Archives for March 2019

I’d always had a keen interest in 4×4’s, I guess I got the bug when I saw Gareth Hunt driving a 2 Door Range Rover in the New Avengers. Fast forward to 2001 and I brought my first 2 door Range Rover, which was used mainly for proper off roading, a frequent visitor to Wildtracks, Bures and Devils Pit.

Then in 2006 I was taken out in Kings Forest green laning. I got the bug instantly, but after the last trip to Bures the 2 door was dead. I decided to concentrate on rebuilding my other 2 door Range Rover into a bobtail, a project like many that failed to complete.

Fast forward to 2010, I’d gone self-employed and had some spare cash, so Bob was brought. I ran it for a short while before discovering it needed welding, and eventually got I on the road properly I decided that I was going to green lane and not pay and play.

After a few of the early outings I’d started to hone my map reading skills, started to lead people and laned with people I met on LandyZone. I lane mainly locally, Cambridgeshire during the summer months because most of its shut with seasonal closures during the winter, neighbouring Suffolk and Norfolk all year around, because Thetford is pretty sustainable all year round. My closest lane is actually right behind the close where I live!

I’d been doing this for a about a year before I first met Kirk, and not that long after that met Brad. Kirk was much more experienced in running trips than me, it was good to get help and advice from him. It was also good to get an insight into places to visit further way and what they had to offer. My laning was moving up to a whole new level….. And getting to know Brad demonstrated that laning was popular to all age groups, not just old gits like Kirk and myself, but fundamentally we all had a common interest – our love of laning.

I grew up on the outskirts of London, Heathrow airport right on our doorstep, and ended up being a software developer for a living, usually constrained to working in an office. But I loved being outdoors. I love the big open spaces, the views, but also the tight little lanes where you never know what’s around the next corner. I have a keen interest in military history as well, so I often like to use that as an angle to research areas where we plan to lane. It’s great to share the experiences and knowledge with other people, but I also like to go it alone sometimes and just chill.

And ATUK? I’m immensely proud of the team and what they have collectively achieved, and the family like feel I get from other members. It’s nice to be able to help people just starting out in the hobby, and continue to learn from the guys and girls that have been doing this far longer than I have.

Darren – Founder & Director, All Terrain (UK) Limited

Rolling Back 6 years ago I had just started a new chapter in my life and I thought I fancied a break from what where then my current hobbies. I have always had a keen interest in 4x4s and particurly Land Rovers, so I thought I would give Greenlaning a try.

At the time I purchased a well-used Discovery 2 Td5 from a local lady and set about getting out and about enjoying the country side with my friends and at the time a local club, now after several more cheap discoveries I have my Black 2003 Discovery 2 commercial which is my pride and joy and I have owned since 2015 its got a lot of miles on the clock and does require some work every now and then but its what I’m used to.

Once I purchased my current Disco and got what needed to be done to make it a reliable performer I set about adding some small tweaks as we all like to do to our 4x4s first it starts with tyres then a winch and winch bumper and so forth to make it into my own. You will often find me out and about either across Wiltshire upon Salisbury Plain or back across my home county of Dorset where some of my most treasured green lanes lie.

Since I like to take a lot of pride in what I do and always try to do the right thing and I wanted to become part of a national and friendly organisation. I thought I would try All Terrain UK and become a Rep.

I am very pleased with my decision to join All Terrain UK as East Dorset Rep, we have such good use of resources and a really friendly and helpful team who are always on hand to support all of the members.

I don’t get as much time as I would like to be able to plan trips and meets but in the last few months we have had several days out on the lanes and a Christmas special ran between Christmas and New Year over Salisbury plain where we had a carvery meal and a social afterwards.

I am trying to organise meets but arranging it around my very busy work schedule can be a challenge! So I will hopefully see you out and about somewhere enjoying some of our countries great unsealed roads networks.

Tom Bayford ATUK East Dorset Area Rep

Essex “the lower bit”

ATUK Trip march 09th 2019

we started our day by meeting up at a mcdonalds just on the outskirts of harlow, a stones throw from the M11 motorway, we left at around midday and started our eastward journey towards coggeshall driving through places with weird and wonderful names like, foster street,humphries,magdalen laver “the easters” clatterford end “the rodings” and a favorite “round roblets”.

The countryside here is classic essex, gentle undulating arable farming and lots of small and not so small forest areas, we encountered dozens of deer and various other wildlife including march hares!

Villages in this part of the world are often picture postcard perfect with lots of beamed houses alongside more modern residences with a smattering of land settlement type properties.

Our route was around 57 miles and a large proportion was off tarmac, we had some very long gravel tracks and some wet and slightly rutted areas plus some great forests. There was some scratchy sections but on the whole the tracks are well maintained and clearly waymarked, there is one water crossing but its very rare to be too deep and has a hard gravel base.

Thanks to everyone who came along and enjoyed our day out and especially to andy barrett who helped with route planning and darren who led the first group.

a gpx will be available to paid up members on the atuk forum

My first ever car, as a 17-year old, was a 1950 Series 1. That lasted about 5 years, until I decided to get something with a roof, and I bought a Renault 5 (called Sharon).  It got worse, and I never owned a Land Rover again until about 4 years ago, when I bought a J reg Defender 90. I won’t mention the ‘dealer’ I bought it from, but a specialist Land Rover mechanic who looked at it (after I bought it) said it was the second worse chassis he’d ever seen. I managed to persuade the dealer to take it back off me (at a very small loss) and I managed to find – and buy – another 90 (same reg) that had pretty much nothing wrong with it. Sound chassis. Bulkheads free of rust. ‘Straight’ was the phrase used.

I still have that truck, despite it being stolen (and found / recovered), and use it every day.

I have had a fair bit of work done to it (I am not at all mechanically-minded or competent or interested) including wheels and tyres (All Terrains), a light bar, winch and bumper, and various other additions to either strengthen it and/or make it capable of some mild, local off roading and trips to pay and play sites (including Slindon on the South Downs).

I can’t remember how I came to join ATUK, but it was off the back of being a GLASS member, as well as a member of a couple of clubs, including SCLROC and SADLRC.

I try to go to as many Land Rover events as possible, including Kelmarsh, Billing, Peterborough, Bicester (Land Rover Legends) and a few rallies such as SCLROC’s Coast into the Country and what turned out to be the last London to Brighton run.

I think it is fair to say I am obsessed with Land Rovers, and Defenders in particular. I don’t have much time or interest in the newer JLR models, and am unlikely to buy one. I have visited the company’s Classic Works facility outside Coventry on a couple of occasions, and saw not only the Series 1 ‘reborn’ project, but also the Works V8 in production.

I also entered my Defender for a Land Rover 70th anniversary event at Sherbourne last year, where it was described by the commentator as ‘scruffy’. I wasn’t upset, particularly as the other vehicles there were pretty much perfect examples (Series, Defenders etc).

My aim is to keep my Defender well maintained (if not clean) and to enjoy green laning around the Surrey area. The best green lane near me is Wolvens Lane, which is quite long and fairly narrow in places. I have a loop I have devised, linking together a number of lanes, which makes for a great morning or afternoon out. I’ve driven these with some friends, as well as other Land Rover owners.

My dream is to go further afield, to Wales or Scotland….and maybe overseas. In my Defender, of course. For the time being, though, it’s mostly Surrey…

 

Simon