National Green Lane Day

By Patrick Manuel
Rights of Way Officer - Wessex Hillrunners

The Wessex Hillrunners Off Road Enthusiasts Club and Hampshire County Council joined forces on the LARA sponsored NGLD on March the 24th to clear a Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) near Petersfield in Hampshire.

The Hillrunners cleared vegetation that had built up along the lane and removed a trailer load of fly tipping spoil and rubbish that had accumulated. The work will benefit all users of the byway including walkers, cyclists and horse-riders, as well as vehicle users of the route. About 20 volunteers from the club were supported by a representative from the Hampshire Paths Partnership who provided tools and advice - and a very welcome supply of tea, coffee and biscuits! The clearance was undertaken with the full support of the Agent for the landowner.

The surface of the lane was quite damp after the winter and may have been damaged if driven by four wheeled vehicles. For this reason the club members did not exercise their right to drive the lane and will wait until it has dried out later in the year.

WESSEX HILLRUNNERS

The Wessex Hillrunners Off Road Enthusiasts are a family based 4x4 club with a membership of about 120. The club has an active events list including non-competitive off-roading, green laning, charity and social events. Centred on Portsmouth, the clubs membership is drawn from a wide area of the South Coast. The club caters for all makes of 4x4 and aims to provide something to please owners of all types of vehicle, from the old and tatty right up to the new and shiny. The club publishes a regular newsletter and holds monthly pub meets where a friendly welcome is always provided to newcomers.

The club takes a very positive approach to the sensible use of green lanes and is keen to demonstrate that the majority of 4x4 owners are responsible individuals who treat the lanes as a valuable resource to be enjoyed by all users, be they on foot, bike, horse or vehicle. The club is a group member of the Hampshire Paths Partnership scheme run by Hampshire County Council and also a member of the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers. The club runs green lane clearance days twice a year and has also supported other associations on lane clearance projects in Hampshire.

The Hillrunners organise several green lane based events every year. We are careful to choose different lanes each time to prevent overuse and convoys are limited to five or six cars with a good separation between them. We have a policy of avoiding the lanes that we know are in poor condition – like most 4x4 enthusiasts, we all like to push our vehicles to the limit but only do this on legitimate off-road sites, not on green lanes. The club actively encourages individual members to use the lanes by themselves on in small groups – treading lightly of course! We have compiled a database of the lanes within an approximate 25 mile radius of Portsmouth and this is available to all club members on CD ROM and on the ‘members only’ section of the club’s web site.

The majority of the 300 lanes in the Club’s ‘local area’ fall within Hampshire. The County is rich in RoW with vehicular access and the club has developed a very good relationship with Hampshire County Council with whom it has worked closely over the last couple of years. We see our membership of the Hampshire Paths Partnership as being part of a long-term commitment to supporting the maintenance of lanes in the County.

The Hillrunners firmly believe that there is room for all users to enjoy the lanes together. Despite the proliferation of tales in the popular press about run-ins between the various user groups (normally 4x4 drivers and walkers or equestrians), there have been very few incidents involving club members. The majority of non-vehicular users we meet on laneing sessions are friendly – but we do make a point of being courteous and making sure that we get in the first smile. On one recent occasion a dog walker even flagged us down to tell us where she thought there were some other lanes in the area!

The Hillrunner’s maintain links with several national clubs and associations who have an involvement in Right of Way including the Land Access and Recreation Association (LARA), the All Wheel Drive Club and the Trail Riders Fellowship.

For more information about the Wessex Hillrunners see the club web site at www.wessex-hillrunners.co.uk or contact Steve or Sarah Le May on 02392 341930 or email on steve@lemays.freeserve.co.uk.

The Wessex Hillrunners