competitive but also non-competitive fun rides. Routes are up to 160 km (100 miles), but typically 50 – 80 km. Routes are on public tarmac Roads, Green Roads, Restricted Byways, Bridleways, and with landowners’ permission for the horses to ride on Footpaths and private land.

The horse event Organiser obtains landowners’ permission for TRF Helpers to ride motorcycles for the event on the route where it is not a public general-purpose carriageway. Occasionally a landowner does not grant permission, so that stretch is avoided by TRF Helpers.

Events are organised by ‘Endurance GB’ - EGB (www.endurancegb.co.uk) and ‘Sport Endurance’ (www.sportendurance.co.uk) in England and Wales. The Scottish Endurance Riding Club - SERC (www.scottishendurance.com) operates in Scotland, although the TRF is less likely to have members available to help much into Scotland.

Your TRF Team Leader will show you what to do: During the day before the event mark the route. Each group of 2 or 3 TRF Helpers marks about 25km of the route, spending about 3 to 4 hours. Marking is by orange tape loops, flags, or other methods. Your Group Leader will find the route by following a map (or gps) and description.

On “Ride” day TRF Groups will ‘check’ sections of the route, starting about an hour before the horseriders. You will set gates for the ride and ensure the route is complete, and can be easily followed by the horseriders.

After the ‘checks’ the TRF Helpers are on ‘response‘ – mainly dealing with lost or

overdue horses; and most vitally locating and getting help for injured riders and horses. TRF Helpers are also sent to rectify route marking where it has been vandalised or sabotaged; and resolve problems with route signs, low branches, gates, etc. TRF Helpers may also carry items and messages; and escort vets, farriers, and medics.

At multi-day events you may do more marking.

As all horseriders finish, ‘demark’ the route and set gates for post-ride – keeping landowners happy.

Safety: TRF Helpers generally operate in small teams, rather than riding alone - for their own safety. Unless in emergency, TRF Helpers rarely venture onto the horseriders route while it is in use. Horse speeds are on average pretty low – mostly walk, trot and canter, rather than gallop. Your TRF Team Leader will advise on safety.

OK, what will I be doing at “eventing”?

‘Eventing’ or ‘Horse Trials’ take place at a ‘venue’ – one site holding all of the activities.

Spring 2019 Trail 31

Typically venues are at stately homes, equestrian centres, or on farms. Nowadays activities are mostly the three ‘phases’ of ‘dressage’, ‘showjumping’, and ‘cross country’.

Occasionally there are other phases such as ‘steeplechasing’ and ‘roads and tracks’.

The main organisation is British Eventing – BE (www.britisheventing.com) for England, Wales and Scotland.

There are also events (sometimes called ‘un-affiliated’) similar to ‘eventing’ that are run by other organisations, such as equestrian centres or local riding clubs.

The British Horse Society – BHS (www.bhs.org.uk) organise the National Pony Clubs Championships and a few other events.

For the ‘cross country’ phase the horses jump in numerical order about 20 varied man-made ‘fences’ (or jumps) spread over several fields. The course is about 2000 metres long. Horses start with spacing of about 1.5 to 2 minutes, so there could be up to 3 or 4 on ‘the course’ at once.

Your TRF Team Leader will show you what to do: Collect from ‘Cross Country’ - when about 10 to 20 horses have gone, one TRF Helper will circulate carefully while the horses are on the course, and collect from every ‘Fence Judge’ their ‘score-sheets’, and take them to the Scoring Team’s station. The Scorers work out the overall results.

You may do a ‘quick collect’ at the end of a class, by waiting for the last horse and having another TRF Helper starting half-way.

TRF Helpers may also collect sheets from other phases such as ‘dressage’ and ‘showjumping’. This is usually from a ‘collecting station’ next to the phase.

TRF Helpers also carry messages, radios, score books, items lost off horses/riders, etc; and may carry photographic memory cards for the Official Photographer.

TRF Helpers are also on hand to escort ambulances, vets, medics, and other people in emergencies.

TRF Helpers may also be in place to help if there are loose horses.

Safety: your TRF Team Leader will train all of the TRF Helpers, one at a time, in a safe system to minimise or eliminate risk. It is rare to come into close-quarters with a horse on cross-country. Venues are mostly grass with a few tarmac or gravel tracks.

MORE INFO, OR TO BOOK ON? Contact the person in your TRF Group (or another TRF Group) who is an Equestrian Events Officer. Or contact the national Equestrian Events Liaison Officers, Mark Holland or David Sewell via equestrian@trf.org.uk.

Previous TRF Helpers – don’t wait to be asked!! Call your contact now and say if you can help or not.

Hertfordshire TRF The good news is that approx 56 of the 59 volunteer boxes are filled! However, we could use a minimum of 3 more volunteers for the following 5 areas: Bedford LAF Member- Looking after the interests of motorcycles on the Council Local Access Forum Group Secretary Meetings – Organising the Herts TRF monthly meeting programme including venues & speakers.

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Along with arranging riding events and fun days, eg Devils Pit & Greensands. Help is also needed with our programme of big rides – eg Hunstanton, Adv Bike ride & Every Road in Herts. In addition assistance would also be appreciated by Herts TRF at local shows such as the Ace Café, and Herts Show. If anyone has experience with fund raising, obtaining Grants and ways of generating external income we would also welcome your input.

Headline Sponsor:

12-14 JULY 2019

12-14 JULY 2019 Ragley Hall, warwickshire // New Bike Test Rides // Adventure Trails // // Green Lane Ride Outs // Road Tours // // Bar And Food On Site // Trade Stands // // LIVE MUSIC // First Class Camping Facilities // // Glamping Options AVAILABLE // // Plus Many More Fun Activities! //

Tickets available from

WWW.ADVENTUREBIKERIDER.COM Official Partners:

Green Road Mapping Project A call for volunteer cartographers THE GREEN ROAD MAPPING project team of volunteers have been doing great work in creating what will be one of the TRF’s finest pieces of work.

It works well in draft format and has been created by volunteers for the benefit of all trail riders and at surprisingly low cost to us.

It is tantalisingly close now to limited release, but we still need to be supplied with the all-important, fully verified and cross checked GPX data so that Gavin can enter it on the national database. For that we still have the need of further local cartographic specialists.

The major areas that are not yet started are those generally north of the M62 but we still have gaps to the Central regions too. So please if you, or any of your team, can help in either rounding up this data or simply supplying some or part of it yourselves the GRM team and the TRF as a whole would really appreciate that.

This is your chance to be part of TRF history and making the TRF the first port of call for anybody or organisation wanting to know which are the legal roads for motorcycles.

For further information please contact your region’s Senior Cartographer.

South – Andrew Sillence, smokin.rider@virgin.net Central – Robin Hickin, Robin.h@trf.org.uk North – TBC by Doug Cartwright, doug.c@trf.org.uk S Wales – Christian James Christian@taffydakar.org.uk N Wales – Eddie Evans ‘EH Evans’ eddie1evans@btinternet.com In case of difficulty please email Gavin Seiler at Garmin@trf.org.uk and mario@trf.org.uk

34 Trail Spring 2019

Village People There will be a TRF village at the ABR Festival on the 12-14 July and the TRF’s presence will be further enhanced by members organising the Trail Riding at the Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, venue WE ARE LOOkING for 40 TRF Ride leaders, Stand and Event Managers please register here www.trf.org.uk/ABR for your TRF complimentary entry (no need to register on ABR link). Other festival goers please register here https://www.adventurebikerider.com/abr-festival-2019-details/ An invitation from Alun Davies founder and publisher of Adventure Bike Rider magazine First things first… here’s wishing you an adventurous 2019 on two wheels.

And speaking of two-wheeled adventures, we’ve just announced the new and exciting venue for the 2019 Adventure Bike Rider Festival, the magnificent Ragley Hall Estate in Warwickshire.

Here’s all the information The move to Ragley Hall and Estate means we’ve a huge amount of space available to make the ABR Festival a unique experience and a celebration of all things to do with motorcycles, adventure and just having a great weekend with likeminded company.

There’ll be lots of exciting on-site attractions, extensive facilities and feel good events at the 2019 Festival and we’ve already started early negotiations to make sure the weather is as good as it was in 2018.

Overnight options include camping, ‘glamping’ in pre-assembled tents and there are a huge number of hotels in nearby Stratford upon Avon.

To keep you entertained on-site, we’ll be mapping out an adventure trail through the extensive estate grounds and

36 Trail Spring 2019

woodlands, where you can find out what you and your bike are capable of – it’ll be big bike and novice friendly. For the more advanced riders there’ll be a more challenging on-site adventure park.

We’ve also spoken to every major motorcycle manufacturer and all have confirmed they will be attending the festival with a fleet of the latest bikes for test rides both on and off-site.

The move to Ragley Hall and Estate also means we’ve the space needed to make the festival the best experience we can. There’ll be a full bar, plenty of tasty food options, comfortable and extensive camping areas with room for camper vans and trailers, plus there’ll be live music on the main stage for the Friday and Saturday nights.

There’ll be green lane ride outs led by the TRF taking on the local Warwickshire and Cotswolds trails and there’ll be road ride-outs to local attractions and places of interest.

We’ve also teamed up with Little London Enduro Circuit (four miles from Ragley Hall) to offer exclusive and free access for all ABR Festival goers, which means you can ride your bike around this challenging enduro circuit in a non-competitive and non-threatening environment.

There’ll be lots more attractions and events than I’ve mentioned above and we’ll be posting up details throughout the year on the ABR website. Right now, you can find more information plus videos of the Ragley Hall venue and of last years ABR Festival here. All the ABR staff and I look forward to welcoming you to Ragley Hall in 2019.

A TRF Volunteer’s Experience at the ABR Festival Here are some observations from Cliff Osenton, Oxford TRF volunteer and head of route planning for the rides and scattered navigation.

ROUTE PLANNING, THE first aspect of route planning is to pitch the route to the group, in this case Adventure riders with mixed experience remembering I have never ridden with any of them before. knowing the area helps a lot so I could pitch the trails to Adventure bikes and not Enduro, remembering that the weather could change the grade of the route.

I tend to over plan with more trails than I need so I can mix and match as the day evolves. Checking and riding a route with a friend can often be done in a fraction of the time it takes to ride a route with a group, as there are always accumulated delays. Therefore the first rule is never to try to complete your max route, be prepared to drop sections if there is a rider finding it hard going but equally if the group are finding it all a bit easy have a few higher grade trails that can be fitted in, the best way of assessing a group is to ride at the back on a few trails.

Why I did it? My reason for doing it was the enjoyment of riding with a new group, I have been leading groups on the Wessex Wanderer for a few years and other events.

What I got out of it? Easy making new friends, I find riding with somebody works far better than simply clicking on a few unknown guys on facebook.

My view of the ABR rally? It was well organised with plenty of TRF leaders with local knowledge to take groups out Organising groups went well, although when some riders saw my son Iain on his 950 ride off, many simply tagged onto him and had a brilliant time. On the Sunday after all the groups had left, one rider

arrived on a GS1200 after a short chat off we went and have a really good ride.

We became friends and he joined the TRF and is now active in three Groups.

Why TRF members should get involved in run leading? Firstly you don’t need to be an Ace rider with a degree in map reading, I’m one of the slower older riders. I started helping out with the Wessex Wanderer watching other run leaders and leaning a few routes, followed by my son, a good rider but not so good with maps, helping me out.

Between us we soon evolved skills to take groups, often with a range of problems to solve that can’t be learnt from a formal course. To avoid the feeling of stress from getting lost etc we use the old Army term ’ poor preparation = poor performance’, you often find a few of your group will be very experienced and can work with you to form a team approach.

Overall leading runs should be a positive enjoyable experience, it both improves your own confidence and is the best method of making new friends and networking with like-minded riders.

Spring 2019 Trail 37

William Michael Holbrook Remembered As time pAsses, if we are lucky, we can reflect on life’s journey and those we share it with.

