Autumn 2018 TRF Trail Magazine

Autumn 2018

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship

TRF’s CBT for the trail

HOUSE SPECIAL We ride the latest Fantic 250 E Casa EFI Directors update us on news and views TRF exhibitions well supported A year in the life of a TRF Newbie Keeping those lanes open for all Dawn till Dusk or later for some New first-aid initiative launched

New youth initiative; it’s not just about avoiding cones

THE TRF TEAM Conservation Director: Dave Carling dave.c@trf.org.uk 07586 325 260 Financial Director: Michel Sabatier finance@trf.org.uk 07801 187304 Heritage Director: Steve Neville steve.n@trf.org.uk 01474 742705 Marketing Director: Mario Costa-Sa mario@trf.org.uk 07721 480000 Membership Director: Carla McKenzie carla.m@trf.org.uk Technical Director: John Vannuffel john.v@trf.org.uk 01323 898847/07730 796215 Membership Secretary: Sharon Connor sharon@trf.org.uk TRF Membership PO Box 4829 SHREWSBURY SY1 9LP 07958 316295 Press: pr@trf.org.uk 07812 402021 IT: Adrian Allen web@trf.org.uk Equestrian Events Liaison: Mark Holland equestrian@trf.org.uk Creative Communications & Website Editor: Greg Villalobos greg@trf.org.uk IT Director: Wil Linssen wil.l@trf.org.uk Governance: Stewart Bosworth stewart.b@trf.org.uk

Editorial THE iNTERVENiNG THREE months since the Summer issue of Trail seemed to have flashed past and it’s not because i’ve been having too much fun. Probably something to do with the good old British weather. Here in the South-East the scenery out on the trails has been pretty stunning – to the point of making me stop to soak it all in, even on the most familiar routes. The cover shot of the new Fantic 250 gives you a flavour.

The editorial CCM has completed (just) another LDT, and many thanks to the Eastbourne Club for organising a fabulous event (cue more panoramic vistas of the South Downs). The Michelin tyres don’t look remotely bothered yet, despite the ground being hard enough to rattle the front wheel spindle clamp loose. As you will see from Carla McKenzie’s membership report, i’ve been elevated to Team Coach for Carla and Julie Diplock’s Vintage to Voltage exploits.

On the subject of fund raising, there is a cause of international significance that members should be aware of – challenging the restriction of public access to Stonehenge. The TRF is taking Wiltshire County Council to the High Court in order to overturn its ETRO on Stonehenge byways. The case will be heard on 21 November and the TRF launched a crowdfunding campaign on 6 September. Stonehenge is a World Heritage Site and therefore this challenge could become very high profile. if successful, it will benefit all road users who wish to visit the Henge. Full details of how you can pledge money are available at www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-public-access-to-stonehenge/.

Signs are that the motorcycle industry is taking a greater interest in our trail riding activities because of an increase in market-sector sales. The increase of enduro, trail and adventure bike sales for the first five months of 2018 was much healthier than the road-bike sector, rising 3.7% to 11,046 machines compared with an overall figure of 0.4%. Annual market share for the sector is the highest for a decade and even though BMW might be rubbing their hands as the main beneficiaries of the Ewan-and-Charlie effect, Honda is certainly smiling at the numbers of CRF250s and Africa Twins going out of the door.

Photographic contributions Print requirements for photographs are much higher than those for the internet and social media. Smartphones are more than capable of taking suitable photos (1.5 MB minimum file size) – just go to your camera settings and select the highest resolution, then email them at the largest size option to me at the e-mail address below. That should do the trick!

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 rick@trf.org.uk The views expressed by individual members in Trail are not necessarily those of the Trail Riders Fellowship.

Autumn 2018 Trail 01

iSSUE #5 AUTUMN 2018

The Members’ Magazine of the Trail Riders Fellowship

CONTENTS 03 10 11 20 22 30 38 46 52 60 64

Directors’ Report: Volunteers, fundraisers, news and views Green Road Mapping Project Wanted: Volunteer National Equestrian Officer Groups Map: All the contacts for your TRF Group A Quick Leg Over a… Fantic 250 E Casa EFi One Year In: A Newbie tells all Access All Areas: The Old Coach Road and Cefn Carnau Lane Youth Movement: The TRF CBT makes sure youngsters get a good start Dawn till Dusk: Saddle tramping round East Anglia Safety on the Trail: First aid helps send a positive message Events and Friends: What’s happening and member discounts

02 Trail Autumn 2018

Directors’ Report Over the summer break the TRF has been busier than ever... Mario Costa-Sa - Chairman Summer Events

Managed by Tom Carnell, these events have progressed from the TRF simply participating with a stand to a fun experience that the whole TRF membership have been invited to benefit from. We hope to extend that into an active and engaging experience for our visitors in future years and build on our message of being a positive asset to the countryside community.

We are now starting to plan for Motorcycle Live in November, which is

managed by Robin Hicken and the West Midlands TRF. Rupert Trigg, Norfolk TRF Officer and owner of a creative exhibition company, did an amazing job for the TRF at the London Motorcycle Show in February and has asked to fulfill his ambition of building a stand at Motorcycle Live. in corporate life this project would have come with a stand design and construction bill of £30k. instead Rupert has donated his time and professional resources to the TRF, which will allow us to have a professional presence at minimal cost.

Countryfile Live and Game Fair

originally asked for eight ride leaders, and we were pleased to provide 20 to keep group sizes small, in what turned out to be a great event for both ABR and the TRF. Oxford TRF also led active riding experiences at the Brackley Festival and the Overland Show in late summer.

J Bentman

Our attendance at summer events has grown exponentially in size and levels of organisation. We have moved from simply talking about trail riding, to letting people experience trail riding in a safe and professional manner. The show season started with the Hereford TRF (HTRF) ride outs from the Horizons Unlimited Hubb event.

Graham Hutton, HTRF Chair, has built a great team of new members and Simon Gaze, who led the riding, managed the event with control-centre-operations professionalism in his preparation, his briefing and even the use of real time tracking to see where groups were during the ride.

This extended further into the Adventure Bike Rally, where our presence was organised by Oxford TRF, and new Oxford TRF Chair Martin Welch. The success of the event draws in 500 attendees and the popularity of the Green Road Rides had become an issue for the ABR team, led by long-term TRF member Alun Davies. Alun

Autumn 2018 Trail 03

Green Roads Conservation Campaigns in addition to our regular work on conservation we are likely to have two major campaigns across the next 12 months.

You can see what has happened to previous campaigns on the following link: https://trail.trf.org.uk/campaigns/.

First Aid Many thanks to Paul Lonergan and John Dixon for running the first TRF First Aid courses. These demonstrate the professionalism and the usefulness of having TRF members on the trail.

Young Riders and CBT We are working with two long-term TRF member-training partners and have reached out to young riders and their parents with a two-day CBT course that allows extra time to cover safety on the road, plus experience trail riding in a fully supervised manner. The first of the TRF CBT courses will be carried out in September and we will look at other areas that can assist young trail riders. Tom Carnell has volunteered to look after this area in future and TRF Director Stewart Bosworth is working on a formal training programme.

New Projects this Summer Group Chairs Conference – TRF Director Doug Cartwright has taken on the planning of a Group Chairs Conference in October at the historic location of Scotch Corner, North Yorkshire. The TRF is organised though groups and this meeting will form an important part of forming what we do in the future.

The Green Road Map – This is progressing well and this edition covers a big update. Please remember this is a big project – some two years of volunteer work is

04 Trail Autumn 2018

being squeezed into a year. it is important that what we do has long-term value for the TRF and its members.

For those who want electronic access but don’t want to plan their trips lane by lane, David Blackhurst has started a project to get one sustainable route per TRF group around the country on to Viewranger, which will provide TRF members with an easily accessible database of routes when visiting other areas. Currently around ten groups have contributed with some groups providing multiple routes.

Targeted Messaging We already have web pages that focus on countryside users, conservation, Share the Trail, trail safety and equestrians. Greg Villalobos at TRF Creative has created the http://www.trf.org.uk/police/ to help showcase our work with the police and landowners on the lawfulness of trail riding, our support in combatting Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and the benefits of working with the TRF.

Thanks to TRF Volunteers i would like to take this opportunity to thank the many, and growing number of, TRF volunteers engaged in TRF activities.

Although membership revenue is important, at only £200k it is a fraction of the £3m in value of the time and professional services donated by around 250 TRF officers plus many more individual TRF members, as well as the TRF Board of Directors.

To put that into real terms, to do the work of the TRF without volunteers would mean an increase in membership subs to £750 per

year, around the same as a golf club membership. Having grown the TRF to critical mass through membership and influence, we will be focusing more on supporting and celebrating our volunteers. if you would like to get more involved in the TRF, please contact your local Group Chair or the TRF Directors at directors@trf.org.uk.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Feel free to contact the TRF Directors at any time.

Rights of Road Legal work continues, led by Technical Director John Vannuffel.

North – Work continues on addressing various obstructions with Counsel’s input.

Central – A TRO has been proposed on Great Kimble, Bucks. TRF is working up an objection.

Wales – Work on improving access to green roads in Elan Valley continues.

South – TRF has applied to the High Court to challenge the Stonehenge ETRO.

TRF Raffle

Many thanks to TRF Counsel Andrew Dalton of White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors for offering a prize of a new Kawasaki KLX250 trail bike. A team led by Carla Mckenzie is organising a raffle around this valuable prize.

Autumn 2018 Trail 05

Membership Matters Membership Director Carla McKenzie keeps us abreast of the latest developments A WARM WELCOME to all our new members.

