Green lane riding in Derbyshire

[PT1984]

IlPapaMobile said:

Sounds like the OP wants a little ride off the beaten track on a summers day rather than full on mud plugging as everyone else seems to suggest. I was the same a couple of years back on my XSR700, I spent a bit of time finding some local, solid byways with a few puddles and ruts rather than boggy tracks. Had loads of fun just pottering along them, some cool pictures and a nice country ride home afterwards.

Can't help with anything local to you but I used various mapping sites to find some nice byways to explore.

Exactly this. I’m more thinking the Tissington Trail level of difficulty!

[KTMsm]

IlPapaMobile said:

Sounds like the OP wants a little ride off the beaten track on a summers day rather than full on mud plugging as everyone else seems to suggest.

That's what most of us want but there are so few lanes around that you have to ride the tough ones too

If you want to go out for a day's ride the only place with enough lanes to pick and choose I've come across is Wales and Salisbury Plain but the problem is finding accurate information, really you have to go and have a look and some are ok sometimes and treacherous at others be that due to weather, farmers or 4x4s

[popeyewhite]

Althebugman said:

Derbyshire bridge in Buxton would be a good route for you plenty of space, abit rocky and not too tight.

There’s a few others round there such as charity lane but that might be abit ambitious on a scrambler as you need some ground clearance.

You’ll have fun exploring the lanes up there!

There's far too many pedestrians/hikers/dogs on charity lane now. Derbyshire Bridge though - the old Buxton road is quite rocky so a lighter bike a must. Fewer peds though.

[the tribester]

Gnits said:

This is worth a look:
https://www.bywaymap.com/

Also check out the TET routes and any OS maps you can get hold of.

..and as previously mentioned TRF, which might be the best place start.

Be prepared for the UK not allowing you to tootle up just any track on your bike though. Most of the rest of Europe is happy enough but the UK is a bit 'get orf my land' about the whole thing.

The bywaymap has basically taken the marked Byways from OS maps and recorded them. It hasn't checked the current status of the Byway, and although it is not common, some Byways have had their rights for motorvehicle use removed by a traffic order. In Derbyshire, Monyash Byway 29/Derby Lane is one example, it's still on the byway.map, because it is still a Byway, but there is a Traffic Regulation Order in force preventing motorvehicle use, and you'd only find that out when you arrive to ride it and see the flying motorcyle over car sign.

The byway.map also doesn't show the network of the many unsurfaced unclassified 'green roads' that will be of interest to trail bike riders.

I second other posters and recommend joining the TRF, you'll get access to their National Green Roads Map and be able to meet up with other local riders, and hopefully let you know which ones will be suitable for your Ducati.

[PT1984]

After getting a good few hours in on my Scrambler over the weekend I have decided it is probably Scrambler in name only!

Light dry hard pack tracks and grass only I think!

[KTMsm]

PT1984 said:

After getting a good few hours in on my Scrambler over the weekend I have decided it is probably Scrambler in name only!

Light dry hard pack tracks and grass only I think!

In fairness that's true for most riders of adventure bikes (including my 1190)

[Wacky Racer]

For anyone near Manchester:-

https://www.facebook.com/cowmleisureoffroad/?local...

[4Q]

KTMsm said:

These two pics came up in my FB groups recently

Good, look at the mess they’ve made of a lane that’s there for all of us to use, selfish s. There a few lanes near me that are impassible when all the green laners have churned them up. Even when it’s dry they make a mess.

Edited by 4Q on Tuesday 23 April 20:37

[Crudeoink]

4Q said:

Good, look at the mess they’ve made of a lane that’s there for all of us to use, selfish s. There a few lanes near me that are impassible when all the green laners have churned them up. Even when it’s dry they make a mess.

Edited by 4Q on Tuesday 23 April 20:37

There for us all to use, but how dare they use them?

[Gnits]

the tribester said:

Gnits said:

This is worth a look:
https://www.bywaymap.com/

Also check out the TET routes and any OS maps you can get hold of.

..and as previously mentioned TRF, which might be the best place start.

Be prepared for the UK not allowing you to tootle up just any track on your bike though. Most of the rest of Europe is happy enough but the UK is a bit 'get orf my land' about the whole thing.

The bywaymap has basically taken the marked Byways from OS maps and recorded them. It hasn't checked the current status of the Byway, and although it is not common, some Byways have had their rights for motorvehicle use removed by a traffic order. In Derbyshire, Monyash Byway 29/Derby Lane is one example, it's still on the byway.map, because it is still a Byway, but there is a Traffic Regulation Order in force preventing motorvehicle use, and you'd only find that out when you arrive to ride it and see the flying motorcyle over car sign.

The byway.map also doesn't show the network of the many unsurfaced unclassified 'green roads' that will be of interest to trail bike riders.

I second other posters and recommend joining the TRF, you'll get access to their National Green Roads Map and be able to meet up with other local riders, and hopefully let you know which ones will be suitable for your Ducati.

This is indeed true, there are some near me where this applies - ones which are closed during some of the year but also some which are not marked and appear as a normal country lane on maps but there is no chance of getting a car down them.
It is however a nice indicator of how little is available!
The short answer of course is that there is no free resource that is accurate.

[4Q]

Crudeoink said:

4Q said:

Good, look at the mess they’ve made of a lane that’s there for all of us to use, selfish s. There a few lanes near me that are impassible when all the green laners have churned them up. Even when it’s dry they make a mess.

Edited by 4Q on Tuesday 23 April 20:37

There for us all to use, but how dare they use them?

There for us all to use but not there for one group to fk up so the others can’t.

[Crudeoink]

I think the rain has done most of the damage.... Although Heavy 4x4's seem to dig deep ruts. Do you really think the odd bike has damaged the lanes beyond use of everyone else?