Depending on our experiences and how we relate to others that reflection can be tainted by cynicism and the downward drive of bad times; conversely, there are days when you smile because a memory is triggered, even a conversation with friends who remember such ‘shared experience’ and give their own perspectives; if clarification were needed it is at this time we tend to miss those who made such a difference to events, not necessarily recognised at the time, but now leave a void because the individual is no longer with us.

William michael Holbrook, known to us all as ‘mick’ was the tRF isle of Wight Group rep; it all started with a fellow rider peter mogg in

38 trail Spring 2019

1985, when in conversation, mick related, “there is a club for that sort of thing.” Later meeting up with southern Group tRF for arranged runs, they got to know Frank and penny page, mike may and peter Wildsmith, mick was very grateful for their help with maps. As time passed he became well respected within our area, both by other tRF groups and the local Council Rights of Way office; his easy going nature while attending reclassifications had mick on first name terms with the ROW staff, on meeting sussex group on our sunday run from the island, we were pleased to see Bevis Billingham and his group, the first question we were asked was “is mick with you?” it is really easy to see how this could be possible; peter Woodford remembers mick

towing his dead Ktm back from a run to salisbury; in 1990, as an interloper from Yorkshire i was helped with garage space for my bike and the genuine hand of friendship to a young chap who had just left home.

At some point in their riding career every member of the isle of Wight Group will have enjoyed many runs and covered many miles across the south following his trusty 1988 XR250, alternatively it would have been his perennial 1983 sp400, or earlier a twin shock Dt250.

Runs were always considered affairs, mick rarely needed maps, all legal routes were consigned to memory and well researched; many riders commented on his leading style, at a leisurely but deceptive pace, he never stopped, just kept resolutely covering the miles to ensure his group had an enjoyable day. the best of which was always the lunch stop, out came flasks and sandwiches accompanied by a good yarn or two designed to feed the mind with either information or humour. entertainment could also be improvisational; we have all experienced an unplanned fall and been relieved at a safe outcome, two such tested mick’s good humour; the first in which tWO handguards were broken in the same fall, we spent ages asking him how it was possible! the second was a little more serious, a nasty looking bramble had connected itself to the other side of the lane, mick offering an outstretched hand to divert it, only to be dragged off his bike into a heap on the floor, great concern was expressed through tears of laughter (when we knew he was OK). mick had many achievements within the group, one being his exmoor runs, navigating from the island and back, no Gps, but he did use maps! the third run in 1992 was assisted

by David Dyer of the somerset tRF group, he put the riders up and led runs, making it so enjoyable, that in 1993 yet another run was proposed; in this particular year the group met Julian Bruford who was again of great assistance. With this in mind and in the same spirit, a lone rider, let down by his companions, asked for help, which resulted in mick sounding the island group for any

objections to him joining the run, which he did, for three days! On his return from one of the first runs mick provided a short write up for trail magazine, so full of meaning and eloquence, we were taken aback; his metaphor of the run with a passage adapted from Alfred Lord tennyson, “sailors crossing the bar, have they had a day as good as ours, better?, i think not!”

His confidence was such that, in 1993, when faced with taking over in the peak District due to a last minute change of run leader, he did not hesitate to volunteer. mick arranged and chaired meetings, venues and group runs; he also found time to fish as a member of shanklin Fishing Club, he had many things to deal with in his home life, he did so with tremendous care and consideration for others, often to the detriment of his own situation. He retired from British Gas in the year 2000, having handed over the Group rep job to enjoy his time and his family.

Latterly he had been diagnosed with a heart condition, needing a pacemaker; when feeling better he still led runs for visiting groups. taken ill on one such run his considerate Group arranged an ambulance and sorted out getting his bike returned to home, thanks extend from the island Group for such action.

He also survived Lymphoma and still rode as a celebration of his remission.

Life happens while we arrogantly try to plan it, i have been lucky to have known mick and shared good times. i remember feeling a little guilty, as having seen him two weeks prior; i had time constraints, apologised and resolved to visit soon. i telephoned to arrange meeting up, only to be told he had passed away that morning, unexpectedly. the year was 2010, a particularly sad one for members of the isle of Wight Group and by extension tRF in general. the resultant void is very real, isle of Wight Group members reflect on this journey and of their personal memory of mick and his tenure in founding our local group.

Overwhelmingly thankful, one and all.

Mark Gregory

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TRF Groups

TRF GROUPS LIST

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1 Cornwall TRF Contact: Martin Goddard | admin@cornwalltrf.org.uk | 07787522674 | http://www.cornwalltrf.org.uk Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm at The Hawkins Arms, Zelah, TR4 9HU 2 Devon TRF Contact: John Heal | johnheal@blueyonder.co.uk | 01626 832413 http://www.trfdevon.org.uk/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm at The Dolphin Hotel, Station Road, Dolphin Square, Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9AL 3 Somerset TRF Contact: Josh Cook | keeperjhc@hotmail.co.uk | 07590 281296 http://www.somerset-trf.org.uk Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 7:30pm, at The Maypole, Thurloxton, Taunton, TA2 8RF 4 Dorset TRF Contact: John Williamson | wjwilliamson@btinternet.com | 01929 553640 | http://dorset-trf.org.uk/ | http://www.facebook.com/groups/1655657811402165 Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm at The Royal Oak Hotel, Bere Regis, BH20 7HQ 5 Isle of Wight TRF Contact: Andy Hawkins | 01462 811654 Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 8pm at The Eight Bells Inn, Carisbrooke, Newport, PO30 1NR 6 Southern TRF Contact: Ben Plummer | twine007@me.com | 07769652656 | http://www.southern-trf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm at Southampton & District MCC, Cranbury Centre, Cranbury Road, Eastleigh, SO50 5HT 7 Central Bristol TRF Contact: Darth Speede | hello@centralbristoltrf.co.ukv | 07766090190 http://www.facebook.com/cbtrf/ Meeting details: 3rd Tuesday of the month, 8pm at the Nova Scotia Hotel, 1 Nova Scotia Place, Hotwells, Bristol, BS1 6XJ 8 Bristol TRF Contact: Glen Summers | mail@trfbristol.org.uk | 01454 619246 | http://www.trfbristol.org.uk/ Meeting details: 4th Monday of the month, 8pm at The Portcullis, 130 High Street, Staple Hill, BS16 5HH 9 Wiltshire TRF Contact: Jim Cairndu | trf.wiltshire@gmail.com | 07840 352996 | http://www.wiltshiretrf.co.uk | http://www.facebook.com/groups/WiltshireTRF | http://www.facebook.com/wiltshiretrf/?fref=ts Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm at The Pilot, Bowerill, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 6TA 10 Loddon Vale TRF Contact: Dave Carlingv | http://www.lvtrf.co.uk/ committee@lvtrf.org.uk | Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 8pm, The Swan, Basingstoke Road, Three Mile Cross, Reading, RG7 1AT 11 Sussex TRF Contact: Andy Wardrobe | sussex@trf.org.uk | 07414 529298 http://www.sussextrf.org.uk Meeting details: last Thursday of the month, 8pm at Ashington Village Hall, Mill Lane, Ashington, RH20 3BX

16

13

18

17

12

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1 40 Trail Spring 2018

For the latest details go to: trail.trf.org.uk/groups/

12 Kent TRF Contact: Steve Neville | sneville@blueyonder.co.uk | 07887 478552 http://www.kentishtrf.org.uk Meeting details: Last Wednesday of the month, from 7.30pm, Eynsford Riverside Club, Riverside, Eynsford, Dartford DA4 0AE 13 South London & Surrey TRF Contact: Tony Rowlands | grouprep@surreytrf.org.uk | 07772 333328 http://www.surreytrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 4th Tuesday of the month at 8:30pm, Ripley British Legion, 25 Rose Lane, Ripley, GU23 6NE 14 Oxford TRF Contact: Martin Welch | chairman@oxford.org.uk | http://www.oxfordtrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month at 8pm @ The Original Swan, Oxford Road, Cowley, OX4 2LF 15 Gloucestershire TRF Contact: James Osborne | hello@trfglos.org | 01531 822728 Meeting details: 1st wednesday of the month, 8pm at the Wagon Works Club, Tuffley Avenue, Gloucester, GL1 5NS 16 Hertfordshire TRF Contact: Mark Brown / join@hertstrf.org.uk | 07958 506066 | http://www.hertstrf.org.uk/ http://www.facebook.com/groups/HertsTRF/ Meeting details: 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7pm, different venues around London and North Home Counties Schedule on Facebook or contact local rep 17 Essex TRF Contact: Graham Coker | 07789 922537 graham@cokerg.freeserve.co.uk Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 8pm at The White Horse 2 Church Street, Witham, CM8 2JL 18 Suffolk TRF Contact: Colin Poutney | vraptor@ntlworld.com | 07981 116310 Meeting details: First Monday of the month, 8pm at The Three Kings, Fornham All Saints, Bury St Edmunds, IP28 6LA 19 Norfolk TRF Contact: Rupert Trigg / info@norfolktrf.org.uk | 07899 918276 | http://www.norfolktrf.org.uk | http://www.facebook.com/groups/norfolktrf/ Meeting details: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm at The White Horse, Trowse, Norwich, NR14 8ST 20 Cambridge TRF Contact: Andy Lonnen | 07753820520 | newmembers@cambstrf.org.uk http://www.facebook.com/TRF-Cambridgeshire-624123620992268/ | http://www.cambstrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm at St Ives Outdoor Leisure Centre, California Road, St Ives, PE27 6SJ 21 West Anglia TRF Contact: Geoff Groom | ggroom@btinternet.com | 07929 275465 Meeting details: 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 8:30pm the Scott Bader Social Club, 122 High Street, opp Parish Church, Wollaston, Wellingborough, NN29 7RJ 22 West Midlands TRF Contact: Steve Whetton | enquiries@westmidlandstrf.co.uk | 01527 451089 / http://www.westmidlandstrf.co.uk Meeting details: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, 8pm at Wilmcote Sports and Social Club, 16 Aston Cantlow Road, Wilmcote, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 9XX 23 Worcestershire TRF Contact: David Walters | davidwalters101@hotmail.co.uk | 07767 204730 Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm at The White Hart Fernhill Heath, WR3 8RP 24 Herefordshire TRF Contact: Graham Hutton | graham.hutton671@btinternet.com | 07581023924 Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8 pm at the New Inn, Fownhope, Herefordshire, HR1 4PE 25 Mid Wales TRF Contact: Marianne Walford | 01686 430522 marianne@trailrides-wales.com | http://www.facebook.com/groups/354419968236284/ Meeting details: Last Thursday of the month except December, no fixed venue.