The TRF is predominately run by volunteers; at the last estimate the fellowship benefits from around three million pounds’ worth of volunteer effort annually. The work of the membership underpins our green roads conservation strategy. Members play a vital role, whether supporting shows and events, manning horse events, collecting user evidence or simply being courteous and considerate on the trail – it all contributes and makes a difference. Whether you are new to the TRF or an existing member, and find

Out and About The summer weather has been fabulous and i have spent most of it commuting up and down the UK to clients on my BMW R1200 GSA. A side benefit has been the option to ride the odd non-technical green road to break the tarmac fatigue.

With the support of fellow TRF members, planning and training is now well underway for the ‘Vintage to Voltage’ project, a

06 Trail Autumn 2018

yourself with a few hours to spare, please talk to your group reps about how you could help. it was my great pleasure to attend the Ardingly Classic Bike Show and Autojumble with the Sussex TRF. Led by Chris Heron, the Sussex team have been promoting the TRF across the county. The directors were so impressed by the effort of the Sussex members that a special award of £400 has been granted to support their tremendous marketing endeavours. if any other groups would like to be considered for an award, please contact membership@trf.co.uk.

trail-based run from London to Paris for a 1926 Triumph and a brace of electric Zeroes. Thank you to Rick Kemp, editor of Trail, who has taken on the role of ‘team coach’ to Julie Diplock and myself.

The trip will be completed with support from members of Wiltshire TRF, Surrey TRF, Sussex TRF and the Trans European Trail. if members want to plan longer journeys, it’s worth contacting group reps for run guides and support.

The Development of a TRF Youth Movement

THE DiRECTORS ARE currently talking to volunteers who may head up the movement and i hope to have more to report in the next issue.

Meanwhile, it is my greatest pleasure to formally welcome Joshua Costa-Sa to the TRF. Josh was 16 years old on 27 August and is doing his CBT with O the Kerb Trail Riding, which, along with Shire Motorcycle Training, is one of the organisations that have volunteered to help develop young trail riders. Josh is known to many members through his well-known dad (our TRF Marketing Director) and social media campaigns on instagram. if there are any mums or dads with children about to turn 16, who want to do CBT with a trail orientation and become part of the TRF Youth Movement, please get in touch.

Unsung Heroes

Both these unsung heroes are well known to me and worthy candidates:

Hywel Thomas

Tom Carnell

Hywel has worked hard to develop the Mid-Wales TRF group; the numbers have grown substantially, from three or four members to more than 27.

Hywel, a massive thanks for all you do.

Over the past two years, Tom has planned, managed and delivered the TRF stand at CountryďŹ le Live and the Game Fair. Tom, your contribution has been outstanding.

A massive thank you for all you do.

Autumn 2018 Trail 07

Photographic Competition OVER THE PAST few months, members have been invited to send in photos that show the relationship between horse rider and trail rider, or (at the request of the Welsh) lambs and trail rider. This latest shot comes from Andrew Turk.

The competition will close at the end of September.

The winning photo will grace our next membership card and the winner will receive a TRF ride shirt and one year’s complimentary membership.

Please send your photos to membership@trf.co.uk.

08 Trail Autumn 2018

Membership Numbers Membership numbers remain stable. At 1 August membership was 5,158 and growth of more than 5% was noted in Derbyshire & South Yorkshire, South-West Wales, Mid-Wales and Shropshire.

Fundraising Huge congratulations to North Wales TRF. Their events have raised over £1,080 for the Wales Air Ambulance. Air Ambulance services in the UK are generally funded by donation. The TRF team presented the cheque to the Air Ambulance at the Llangollen bike festival.

Looking Forward Editor Rick Kemp and the marketing team are producing a TRF annual, which will replace the Christmas edition of Trail. Can group chairs and officers put together an A4 page of their group’s activities over the last year, and any important event dates scheduled for 2019?

Autumn 2018 Trail 09

Green Road Mapping Project iN THE LAST edition of Trail we announced the Green Road Mapping Project focusing on the needs of Trail Riders.

Over the past few month we have been busy with two major steps. Obtaining a mapping tool to meet the needs of our road conservation requirements and that of members and also getting the mapping tool to display a huge amount of information on a web page within a short time.

As you can imagine this project has generated a number of questions from members such as, why has the TRF not done this before?

The TRF has had mapping for certain regions at local groups level for some time.

To do this across the country requires an enormous amount of resource, some £100k on volunteer effort – plus an estimated £200k in ongoing management. The scale of the project may not be appreciated, this goes way beyond the abilities of one individual, it requires a team of volunteers each putting in several hours per day.

What about other sites?

The extent of resource required perhaps explains why despite being around for some years – other non-user group sites do not currently display all the data required to ride green roads, for example, they do not include ORPAs and TROs. in contrast, we are impressed by www.trailwise2.co.uk where GLASS focussing on the needs of 4WD drivers which comes much closer to the membership experience we are looking to and a huge improvement over the original Trailwise.

10 Trail Autumn 2018

So what has changed? in the view of the Directors, having publicly accessible information on where green roads can br ridden sustainably fits in with our aims an objectives. Also, there is an opportunity for member-only access to useful information. Additionally, some new TRF members have the professional skills including GiS mapping and handling large databases needed to create projects of this scale. For these new members, electronic mapping is a requirement of the TRF and they have volunteered to do something about it.

When will it be ready?

We already have test sites showing up in certain parts of the country for example Herts an the South East. Devon already has electronic access for their members so this should be easy to add on. The TRF Technical Director will be responsible for gathering the data needed to put on the platform.

We believe we will show the incomplete map shortly and fill in the missing bits over time as volunteers from local groups participate.

Volunteer National Equestrian Officer THE TRF HAS had a good relationship with large equestrian bodes of many year and our work is summarised at http://trf.org.uk/equestrian/ Mark Holland continues to look after Endurance GB and Mario Costa-Sa has looked after relationships with a variety of other Equestrian Organisations including British Eventing, British Horse Society and the Pony Club.

There is a network of 20 TRF Equestrian Event organisers at group level who need to be kept informed about events and policy.

We are looking for a TRF National Equestrian Officer who will lead our offering to equestrian groups and TRF groups interested in marshalling equestrian events in future.

Priorities include Support for British Eventing and non-affiliated Events looking for motorcycle support.

Leading on TRF Policy for equestrian events.

Promoting the TRF’s risk assessments and insurance for equestrian events.

Leading with a safety message across all events.

Ensuring that the scope of our riding is covered by the TRF’s insurance.

You will work directly with TRF Directors and you will be directly in contact with the board of British Eventing and other major equestrian organisers. it will also give you access to some of the most amazing riding on equestrian courses around the country and be a major link in the equestrian community. if you would like to get more involved in this area of the TRF, please contact mario@trf.org.uk

The Shows Go On TOM CARNELL HAS been building on the TRF presence at these high-profile events.

This is a great opportunity to meet the public and have a complex discussion in a friendly environment.

On behalf of the TRF i would like to thank the Carnell Family, especially Ewan our youngest TRF volunteer, and Tom for negotiating 100 passes, each valid for the four days which enabled all the members who wished to come to benefit from free entry.

The Carnell family have done an exceptional job this year of manning our presence

12 Trail Autumn 2018

at these shows and we look forward to building on the success with new ideas for next year. – Mario Costa-Sa, TRF Director Following a successful first-time stand last year at these events we decided on a repeat performance this year. Tom Carnell reviews The Game Fair and Countryfile Live i managed to avoid the stand set up for The Game Fair at Ragley Hall leaving that in Mario’s capable hands and arrived on the Friday night with my family with our caravan.

The campsite was very well organised and over the space of the evening we were joined

by Boz and Garret. An early morning start and we got the first tractor bus into the show and met the rest of our volunteers on the stand. We had quite a good number of volunteers over the three days which meant that we were able to man the stand for a couple of hours each and then wonder around with our families afterwards. We had a quiet stand, it didn’t help that we were placed alongside a lot of lawnmowers, not really the ideal area for us. However we did get good quality enquiries – often from landowners and equine people asking what we did and wanting to understand more about our code of conduct and how we could help them with illegal riders.

Sunday was an extremely wet day – we had all turned up expecting the high heat and

sunny days that we had become used to and ended up being wet, cold and miserable. We weren’t alone, the whole show was quiet and the number of visitors we had was seriously down largely apart from the weather our location was inappropriate and this will be discussed with the show organisers for next year.

The stand was packed away exceptionally quickly and a kind offer of storage from Justin Heavens of Oxford TRF meant that we did not have far to travel to put the stand away.

Thanks go to Norris Bomford, Paul Bowen, Mario Costa-Sa, Aleck Coulson, Garret Felton, Mike Fisher, Adam Fletcher, Steve Franklin, John Harley, Robin Hickin, Chris Howdle, Bill Perrins, Dick Sawle, Steve Smith and anyone

else i may have forgotten. Special mention to Garret, who despite his tent being blown away on Saturday night he returned Sunday with his bike for the stand and helped out for the rest of the day. We still have a leather hat that was left on the stand at some point over the weekend. if it’s yours please get in touch so i can send it to you.

We then moved away from Ragley Hall on the Monday after the stand had been packed away on the Sunday night to travel to the Exhibitors’ campsite for Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace. Stand set up didn’t start until Wednesday morning. As the show was a lot bigger than The Game Fair it had correspondingly more organisation involved. This meant specific slots and pieces of paper to put in vans and different coloured wristbands.

14 Trail Autumn 2018

immediately that we arrived to set up the stand we had an issue. The stand next to us had put all of their stuff on our pitch including their van, despite Russ Gunn letting them know we would be there in three hours.

Asking them to move it got a litany of abuse.

Mario tried to calm the situation down, but it was like adding fuel to the fire. We then had another issue; we had paid for a 12-metre wide area, however when the marquees next to us had been pitched no-one had taken into account the space needed for the pegs which left us a 11m pitch. After two hours negotiating with the organisers we found a new stand location next to the horse arena which gave us far more space for the stand and allowed us to have our bikes outside the stand area which drew the crowds in.