[4Q]

Crudeoink said:

I think the rain has done most of the damage.... Although Heavy 4x4's seem to dig deep ruts. Do you really think the odd bike has damaged the lanes beyond use of everyone else?

Not just bikes but green laners in general, I live in Derbyshire and can assure that on some lanes it isn’t just the “odd bike”

[popeyewhite]

4Q said:

Crudeoink said:

I think the rain has done most of the damage.... Although Heavy 4x4's seem to dig deep ruts. Do you really think the odd bike has damaged the lanes beyond use of everyone else?

Not just bikes but green laners in general, I live in Derbyshire and can assure that on some lanes it isn’t just the “odd bike”

Agreed. I've been out near Buxton on a little KTM and seen organised groups of somewhere between 5-10 big bikes doing the lanes. Often sharing space with dog walkers, ramblers, MTBcyclists etc. I hope the people who organise these groups pay the council/landowner for upkeep of the lanes... I imagine the companies I see advertising on the internet make easily enough cash to donate some to green lane upkeep.

[KTMsm]

4Q said:

Good, look at the mess they’ve made of a lane that’s there for all of us to use, selfish s. There a few lanes near me that are impassible when all the green laners have churned them up. Even when it’s dry they make a mess.

Edited by 4Q on Tuesday 23 April 20:37

How exactly do you think a motorcycle has caused that ?

What percentage of footpaths & bridleways can motorcycles access in the UK ?

I think it's about 2%

If you put 100% the 4x4 and motorcycles on 2% of lanes, what do you think happens ?

I suggest the solution is opening up all the lanes, thereby spreading the load and reducing the damage

By the way, challenging lanes are what makes it fun

Edited by KTMsm on Tuesday 23 April 23:17

[nunpuncher]

KTMsm said:

4Q said:

Good, look at the mess they’ve made of a lane that’s there for all of us to use, selfish s. There a few lanes near me that are impassible when all the green laners have churned them up. Even when it’s dry they make a mess.

Edited by 4Q on Tuesday 23 April 20:37

How exactly do you think a motorcycle has caused that ?

What percentage of footpaths & bridleways can motorcycles access in the UK ?

I think it's about 2%

If you put 100% the 4x4 and motorcycles on 2% of lanes, what do you think happens ?

I suggest the solution is opening up all the lanes, thereby spreading the load and reducing the damage

By the way, challenging lanes are what makes it fun

Edited by KTMsm on Tuesday 23 April 23:17

Although technically illegal to ride a bike off road here in Scotland it actually seems way easier to ride off road here than in much of England if the few threads I've read on here are anything to go by.

[KTMsm]

nunpuncher said:

Although technically illegal to ride a bike off road here in Scotland it actually seems way easier to ride off road here than in much of England if the few threads I've read on here are anything to go by.

It's a nightmare, I try to do it legally by joining the TRF and going out with sensible people but it's hard to find the legal routes

So many have been closed that we are forced to drive / ride for hours to get to the better ones

I'm a middle-aged, generally law abiding person and I've been down illegal ones because it hasn't been obvious that they were and because people will post signs saying lanes are closed when they're not so we now don't believe signage

Frankly, I don't blame the kids who ride illegally because it's been made so hard to do it legally

Even the legal pay and play sites are regularly closed down because someone complains

[Zio Di Roma]

KTMsm said:

nunpuncher said:

Although technically illegal to ride a bike off road here in Scotland it actually seems way easier to ride off road here than in much of England if the few threads I've read on here are anything to go by.

It's a nightmare, I try to do it legally by joining the TRF and going out with sensible people but it's hard to find the legal routes

So many have been closed that we are forced to drive / ride for hours to get to the better ones

I'm a middle-aged, generally law abiding person and I've been down illegal ones because it hasn't been obvious that they were and because people will post signs saying lanes are closed when they're not so we now don't believe signage

Frankly, I don't blame the kids who ride illegally because it's been made so hard to do it legally

Even the legal pay and play sites are regularly closed down because someone complains

Unfortunately, green laning has suffered as a result of the competing user groups issue, those with red socks, landowners, horse riders... they all think the countryside is just for them. This has been compounded by the attitude of many bikers, which has been "I don't fookin' care, I ride where I want".

Whilst I may, in the past, have ridden in some places where I probably should not have, I always preferred legal routes.

[Crudeoink]

popeyewhite said:

Agreed. I've been out near Buxton on a little KTM and seen organised groups of somewhere between 5-10 big bikes doing the lanes. Often sharing space with dog walkers, ramblers, MTBcyclists etc. I hope the people who organise these groups pay the council/landowner for upkeep of the lanes... I imagine the companies I see advertising on the internet make easily enough cash to donate some to green lane upkeep.

My local TRF organise rides of between 5-7 bikes at a time. But also routinely sort blockages (fallen trees) report issues to the local authority and often get involved in repairing the lanes. Most of the damage I've seen on green lanes has been really deep ruts cut by 4x4's. Even my KTM at a rather porky 150kg doesn't cut deep ruts. But I guess the concentration of everyone onto a small percentage of the lanes does cause issues, especially with how wet the weather has been this year

[KTMsm]

popeyewhite said:

Agreed. I've been out near Buxton on a little KTM and seen organised groups of somewhere between 5-10 big bikes doing the lanes.

Often sharing space with dog walkers, ramblers, MTBcyclists etc.

I hope the people who organise these groups pay the council/landowner for upkeep of the lanes... I imagine the companies I see advertising on the internet make easily enough cash to donate some to green lane upkeep.

You mean in the same way they all use roads ?

Green lanes ARE roads and should be maintained by the council - although plenty of us maintain them and pay via membership fees to the TRF to keep them open