26 South Wales TRF Contact: Christian James | christian@swtrf.org.uk | 01446 410073 Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month at 8pm at the Ty Nant Inn, Nr Radyr, Morganstown, CF15 8LB

27 South West Wales TRF Contact: Rob Williams | rwmotobiker@aol.com | 07974 102372 Meeting details: Last Thursday of the month, 7pm at Hagans Café and Fish & Chip Shop, 2 Pensarn Road, Pensarn, Carmarthen, SA31 2BS 28 Shropshire TRF Contact: Mike Price | alwynmike@hotmail.com | 07718902682 Meeting details: 3rd Thursday of the month, 7.30pm the Acton Arms, Morville, WV16 4RJ 29 East Midlands TRF Contact: Lee Jordan | lee@jordaninstall.co.uk | http://emtrf.co.uk/ Meeting details: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 8pmthe Clock Warehouse, London Road, Shardlow, Derby, DE72 2GL 30 Lincolnshire TRF Contact: Nev Cooke | cookie60@btinternet.com | 07845 067047 | http://www.facebook.com/groups/253106844849995/ Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 8pm Woodys, Woodland Waters, Willoughby Road, Ancaster, Grantham, NG32 3RT 31 Peak District TRF Contact: Alan Gilmore | a.gilmore_home@outlook.com | 07807818542 Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 8pm the Fisherman‘s Rest Belper, DE56 2JF 32 High Peak & Potteries TRF Contact: Russ Unwin | russ.u@hotmail.com | 07968 770629 Meeting details: 2nd Thursday of the month, 8pm The Black Horse, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent, ST9 9BA 33 Derbyshire & South Yorkshire TRF Contact: Bob Morley | bobmorleycbs@gmail.com | https://www.facebook.com/SOUTHYORKSHIRETRF/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 8pm the Dusty Miller, Sheffield Road, Barlborough, S43 4TW 34 North Wales TRF Contact: Neil “Timpo“ Thompson | timpo@bikerider.com | 07980 555874 / http://www.facebook.com/NorthWalesTRF/ Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 8pm The Burntwood Pub, 26 Burntwood Road, Buckley, CH7 3EN 35 Manchester TRF Contact: Phil Kinder | philmancunian@googlemail.com | 07809647293 http://www.facebook.com/groups/13477365684/ Meeting details: 4th Monday of the month, 8:30pm at The Sycamore Inn, 4 Stamford Square, Ashton under Lyne, OL6 6QX 36 Lancashire TRF Contact: Keith Westley | keith.westley@outlook.com | 01704 893215 http://www.facebook.com/TRFLancashire/ Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm The Rigbye Arms 2 Whittle Lane, High Moor, Wrightinton, WN6 9QB 37 West Yorkshire TRF Contact: Tim McEnhill | info@wytrf.org.uk | http://www.wytrf.org.uk Meeting details: 1st Thursday of the month, 7:30pm Cue Garden, Stadium Mills, Stadium Road, Bradford, BD6 1BJ 38 East Yorkshire TRF Contact: Julian Mamo | julian.mamo1@googlemail.com | 07583694431 http://www.facebook.com/groups/959312044201559/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm the Bay Horse Inn, 75 Market Place, Market Weighton, York, YO43 3AN 39 Ribble Valley TRF Contact: Paul Stewart or Gary Barker | admin@ribblevalleytrf.org | 07791 934041 or 07711 064574 / http://www.ribblevalleytrf.org Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, bi-monthly, at 8.00pm commencing 5th June 2018 Contact rep for full details. The Petre Arms, Whalley Road, Blackburn, BB6 8AN 40 Teesside & North Yorkshire TRF Contact: Leo Crone | leocronektm1190r@outlook.com | 01325 463815 http://www.facebook.com/groups/teessidenorthyorkshiretrf Meeting details: 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm The Lord Nelson, 40-41 St James Green, Thirsk, YO7 1AQ 41 Cumbria & Craven TRF Contact: Nigel Summers nigel_summers@sky.com | 07891 403992 http://www.facebook.com/groups/1631280750485319/ Meeting details: 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm the Cross Keys Inn Milnethorpe, LA7 7AB 42 TyneWear Teesdale Contact: Paul Smith | smip694@aol.com | 07980 144446 Meeting details: 4th Tuesday of the month, 7:30pm The Golden Jubilee Pub, Yarm, TS15 9XN 43 Northumbria TRF Contact: Greg Villalobos | ride@northumbriatrf.org.uk | http://www.northumbriatrf.org.uk/ Meeting details: 1st Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm, Petros Restaurant, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Blaydon on Tyne NE21 6RT

Crossover Benefits The principles contained within the IAM Roadsmart Advanced Rider Course, ROSPA advanced training and Motorcycle Roadcraft, apply equally to trail riding on unsealed roads as they do to riding on tarmac roads. After all, trail riders utilise tarmac roads to ‘join up’ unsealed roads to form a route for their recreational rides.

TRF Life Member and Local Observer Assessor for IAM Roadsmart Keith Johnston shines a light

Recovery of locked up brakes and front/rear wheels Picking up a dropped bike without injury to self or others Improved use of bike controls The DVSA guidance points out that all of these skills are essential if the rider is focused upon taking every measure to be safe on public roads.

The adaptation of advanced skills to the context of riding on unsealed roads can be demonstrated for example in the five areas of Preparation, Information, Position, Speed and Acceleration familiar to Advanced Road riders.

These skills include: Riding safely on slippery surfaces such as loose gravel, wet leaves, mud or smooth surfaces such as paint, metal etc. how to achieve more grip through your tyres to avoid/minimise the loss of traction; how to brake safely and stop your motorcycle on surfaces of all grip levels Low speed manoeuvres, eg tight steering, safe touchdown and setting off, etc to avoid dropping your bike Advanced balance and road/terrain reading

Preparation A model of pre-ride checks is essential for all advanced riders. POwDeRS is as useful a model as any: Petrol, Oils/fluids, water, Drive and Damage, electrics, Rubber, Steering, Suspension, Self.

In the case of trail riding, drive, damage, electrics and rubber are crucial. The conditions under which trail bikes operate are significantly more arduous than road bikes. Grinding mud, sand, water, ice and snow all impact upon the wear rate of sprockets/drive chains, fork seals

42 Trail Spring 2019

whILe The riding principles are the same, the context while riding unsealed roads will be different to tarmac, therefore demanding adjustment in the application of these principles. It is the nature of these adjustments that makes trail riding a challenging way in which to enjoy the countryside and respect other users.

According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, professional, accredited training from organisations which specialise in ‘off-road’ skills for road riders can teach skills that aren’t typically taught on other types of advanced rider training course and which are relevant to all road riders.

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the foreground. In trail riding, however, the reverse is the case. On unsealed roads, the primary focus of the rider will be on a point no greater than 100 metres in front, as the rider scans the road for potential sources of danger including rock steps, ruts, adverse cambers, loose fist sized boulders, water etc and adjusts his/her position and speed accordingly.

The limit point of vision still clearly plays a role, but is moved into the periphery of the riders’ scan. Trail riders look where they are going but avoid target fixation.

They look where they want to go, rather than where they don’t!

and electrical connections. wear rates are accelerated and weak connections thoroughly tested. The advanced trail rider pays particular regard to the condition of exposed parts before and after every ride.

The advanced trail rider also understands the importance of tailoring the ergonomics of the motorcycle to maximise comfort and control and minimise stress and tiredness. Therefore controls; handlebars, levers, suspension systems will be adjusted to suit personal taste.

The unsealed road rider will want the handlebars adjusted [or changed] to enable him/her to stand comfortably with their head directly over the handlebar clamps, arms slightly bent, knees gripping the petrol tank and legs acting as shock absorbers over the most uneven of terrain. The motorcycle will be steered through counter steering, subtle pressure of the thighs and weighting of the footrests. The hands will lightly grasp the handlebars. The rider will be relaxed. By standing up, the centre of gravity will transfer from the saddle to a point directly between the two wheels.

Information Advanced riders Take, Use and Give Information and Observe, Anticipate & Plan. whilst on tarmac, riders will scan ahead with a particular focus upon the limit point [the point where the sides of the road appear to converge], using their peripheral vision to detect changes and potential sources of danger in

44 Trail Spring 2019

Position Advanced riders position for Safety, Stability and View. Trail riders will use the full width of the road akin to the approach on single track tarmac roads. Positioning is particularly influenced by the nature of the road surface and the degree to which grip and traction can be retained. Trail riders will always choose the position, which presents the smoothest route through a ‘section’ of unsealed road.

Trail riders will also be mindful, as in tarmac road riding, that a combination of ‘sections’ could present a series of challenges that have to be ‘read’ through observation and an appropriate strategy developed and executed.

For example, a 25% descent on loose rocks into a swiftly flowing ford followed by a 20% climb up a chalk bank with a 10% offset camber demands a sequence of manoeuvres to be planned and executed.

Speed One of the guiding principles of motorcycle roadcraft is the safe stopping rule – never ride so fast that you cannot stop safely within the distance you can see to be clear on your own side of the road. Most unsealed roads are narrow, usually much less than four metres wide and often wind through dense vegetation or woodland. Trail riding therefore demands greater anticipation of other road users and wildlife, resulting in lower speeds than on tarmac roads. Indeed arguably, the experience

of trail riding is enhanced by travelling at these lower speeds.

The TRF has a Code of Conduct and advises its members to travel at a speed which is safe and sustainable for the road surface.

Specifically, members are advised to ride at an unobtrusive speed, taking regard of conditions and visibility. Be prepared to stop within a maximum of a third of the distance in which you can see the road ahead. excessive speed increases wear on the road surface. Avoid travelling at high impact speeds above the voluntary recommended maximum of 25 mph. The importance of applying this guidance is illustrated by the fact that even at 25 mph on a dry sealed road, the ‘thinking’ distance travelled is 7.5 metres and the overall stopping distance is in excess of 15 metres. Speeds whilst trail riding are therefore generally far less than the voluntary recommended maximum.

Acceleration Finally, Acceleration – applying the correct degree of throttle to negotiate and leave the hazard correctly. Smoothness is key and the trail rider will use finite control of the throttle to maximise control and grip. There is always a limited amount of tyre grip available and a trade off between the grip available for braking, accelerating and steering. This trade off is even more pronounced in the situation where the road surface may be slippery chalk, glutinous mud or loose gravel.

As with riding on sealed roads, most braking will be conducted whilst the motorcycle is travelling in a straight line – where there is maximum grip. however, whilst on the tarmac road the front brake will be used in a ratio to the rear of 80/20; on unsealed roads the ratio will be closer to 50/50 to avoid the risk of the front wheel tucking in and breaking away or the rear locking up and sliding out.

It stands to reason that in particularly slippery conditions, an advantage can be gained by increasing the size of the tyre contact patch.

Most manufacturers of dual purpose motorcycles recognise this fact by pre-drilling wheel rims for the fitting of security tyre

clamps and advising owners through their operating manuals that recommended tyre pressures can be reduced. For example, honda in the case of its popular CRF250L model, recommends reducing tyre pressures ‘a little at a time for a particular off-road riding condition’ from the recommended normal pressure of 22psi. KTM on the other hand recommends reducing pressures from 22psi on tarmac roads to 15psi ‘off-road’, for its popular eXC250 model.

Reducing tyre pressures within manufacturers recommended ranges increases the size of the ‘footprint’ and offers enhanced grip in wet and slippery conditions.

The principles of advanced riding do therefore apply to riding on unsealed roads, but need to be adapted to reflect the nature of the activity. experience of trail riding offers significant benefits for the Advanced Rider who has not yet ventured off tarmac roads.

In particular trail riding offers the opportunity to broaden one’s experience in dealing with different road surfaces and, at low speed, the way in which a motorcycle responds to steering inputs and gentle use of the throttle.

References DVSA – Safe Driving for Life https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/offroad-training-to-improve-road-riding#

Spring 2019 Trail 45

Keep ‘em Peeled Derbyshire Police has a new dedicated Rural Crime Team, the majority of who’s work takes place in all weathers, day and night in the Peak District National Park, which happens to be a favourite place for trail riders. Their Sergeant, James Shirley, is a member of the TRF and we ask him how we can help the police tackle rural and wildlife crime, while riding the lanes 46 Trail Spring 2019

Q: What are the Rural Crime Team’s priorities?

A: The aim is to provide a dedicated response to combat and prevent criminality affecting the rural and farming communities of Derbyshire. To increase engagement, confidence and reassurance within these communities. We have six national rural crime priority areas, set by the National Police Chiefs Council. These are farm machinery theft (ATV, tractor and plant theft), livestock offences (worrying and theft) fuel theft, equine crime, industrial scale fly tipping and poaching.

Q: And what about wildlife?

A: We also deal with wildlife crime, this is again set by the National Police Chiefs Council and we have several areas to concentrate our attention on. The main ones being badger persecution (The illegal digging and killing of badgers) and raptor persecution (the illegal killing of birds of prey). We are also responsible for policing illegal hunting following the introduction of the Hunting Act in 2004.

Q: So what does rural and wildlife crime look like?

Spring 2019 Trail 00 47

A: The best thing you can do to get a flavour of what to look out for is scroll through our Facebook page @Derbysire Rural Crime Team.