We had managed to negotiate with the show organisers around 100 free tickets which we shared amongst the membership.

Due to the location of the stand and the fact that the tickets were on the stand i gave my son Ewan the job of being runner – and meeting you all with the tickets. From the reports i had from you all i’d say he did an excellent job and thanks to your donations to him he managed to buy a second-hand BMX from eBay. The whole weekend was a very family orientated. Jeremy iles who farms in Gloucestershire and is a member came to man the stand and brought his family with him. He rides his motorbike on the farm often accompanied by his daughters on their motorbikes or horses. His 14-year-old

daughter Sophie helped Jeremy man the stand and she was excellent helping talk to people and serve the lunch that Jeremey cooked (more on that later).

Alan Cornish had brought his Africa Twin which had completed the Gibraltar Race.

Alan had also put together a board with details of the route he took and the challenges he faced. This brought a decent crowd in – along with Sophie’s 100cc Honda.

Nick Dimarco brought his Can-Am quad to the show for the weekend. This made a big impact and drew a lot of attention from riders who may not have been fit enough to ride two wheels.

Allan Tomlinson bought his FJR1300 for Saturday and Sunday to highlight the partnership that we have with the iAM. This drew a

Autumn 2018 Trail 15

lot of people to the stand who saw the bike, wondered why it was next to the off-road bikes and then asked questions about joining.

Mario and son Josh attended on the Sunday bringing one of their 70cc Hondas.

Mario had had a busy weekend with Pony Club so i think he came on Sunday for a rest.

The revised stand location was a success and we were very busy with enquiries from people who wanted to join, youngsters who wanted to learn about trail riding and other interested parties. One of my highlights was being accosted by a horsey lady who told me that she recognised our logo as every bike that she passed whilst out on the lanes were courteous, polite, would turn their engines off when they saw her and would always say

16 Trail Autumn 2018

hello. Well done to you all – this was really encouraging to hear.

Stand break down again was a short job due to the many volunteers. Oxford TRF took most of the stand for another event – leaving Mario and Josh a small van full to take home.

Thanks go to David Blackhurst, Steve Clark, Mario Costa-Sa, Nick Dimarco, Adam Fletcher, Gary Fuller, Tim Gallier, Russ Gunn, Jeremy and Sophie iles, Charles Lovell, Simon Mitchelmore, Dick Sawle, Chris Shearman, Allan Tomlinson, John Wegzryk and Chris Wheal.

Special mention to Allan Tomlinson – the only person i know to attend a show in an HGV tractor unit…

Wooden Spoon award goes to Nick

Dimarco – who asked to have his quad secured and then leaves a pair of bolt cutters on it…

Further special mention to Jeremy and Sophie iles for home reared and cooked beef sandwiches, Russ Gunn for Tikka Chicken Wraps, David Blackhurst for a delicious dish that i cannot remember the name of, Adam Fletcher for a cooked breakfast and a stir fry and Charles for a cooked breakfast.

We will book The Game Fair and Countryfile Live for 2019 – if you would be interested in volunteering for stand duty or even help with build-up and break down please contact me on countryfile@trf.org.uk

Road-book Enduro Tours in France DATES FOR 2018 19/20/21 Sept Pyrénées SOLD OUT 24/25/26 Oct Trèfle du Morvan SOLD OUT 7/8/9 Nov Dordogne 21/22/23 Nov Normandie

Subscribe to the newsletter on the website for dates for 2019

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.

Autumn 2018 Trail 17

Chris Evans, Sport Adventure, 15 Faye, 71550 Cussy en Morvan, France Tel: 0033 662 487190 chris.evans@sport-adventure.com www.sport-adventure.com

Surprised I was AFTER A LiFETiME of trail riding on motorcycles i wasn’t ready to encounter a different form of transport on the green roads of East Devon – ian Collins, Devon TRF

I’ll set the scene for you…

Middle of February in East Devon, i arranged a ride out with my brother, just a local day out (as i can’t handle these half day runs anymore) on some great lanes in my local area starting out from Sunny Sidmouth on the coast, heading inland towards Honiton, Stockland, Colyton, back around to home again.

Brother and i were on our usual ride-out behaviour having a great time on the bikes with the lanes in great condition, varied terrain with great geographical features which can only enhance the days riding.

One lane in particular has some great features of steepness, washed out areas, but with a mixture of flint, soil base, which changes with the weather conditions.

Riding up through ‘Dalwood Lane’ (192054 Devon TRF lane numbering) nearing the top end we spied a wheel chair (well i thought it was from a 40-metre visual)

18 Trail Autumn 2018

upon arriving at the people’s location i couldn’t have been more wrong if i’d tried!

There in front of us travelling down through Dalwood Lane was a unique vehicle with a superb lady sat inside, the lady’s name Victoria Gibson from Membury. She was out for a spin with her daughter who was walking beside her. Now Victoria Gibson is paralysed form the waist down.

This bespoke machine was built by a farmer/engineer to an outstanding spec! i didn’t have time nor did i feel it was right to get the full run down on this machine but wow, disc brakes, suspension, battery operated, joy stick controls, Awesome!

After chatting for 15 minutes or more this lady was full of life whilst scaring her care workers by popping out on her unique vehicle to take some air, care workers chasing after her saying “she won’t be safe out there on that thing.”

Full of admiration for a wonderful lady who really loves to live life on the extreme side.

If you come across anything interesting or unusual out on the trails, we’d like to know about it. rick@trf.org.uk

Have you checked out

RUST yet?

It’s the free online digital magazine for all off-road enthusiasts You’ll find over 40 issues ready and waiting just click and read What are you waiting for?!

Check out RUST’s other media feeds You can find RUST on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube

www.rustsports.com RUST are proud sponsors of the British ISDE team

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

TRF GROUPS LIST

43 42 40

41 39 36

38

37 35

34

33

32

31 29

28 23 22

25 24 27 26

7

15

8

30

19

14

10

6 4

20

21

9

3 2

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.com | http://www.facebook.com/groups/WiltshireTRF | http://www.facebook.com/wiltshiretrf/?fref=ts Meeting details: 1st Tuesday of the month, 8pm at The Fox and Hounds, Nursteed Road, Devizes, SN10 3HJ 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

11 5

1 20 Trail Autumn 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 Sunday of the month, ride leaves at 9.30am, The Oakdene Cafe, Wrotham, TN15 7RR 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 The Staffs Club, Blaydon, NE21 4JB

A Quick Leg Over a...

Fantic 250 E Casa EFI The factory’s fiftieth anniversary proves that it has not lost touch with its customer base. It still produces a 16-er geared moped that the misty-eyed will remember from their youth. At the top of its off-road range is the new 250 E Casa EFI. The Editor leaves his desk

22 trail Autumn 2018

the benefit for us in doing that is that we don’t have to wait for the factory to get the bikes through the homologation process while we have customers screaming for them. It has also allowed us to do some remapping while keeping the bike compliant with the regulations.”

From the end user point of view, another plus point is that it’s only 200 quid more expensive than the old model at £4699 SRP. Apart from the above, what else do you get for your money? well, for a start, there’s nothing you have to change straight away or would want to add; it comes with Domino grips, handguards, fork slider protectors, wavy discs and an Arrow exhaust system. Of course part of ownership, particularly with a motorcycle, is personalisation but this bike is fit for purpose straight from the crate. coincidently that’s how we got it, with three miles on the clock. It was absolutely bog standard with the exception of mouses being fitted to the mitas tyres. It was a lovely day in east Kent – the garden

In cOmmOn wIth the rest of the range, Fantic’s fuel-injected 250 casa is that increasingly rare mount these days, a dedicated trail bike. Despite some of its graphics proclaiming ‘enduro’ this is not a competition machine. In fact, Fantic has rationalised its range; where previously it offered two versions of the carbureted 250, competizione and casa, it now offers just the latter. Besides, in the UK the competizione was never a big seller, thought it did have some nicer features including 28mm tapered alloy bars and cnc triple clamps with larger diameter 41mm fork tubes. these all now feature on the casa and the competizione has been dropped. to put it another way, Fantic has put casa stickers on the competizione and called it a day. the Athena EFI helps the casa conform to Euro 4 in mainland Europe but as UK importer Dean clements of clements moto explains, the position in the UK is slightly different. “You can get a DVLA model code for a bike based on an exemption for trial and enduro bikes with a minimum height for ground clearance and seat height.

Autumn 2018 trail 23

of England was never a more apt description.

One aspect, though, was not a bit Kentish or even British: the sound track. clements moto is located in the back yard of howletts wild Animal Park with its primates, big cats and elephants. A wild start to a ride out with Dean.

If you want a snapshot of the Fantic 250 E casa, then 28bhp and 104kg are the headline stats. I’ve always liked the Fantic chassis package with its chrome-moly perimeter

24 trail Autumn 2018

frame, own-brand, USD forks and progressive link, mono-shock rear end. In keeping with the factory’s trail-bike aspirations and pricing policy, the suspension is largely non-adjustable but it was compliant enough for my 78-kilo bulk.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve ridden a spanking new motorcycle on or off tarmac. how things have changed; silky-smooth controls and suspension movement indicate close manufacturing tolerances and the use of good materials. the motor is also smooth and responsive, though initially I was having a problem with it stalling, for instance when waiting at a t-junction with the clutch in, or blipping the throttle before selecting first gear to pull away. Lifting the tick-over by a gnat’s did the trick and the problem not did not reoccur for the rest of the day. the going was bone dry and consequently hard, and the phrase ‘eat my dust’ was never more apt. this meant I had to hang back to some extent, but on the plus side, it was easy to follow Dean on his Sherco if we got to a fork in the trail. After years of trail riding there are some ‘tests’ you can put a bike through which inspire confidence in the rider, or help

of the gully with all the stones, which offer no traction making it difficult to get going again. with all the rider’s weight on the outside footrest, the Fantic stuck to the banks pretty well. On a climb you want power but not wheelspin, so precise throttle control is useful – we did attack the infamous and aptly named Stone Street byway. with descents you can select an appropriate gear, and using the engine braking, let the Fantic roll down largely off the throttle with the odd gentle dab on the brake. If it all goes wrong, you can let the bike bounce around while you concentrate on keeping it pointed in the right direction without ending up on your arse – mostly.

