You may have noticed from our diary dates that we are not doing a trip to Welsh Wales this year. The reason for this is that our usual venue has now ceased offroad activities. This is rumored to be due to sponsorship from one of the countryside organization who appear to be paying for fences to go up and for the land to be returned to natures way.

What ever the reason it means that we are denied our usual activities, so we have been phoning around and have looked at a comparable site which due to the fact it is mostly used by motorbikes the cost worked out at about £175 per vehicle for the week. This price is obviously unacceptable and unfortunately left us with no place to go this year for our long trip.

However every cloud has a silver lining and this gives us the opportunity to fir in another visit to Owens place in North Yorkshire. We will continue our search for somewhere next year.

Also in this newsletter you will see information for some of the off road shows coming up. If you would like to use a club pass for any event and man the club stand the give me a call. Priority will be given to those that have helped out with training and corporate days. Incidentally I am still looking for volunteers to complete the day on February 25th at Tixover.

With all the rain we've had in these past few months I've avoided driving in the lanes that are still open over the winter period, driving them this time of year will cut through the grass surface making ruts that may never recover

Saying that there are a few lanes that have a hard-core surface and don't suffer any long term damage.

I look forward to getting out soon (when it dries out) as checking the condition is one of the early spring jobs I enjoy, this means moving fallen or unsafe trees or branches that block the route or checking the condition of bridges and of course the state of the track.

Rubbish is becoming a bit problem and will increase. It's not just bags of garden rubbish or the odd mattress dumped up in the lanes, but burnt out cars that can block the route. Once upon a time (I took the kids to the panto 'oh no you didn't... etc.) the local scrap yard would pay a nominal sum for an old banger now you have to pay them to take it away, joy riders tend to leave burnt out cars so they don't have far to get home, where the cars you find dumped down a byway in the middle of nowhere don't want to be found, local councils are not keen to move it as they have to dispose of it, limited funds means clearing an object from a byway or bridleway is not on their priority list.

So when I organize a green lane day I drive the route before hand to make sure that there are no unnecessary hold ups.

To ensure the day goes smoothly the route is planned as to take in as much driving off road as time allows, meeting early near a petrol station so everyone can top up, saves time later. I also make note of en-route fuel station and their opening times.

I don't organize pub lunches as even one pint can impair your judgment when tackling obstacles, personally a picnic in a wood or a high top moor with the natural surroundings is far more enjoyable (unless it rains.... then a pub seems attractive).

Here are some ideas for this years green lane 'safaris'. I will still be doing the one to one days spread out through the year for new members or the old regulars with gentle drives for those who have never experienced driving on tarmac.

Chesterfield is one of my favorite off road site in the pretty county of Derbyshire, so the next time I'm there for the weekend I shall check out the lanes in the area to see if they are suitable to organize a green lane run with shinies in mind as I plan to do more (gentle) off roading with the trooper at my wife's request.

I fancy revisiting the lanes near Salisbury as the last time I had to come home early due to a broken gear lever, all I had was a stub from which a pair of mole grips was my g/stick, driving home was a challenge but myself and Stuart couldn't stop laughing with one operating the 'mole' stick and the other declutching, and that's what it's all about....... fun.

Exploring different counties is also on the agenda with Norfolk, Suffolk and Linconshire in mind. If you know anybody with local knowledge that could show us round do let me know then I can set a date for the newsletter.

The sad news is our black Labrador 'Tess' passed away on the 8th of January aged 14, you may have seen her at the off road sites never far away from Moira.

We had Tess from a pup and everywhere we went she came with us, as far as Scotland, Devon, Yorkshire and Wales where she enjoyed the walks. She had a lovely nature which showed itself as the kids were growing up, and will be sadly missed by us all.

As always there will be short notice of g/lane runs arranged during the week. If you want to to be put on a contact list then let me know.