Headless pheasants, stolen generators, quads and motor bikes, deer and hare coursing with long dogs, shot birds of prey, stolen Peregrine Falcon eggs and mauled livestock and, of course, illegal and irresponsible off roading.

Q: So what can trail riders do to help?

A: Rural communities are isolated and remote, which gives criminals the edge when they want to commit crime. We are asking all visitors of the Peaks to help us in tackling crime by keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. Be vigilant to what’s going on around them whilst out on the lanes. The offences above take place daily in the countryside across the country, but if you don’t look for it, it is rarely seen.

Q: So what is or isn’t suspicious?

A: Good question, people genuinely don’t know that some of these practices still take place. For example badger baiting happens throughout the county side, this is the use of small terrier dogs and spades to dig out badgers and kill them in various horrific ways.

Hare coursing, this happens in open fields where the dogs have a chance to run and get up to speed, you will often see a group of individuals walking two or more long dogs

48 Trail Spring 2019

(Lurcher, Saluki type). They will often be on slip leads and will be looking for hares. They often stand out due to their lack of appropriate clothing for the countryside they are in.

Betting takes place on which dog turns the hare the most number of times and how quickly. There is also hare hunting which is simply dogs chasing hares and killing them.

Birds of prey such as the Goshawk, Hen Harrier and Peregrine should thrive in the Peak District, but they don’t. They are targeted by many people, some manage large estates, some have valuable pigeons to protect and some simply don’t like them or see it as a bit of fun to kill them.

Q: What do we do if we see something suspicious?

A: If you suspect a crime is taking place then always dial 999. We know 101 can be difficult to get through on but incidents can now be reported online. If in Derbyshire then let us know on our Rural Crime Team Facebook page. Other force areas will have similar rural police Facebook accounts.

Q: And what do you need in terms of evidence?

A: As trail riders tend to be in groups which is great for corroboration of evidence. We also often have action cameras in operation and most have mobile phone. An image or photograph is often the best evidence.Try to obtain registrations of offending vehicles involved and we will do the rest.

Q: Trail riders in the past have had some frosty receptions with the police up and down the country with regards to minor traffic infringements, is this still the case and why should they now help?

A: The current risk and threat we face in the countryside, especially in relation to acquisitive crime and poaching, takes priority over anything less serious. Acquisitive rural crime is costing the county millions of pounds. The criminal gangs are organised and transport stolen machinery all around the world.

My advice, stick to the paths you’re allowed to ride on, no off piste, and make sure you know where SSSI land is and keep well away.

Also, report any anti-social use of the lanes

Selfie time: Sergeant James Shirley, left, TRF’s Stuart Bosworth and Mario Costa-Sa

that you may witness, as this spoils it for the rest of us trying to ride legally, and just gets peoples backs up.

Q: Any other advice to bike owners?

A: One of our priorities is theft of ATVs and bikes. Our advice, don’t transport on a trailer.

Make sure when advertising bikes or paraphernalia you don’t unintentionally disclose where your bike is stored, check the settings of your adverts, criminals will use google street view and social media to ascertain where your bike is stored. Consider getting a tracker.

Get in touch and we can let you know which companies we have worked with.

We work closely with out neighbouring SYP off-road team who are all fellow trail riders in their spare time. I recommend you follow their success at recovering stolen bikes on facebook @sypoffroadteam.

To find out more, and contribute to looking after the countryside for generations to come, and protect our farming industry from being targeted, follow us on facebook and pledge your support to keep an eye out for suspicious activity in the countryside.

Spring 2019 Trail 49

RIDING

At Spanish Enduro Trails there are several packages on offer and all represent great value. Customers can expect the latest, expertly maintained Beta RR 350F and 300 2Ts to ride and you only need to pack jeans and a T-shirt because all riding gear can be hired on site for a flat fee of £10.00.

As part of the all-in deal fuel for the bikes is also included.

Unlike some trail destinations, you can ride from the complex into the countryside without touching tarmac. Once you’re on the trails, there’s lots of terrain to choose from according to your ability. Three levels are offered: Easy, Intermediate and Demanding, and the appropriate level should be specified when booking.

Riding in the spectacular countryside of south-eastern Spain you will take in everything from forest roads to mountain trails including river beds and rocks. Come lunchtime you’ll get to enjoy traditional Spanish tapas for less than €10 a day.

RELAXING

When off the bike, Cortijo del Centeno offers a very homely and friendly family atmosphere with shared accommodation in which to rest and play. Breakfast and an evening meal are also part of the package. Facilities include a 1000 square-metre pool complex featuring a beautiful natural rock pool, a pool bar, games room, jacuzzi and a small gym. Additional sports on offer are tennis and basketball, and horse riding can be arranged nearby. Wi-Fi is provided.

PRICES & INFORMATION 3 nights stay with 2 days riding: £450.00 4 nights stay with 3 days riding: £650.00 Flights and transfer costs are down to the riders Nearest airports: Murcia, 1hr 20mins Alicante, 1hr 45mins (greater choice of flights and cheaper) EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is compulsory Personal insurance is discretionary

E: cortijodelcenteno@ymail.com T:0034 608 753 146

See our pr

3 NIGHTS STAY / 2 DAYS RIDING

£450

4 NIGHTS STAY / 3 DAYS RIDING

£650

romotional video @ https://youtu.be/yrLHEbuyXsc

A Quick Leg Over a...

Gas Gas EC300 Ranger Pics by: Gas Gas, Rick Kemp & Phil Kinder

The Gas Gas Ranger could be called the Comeback Kid. Two-stroke motors are widely making a reappearance now that they’ve cleaned up their act and Gas Gas says that the 2019 Ranger is the modern contender for the slot left by the Pampera, that all-round trailie introduced by the company almost 20 years ago.

Team Trail has a go on the ‘soft’ version of the EC300.

Rick Kemp reports ThE GAs GAs company has had something of a bumpy ride over the last few years. In 2016, Grupo Torrot Electric brought some stability to the situation by buying the company which remains at its salt, Gerona production facility.

Gas Gas UK is based outside Buxton, Derbyshire, in the heart of the Peak District.

Our guide for the occasion was Phil Kinder, Chair of Manchester TRF who met us outside Gas Gas hQ on a fairly bleak Monday morning. Importer John shirt Jnr. was on hand to show us the bikes and, as it turned out, to equip our test pilot Charlie harris with

52 Trail Spring 2019

As always Charlie fou nd time to stop and have a chat with a cou ple of walkers...

the appropriate branded clothing. I had requested something I could get around on to take photos. Imagine my surprise when John produced a straight-from-the-crate EC 300 Racing model.

We were instructed that the Ranger had some miles on the clock and was ďŹ tted with mousses but that the Racer had been started but not ridden. It has to be said these bikes do present well. The Ranger comes with

Kayaba suspension all round with adjustable compression and rebound damping at both ends, the rear having a remote reservoir with the side panel shaped for access to the adjuster – nice touch. The chrome-molly frame rails have plastic anti-scu covers in all the right places and the fork sliders are shrouded. Excell rims come as standard as does a Magura clutch master cylinder and Technigas silencer. The fuel tank design, with

Spring 2019 Trail 53

its low c-of-g and, view through plastic tank also allows for an ergonomic seat design.

The motor has been retuned: the Euro 4 compliant, 2-stroke has a new cylinder and head which lowers the compression making the power delivery softer and broader and generally more trail friendly. suffice it to say you get at least what you’d expect for the £5999.99 price tag, nothing is cheap and nasty, and there’s nothing it is lacking in terms of being trail proof with the possible exception of hand guards.

After giving the Ranger the once over on the Gas Gas forecourt, we were led out by Phil, Charlie on the Ranger and your editor on the Racer with camera bag. For those of you familiar with the district, we were headed for the Cat & Fiddle Lane taking in Three shires head which the KTM Rallye-mounted Phil assured us would provide ample scope for putting the Ranger through its paces while providing some photo opportunities along the way. he was not wrong.

Being southern softies, we rarely ride the Peak District’s rock-strewn and stepped type of going. Fortunately Charlie has done all

54 Trail Spring 2019

that scottish six Days stuff (10 times in fact, and pretty much every other off-road discipline, which is partly why we’ve persuaded him to join the team).

Even though the Ranger has a 40mm lower seat height than the Racing models, at 940mm it can still be a challenge for the short of leg. And speaking of which, it’s now over to Charlie.

“When we went to the warehouse, one of the things I picked up on was that anyone thinking of buying a Gas Gas should have no worries about the back up. John shirt has a

Below: Handy cutout in bodywork makes for easy shock adjustments

huge amount of parts on the shelf and he can put his hands straight on whatever’s required. That’s important when you trail ride, or go off-road as you’ll inevitably bend something.

“At first glance, I noticed lots of nice bits and pieces, particularly the combined starter button and rotary light switch. The bike started on the button and ran cleanly from the off. Rick and I got on the road following Phil and immediately you knew you were on brand new tyres [Vee Rubber]– they were all over the place. I’m not that familiar with using mousses which didn’t help, but a bit of brisk road work got some heat in to them and took the mould glaze off the tyres.

“As soon as we’d left the tarmac the bike was really kicking me about. I thought it might have been the mousses being less pliable than a tube, and so pressed on anyway. After a mile or so I stopped for a look at the suspension settings as it felt as though the rear shock had too much rebound damping for my whippet-like frame.

We backed off the damping and that transformed the Ranger for me.

I felt a lot more confident with it and it was running over the rocks pretty well.

“It took a while to get my rock-riding head on: it’s all about weighing up the size of the rocks and getting the speed right, just keeping enough momentum to roll over them and then a squirt of throttle before the next one.

Too little rolling momentum and the rocks will stop you, too much and both ends will bounce around making it difficult to control.

“After a while the motor felt a bit hesitant coming off the pilot jet but that could’ve been as much to do with it being a

The homologated version with indicators, ‘proper’ rear mudguard and black painted exhaust

Spring 2019 Trail 55

brand new motor with more internal friction.

The forks were brilliant and the steering was excellent. The brakes were good, almost too good – it was quite easy to lock the front if you weren’t paying attention. After a couple of hours I had confidence in the bike and had latched on to Phil a bit more closely as he obviously knew where he was going. I could read his body language to get a better idea of what was coming up. The Ranger went beautifully over the rough stuff and I was very pleased with it.

“When you trail ride, do enduros or what ever, you’re always a bit wary as to how much fuel is left in the tank but when it’s see-through you know immediately. Another impressive feature was the fuel consumption: half a day’s riding wouldn’t do too much damage to the wallet.

“At the end of our time with the bike I was happy to hand it back but I still thought it was a great bike. If I’m honest, I think you’ve got to be a fair rider to get on with it – I don’t think it’s a novice’s bike. you’ve got to spend

The EC 300 Racing As yOU WOULD imagine, the Racer is the Ranger plus, plus. For a start it’s plus a grand on the asking price. This model has

56 Trail Spring 2019

time practicing with it but it’ll go up anything and go anywhere providing you commit to it.

It could have done with a higher top gear for road work but aside from that, as long as you’ve got a rough idea of what you’re doing it’s a great bike. Oh yeah, and did I mention the electric start? Brilliant.”

The Gas Gas Ranger will take you from leisure riding to competition level without having to do much to the bike.

CH

more legs in every sense; more ground clearance, more suspension travel and more power. Most of the ancillaries are up-specced: the Kyaba suspension has a gold finish rather than the silver on the Ranger with 2mm extra diameter on the tubes and uprated internals, Nissin calipers, tapered bars, lithium battery and FMF PowerCore silencer. Apart from the start button, there’s also a kick starter – just in case.

The Racer is shod with Michelin Enduro Mediums and handguards come as standard.

No way was I evaluating this machine, I was just using it as basic trail

Many thanks to John Shirt for the loan of all Charlie’s riding gear featured in the photos.