I was quite conscious of riding a new machine and didn’t want to be the first to bend it. I had a fluke encounter (aren’t they all?) with a branch that became somehow wedged between the handlebars and the digital instrument panel, bending the mounting plate and stopping the bike in its

Autumn 2018 trail 25

compensate for skill inadequacies in my case.

Rock-hard ruts covered in long summer grass is one of those. when you can’t see exactly what the front wheel is about to encounter, and climbing out of the rut with any pace on is risky because grass offers little traction, you have to rely on feel and instinct and that’s informed by feed back from the bike. the Fantic 250 does that well. It’s relatively light weight makes corrective rider input happen faster, and the smooth and quick throttle response adds to its controllability. I found it difficult to ‘float’ the front end but you can keep it light on the throttle and I guess with more practice larger obstacles could be cleared.

Downland trails in east Kent tend to be chalk and flint with tree roots, and the climbs in summer are what you’d call loose, washed-out gullies full of stones. Another test: you have to ride the banks either side, crossing over where you can slalom-style. If you get it wrong, you end up in the bottom

VITAL STATS

Engine type: SOhc, 4-valve, single cylinder Capacity: 249.6cc (77mm x 53.6mm) Gearbox: Six-speed Clutch: wet multi-plate Starter: Electric Fuel capacity: 7.5 litres Wheelbase: 1420mm Seat height: 915mm Dry weight: 104kg SRP: £4699.00 Contact: clements moto, 01227 720700, www.fanticmotoruk.com

26 trail Autumn 2018

tracks. Apart from that, the day was pretty much incident free.

On the black stuff the injected 250 E casa was brisk enough to overtake traffic on B-roads and able to easily hold 65 mph on dual carriageways. this was thanks to the standard six-speed gearing with top being quite long-legged. Off-road the gap between second and third gears caught me out a couple of times on the nadgery stuff but there is a 13-tooth gearbox sprocket available (std 14 tooth) – which you select would depend on riding style and local terrain. the lower gearing might be more useful in winter, when a higher gear could be used to avoid excessive wheelspin as the motor has enough grunt to maintain momentum without changing down.

I like Fantic’s latest range topper. It looks right and it feels right and, as I’ve said, it’s

Autumn 2018 trail 27

an unpretentious dedicated trail bike. If you wanted to take your riding up a notch, it would serve as a ‘just out for the day’ clubman’s or Sportsman’s enduro mount.

It’s in the same price bracket as honda’s popular cRF250L but whereas that bike is pitched 50/50 road to trail I would put the Fantic at 70/30 in favour of trail. If you’d like to try one for yourself, and are within striking distance of Dorking in Surrey, then tRF training partner Off the Kerb are Fantic-based and will take you out for a run round the Surrey hills for a ‘try before you buy’ session, or just a bloody good day out.

28 trail Autumn 2018

Off the Kerb JUSt AnOthER APPROVED training body offering the standard range of courses from cBt upward is how Fred woolcot described his business. more companies opened offering the same things, undercutting Off the Kerb, until about five years ago it reached the change-or-die point. “we looked at the market and what offroad schools and companies were doing, but we were coming from training learners and nobody else was really doing that.

So we got rid of all the road bikes and bought four dirt bikes, just to dip a toe in the water. then we advertised our services and we’ve never looked back. my brother and I have always enjoyed dirt biking and as far as we’re concerned, if you’re doing something you might as well enjoy it also – it helps get you through the bad times.”

Apart from taking away the apprehension for people who think that they might like trail riding but are finding getting started a bit daunting, some of Off the Kerb’s customers are people who want to have an adventure, like Ride cambodia or nepal, but who have no off-road experience.

So how did the Fantic connection come about? “we started with honda cRFs which we had to buy at cost as honda weren’t prepared to deal with us directly. while they were good, the cRFs were essentially road bikes, so every time they went down they cost us a couple of hundred quid. we were approached by Fantic and Dean came over with a 125 and a 250, and we went for a ride. we were easily persuaded, partly because we’re half

Italian and were familiar with the brand but mainly because the bikes were durable and Dean was prepared to support us on pricing and spares. customers are getting more varied and now, with the tRF association, the younger riders are starting to come through for trail training, but essentially – as Fred says – anyone can turn up in a car wearing trainers, and we have everything here to get them out on the trail – can’t be bad.

Contact: Off the Kerb trail Riding, 01737 822180, offthekerbtrailriding.com

Autumn 2018 trail 29

One Year In

30 Trail Autumn 2018

In the Spring 2018 issue of Trail Dominic Hunt told us about his faithful old Honda XL100S, but here he has a different tale to tell – his first year in the TRF ARounD 23 June 2017 I stumbled across a post on the TRF forum (I had joined the forum six months earlier as I was thinking of buying a Gas Gas) from Leo Crone, saying he was doing a reconnaissance ride for the forthcoming coast-to-coast run, leaving from Scotch Corner and heading towards Hawes.

He was also to meet the park ranger there to hand over a cheque from the TRF towards lane repairs. I checked the date, 2 July, and I was available. I duly replied to the post, asking if it was okay for a non-member to come for a taster ride. A very welcome “yes” was the answer, as long as the bike was prepped and I was a reasonable rider.

There were the first seeds of doubt. Was my 40-year-old Honda XL100S up to the task?

Was I? I had bought the bike in 1982 for £80 and it had served me well as a winter hack, pit-heap bike and commuter. (My sister had named it ‘Tommy’ after using it for a couple of years and the name had stuck.) Tommy had always been ultra-reliable. I had put new tyres on 15 years ago, along with some new Sebac shockers. I had changed the plug in

2002, along with the air filter and had cleaned the carb out in 2013, so, yeah, in my eyes, sorted. I, on the other hand, had last ridden in 2012, trail riding in Spain for my 50th birthday. I thought, “how hard can it be?” And decided, yeah, I’m sorted too.

I checked the weather forecast and dug out a road helmet, two-piece textile suit and some old trials boots encrusted in mud from seven years ago. I was ready. The next morning I drove with Tommy strapped to the back of my nissan x-trail on a homemade rack, to the meeting point layby at Scotch Corner. on arrival I could see a couple of bikes, a black KTM 400 belonging to Leo, a CRF 250L which looked brand new and a couple of other 250s plus a giant 1050 KTM. I thought the big KTM had come to wave us off as surely no one could ride that monster on trails? Shaun Atkinson was going to show me how wrong I was. Boy, can he ride it.

So Tommy got some wry smiles as if others knew something I didn’t. A few questions were asked. How old? How fast? Cruising speed etc? I explained it was geared for

Autumn 2018 Trail 31

speed. Flat out at 65 mph downhill and maybe 25 mph back up the same hill.

Cruising at 45 mph on the flat as long as there was no headwind. “That will do,” said Leo, After a brief discussion on purpose of ride, etiquette with other users, gate system etc, we were off. My worst fears were realised as I struggled to hold 35 mph in 3rd gear into a brisk headwind along the A66. Possibly the most dangerous road in the north at that kind of speed. I was at this point trying to work out how to signal to the others I was going to give in and head back, when just at that moment we turned left down, what looked to me, like a very overgrown footpath. I could not believe that we could legally ride down this lane. I was loving it!

I also rediscovered the joy of riding on tracks and even C roads, taking in my surroundings rather than seeing them in a blur on road bike rides. Leo stopped and asked us to wait, and then came back smiling like he had found a bag of sweets.

Yes, this is the spot.

32 Trail Autumn 2018

We edged off the road down a grassy slope, dappled in sunlight, under some low-slung branches to be greeted by a rippling river crossing. I looked over to the target exit point identified by a cobbled slope leading up from the water’s edge. It became obvious that this was some long-lost crossing.

Leo went first, getting stuck briefly in a small bomb hole. Shaun followed on the big KTM, also pausing at the same spot, releasing himself from the hole’s grip with a majestic 2.5 m (8ft) plume of water. I went last, and as the rider prior to me had stalled and nearly come off, my rescue squad was already in position. I set myself up on the pegs trialsstyle and took a wider line through, what looked to me, shallower water (a view taken from a brief fly-fishing career) and it paid off. not one dab - cleared it and, more importantly for me, with some applause from my new riding companions.

This set the tone for the day. Mini challenges, helping each other out. A wonderful adventure. When we arrived in Hawes we were welcomed by the park ranger with tea

Riding history WAY BACK In 1973, aged 11, I climbed aboard a Suzuki A50 in a mate’s orchard. I was absolutely hooked.

Aged 12 I bought a Vespa 90 from a farmer for £3. My first bike! next came a Honda C70 and the discovery of the local pit heaps.

and biscuits. Leo did his bit for the TRF, handing over the cheque and getting the publicity pictures. I stepped out of the shoot as I wasn’t a member but Tommy was in the pictures!

After more of the same we headed back to Scotch Corner, where we packed up and said our goodbyes. I told Leo that I had had an amazing day and that he had inspired me with his passion and knowledge.

I got home, unpacked my gear, washed Tommy and locked him up. I logged on that night and joined the TRF, 2 July 2017.

So who is Dominic and what led to him joining up that day?

I live near Durham with Mrs Hunt and Stanley the dog. I’m chairman of neRDoC (northeast RD owners Club), with a membership of around 45, all fans of Yamaha 2-strokes.

For my 50th birthday I took four mates to Torotrail in Spain on WR250s and absolutely loved it. I went for the following two years and each time we discussed getting bikes at home. one negative mate kept saying there is nowhere to ride, the bikes will get nicked etc., and I stupidly listened.

In January 2017 I was cleaning out my shed and there was Tommy, looking a bit neglected. I dug him out and got him on the road and that week I got chatting to some lads I knew had been trail riding. Tales of the old Coach Road, the ‘H’, and Doctors Gate caught my interest. Can I come, please?

It was about a year later when I finally got

At 14 I bought my brother’s purple FS1-e for £40, which I rode round the garden for two years dreaming of my 16th birthday. next came a knobbly shod TS250, known locally as The Beast! A succession of SL and XL Hondas, a DT175 MX and a Beamish Suzuki trials bike followed.

A GT250 Ram Air came along and then, in pursuit of speed, an RD400e.

I spent many an hour on the pit heaps and streams around about and should have taken up trials when aged 16, but other hobbies such as shooting and fishing, and meeting my wife when I was 16 meant I never got round to it.

Aged 22, my brother asked if I wanted to go to a race school. We did, twice, on race-kitted RD400 Yams at the Chas Mortimer race school. once at the Knockhill circuit with, I kid you not, ice

Autumn 2018 Trail 33

out and I loved it. It was here that I met Jon and Dave Lawton. Both became companions and guides for many rides.

I asked how they knew where to ride and “the TRF” was the answer. I decided to find out more and that is when I found the forum and my ride with Leo. So how has Dominic found his first year with the TRF? When I joined I nominated the three clubs nearest to me: northumbria, Teesside and north Yorkshire, and Tynewear Teesdale.

I added myself to Facebook pages for all three, plus Cumbria and the east Riding of Yorkshire. I swayed towards the first as I was born in Corbridge and had lived in Bellingham as a child.

My next ride was in July, meeting in Yarm. I signed up and around 10 bikes turned up.

Again Tommy invited the same questions and smiles. The group was split into two and I was put into a group led by Ash Richardson.

We left Yarm and were soon at the foot of Rutland Rig. “Wow, that’s a canny section,”

34 Trail Autumn 2018

I thought. I followed a very able WR250 rider up. I managed to get up without stopping and with minimal footing. As I pulled alongside the WR, he congratulated me and said, “have a look behind you”. Three bikes were on their sides.

We had some lunch and feeling full and tired, set off on an easy downhill. I’m still not sure what happened but I had an off. The bars stuck in and my ribs were broken. oh dear. My cheap Chinese bars bent up and me in discomfort.

I had to call it a day and rode home with my left arm across my chest in lots of pain.

I went on a couple more rides on Tommy but found it difficult to get on them. newbie rides were posted but filled quickly with notreally-newbies, or, I could not make them.

It was then that Dave Lawton suggested we should do some runs as he knew lots of local routes up Weardale. He thought I could give some hints and tips. I initially laughed this off as I thought he was joking but he was adamant. He said some advice and words of encouragement had helped him at a point where he had considered packing in after a

couple of falls. So we did a couple of Dom and Dave rides, which went down well with some ‘fresh off the tarmac’ riders.

It was soon becoming apparent that while Tommy was able on the lanes, roadwork was killing him. As Ash Richardson had pointed out, while it was cute, folk would get sick of waiting. So after much deliberation I purchased an ’04 Yam TTR250.

This has been superb. It took me a while to work it out, but I can see why people give up on the TRF after a year. They either have what they want, i.e. routes (and that is all they wanted), or they’ve got nothing from it.

If you don’t attend meetings, or sit in a corner saying nothing, you aren’t getting any benefit. You need to ask, listen and suggest.

This was the approach I adopted - you need to gain trust from people. This ideal was rewarded just six months in by being asked to join the committee at northumbria TRF. (I had to decline as many meets clashed with my other club, neRDoC).

The analogy I used while chatting to Leo recently was if you joined the RSPB, no one would take you to see an osprey’s nest the next day, would they?

I am still confused by Permissive Routes, BoATs etc., but it’s all coming together helped by my use of GPX files.

I hear many tales of trails lost, but I am also amazed how many trails are still there. Many an adventure still to come.

I get out at least once a month if can but I am careful not to overdo it, so I look forward to rides. I have been to some amazing places: High Brest and Gatescarth Pass in the Lakes were amazing, Rutland Rigg a challenge, then Haltwistle to Kendal, Masam to Hawes. I have have crossed rivers, ridden through dense bush, mud, snow, rain and loved nearly all of it. I have fallen and laughed, and fallen and cried. I have met many characters and made new pals, some of whom have become friends.

Am I still a newbie? In many ways, yes, until I can plan and research routes. But I am learning and enjoying learning. I just wish I had joined 20 years ago when I first looked into trail riding.

Have I renewed my membership? You bet!

around the edge of the track, and it was raining! The second time was at Donington Park. I must have made an impression as I got a letter inviting me to a ‘Day of Champions‘ at which the rider who impressed the judges the most would be offered a year’s sponsored racing. I bottled it and didn’t go.

Aged 25, I went to watch some ice hockey in Durham. I was hooked and didn’t miss a game for seven years.

I even started playing recreational ice hockey with the Durham Dragons’ net minder. I was lucky enough to be selected for the england squad and had some very enjoyable games.

Aged 30, I retired from hockey and rugby and sought another hobby for a buzz. I looked at the TRF but was warned off by mates with masonic-like secret society tales. I considered road racing – too dangerous and expensive.

Motocross, I went to watch and was tempted but decided I was too sane.

So I had another look at trials. I bought a 20-year-old Fantic twin shock 156 and that was it. every Sunday for 10 years, some nights and some Saturdays.

Mrs H enjoyed walking the laps so win, win. I moved on to a Gas Gas, then, after a break, onto the superb 315 Montessa. After another five years I felt it had become a habit rather than a passion, so gave it up and didn’t miss it.

Autumn 2018 Trail 35

Advertorial In 2016 Debbie and Nick Tunstill decided to up sticks and relocate to Catalonia in Spain.

A Catalan Adventure

BoTh keeN moTorCyClISTS, with Nick enjoying a bit of green laning in Sussex and kent, they were drawn to the region with its lovely climate, superb scenery and great roads and trails.

“We were planning to set up a biker B’n’B business, but after visiting the area in February 2017, we ended up buying two adjacent rural properties close to the town of mora D’ebre. It means guests have their own accommodation and privacy, but with us close to hand to offer any advice and help required. We wanted to do something a bit different from pure trail riding or road touring breaks. Guests can use the Finca as a base to explore the local trails, lovely roads, mountains and even shoot down to the med about half an hour away.”

If you want a break where you can choose what you do each day, rather than having a strict itinerary then Catalan Adventure could provide a solution. They have three new honda CrF250l machines that are ideal for both road and off-road exploration. Guests have exclusive use of the bikes for a sensible

36 Trail Autumn 2018

contribution towards running costs. Guided day tours on or off road can be arranged, instruction is available for those new to venturing off tarmac or you can simply go and explore yourself.

Nick says “The trails here are great for both novices and experienced trail riders. They are generally not too challenging, as you don’t normally get the mud and ruts of say Sussex

Come to where the action is...

Come to Catalonia!

or Wales but you can ride all day without seeing hardly any other traffic or people.” you are welcome to bring your own motorbikes of course. The area is easy to reach from Santander, Bilbao or via France. If you are after hard core enduro riding practice this is not the place for it however. like the green lanes in the Uk, the trails are mainly public roads, although unmade, so subject to speed limits and both machine and rider must be road legal.

Catalan Adventure also have on-site horse trail riding and lessons run by Debbie. The area is well known for fishing, cycling, hiking, kayaking, climbing and of course the Catalan culture and cuisine. The local town has bars, restaurants and other facilities. reus, Barcelona and Valencia are all within easy reach and all offer very good flight prices, particularly out of season. mora D’ebre even has its own local race track where you can do track days for a very sensible cost and also hire karts.

Nick was a TrF member in the Uk and is offering a 10% accommodation discount to current members and half price use of CrFs. “TrF members tend to respect the environment and aren’t just out to rip around in the countryside. That’s very important to us as we are part of the local community. The Spanish love their motorcycling and will normally wave as you ride past rather than shake their fists! We want to keep it that way.”

For more information and booking details look at www.catalanadventure.com or email catalanadventure@gmail.com

Autumn 2018 Trail 37

On trails...

On tarmac...

Our O ur rural, 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 explore explore this this base which b eautif ul area area of of Spain Spain ior ior ttrails rails o beautiful orr rroads, oads, ffrom rom the the m ountains tto o the the ssea. ea. mountains R id e d own o ly o ver and and explore explore the the Ride down orr ffly over rroads oads and and trails trails u sing o ur new ne w H on d a using our Honda C RF250L ttrail rail b ikes.

CRF250L bikes.

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

Access All Areas Access and conservation is at the heart of what the TRF does and why it was established in the first place. Membership fees and individual contributions help to make sure that these activities continue.

The Old Coach Road Repairs 2018 The Following is a summary of the final report compiled by steve stout, Chairman of Cumbria Trail Riders Fellowship.