More on p58

GAS GAS EC300 RANGER VITAL STATS Engine: Euro 4, liquid-cooled, 2-stroke, single-cylinder, direct reed valve Capacity: 299cc Gearbox: 6-speed Clutch: Wet, multi-plate Starter: Electric Fuel Capacity: 9.8 litres Wheelbase: 1480mm Seat Height: 940mm Dry weight: 108kg SRP: £5999.99 Contact: Gas Gas UK 33 harpur hill Business Park Buxton, Derbyshire sK17 9JL Tel: +44 1298 766813

transport, trying to keep up with the other two but you can’t help noticing a few things. To begin with I was making hard work of it with the rear wheel spinning or the motor bogging down. I wasn’t bothered by clattering rocks too hard as the suspension is much better than I am.

The lightbulb moment came when I noticed an extra switch on the left side handlebar, the icons on which depicted rain drops and sun rays. Given that these bikes come from spain where the effects of the sun on the landscape are rather different from those of Derbyshire, I rocked the switch into the “gloomy” position and my experience was transformed. The change had taken the top off the power, so there was less spinning up and it was easier to roll over the extraneous stonework – result. On the tarmac the gears felt short and close like a racer should be. This motorcycle is not designed for a gentle sunday afternoon bimble – it’s a proper tool.

RK

Spring 2019 Trail 57

Come to where the action is...

Come to Catalonia!

On trails...

On tarmac...

Our rural, Our rural, off-grid of f-g rid F Finca inca is is the the p perfect erfect b ase ffrom rom w hich to to e xplore tthis his base which explore b eautif ul area area of of Spain Spain ior ior ttrails rails or or beautiful rroads, oads, ffrom rom the the m ountains tto o the the sea. sea. mountains R ide d own o ly o ver a nd explore explore the t he Ride down orr ffly over and rroads oads a nd trails trails u sing o ur new ne w H on d a and using our Honda C RF250L ttrail rail b ikes.

CRF250L bikes.

www.catalanadventure.co.uk w ww.catala nadventure .co.uk

The EC 300 Ranger – Member’s viewpoint CAsTING AN EyE over the ECR300 it looks more or less the same as any other Gasser. shirty informs me it is however a little lower and has a less aggressive power delivery in a similar way to a Beta Xtrainer.

Climbing aboard the Ranger the bike has a very solid feel about it, levers and controls all look very neat and tidy, the digital speedo is very small but clear and of course there’s a magic green button on the left hand side.

The seat also feels firm as does the suspension and the foot pegs and controls also look purposeful and high spec.

A quick prod on the green button and the bike starts first time (every time by the way). Moving off the bike pulls cleanly through the gears but perhaps runs out of gears a little too early - taller gearing would definitely help here for me at least.

On to my first trail which is a steep grassy rutted lane. The Gas Gas buzzes along, able to switch ruts effortlessly whenever it wants. The brakes feel perfectly balanced and along with the (perfect for me) ergonomics and plush but firm suspension add to the overall precise feel of the bike.

Next up a fast sweeping forest trail that is well gravelled and again the bike feels precise and faultless, the power seems

58 Trail Spring 2019

spot on – there’s plenty available in a nice linear fashion but not so much that it constantly gets you into trouble.

A few loose rocky trails now with rock steps and roots on them and the Ranger again will happily pick its way round or float straight over more or less anything, it feels very planted at speed just skimming over the tops of the smaller stones or plodding along and over the bigger rocks.

What’s also worth noting here is it has enough torque to allow you to pick a higher gear, say third, and fan the clutch occasionally on the rough stuff when climbing, but also it is smooth enough to use a lower gear say first or second and roll the throttle on and off if you’re not a clutch man (or woman).

My personal view is that the bike would benefit from being geared up on the sprockets especially as I found I did not need first gear under any circumstances. hence first could easily be made where second is now, raising the whole box just with a sprocket change (but that’s just my opinion and may not be yours).

All in all I am most impressed with the Gas Gas (as I am sure most would be) for both trail riding and particularly for someone wanting to get started into the world of enduro.

Phil Kinder

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No Steve McQueen but plenty of bikes. Paul Blez recounts the history of a big-hearted baker and his post-Yuletide charity trail ride that has grown like Topsy in the past five years...

Just a few of the hund reds of dirt bikes tha t gathered together Burbidge’s Bakery for at The Great Escape on December 30th 2018

60 Trail Spring 2019

exploits of Austin Vince and the film director John Walters, Steve hitch-hiked alone across the uSA and raised thousands for Shelterbox which provides emergency accommodation for homeless families in disaster areas all over the world.

Steve organised the first post-Christmas Baker run back in 2012 and about 50 trail riders turned up, paid their entry fee and were guided all over Wiltshire by volunteer run leaders. It was originally aimed at big trail bikes, but these days it’s for all sorts. There were 80 riders when I did it for the first time the following year on my not-so-trusty HP2 1200 enduro. due to a combination of my own incompetence and mis-information from a local, it took me all morning to find my

Main pic: The view across the western edge of Salisbury Plain from a steeply descending byway

I fIrST BuMPed into Steve Burbidge 25 years ago at Stonehenge, by the mighty Heel Stone, on the section of the A344 which has since been dug up and grassed over. I’d stopped for a photo because you used to get a good view of Stonehenge from there without having to pay to get in. We were both on road bikes on that occasion. I discovered that Steve was not just a fellow motorcyclist but also a trail rider and that he ran Burbidge’s Bakery in Andover, which has been handed down through his family for five generations since 1901. fast forward a decade and I attended a summer charity trail-bike weekend organised

by Steve Burbidge which he called The Hog raost (deliberately mis-spelt!). The event actually ran for 14 years and raised thousands of pounds for Mencap. Steve is an inveterate do-gooder, in the very best sense of the word. A member of his local rotary Club, he raises money for charity year-round, from a whole variety of activities. A few years ago, inspired by the self-filmed hitch-hiking

Great Escape The

Spring 2019 Trail 61

Classic Salisbury Plain byway sign: open to all traffic except when the army are firing their big guns!

A motley mix of machinery at the start of the first byway of the day for Jimmy K’s group

Paul Blezard and Michael Messervy with their BMW HP2 1200 Enduros at the 2016 event

way to the lunch stop at the abandoned village of Imber on the far side of Salisbury Plain (taken over by the army in 1943, in the run-up to d-day, and now open to the public only twice a year).

It was worth persevering though because like every other participant I was rewarded with excellent Burbidge’s fare in the form of pasties, sausage rolls, hot soup and tea.

In 2014, I actually made it to the start of the Baker run on time and had a muddy but enjoyable day’s ride in company with some of my friends from Surrey Trf. Steve himself rode his BMW 450 sidecar outfit that year, with daughter fletcher in the

62 Trail Spring 2019

chair, but it conked out before lunchtime!

That year’s Imber village lunch stop was also memorable because I’d arranged to have my first face-to-face meeting with a certain Carla McKenzie who experienced massed ranks of trail riders for the first time in her life. It helped to inspire her at the very start of her training for the John o’ Groats to Lands end (JOGLe) trail ride she did seven months later.

By 2015 the Baker run had become The Great Christmas escape, complete with Steve McQueen-style stickers, and the number of participants had grown to about 120 and by 2016 the numbers were up to 180 and Steve decided that the event had outgrown the limited space available for lunch at the abandoned village. He negotiated the use of the forecourt at the

Riding across Salisbury Plain

A puncture calls a halt back in 2015

The old AJS in action on a Hampshire lane

Looking south across the A303, on the closest byway to Stone Henge, recently reopened

‘shiny side up’ on the old Honda single; that proved to be an optimistic assumption…

Jimmy Higgs had kindly asked if I’d like to join his group, and a well-mixed bunch they proved to be. There was everything from modern KTM and Husky enduro bikes to an ancient AJS 500 and twin-shock XL250S. I had hoped I might ride some local trails I’d never seen before and I wasn’t disappointed.

We paused for a snack at Collingbourne ducis on the A338 before taking the Old Marlborough road to the Bulford and Larkhill ranges on Salisbury Plain. On one of the open gravel roads the XL250’s heavy rear light and number plate assembly made a break for freedom but survived its fall intact and was soon bodged back into place with zip ties. At the petrol station in Tilshead I straightened out my bent rear brake pedal for the second time and had a chat with the guy on the nearly new AJS 150, who revealed that he’d actually been off three times that

Spring 2019 Trail 63

John deere farm equipment dealership in nearby Tilshead. I missed that year, and the year after, but I was back for another dose of The Great escape last december.

When I arrived I was amazed to find the large field at the back of the local pub already filled with vans whereas it had been two thirds empty back in 2015. When I got to the bakery it was heaving and the queue for the loo was long…No wonder – turned out there were no fewer than 350 participants, due in no small measure to all the publicity from the Trf over the past couple of years. Nevertheless, everyone who paid their £35 entry fee was catered for, at both breakfast and lunch; (the 25 run leaders didn’t pay).

This time, in deference to the state of my battered and aging body, I decided to use my trusty dominator 650 rather than the big’n’beefy HP2 1200. I’d never actually dropped the HP2 on a Baker run, but I thought I’d stand a better chance of staying

morning, which made me feel a whole lot better, especially since he turned out to be an ex motocrosser! Mind you, the AJS is really no more than a road bike with trail tyres.

The John deere lunch stop was just around the corner and Steve and his Serow-riding wife Becky were there, along with several other volunteer helpers – between friends and family there are about a dozen of them all, plus the 25 run leaders. Steve revealed that it cost him about £3,000 to put on the Great escape, but the bumper numbers this year meant there was still £9,000 to give to charity – a fantastic contribution which does no end of good for motorcycling in general and trail riding in particular.

The afternoon run back to Andover naturally included the controversial byway

that runs right next to Stonehenge. It had only been re-opened shortly before, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Trf. It was already populated by several tatty motorhomes and caravans of the ‘New Age Hippy variety’ who’d been there for the winter solstice. Jimmy pointed out the buses which carry visitors to Stonehenge the few hundred yards from the car park to the ancient stones in the ‘most overpriced bus ride in the world’.

I was making progress on the A303 before I pulled over to discover that I had completely missed the trail to Lake. There followed a ridiculous series of missed calls, texts and messages before we finally met up again near Amesbury. five minutes later I was really enjoying myself on the byway that starts at

Steve Burbidge and his Honda CRF 250 Rally

Jimmy H & Chelsea B at the start of the 2018 Escape

Trib and Carla admire a brace of strikingly different KTM 690s at Imber village while an ancient XL250 lurks in the background...

Two types of byway on the Plain

64 Trail Spring 2019

Arundel farm when I lost the front end again.

This time I came a right cropper, with all the impact taken by my right shoulder. The bike was fine, but I was in agony. A couple of the enduro-riding lads picked the bike up for me and said ‘You weren’t hanging about’. Clearly, I was going just a little bit too fast for the conditions that my ageing brain and tyre could cope with! It’s a long time since I fell off three times in one day, and it’s never happened on a non-competitive trail ride!

Anyway, I got back on my trusty steed and managed to stay on it for the last few trails via Perham down, Kimpton and fyfield back to Weyhill and Andover as darkness descended. I took it very gingerly though!

Jimmy kindly loaded the bike back into my van for me and I was able to drive it back

home to London OK, thanks to the wonders of power steering.

In the pub afterwards Steve was understandably pleased with the huge turnout and the £9,000 donation to charity. His only concern is that the group sizes were very uneven, with one run leader having only one ‘punter’. “We may have to do some marshalling of people into groups next year” he told me. He always wants more run leaders too, who have the incentive of being exempted from the £35 entry fee.

It just remains to thank Steve Burbidge and his family, friends, and volunteer helpers for organising the Great Christmas escape this and all the previous years. Steve really is a baker with a big heart, and he makes exceedingly good pasties too!

Steve Burbidge leading Carla McKenzie on his SYM scooter in 2015...