The ‘old Coach Road’ is approximately 8 km (5 miles) of unsealed, unclassified county road in the parishes of st John Castlerigg and wythburn, Threlkeld, and Matterdale. it crosses the boundary of both Allerdale and eden Districts of Cumbria County. it passes through an environmentally sensitive Area,

38 Trail Autumn 2018

for a short distance crosses a site of special scientific interest, and reaches a maximum altitude of 437 m (1436 ft). it was significantly damaged during storm Desmond in December 2015. The excessive rainfall left the road heavily scarred in several places. on the western end, a trench opened up that ran down from hausewell Brow for almost a kilometre, adjacent to the sheepfold at the bottom of the descent. on the eastern end, the damage on hausewell Brow was not as severe or dramatic but a shallower trench opened up along the surface for some 1.5 km (just under one mile) to Mariel Bridge. The

Part of the Old Coach Road in 2017, the day after Storm Desmond. Right: the same view after repairs in July 2018

Part of the Old Coach Road in 2017.

Right: the same view after repairs in July 2018

rush. Many of the culverts have also become damaged due to age issues.

Cumbria Trail Riders Fellowship (CTRF) has worked for over twenty years conserving and helping the CCC and the lDnPA to manage the green road network. CTRF decided to try to tackle the deterioration of the old Coach Road and so the plan to repair the road was discussed and put into action in 2018. once the logistics of the project had been identified, drawing on knowledge of specialist contractors and professionals who have repaired upland rights of way in Cumbria for many years, the stages were identified and set up. stage 1 was to re-open the drainage gully that runs the length of the road. stage 2 was to repair or replace the culverts that run under the surface of the road to the downhill aspect. Funding requests to the CCC (who

Autumn 2018 Trail 39

eastern section between high Row and Mariel Bridge had several large puddles and the drainage gully was blocked for the majority of the route, but the water damage was less severe than at the western end. however, the whole road was suffering from a general lack of maintenance. last known records of maintenance and repairs to this lane are recorded in the minutes of a meeting of the hierarchy of Trails working Party group in 2003. it is believed that Cumbria County Council (CCC), the national Trust (nT) and lake District national Park Authority (lDnPA) carried out some works to the eastern section as a joint project but this is still unverified. since this time, the drainage gully that runs the length of the lane has become choked with sphagnum moss (sphagnum spp.) and soft

The volunteer work party assembled in December 2017

Left: The ‘before’ shot and here the same section with the culvert and the road surface repaired and ready for traffic...

technically are responsible for the route’s maintenance), the lDnPA and the nT were unable to be met, but permissions to continue and complete the project were given by the CCC, the lDnPA, natural england, the local Parish Council and the various user groups. A crowd-funding process was set up by the CTRF and embraced by the national Trail Riders Fellowship, the green lane Association and the Trans euro Trail community. Together these user groups and a large number of individuals generated a significant amount of the funds needed to repair the road. stakeholders, including local residents, local user groups and local contractors completed the project, donating their time and efforts unstintingly. however, special thanks should go to the many individuals, the european community of trail riders and also to the many motor clubs from other parts of the UK who embraced the spirit of this project and

40 Trail Autumn 2018

truly helped to show what a community can achieve. Both the Threlkeld Commoners and Threlkeld Mining Museum granted access to their stone quarry, which has traditionally been used to maintain the road. A very big thank you goes to all these people for their huge generosity, without which the project would not have been completed.

The team from Dan Birkett Construction did a great job and the effects of their expertise and hard work should be seen for years to come. The lDnPA and the nT donated items which helped immensely. The total project spend was £150,888.97. Monies left over from the donations total amounted to £638.03 and this will be used over the next two years to maintain the main drainage gully.

Twenty-five of the sixty-two culverts were replaced in all, seven in the eastern section and eighteen between Mariel Bridge and Klondike Quarry. Around 3000 tonnes of material was used to fill in the trenches,

The team from Dan Birkett Construction moving materials to the site

The finished culvert

taking a total of 41 man days for the paid construction team. Volunteer days amounted to 118 days over the length of the project.

Conclusions The road is now repaired for all users, whether they be walkers, cyclists, horse riders, farmers, paragliders, motor vehicle users or any other type of user. what is needed for the future is ongoing maintenance and a commitment from the user groups to monitor the road and to step in to maintain it, as none of the ‘local authorities’ have committed to do so. This inability to implement maintenance on the higher-status public rights of way and on the lowest classes of roads is happening throughout Cumbria and across the UK, and so it is left to the user groups to take on the responsibility themselves until such time as our governments see fit to realign their sense of responsibility.

For the future it would be desirable for this road to become an entry point for both the community and visitors to access story boards which explain the landscape, the wildlife, the history and the current techniques used to manage this area whilst retaining its accessibility for all user groups.

A plaque is to be erected to commemorate the generosity of the people involved in this project, which will sit at the top of hausewell Brow for all to read and enjoy as they use this road.

This project has been a great success. The desired outcomes have been achieved, the community spirit of all the disparate parties involved has been a real pleasure to behold and the generosity of all the donors (whether they gave cash or time and effort, or both) has been heartwarming. sometimes in overcoming adversity the human spirit does prevail and achieves something special. long may that continue.

Autumn 2018 Trail 41

Access All Areas Cefn Carnau Lane, Caerphilly 2018 when i wAs faced with an 2.5 m (8 ft) pile of rocks, earth, rubble and ex-railway sleepers totally blocking Cefn Carnau lane in 2012, i detoured to the top end of the lane, normally 2 km (one and a quarter miles) away via the lane but much further if accessed via the very busy town of Caerphilly, only to find exactly the same blocking method in use there. i have personally used this lane since 1952 ‘without let or hindrance’ – for a 16-year-old motorcyclist it was the only route out of a busy quarry (no longer in use) sited along its length. As some 4 x 4 owners were still getting over the obstructions, the rubble was

42 Trail Autumn 2018

removed at great cost to be replaced by sets of galvanised gates and side barriers with all the appropriate roadside furniture of poles and notices stating ‘no Through Road’, ‘Closed to all Traffic’ etc. The gates were fitted with high quality padlocks, keys were issued to a favoured few who had the use of the lane as a private drive.

A call to the council offices found that the lane was subject to a TTRo (Temporary Traffic Regulation order), which has a finite life. its only purpose is to carry out repairs and if the repairs are not completed in the life time of the TTRo, then a further extension to the time of completion can only be granted by the secretary of state for wales - in this instance, only after having shown reasonable progress with regard to the repairs. i realised it needed the backing of an organisation, or

The top gate, left and above...

preferably several organisations, with clout to assist with the problem. My first thought was the TRF but contacting the local group was very difficult at that time. i had also contacted several acquaintances in other branches of motorcycling and was extremely lucky to interest Bill Phelps of the VMCC (Vintage Motor Cycle Club), the local driver of all things vintage. Bill is a man of considerable experience at local and also national level, and at one stage was President of the VMCC with the added advantage of a working lifetime spent at Cardiff City hall. well-versed in the ways and wiles of local government, he was the perfect foil for all the b*** s*** and rubbish we were being fed. i already knew, but found out again, that when you get Bill interested, he is like a dog with a bone – he will not let go. he has been

Autumn 2018 Trail 43

tireless in his pursuit of the truth behind the illegal closure.

This year we were joined by Paul Mules, a one-man TRF branch with several RoR (Rights of Road) triumphs to his credit.

At this point, John Vannuffel, the man with the biggest stick and access to the TRF’s legal Department, also joined in with gusto and a lot of up-to-the-minute technical knowledge. This eventually resulted in a notice of intention to pursue the illegal closure through the courts, which has produced a recent massive effort from the council.

The lane now looks like a 2 km (one and a quarter mile) patchwork quilt of repaired potholes, with about 45 m (50 yards) of new tarmac. The long-term problem of the nany-y-Pwyntel stream crossing which, sixty years ago crossed as a ford, and continual attempts over the years to sort it out, hadn’t really worked resulting in water, at certain times of the year, flowing down the hillside creating a massive boggy area and constant

44 Trail Autumn 2018

erosion of the road. now the council has really addressed the problem and fitted a two-into-one covered gully, which looks man enough for the job at last – time will tell. sadly, although improvements have been made, there is still some way to go. The gates have been removed and replaced with ‘Road Unsuitable for Motors’ blue signs in the obligatory english and welsh languages. But the ‘no Through Road’ signs are still in place, adjacent to the main roads at either end. To the passing motorist it would be assumed that the lane is still closed, as the gates have been relocated some way along the lane and out of sight of the main roads. And the six-year illegal closure has resulted in a huge increase in lane-side growth, in the form of trees and bushes – in some places it’s like riding through dusky tunnels where the trees touch each other overhead.

From Ken Griffiths, proud recipient of a TRF Lifetime Achievement Award to Trail Riding

www.flyandride.co.uk

First class motorcycle & car transportation

You get to do all the fun stuff – we take care of the dull stuff Fly to your chosen destination, collect your own bike from us and ride off. At the end of your trip, drop your bike back to us and we bring it back to the UK for you.

Additional destinations for 2018 now include Toulouse, prices from £495 for the Pyrenees. Madrid and Lisbon as well as Malaga £595 return, the gateway to North Africa. Portugal & Spain from £595

10%

DISCOUNT FOR ALL TRF MEMBERS

Your bikes are secure and insured throughout their journey and can be accepted for delivery up to 24 hours prior to scheduled departure.

We also provide professional transport solutions for clubs, overland rallies and corporate events

TOULOUSE PORTUGAL LISBON

MADRID MALAGA

MOROCCO

New destinations for 2018

Email: info@flyandride.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1403 800 247 www.flyandride.co.uk

Photo courtesy of Sally and John Pritchard

Youth Movement The TRF CBT introduces young people to safe, responsible and sustainable trail riding. In early September, the TRF held its ďŹ rst formal training event CompulSoRy BaSIC TRaInIng (CBT) was introduced in 1990 to help reduce the very high accident rate among inexperienced motorcyclists in the uK. By law CBT must be completed before any new moped or motorcycle rider is allowed to ride on the road with l-plates, or D-plates in Wales.

This includes riding green roads and trails open to the public.

46 Trail Autumn 2018

What’s different about the TRF approach to CBT? an Institute of advanced motorists (Iam) study in 2009 showed that of 3500 accidents, 250 16-year-old boys are killed or seriously injured in moped accidents. according to the Iam the three top priorities are: a review of the CBT programme, which currently lasts for just two hours; a “Think moped” campaign, informing drivers and teenagers why, when and where riding mopeds is risky; and a new commitment to develop ways of targeting illegal and reckless riding.

In addition, a 2015 report from the Driver Vehicle Standards agency (DVSa), which surveyed CBT takers, came up with several recommendations, many of which have informed the TRF’s offerings, which will help in the following ways:

1. Success rate

Autumn 2018 Trail 47

The TRF proposes a minimum two-day course rather than a one-day course. The DVSa says that the average completion rate for CBT across all approved Training Bodies (aTBs) is the same as that found in the learners’ survey – 96%. The average one-day completion rate (amongst all learners) is 84%.

2. Safety The TRF offers additional safety training, in particular riding on unsurfaced roads, group riding and first-aid training. DVSa statistics indicate that four in ten learners (39%) would pay extra for more on-road and safety training.

3. Trail bike machine skills The TRF offers the opportunity to ride a proper trail bike (including 50cc mopeds) with gears. most trainers (72%) feel that completing CBT on an automatic does not prepare learners well for riding a manual.

4. Trail riding skills The TRF will give training in the following areas: a) off-tarmac trail riding skills – plus the law covering access and where to trail ride; b) managing risk – sharing the trail and managing conflict, e.g. trail and road rage; c) Social and environmental responsibility and

48 Trail Autumn 2018

least impact; d) Dealing with injuries and first aid. These skills will be the foundation of a formal Trail Riding Course, currently undergoing RoSpa and aCu accreditation.

5. Continued learning through 12 months of TRF membership

6. Further qualifications beyond the Driving Test The TRF offers the full-licence holder access to the following qualifications: qualified First aider, including riding injuries (one-day course, £30); Iam advanced motorcyclist Skills for life (10% discount); aCu Coach and aCu Clerk of Course.

Why is the TRF doing this?

The membership that makes up the new TRF is fast-changing and membership Director Carla mcKenzie is leading a programme to assist newer young riders, who are interested in trail riding, to join the TRF and learn to do it responsibly. We get many enquiries from interested young riders and we, the TRF membership, need to make it clear that the first step is to attend a CBT course.

Autumn 2018 Trail 49

Those completing the CBT have access to thousands of guided rides and related training through our forty groups nationwide. The natural next step is preparation for a full licence and the TRF can offer plenty of “saddle time” with experienced riders. The DVSa aTBs will offer further training to DVSa test standard. The DVSa comments that it should be made easy and not overly costly for those who want extended training to be able to come back for another two hours on the road, for example. The onus should not be on completion in one day and while trainers claim they don’t tell learners how long it should take, the fixed fee per course price

structure may be influencing many trainers to aim for one-day completion.

TRF-linked, DVSA ATBs that provide CBTs, plus a knowledge of trail riding, include: Off the Kerb – London: http://www.offthekerbmct.co.uk and http://offthekerbtrailriding.com/ East Midlands – Shires: https://www.shiresmt.com/ please contact Chris Barrable at chris.b@trf.org.uk, TRF Training Director, if, as a TRF member, you would like to add any trail-orientated CBT training providers to this list. Stewart Bosworth, at stewart.b@trf.org.uk, is writing the course book of trail riding. For other enquiries regarding young riders and the TRF, Tom Carnell, at tom.c@trf.org.uk, has agreed to look after this area.

For more information on CBT: off the Kerb Trail Riding, whose directors are long-term existing TRF members, have been in discussion about CBT and young riders since last year. They also have a great relationship with Fantic, and run a fleet of learner-legal trail bikes. more recently, the TRF was invited to a meeting at the mick Extance Experience Centre to discuss safety training and met East midlands TRF member paul nunn of Shire motorcycle Training, which handles the bookings for mick Extance. paul has an amazing team of trainers, including young lady instructors, with strong trail riding skills. He also has a fleet of Kawasaki KlX 125s for CBT use. From the TRF’s perspective it became clear that training for safe, legal and courteous riding starts with the CBT, rather than leaving it until later. off the Kerb and Shires have offered to look after the CBT, and we are looking for young riders, ideally aged 16 for moped and aged 17 for 125cc, in need of a CBT.

50 Trail Autumn 2018

https://www.gov.uk/motorcycle-cbt https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/at tachment_data/file/380799/cbt-learners-trainers-report.pdf

Regarding accidents for moped riders: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/5077581/moped-riderrisks.html

For all motorcyclists: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/at tachment_data/file/447673/motorcyclist-casualties-2013-data.pdf

The effect of training on reducing m/c accidents: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022437589900327

Dawn till Dusk

52 Trail Autumn 2018

Wiltshire group leader and Trail online editor James Higgs recounts a very full day in the saddle, all in a good cause

LasT monTH THe suffolk Group held its annual endurance fun ride across east anglia which has grown in length year-on-year to become a monumental 262-mile test of concentration, resilience and reliability. entries were limited by the number of volunteer run leaders available, though entry was free to anyone willing to lead a group along the route supplied by organiser Colin Pountney, who was able to make a £2,000 donation to the Cambridge branch of the brain injury charity Headway as a result of the event’s success.

Like last year, I led a delegation of riders from the Wiltshire Group, who had all managed to arrive and encamp at the venue well in advance of my fashionably late entrance – prompting surprise that I had managed to show up at all. I was quickly whisked away from my ungrateful team by the organisers in order to be fed, though not before I had managed to erect my tent, which (in between laughter) caused health and safety concerns on account of its size and inconspicuity.

Having survived the night unsquashed by virtue of my glow-in-the-dark tent pegs (and thoughtful van parking), I joined the rest of the participants for breakfast and registration at dawn, followed by a staggered start for each of the nine groups hoping to make it from Haverhill to the norfolk coast and back by dusk.

My CRF25L and bijou

tent.

Autumn 2018 Trail 53

my team set off a little after 9.00 am and managed to overtake one of the earlier groups, which was struggling to traverse a concrete kerbstone used to prevent hare coursers from misusing the former airfield that we had been given permission to cross. Knowing that procrastination and chatter could deny us a daytime finish, we kept our pace up and avoided stopping for the photos and high-fives that can often limit ride progress if you let them.

Those of you who haven’t yet ridden in suffolk, Cambridgeshire or norfolk will likely be surprised by how sandy the soil is when you do. It lends itself well to the type of market gardening and salad cultivation that can be observed all over the Fens and Brecks. The terrain here is flat, straight and open, which makes for good road speed on the sections of sealed roads in between the lengthy and very dusty unsealed ones. many of the green roads sport the ‘no cars’ TRo sign, making for narrow, unrutted trails that perhaps only take up a tenth of the highway width in places. one such example is the old road that runs alongside the a11 into newmarket, where a whole motorway could be built if the local authority saw fit. Thankfully, the old road is now an unobstructed, width-restricted byway, though it hasn’t always been this way… after giving way to a few dozen racehorses making use of the Pegasus crossings that riddle newmarket, we passed the southern Group’s ‘rider smoking’ andrew sillence before fording the River Lark and picking up the ancient Icknield Way. soon afterwards we received a rare shower of water courtesy of one of the crop irrigators, which had been set to spray an unavoidable (but welcome) arc of water across a byway near Thetford.

Just east of Thetfard lies Peddars Way, where a TRo prevents all public use of a byway on adjoining Brettenham Heath due to the risk of disturbing rare ground-nesting birds. Unusually, the risk isn’t attributable to motor vehicle use, but to dogs failing to be kept under close control whilst being exercised and emptied by their owners. a diversion open to motorcycles was helpfully authorised by the council at this point in order to preserve route continuity. a Frogger-esque crossing of the a11 on the ancient Peddars Way brought us to our first fuel stop at Watton, where we agreed to limit our refreshment intake to drinks and light snacks.

Woe betides the rider attempting a ride like this on a full stomach – the energy needed to digest food is better used on keeping upright and pointing in the correct direction (particularly when working as part of a team). The 73 miles to get here had passed quickly and my CRF250L still had plenty of fuel left, with only Darren’s KTm 450 eXC and simon’s Beta running on to their reserve settings.

Andrew Sillence from the Southern Group leads his team away.

54 Trail Autumn 2018

Breakfast – the organisers ensured we were well fed at all times.

The old road was obstructed with large bales in 2016, which made for some good – if inadvertent – trials practice.

Above, left to right: Ben, Simon, Martyn, Darren and Kev

Looking out over The Wash

Autumn 2018 Trail 55

as we pushed north on the Peddars Way it struck me how empty it was, with only a few friendly walkers (and campers) to be seen as we overtook a few more groups en route to the coast. Last year an oncoming ‘hardy walker’ type had homed in towards my bike like a moth to a headlight in order to make me stop, which I was duly compelled to do. Personally, I would think myself something of a failure if my only power in life was to momentarily halt someone’s enjoyment of their day.

We were the first group to arrive at Hunstanton and so found a suitable parking place for the oncoming melee on a grassy patch overlooking the Wash, whilst we refreshed ourselves alongside the many other tourists investing their money into the town. We had agreed during the ride briefing that we would not fall foul of the fish and chips pitfall, though goaded some of the other riders into buying large portions of both. our group settled for ice-cream and fluids instead.