The Blez Domi at the self-propelled gun on Salisbury Plain Chelsea Bee on Jimmy K’s Serow

There’s a lot to be said for balloon tyres in mud!

Spring 2019 Trail 65

It’s the time of year to plan trail rides, but the local lanes are getting a bit too familiar. So what do you do? Go visit a far flung country where even the main highways remain unsurfaced trails, of course.

That’s exactly what Steven Taylor of the South London and Surrey TRF Group and his partner Luca have started doing in Spring each year: escape home and work for an international trail riding mini-adventure.

Last year they headed for the hills, the foothills of the Himalayas in fact...

66 Trail Spring 2019

Getting High detailed Austin’s 1995–6 around the world adventure. He was captivated by Austin’s ‘DIY’ adventure biking spirit. It was then down to Luca, despite being more accustomed to roaming city streets on his Vespa (he is Italian after all), to press Steven to commit to making their first mini-adventure: a twoweek trip along Vietnam’s northern border, in Spring 2017, and it was a big success.

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STeVen’S InSpIRATIon To go trail riding in other parts of world stemmed from taking part in Austin Vince’s Very Interesting navigation Challenge event in 2013 along with a sizeable contingent from his TRF Group. Austin was so impressed by the Group’s navigators, he ‘gate crashed’ the subsequent club night, which led to Steven buying a copy of Mondo enduro, which

So much so that in 2018 they decided to do it again, only this time they would head to lesser-visited nepal. The plan was simple.

“We wanted to get out of our comfort zone. experience the real nepal rather than just see the tourist sights. Arrive in Kathmandu, rent two Royal enfields and hit the road.” The destination was Muktinath – a sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists, located 3800 meters above sea level.

Having rested up in Kathmandu for the first few nights, they then collected the bikes and were on their way. They followed the prithvi Highway out of Kathmandu, through pokhara, and then headed north into the Annapurna Conservation Area where the roads give way to dusty trails that ascend into the Himalayas. They had to find a place to stay each night – in bigger towns there were small hotels but elsewhere guesthouses and

For Luca, nepal was a case of love at first sight: “If you are going to a remote place like nepal, you expect things to be different, but somehow the culture shock still hits you. The sounds, the smells, the colours, the chaos of the cities, and a completely different way of life, simpler with a lot of kindness in people…

There is much to learn.”

And if you are on a motorbike, you certainly need to start learning with a crash course (not literally) in navigating the city traffic, which seems devoid of any rules or regulations. “Somehow, though, it works,” commented Luca. The country roads also require strong nerves to negotiate with trucks that force you to the side as they overtake.

“Right of way is determined purely by size,” said Steven. It wasn’t long before they were experiencing trails like no other, with steep cliffs, hairpin bends and spectacular scenery.

“If you are going to a remote place like nepal, you expect things to be different, but somehow the culture shock still hits you. The sounds, the smells, the colours, the chaos of the cities, and a completely different way of life, simpler with a lot of kindness in people…“

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Such a trip has the potential to test your patience. Falling rocks, landslides or downpours of rain often block the roads and, with no alternative route, all you can do is wait for several hours, taking in the spectacular views, while the obstacles are removed. one particular highlight was the narayanghat-Mugling Highway. etched into the near vertical Trishuli gorge, the road is closed for six hours from 10.00 am each day, which turns it from a dirt track into a surfaced highway. Wacky Races, nepalese style, begin at 4.00 pm, with bikes, buses, trucks and dogcarrying scooter passengers all jostling for position along the soaring cliff-edge road.

“That moment was completely exhilarating,” reported Steven, “something which will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

There was only one “dismal” trekking lodge on the whole trip, “but that night turned out to be one of the most memorable,” explained Luca. “It had been the first day of really gruelling riding, the Royal enfields beating us up as we rolled over the rock-strewn road.”

trekking lodges sufficed. Finding somewhere was hardly ever a problem and with a little online research they located some really decent places to stay (with perhaps with one exception!).

A few essentials were needed for the road.

Good old Google Maps works even in nepal, so navigation was sorted by buying a local SIM card and mounting a phone in a hard case onto the handlebars. Rubber straps secured the backpacks onto the rear of the bikes. And, in case anything went wrong with the bikes, the rental company provided a bag of tools and parts (not that either Steven or Luca were mechanically minded – luckily, the bikes didn’t breakdown).

Food on the trip consisted mostly of traditional nepalese dishes, such as dal bhat tarkari (a lentil, rice and vegetable curry) and a vegetable soup of lentils and spices, served with steamed rice. Another staple was momos, dumplings accompanied by vegetables or minced buffalo meat (cows are sacred in nepal).

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There had been rockfalls on that day too, and while waiting for a road to be cleared they had struck up a conversation with a fellow trail rider called Angus. “His Scottishsounding name puzzled us given that he was from Taiwan.”

“Together we reached Tatopani just before dusk and excitedly headed for the natural, open air, thermal spa. We soaked our weary bodies and had a few beers with fellow trekkers and cyclists. As it went dark it became magical. But it was then that the heavens opened, the rain was torrential. We got back to the lodge to find the power had been cut. In candlelight we discovered the foam mattresses stank, so we prepared to sleep in our clothes. over dinner we checked the weather forecast for the journey ahead, which was turning from plus 10 degrees Celsius to minus 10. In the rain and dark we wondered whether we should carry on and so risk not being able to get back, or worse.”

The next day the rains had receded and they decided to press on, things picking up from the initial moment of doubt. Further up the road, as they ascended into the mountains, they encountered huge rock-strewn lake beds, which filled during the monsoon but otherwise remained dry apart from some criss-crossing and fast-flowing river tributaries. “It was like a lunar landscape, it was spectacular.” It was along here that Steven, Luca and Angus encountered a ford, some 600 mm deep. Too deep to ride through, they worked together to push the first bike through. “We were screaming due to the icy water freezing our feet,” explained Steven, “when a local in a 4x4 told us we’d missed the sign for motorbikes, which led to a bridge.”

That night, in between the power cuts, the hotel’s hairdryer was put to good use.

However, for them it was not the roads and out-of-this-world landscape that left the biggest mark. Having used their Vietnam trip as an excuse to raise money for a UK-based MS charity in 2017, for 2018 Luca sought out a charity supporting the people of nepal. After making some enquiries, he had a phone call from the founder of Chance for nepal – a small charity that works closely with trusted organisations that help nepalese families.

While out there Steven and Luca visited “papa’s Children’s Home”. They were welcomed by two dozen ecstatic kids, who immediately started to quiz them about everything: football, their ages, where they were from and naturally… the motorbikes they had arrived on. papa’s Home had only basic facilities but Chance for nepal funds their food, the water filtration system for drinking and washing, and a programme of activities.

Immediately it was clear the impact that the small charity was having on the lives of the kids there. There was only a small car at the Home, so for a day trip designed to teach kids how to swim Steven and Luca ended up taking some of them on the bikes, two at a time. In the water, the kids’ determination to learn was palpable.

Luca explained: “Seeing how little these kids get by on, and how they make the most of it, was very humbling. Being there and seeing it with your own eyes, not through a TV screen, and then returning to even the most basic hotel afterwards provided such huge contrast. We saw how the Home was providing everything needed to help these kids flourish, without which they would be living on the street.” on trips like these, you may have a rough idea of the route you will be taking. But you can rarely predict where the road will lead.

Steven and Luca raised over £1200 for the charity (with many donations from fellow TRF members) and since their return have sponsored one of the kid’s education.

“Getting out on these far flung trails is life-changing. We realised how easily we take for granted all that we have,” Steven concluded. “There are trails all over the world, waiting to take you on a journey of discovery. What are you waiting for?”

With thanks to Adam Kielbasa, who authored a shorter version of this article.

To learn more, visit Chance for Nepal: https://www.chancefornepal.org Austin Vince: http://www.austinvince.com

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French Fancy As an ex motocross rider, Lee Garaway was looking to back o a bit but still keep riding.

He discovered the joys of trail riding and through the TRF became aware of Centre Trail riding tours and had the opportunity to mix business with pleasure while working in France

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My CenTRe TRAiL experience started long before i actually arrived, when i ďŹ rst found the company at the international Dirt Bike Show in the autumn of 2016. The owner, Tom Fitzsimons, was showcasing and selling me the dream (about which he is truly passionate) of endless riding in the heart of the beautiful French countryside. The seed had been planted but as the daily hustle and bustle of family life took over, the memory of that initial meeting faded from the forefront of my thoughts and disappeared into the inner recesses of my mind.

For the best part of 15 years i had been riding motocross, and, after picking up a few injuries, it was beginning to take its toll. not

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wanting to abandon the off-road world entirely, i decided to turn to slightly less punishing pursuits to get my thrills. initially i tried enduro practice facilities and it was while chatting with other riders there that an organisation i’d previously never heard of, the TRF, was mentioned as a good starting point to get involved in riding the green lanes of the Home Counties.

The TRF seemed to have a considerable following in the South-east and through the online presence of various groups i was able to follow their exploits as the months passed. The Herts group, in particular, appeared to be very active within the organisation with tales of their adventures constantly featuring on social media.

References to one tour provider kept coming

up – Centre Trail. now where had i heard of them before?

Fast forward to november 2018, when i finally had the opportunity to look in on Centre Trail for a couple of days when passing through the region following a business meeting. The weather was fantastic, with sunshine and crisp blue skies, as i pulled up to a stunning nineteenth-century stone farmhouse in the eastern Limousin, full of original features but with all mod cons and extensive, comfortable living arrangements. Tom and Julie greeted me with a warm welcome and made me feel at home instantly.

The facilities there are totally set up for riders and bikes alike with a secure, fully equipped garage/workshop with gear drying area (complete with heaters, fans and dehumidifier), changing room and jet wash equipment. Tom is vastly experienced when

it comes to bike maintenance and set-up tips.

He is also the only foreign national to have CQP status – a professional qualification – without which an organisation cannot run fully legal, guided tours on green lanes in France.

By coincidence and unbeknown to me, it was the weekend of the L’en-Duo du Limousin, an extreme enduro, in nearby Aubusson. Tom suggested we explore some local trails in the morning and head over to the event in the afternoon. We started on some light lanes to get warmed up and to enable me to get a feel for the area and take in some of the picturesque views that the countryside has to offer.

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After a quick trail-side lunch, we headed over to nearby Aubusson. We stopped at the pit area and mingled with locals and riders, including enduro legend Mario Roman. We then proceeded to follow the route of the event, on trails running right next to the action, stopping at various challenging stages throughout the day and into the night. it was great to get involved in helping to pull bikes up the side of the mountains, a totally unexpected added bonus to my weekend.

The following day we left off riding endless trails barely seeing a soul the whole day – it was basically our own private trail network.

A great mix of tight technical sections, bridges, climbs and descents. There is a huge variation of trails to ride for all abilities, which kept me on my toes (and backside on many occasions!). We returned to base for some traditional home-cooked food and a well-earned beer. i cannot wait to return next year as 2019 promises to be an interesting season for Centre Trail. Tom told me he is working on some new additions to the route and is currently developing recently acquired land for enduro style riding. if this wasn’t enough to keep them busy, Tom and Julie are also renovating another period property to give visitors greater flexibility. With tours starting at £190 for two-days riding and accommodation, it is fantastic value for money.

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One of the pleasures I get out of riding within the TRF is the unexpected way in which you come upon a sunken lane covered in ancient ferns and wizened trees, or technical climbs and descents into a newly discovered area of the country. Often this is the result of meeting TRF members from other Groups – and following on from one of those, an unexpected meeting of plaster casts has led to a developing relationship between members of Wiltshire TRF and the Mid-Wales TRF. Steve Cowards relates…

THE BACkGROUNd: on 4 July 2017, while leading the more spirited group of riders involved in the Byways Tours for the Wounded charity, an event many members of the TRF get involved with, I made the mistake of looking down to check whether we were turning left or right at the end of

It’s times like these when having a few mates to ride with pays dividends!

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the byway, only to look up in surprise as a wide, deep 45-degree angled channel cut across in front of us. Unsuccessfully trying to lift the front wheel over this channel meant the bike flipped over 360 degrees, landing 20 metres or so down the trail, while I flipped over the front, hitting my head twice and ending up in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester with a dislocated left wrist and broken scaphoid [the most common reason for visiting A&E when vehicles had starting handles – Ed.]. Thank you, Mr Macleod and team, for fixing me up so well.

Returning home with my left arm in a purple plaster cast, I had time on my hands, so I set about gathering together motorcycle clothing that I no longer needed and posting it up on the internet. Out of the blue I had an email from Hywel, who I’d met on the previous year’s Byways Tour. This Gandalflike figure had led us on our ride east-west across North Wales.

He promptly told me he’d have the lot, so a reduced price was agreed plus a cunning plan to meet up in Rhayader, where I’d booked a weekend away with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

As we’d already paid a deposit for the weekend break, my wife agreed to drive the pair of us to Rhayader, knowing I was looking at accommodation for a group weekend ride that I had planned for the following March. We were to meet Hywel in a local curry house on the Saturday night of our anniversary to exchange clothing for cash.

A few days before we left, Hywel contacted me to ask whether his friend Steve and his wife Angela could join us. “Of course they can” was the reply. When Hywel entered the restaurant on the Saturday evening I could see the reason why Steve and Angela were

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accompanying him – whereas my left arm was in a purple plaster cast his right arm was in a purple plaster cast, while his left leg was in a protective surgical boot! While leading a TRF ride, he had taken evasive action as he rode around a corner so as not to collide with the rather large and unforgiving rear end of a horse in the road in front of him. Welsh lanes being full of nasty slippery growth in the middle, he’d had to have a lie-down on the bike, leading to these injuries.

This chance meeting has led to a growing relationship between members of both of our Groups. With Hywel’s local knowledge, I booked the fantastic chalets at the Radnor Revival site at Llanbister, where we held our first Wiltshire TRF Wales Weekend Ride-out in March 2018, with 20 riders from Wiltshire plus Hywel, Steve and now Graeme from Mid Wales TRF leading us out on a great two-day ride. Prior to this in February, Hywel and Steve had put up five riders, including myself, in their homes for free and we’d had two superb days checking out the local routes and getting more details ready for the bigger group ride in March.

A great way to say “thank you” to the local community, who are so important in managing the areas surrounding, and sometimes even including, the trails on which we ride.

As to the future, we return to the Rhayader/Llanbister area in March 2019, this time with just over 40 members of the Wiltshire TRF, who are keen to ride some of the best trails there are, in beautiful

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Since then, a What’s App group has blossomed between ourselves, often nothing to do with riding and more about taking the Mickey out of each other, as you do. This led to three guys from Mid Wales coming down to ride with us around the Wye Valley for a weekend, as well as joining my annual Wiltshire TRF North devon Weekend, an event I organise in October. Additionally, we are going up to Mid Wales in the summer for a ride to the south of Barmouth as well as acting as travelling marshals on an Enduro event, one that I know several of the Wiltshire Group will be aiming to ride in 2019.

Towards end the year, four of us drove up to Newtown once more to stay with Hywel, where we joined the Mid Wales TRF Santa Ride, delivering cards and presents to local farmers close to trails used by the TRF.

surroundings. Being aware of the need to manage such numbers in a rural setting, we are busy looking at bringing in local riders who have an intimate knowledge of trails to be avoided, due to overuse or local issues – on our first ride we avoided Strata Florida, for example, due to local knowledge as to above

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normal high-water levels. We will also be based in two separate areas, so spreading the footprint of a large group of riders over a short period of time. A growing number of Wiltshire members, including myself, have taken for the first time – or have just refreshed – their Rider down First Aid training, which hopefully we will not have to use but is in place, just in case.

Matching purple plaster casts has led to a fantastic friendship between a number of us in these two areas, plus the re-enrolment of one of our number who had left the Wiltshire Group. due to the fun and enjoyment he has had within our What’s App group, he has rejoined as a member of Mid Wales TRF – a win-win for everybody.

So here’s looking forward to the coming year. Perhaps Hywel’s suggestion – “Steve, I’ve an internet friend who I’ve never met in person but he has a lovely hotel outside Rome and does off-road riding as well as sightseeing trips into the city, which I’m sure you and your wife would like” – might happen. That’s the thing with this trail-riding lark – you never quite know what’s around the next corner!

Events Spring 2019 Events 5 April Teign 2 Tamar devon TRF, 5 April, 5pm to 7 April, 5pm Parkers Farm Holiday Park Higher Mead Farm, TQ13 7LJ Ashburton, devon 19 April Lands End Trial LDT 19 April, 9am – 20 April, 5:09pm Lands End For tickets go to: www.themotorcyclingclub.org.uk 19 April Ladies Introduction to Trail Riding The Silver Mountain Experience Llywernog, Ponterwyd, Aberystwyth SY23 3AB 25 April TRF Trip to Sardinia Gran Tour ‘Off Road or On Road Rally www.adventuretrailriding.co.uk

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26 April Dales Discovery Camping Weekend Teesside & North Yorks TRF Redmire, North Yorkshire

18 May TRF Trip to Rally of Sardinia Vintage and modern endurowww.adventuretrailriding.co.uk

28 April Exmoor Ride Day Somerset TRF Combe Sydenham, Taunton www.somerset-trf.org.uk

25 May Ride the Wild Secrets of Snowdonia www.ridethewild.co.uk

1 May TRF Trip to Portugal Top 2 Bottom Tour www.adventuretrailriding.co.uk 3 May TRF Taffy Drwg Event Ancient Briton, Penycae, Swansea SA9 1YY www.taffydrwg.co.uk 4 May Red Ride Honda Mid-Wales TRF, Machynlleth 11 May Wessex Wanderer & TRF AGM Calne, Wiltshire 17 May TRF Trip to HAT Pavia to San Remo www.adventuretrailriding.co.uk

27 May Mini Mondo 14 Austin Vince, Catalan Pyrenees www.austinvince.com 12 June Coast to Coast Teesside & North Yorkshire TRF Scarborough, N Yorks 13 June Horizons HUBB Baskerville Hall Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys www.horizonsunlimited.com 16 June Trail Bike Trial (ACU regs) Somerset TRF www.somerset-trf.org.uk

For latest information check www.trail.trf.org.uk/events/

Beta

You Can’t the Winter Sun You know that feeling of dread returning to work after the Xmas hols and New Year festive fun. Well, East Midlands TRF Group Chair Lee Jordan and fellow members of the Ark Motorcycle Club have found a very good cure – trail riding in Spain when everyone else goes back to work 84 Trail Spring 2019

FoR ThE LAST few years, taking advantage of the cheaper flights, nine of us have flown off to Spain the first week of January for three or more days of trail riding in the sun. This year we decided to try a different trail tour company, Spanish Enduro Trails of Velez

Rubio, Andalucia, and were not disappointed.

Flying into Alicante (there is now a brand new airport even closer at Murcia) we were met by Barry Reed, owner and main guide / host and driven back to the stunning remote luxury complex including a stop off for coffee

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and tapas at a local workers restaurant. The location is like something out of a Bond film.

The approach road is actually a dry river bed with car sized tumbleweed.

We were shown straight into the workshop to look at the bikes all lined up ready for action. SET runs 2018/19 Beta 350/300 RRs and 300 Xtrainers, all in excellent condition.

And a well stocked boot room to get kitted up for the adventures to come. Russ and I just take hand luggage and wear our Sidis on the plane, which gets you some funny looks but in my opinion it’s worth it. SET has

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full quality kit for hire.

Mark Glover and myself rode brand new zero hours 300 2T RRs. I’m a honda man and Mark is KTM. After 14 years on CRFs the 4T Beta 300RR and 350RR are the closest thing I’ve experienced for all day trail riding: plush suspension, planted geometry and flexible, forgiving handling when pushed hard. Very impressive, try one. Not harsh, twitchy or head-shaking on the rocky terrain. And surprisingly for Italian bikes, they have a real quality feel.

Waking up to a surprise frost, the sun soon

burned that away and we were off in motocross kit in January, 20 degrees C, sunshine – excellent.

The first trail started immediately outside the gates and we did not touch tarmac for two hours and that was only for a fuel and coffee stop. Fast, flowing top-gear river beds, Dakar-style deep sand washes, bar bashing gulleys, huge rock steps, forestry, BIG

climbs and descents, deep water, stunning mountain-top views from castle ruins, challenging technical trials-type sections.

The best of all varied conditions you could ask for on a Spanish Enduro Trail Ride Adventure. We had asked for challenging trails and got exactly that. The bikes are well protected with P-tech guards all over.

Barry actually sets the pace, if requested, and encourages you to “ride”

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the bikes the way they should be ridden.

Mousses all round so no “p” words to slow the day down. If a bike gets flipped or goes down Barry laughs with everyone else, even if the “Flipper” also took him out in a river bed.

Lunch was at an excellent restaurant where we sat in the sun before hitting the excellent and varied trails. Evening meals are tasty, generous, home cooked and served in the family farmhouse kitchen with a huge community table. There is also a bar area with pool table, table football, darts etc.

Impressive swimming pool too, but a bit fresh in January.

Three days riding 99% off road and exactly what we had asked for. Barry can tailor your riding to suit the group’s abilities and preferences. And welcomes all levels of rider. out of our group of nine riders, three have bought Beta 300 2T Xtrainers since riding them at SET. highly recommended, we will definitely be booking again. Thanks to Barry, his team and my fellow adventurers for a great trip.

Lee Jordan EMTRF

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Tall Trail Tales Tales from the TRF (Tale Riters Fellowship). A Geordie writes – well, very nearly – crash test dummy Nick Grant ventures into God’s Own Country

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ApART FROm The rolling hills, valleys, and mountains in Yorkshire, it is completely flat.

And has never been visited by any tourists.

So, in may last year, the TyneWearTeesdale TRF organised a once in a lifetime adventure weekend to this largely unexplored land.

On any national map, the area is just blank, with no roads marked, and coloured pink, with a warning mOD, Keep OUT, FIRING RANGeS. Now this is in fact, simply a ploy, by the natives to keep us outsiders, outside.

In order to ensure that the natives could keep the area to themselves, they built the A1, in order to transport any outsiders travelling either north, or south, straight past the area. (Aye won, as in “I won” as it was originally called, following the defeat of the Lancastrians at the battle of Bannock Burn.)

This has been effective for the last 2000 years or so, which famously helped hadrian finish his wall. (to keep chickens, I think.)

The Vikings, in turn, invaded via the coast, after accidentally shelling Whitby Abbey, and eating all the chips, and decided to stay.

They were so impressed by the area, that they established a new city, and capital of the country – York. This remained the capital until the 1960s I think.

Approx. 60 fellow adventurers and “miss” adventurers met at The Faversham Arms Inn, Farndale, where a camping field and basic facilities were provided. myself and brother in law, John opting for the slightly enhanced

(you mean fully equipped) accommodation of the pub’s very own “Cottage”. (I don’t like it rough).

You know at some eateries, if you order Scampi, large or small, they actually tell you how many Scampi Nuggets (or is it Scam-pie?) you are going to get. Well not at the lovely Rachels pub. She stops poring on the Scampies when your plate has the profile of mount Fiji, and they are falling on the floor. man was I full. Top marks for Accommodation, Food, and Service, definitely do that again.

As usual, with the TRF, Safety of all participants is top priority, and everyone is asked how rubbish a rider you are, expert, Intermediate, or Rubbish (I think that’s what he said) I therefore fell in to the latter category, and the level of difficulty of the proposed route is aligned accordingly with your wishes, for your group.