Sand fun on South Beach

56 Trail Autumn 2018

The first unsealed road out of town is south Beach, where catching up with a learner driver in a Discovery gave me a rare opportunity to take photos as the rest of the team were unable to overtake it. Here the road is wholly sand, which requires commitment of the throttle and faith in the front wheel as it finds its way through the undulations. a cautious right hand will soon see the front wheel sink into the sand if you let it. our second fuel stop was made in swaffham, which gave us all time for another much-needed drink. The heat was starting to affect my riding and my T-shirt was soaked in sweat, so the opportunity to replenish with tinned diabetes was not to be missed – 148 miles down, 114 to go.

Darren shows off his

dusty face at Hunstan

ton

Autumn 2018 Trail 57

shortly after this the route took in some new roads through Hockwold Fens near Brandon, where the undulations of the ground started to sap the strength out of me, enough for me to notice that I had slowed down. I kept my concentration as best I could as we made our way back round Thetford, past lavender growing wild amongst the gorse, and negotiated the sole three gates of the ride near Icklingham. a 228-mile fuel stop near newmarket set us up for the last 34 miles back to Haverhill, which retraced some of our morning’s route and cruelly took us for a final seven-mile loop past the TRF direction signs which were placed on the verges to assist us in finding the venue. martyn, simon, Kev, Ben, Darren and I finished before dusk at a little after 8.00pm, taking 11 hours at a code-of-conduct friendly 24 mph to complete the gargantuan loop without breakdown or incident, though a volunteer recovery van driver was on hand during the day to collect anyone who wasn’t able to finish the ride.

The final group arrived back at around 11.00 pm, by which time our group had finished the dinner kindly served by the venue owners and had either settled down for the night or loaded up and left. The success of the event would not have been possible without the efforts of Colin, suffolk TRF and all the volunteer ride leaders. see you next year!

58 Trail Autumn 2018

Headway – Colin Pountney HeaDWay Is an autonomous charity that does great work supporting people with brain injuries. This event was organised by suffolk and Cambridgeshire Trail Riders Fellowship.

Participants arrived back at dusk, hot, thirsty and very, very dusty! The event raised £2,000 for Cambridge Headway and was kindly supported by Tesco newmarket branch, which donated food and drinks to keep us going. People frequently ask me why I raise money for Headway at my two TRF events whereas most motorcycle events raise money for air ambulance. Well, that’s great but I thought about what happens to people after an accident, and the rest of your life if recovery doesn’t work out so well.

There are a lot of sports and hobbies that people do where you can sustain a brain injury and riding a motorcycle or riding a horse must be high on the list. I live in newmarket where we have hundreds of horse riders and I know a lot of motorcyclists, so head injuries are something I hear a lot about. Hopefully most of us will not need help but if you leave hospital with a brain injury, then it’s Headway which will help you get your life back to near normal, or have a nearby hub for you to go to for help, or just to give your family a rest or some time for themselves as it can be a full-time job for them.

Back in april the raffle at the ICenI weekend raised £450 for suffolk Headway and my Dawn till Dusk ride on 4 august raised £2,000 for Headway Cambridgeshire. Dawn till Dusk is in its third year now and I have to turn members away as it fills up quickly.

D2D is a one-day event but people can camp for two nights if they like. The start is at Chris Rolls’s house as he lives on the essex border and has some fields he kindly lets us use. The ride will take you 260 miles through Cambridgeshire, suffolk and norfolk up to the seaside town of Hunstanton for fish and chips, and then back by a different route before it gets dark (well, that’s the plan).

We had 50 riders all paying £30. Chris and his wife Janet cooked and sold bacon rolls for breakfast and a chilli ’n’ rice with a beer when we got back. Tesco of newmarket kindly supplied the food free of charge, enabling us to make £500. so a big thank you goes out to Chris and family, to Tesco newmarket, all my run leaders and of course to all who came and supported us. I would love to do it again in 2019, so watch out for the poster in Trail next year.

Autumn 2018 Trail 59

Safety on the Trail As well as self-preservation, trail riders’ capabilities in first aid add to the positive messages conveyed by our presence in the countryside, including care for other people and professionalism on the trail

MAny, IF noT most, TRF members will have received basic first-aid training to at least Biker Down level. This is a great first step.

We now need to build on this and meet requests for structured, trail-riding-focussed, certified first-aid courses to Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and First Aid at Work (FAW) level and beyond.

The issue is that safety comes at a price.

The FAW course from St John’s Ambulance is £300 plus VAT. Even the basic EFAW course is £135 plus VAT and is only considered suitable for “low risk environments”, and hence

60 Trail Autumn 2018

unlikely to be enough for the needs of vulnerable users. Likewise the equestrian groups have first-aid courses, which start at around £100.

Following an evaluation of options from TRF members Dr Alcuin Wilkie, Paul Lonergan and John Dixon, the TRF is promoting two first-aid courses, organised by TRF members and designed to cope with the demands of trail riders, the requirements of the ACU and of TRF Insurers, from as little as £30.

The reason we can do it this cheaply is simply the high volume of demand.

In a situation like thi s, out on the trail, it’s important to know what to do....

With some 6,000 trail riders we have a great demand for places, on courses delivered by our own qualified trainers, without associated administration and marketing overhead costs, as well as a “no frills” approach.

TRF member John Dixon of M-Power Activity Services provides an intense first-aid course specifically designed for Trail Guides.

The course is delivered over a long weekend and exceeds all ACU requirements, including commercial and club coach. Course syllabus includes 18 hours at FAW level as well as care of a patient in remote areas, helmet removal and extraction of patients to safety and Emergency Services.

M-Power provided the marshalling and first aid at the TRF AGM at Wern Ddu quarry, and is a regular provider of specialist services at many motorcycle events. The course is very practical and will include scenarios that are bike- and vehicle-based. Blended learning

over 24 hours will empower you with solid first-aid skills along with incident management and rescue skills for green-roads riders.

The TRF intends in future that this enhanced qualification will become the minimum first-aid standard for teams organising major riding events in addition to any other existing arrangements. All TRF ACU coaches should also have this level of training and it is recommended that each group has at least one ride leader who takes this qualification.

For participating TRF groups and on the recommendation of the Group Chair, the TRF will offer a model that reduces the cost per member of this enhanced course from £250 to £50. This is achieved through the local group paying £100 and the TRF paying the difference direct to M-Power. Active groups may, of course, have more than one member – the main focus is to ensure that each of the 40 groups has a high level of expertise.

Autumn 2018 Trail 61

Rolling a patient over whilst keeping the neck sta ble requires the correct techniqu e

Please contact your TRF Group Chair for details of special TRF pricing or John Dixon direct on john@mpowerservices.co.uk, 01928 581 408. The next course is on 12, 13 and 14 october at Haggs Bank Bunkhouse (nentsberry, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3LH) with bed and breakfast in the Bunkhouse.

The one-day EFAW certified course for trail riders, is available at a cost of £30pp for TRF menbers, £40pp non-TRF. Herts TRF officer and regular run leader Paul Lonergan has arranged for clinical tutor and paramedic instructor Lee Palfrey to provide the one-day courses. “other than accident prevention, the next best thing should you be injured, is knowing firstly, that several of your riding mates are trained in first aid and secondl, how to manage an accident scene to the same high standard. Also they should be carrying some basic equipment to help deal with casualties,” says Lee. This will result in a First Aid and First Responder certificate, valid for three years, and covers training beyond Biker Down and Emergency First Aid at Work to provide you with certification recognised by the ACU, the TRF and importantly insurers. All attendees also receive a free first-aid pack to strap on their bike or carry in their rucksack. next date available is 28 october 2018 at Torque Racing, Royston, Herts at 9.00 am.

For details, see https://www.facebook.com/ events/203793340490048/.

Paul will also organise a course at your own location with similar pricing if you can get 20 people and provide a venue.

62 Trail Autumn 2018

EVENTS

For latest information check www.trail.trf.org.uk/events/ 15&16 September Hereford Hospice Trail 2018 Baskerville Hall, Clyro Court, Hay on Wye, HR3 5LE. Two days guided trail riding and two nights camping. Includes; Saturday breakfast and evening meal and Sunday breakfast. Access to hotel bar and pool. TRF members only. Online entry forms from https://fs28.formsite.com/htrf/2018/ Entry fee £100.00.

29&30 September Hadrian Adventure Weekend WryTree Drift Mine (next to WryTree Farm), Haltwhistle, Northumberland 7 October Exmoor Forest Ride Day to our Trail Events section.

Only doing TRF members for next one and advance tickets only.

Link below and FB here https://www.facebook.com/events/3821 63348979571/?ti=ia

Friends of the TRF 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 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

The following businesses are offering discounts to TRF members

Flexiplates www.flexiplates.co.uk quote code TRF15 Zen Overland www.zenoverland.com 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

12-14 October 2 1/2 Day TRF First Aid Training Course for Run Leaders Haggs Bank Bunkhouse, Nentsberry, Alston, Cumbria CA9 3LH 28 October 1 Day TRF First Aid Training Course Sun 9 AM · Torque Racing Services Ltd · Litlington

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 Helite Airbags pcadvancedmotorcycletraining.co.uk 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 10% off of clothing and 5% on spare parts Fraser’s of Gloucester www.frasersmotorcycles.co.uk

o m7 =ou ro m7 1o Ѵ7 |_bv 0; |_; lov| r;u=;1| |u-bѴ 0bh; om |_; l-uh;| |o7- ĵ -mঞ1 ƑƔƏ -v- m7 uo • • • • • • • •

250 4T EFI Motor 104 kg – Lightweight Cro-Mo steel frame Progressive Drop Link Suspension Arrow Exhaust System CNC Triple Clamps 43mm Olle` Forks Mitas Tyres RRP £4699

L Plate legal 50 & 125cc variants available.

";; = ѴѴ lo7;Ѵ u-m]; -m7 Cm7 7;-Ѵ;uv -|Ĺ

=-mঞ1lo|ou hĺ1ol