Although I have been riding off road since I was about 10, I just felt that my usual “Good Luck” had escaped me. As having worked for the same company for exactly 25 years, I had been called in to see hR, (human Remains), and excitedly expecting to get a gold carriage clock, or lunch with the mD, or some other worthy prize, for a man of my consternations, I was just given the old lead boot. Oh how I laughed. So, I thought I would play it safe, and stick with the easy (Rubbish) riders group.

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The Group my group consisted of: Leader Stu, Rob, Jan, then me, and the “tail-end Charlie” was Steve.

Stu, is a stalwart of the TRF, indeed he led us last year on the Dales Delights Tour, which was a great success. Absolutely passionate about the ideals and purpose of the TRF working tirelessly for, and at these events, top bloke, and one day when I grow up, I would like to be like him, good at something. (anything, please) Rob, what a man. 82 years old, and proof that you do not have to be young, have all the latest kit ’n’ gear and look like Spiderman, to have fun on bikes. I was so impressed by this lovely old fella, so determined to just keep riding, and go for it, and who’s only complaint was that he “struggles to get his leg over”?? Oh Lordy, I am 53 and a half and I struggle to get me leg over. Cheesus.

What a hero.

Jan, which is short for Janice, is a woman of the female variety, and similarly blessed with the grit and determination to ride and is/was a proper novice of only six months in the saddle, and already doing great on the formidable Yamaha WR250.

In this largely male dominated activity, the lady riders are treated like Queen bees, with all us blokes fussing over her, helping with anything she wanted, and encouraging her at every step. Nothing was too much bother for

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any of us with Jan. I think she enjoyed it..

And then there was Steve. A man so handsome, he could snap knicker elastic at 50 paces. Indeed, even my boxers were feeling the strain. I don’t know how Jan contained herself? With American movie star looks, a smile like a toothpaste advert, he was the poster boy of our group for sure, if not the whole event. And I’m straight. It must have been very reassuring for Jan, to know that in the event of an accident, Steve might have to give you the kiss of life…I wondered if I should fall off? personally, I prefer riding in the dry conditions, as having been born with a birth defect, known as “shorticus leggycus,” (little legs) and standing just 5’8”, which is too small for off-road bikes. Consequently, I have to lower all my bikes a few inches so as to be able to tippy toe the ground at stand still.

This of course means that in deep wet ruts, my “peggy sues”, ground out, sometimes resulting in an abrupt halt.

It might be amusing to the casual observer, to watch someone do a handstand on his handlebars, “up ’n’ over”, but for the active participant, (me) not so amusing. It’s either this or falling off every time I stop.

This year however, (2018) was a hot one, as we all know, meaning that we could all now be easily tracked by satellite due to the plume of dust following us all. I know many of us lie in bed at night, wondering what it’s like being

an Uncle Bens Boil in the Bag Rice packet.

Well I can tell you now, how you can find out. put on padded knickers, leg liners, armoured black motorbike trousers, thick socks, thick black full-length biker boots, fleece jumper, armoured bike jacket, leather gloves and an enclosed helmet. Then join your local TRF for a ride through all the local “hot spots”, during a heat wave..

I think I have now cooked my sweet breads, and will be infertile, so I am no risk to any females interested in a disappointing night out with an enthusiastic short, balding fat man. my weapon of choice on the happy trails is a honda CRF250L. I bought this bike to ride, not fix or push. my bike maintenance skills max out at filling her up. everything else is given to a proper (dealer) man to tinker with, doing it by the book. This policy has served me well as I have never had a bike let me down.

The same principle as when God made man provided us with two nipples, mr honda provided the CRF with a “tool kit”. On the basis that Its reassuring to know you have these items, but he never intended us to use them. The CRF isn’t the fastest, best suspended, lightest, or the full-on enduro bike some might think they need, but ultimately it is totally reliable, economical, comfortable, and, I think, quite a beautiful machine – much like myself. I have only ever once had a scare on the bike, I fell off it, standing still, typical. (shorticus leggycus) and had to press the start button - twice!

Out on the trails, Yorkshire revealed herself as an area of outstanding natural beauty.

With picture post card villages, rivers, and streams running through this glorious county, and especially highlighted views only accessible from the almost invisible networks of trails off the main roads. When I say main roads, these would be lanes by any other measure.

It is understandable why the natives don’t advertise as everyone would want to live there otherwise.

There are always a couple “moments” out on the trail and for Jan, after a boiling hot ride through the dusty trails, both she, and her bike, had decided they had had enough, and had a lie down, in one of the many fords we were crossing. Almost before she had hit the water, us blokes, were there to the rescue.

Jan commenting that she might need a rub down of one of her buttocks following the fall!

An orderly queue was quickly assembled, based on experience, and height, which of course rendered me last, and Steve first. eager to demonstrate our medical skills to our new patient. however, after too much debate, to agree terms of reference, and individual treatment time, our impatient, patient departed, leaving us squabbling kids, in a dust cloud, looking like a sun burnt bunch of red hot tomatoes, with life jackets on.

The great thing about joining the TRF for a weekend like this, is that having a knowledgeable Trail Leader means for us “outsiders”, it is a cruise in the wild country side, without the stress or responsibility of plotting where to go. It’s all done for you.

Just follow the leader.

This makes this such a great way to explore and get to places that you will never have visited on your own, and I thank both Stu, and Steve our lead and tail end, for their sterling work.

Spring 2019 Trail 93

The BSA 250 was ok, but passing the bike test meant that Richard Rees could get a Triumph 500 and had the freedom to go anywhere AS A 16 year old I knew it was vital that the Triumph 5TA must lose the bathtub (rear enclosure) and get some neat ally mudguards and clip-ons from Pride & Clark, (a well known south London mega dealer of the day). Now it was a proper tourer that my mate and I knew would impress any local talent. Easy, this bike was the business.

Aberystwyth was anywhere when you lived in the Home Counties. We arrive at the main resort on the

coast of Cardiganshire Easter 1967 for a week.

Camping on the South Beach, we soon found a welcome in The Angel pub which served bikers who looked old enough.

Those idyllic days of youth were spent with our new Welsh friends on the beach or the bike during the day and pub later on and maybe lunchtime too. Money was tight which limited any excess we may have desired. The Triumph performed so well compared the Greeves 250 and BSA Bantam with knobblies that the local boys had.

Sunday comes round and another new experience, Cardigan is dry on the Sabbath.

Strata Florida 50 Years On

94 Trail Spring 2019

A quick ride to Rhyader over the county line with our new mates for a lunchtime drink soon solved that. That’s when the suggestion of a bit of scrambling came up. We know a good track they told us, past Strata Florida Abbey and carry on up the mountain trail.

Easy, well it was easy for the Welsh lads.

But not so for us on our Tiger 100 lookalike.

The downside was road tyres, no grip, the upside was a pillion who could push and we managed quite a few miles before the others got fed up. “See you back at Aber”, they called back as they disappeared into the mountain mist. Needless to say they got back before us, to the amusement of all.

That was the old days, over 50 years ago.

As a pensioner I should know better but there’s unfinished business. So last summer, I give Strata Florida another go. It’s out with the old Belstaff [surprisingly valuable now] and this time I’m with a couple of locals again. That’s Marianne and Colin from Mid-Wales TRF who like the idea and know what they are doing. Joining us are a few others and this time we have Hondas built for the job. Easy, that would be stretching the truth.

However for the rerun the whole trail was done, without

failing or falling. Brilliant ride, magnificent vistas and such good company. It was TRF members Pete from Bristol and Perry from out Stamford way who convinced me I could do more.

A Forest Day in Exmoor [thanks Somerset] and an autumn Mid-Wales run that was so wet, cold and slippery I thought I’d be calling it quits by lunchtime. With a bit of encouragement I managed to finish despite dropping the bike so many times I hardly cared any more. Unlike half a century ago it takes more than a few days to recover.

Can’t wait ‘til next time!

Spring 2019 Trail 95

following businesses are offering Friends of the TRF The discounts to TRF members 58% Discount Suzuki GB bikes.suzuki.co.uk/owners/acu-licence-holders/ On parts for ACU licence holders 38% Discount John Banks Renault on Traffic Vans 25% Discount EBC Brakes Direct www.ebcbrakesdirect.com Brake and clutch components Gecko Enduro Tours Guided green-lane tours in the Pyrenees Orientales www.geckoendurotours.eu 20% Discount CCM Spares www.sparesccm.com The place for CCM owners quote membership number Custom Lids www.customlids.co.uk Discounts available on all motorcycle clothing Datatag www.datatag.co.uk Quote code TRF2017 Herbert & Ellison Discount on seat refurbishment www.herbertellisonupholstery.co.uk/ 15% Discount Cotswold Outdoor www.cotswoldoutdoor.com Cycle Surgery www.cyclesurgery.com Gear 4 Motorcycles www.gear4motorcycles.co.uk WM Moto (Carlisle) www.wmmoto.co.uk Available on parts and selected clothing Adventure Spec Motoz low-impact trail tyres www.adventure-spec.com J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk Flexiplates www.flexiplates.co.uk quote code TRF15 Zen Overland www.zenoverland.com

96 Trail Spring 2019

Eurotek KTM (Ripon, Yorks) www.eurotekktm.com Applies to mail order, shop and parts fitted in the workshop The KTM Centre (Hemel Hempstead) www.thektmcentre.co.uk Bikestop www.bikestop Off-road clothing discount Viewranger www.viewranger.com Discount on digital maps code: TRF2017 MotoKing www.motoking.co.uk 10% Discount Rally Raid Products www.rally-raidproducts.co.uk Discount available on all custom Rally parts Redtread Off-road motorcycle tours in Spain www.redtread.com Midwest Racing www.midwestracing.co.uk Available on parts, accessories and clothing Premier Bikes www.premierbikes.com KTM franchise with discount applying to parts and clothing Endurotek www.endurotek.co.uk Parts and accessories Manchester Xtreme www.manchesterxtreme.com Please quote your TRF membership number PC Advanced Motorcycle Training http://www.cbtanddas.co.uk Bolt Bikes www.boltbikes.co.uk Gerbing www.gerbing.eu Discount code is TRF10 EDZ www.edzdirect.com Base-layer clothing Discount code is TRFC_10 Variable Rates Centre Trail, France www.centre-trail.com 15 Euro cash back on booking

Enduro Tyres www.endurotyres.com Special rates Bike Revival www.bike-revival.co.uk Shock Absorber specialist Trail Rides Wales www.trailrides-wales.com Free guides for members on selected days J&S Oxford www.jsaccessories.co.uk MX Zone www.mxzone.co.uk Centre Trail France centre-trail.com IAM www.iamroadsmart.com Bike Seal bikeseal.co.uk Rewire Security Tracking, cameras, CCTV, alarms www.rewiresecurity.co.uk Dirtbikebitz Bike parts, riding gear and helmets www.dirtbikebitz.com Nomad ADV Lightweight travel & rally gear www.nomad-adv.com Opie Oils & Service Parts https://www.opieoils.co.uk// Fowlers of Bristol http://www.fowlers.co.uk Smith & Allen Lubricants https://www.smithandallan.com Transylvania Trails http://www.transylvaniatrails.com Bikefix Discount on servicing and repairs www.facebook.com/Bikefixyeovil Dirtbike Express https://www.dirtbikexpress.co.uk Catalan Adventure 10% off accommodation and 50% off bike hire Fraser’s of Gloucester 5% on spare parts www.frasersmotorcycles.co.uk

Check website for up to date info www.trail.trf.org.uk/members/benefits

FOR THE TRAIL

• 104 kg – Lightweight Cro-Mo steel frame • • • • • • • •

Progressive Drop Link Suspension Lowering kits now available Arrow Exhaust System CNC Triple Clamps 43mm Olle` Forks 250 4T EFI Motor Mitas Tyres RRP £4699

L Plate legal 50 & 125cc variants available.

FOR THE STREET • • • •

Choose your power 125, 250 or 500 Arrow stainless exhaust as standard Progressive link suspension Disengageable ABS

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