I appreciate this isn't exactly far away from Devon, but as a fresh face to trail riding I'm keen to see what's on my doorstep and I'm already thrilled with the sense of adventure I can have so close to home.
I planned a short trip from home (Wellington) up towards Minehead-ish, really just aiming for the coast. Using a combination of the GRM, Somerset Definitive map, Google maps and scouring youtube for the lane names (I think I need an extra screen or two to display it all at once!) I plotted myself a route to follow on my Garmin unit.
Aiming to take in 6 lanes in total I set off to see what I could accomplish, fitness and confidence permitting.
The first two lanes were "BromptonRalphPostOffice" and "BromptonRalphNorth" GRMUID's 9003 and 9002 respectively. 9003 starts with an easy climb on a fairly wide rocky track with some gentle turns, great practice for me for weighting the pegs and focusing on body and bike positioning with enough room to play and change lines. 9002 follows shortly after with a wide, gravely and slightly muddy straight track on a slight downward slope (ridden E>W) but again this proved as a good "eye-in" lane getting used to the feel of the bike and cutting lines around some potholes and puddles, a good lane for novices. There were no real descriptions of either of these two on the GRM, possibly because they are of little interest to more experienced riders? Or maybe they were just forgotten about and have yet to be updated.
A brief road ride north took me to "WS10WoodadventLane" GRMUID 8306, the GRM description for this says "Long grassy lane. North end goes through farm yard. Two gates but well worth the effort". I was excited for this one as this was the longest lane I'd visited so far, largely a single track ride with some parts already looking rather overgrown. Roughly half way through the lane you get to the second of what was actually four gates with great views out west over the Brendon hills, the trail was slightly confusing at this point as there were multiple ways you could go with the most obvious looking route blocked by a chain locked gate. This is the correct continuation of the route and there is a short but steep little step up that takes you around the locked gate, I spent a while confirming on the map that this was definitely the correct legal route so unsure why this gate was locked and there was no signage anywhere. The narrow track then takes you down a very gentle slope towards the farm at the bottom, nothing technical but plenty of awkward brambles to be mindful of.
Crossing over the Washford river, the next lane was "WS09GreenlandLane" GRMUID 8305. Described as a narrow muddy/rocky climb up to the north, this was my first proper test of skill and technique. Due to the recent weather it was particularly muddy and boggy at the start and the wet rocks on the climb caused me to slip and stall though thankfully I didn't drop the bike. I tried to get going a couple of times but just couldn't seem to get the clutch control right and would quickly stall each time gradually tiring myself out. I decided to turn the ignition off, leave it in gear and catch my breath and assess my options while also simply taking in the beautiful location that I had arrived in and appreciate how lucky I was to be out doing this in the first place. With some perseverance and more than a bit of paddling I managed to get myself unstuck and going again though by this point I was still feeling a little fatigued so my technique suffered and the remainder of this lane turned in to a bit of a scrappy scramble. I'd say the bike carried me out, rather than I rode it out .
After giving myself some mental pats on the back for overcoming that lane I then got to "WS08Felon'sOak" GRMUID 8304. What the @#!£ had I gotten myself into here!? I quickly decided this was a good time to take a proper pit stop, let the bike and me cool down, take some kit off and take on some fluids. Fantastic views out north looking towards Blue Anchor Bay and Watchet, a fine place for a chocolate bar and a can of fanta. While cooling off I took the opportunity to scout the lane on foot as the first 100m or so look very intimidating with a steep rocky climb and prominent tree root/step up being a very early obstacle, luckily it looked like once passed the lane looked much easier going. Walking the initial part of the route also helped me decide on what line to try and tackle this first step with and luckily I could make out some trials pattern treads in places so this helped me be confident in my choice. I took it steady but committed and quickly navigated this first obstacle, clearly so surprised was I in myself for doing this without a hitch that I promptly stalled on the easy bit right afterwards. Oops! A few attempts at getting going again and I was on my way. Having to do hill starts on terrain like this really makes me feel far more confident and much less anxious about having to do this on tarmac with traffic. The last quarter to a third of the lane was a fairly manageable climb but again there were some nasty dangling and protruding brambles and thorns, luckily no tears in my jacket.
Finally I made it to the last lane of the day, "WS07HillLane" GRMUID 8302. It's worth noting that at the northern entrance to the lane there was a rather "DIY" laminated bit of paper half buried in a hedge that stated "no access to motorcycles", due to its placement it wasn't clear if this was intended to be for the lane leading to the nearby farm or if it was a member of the public taking matters into their own hands. Needless to say there are no TRO's in place at time of writing/riding and the signage was clearly not official. Onwards and upwards (literally) this was a lovely lane to finish the day with as it slowly winds its way up towards the common, it's nice and wide and after Felon's Oak it felt like a great opportunity to relax and really flow with the bike weaving around potholes. Once up on the common the views out Croydon hill and Monkham hill were great, and I can definitely imagine this would be a fantastic route in the summer (though likely busy due to it crossing footpaths). A wide packed dirt lane leads you down off of the common and back to the tarmac, and from there it was a comparatively boring ride home on the A39/A358.
All in all this was a great ride for me and it allowed me to try and put into practice many skills and techniques that I've been reading up on in the last few months. As has often been the case each time I've gone out so far I haven't seen a single soul anywhere on the lanes, they feel like a well kept secret but hopefully one that we can protect and enjoy for years to come. My RX 125 is doing me well so far and I can't wait to learn more and get more out of it this year. I was initially really keen to get on and do my DAS asap, but honestly with the fun I'm having at the moment I think I might just wait and save the money
Cheers!
-- Edited by Kruthal on Wednesday 19th of April 2023 02:24:10 PM
Well fair play to you for sorting yourself out a route and having the b..........x to go and try it on your own. Not only that but then to produce a detailed and informative write up with some pictures to support it.
You are very welcome to the forum and also to the world of green lanes.
And all that on a 125.
It goes to show that the equipment isn't the major factor here, just a desire to explore, experience and enjoy.
Creating the route was pretty straightforward, though I hadn't realised the limitations of the turn-by-turn navigation on my particular Garmin unit which meant that I basically just had to map read the whole way. I'd used too many waypoints so the unit couldn't actually navigate the route turn-by-turn. Although I was a little annoyed at first, it made me more aware of where I was heading rather than simply when I needed to turn so not a total disaster.
I don't think I'd be going out on my own if I was on a bigger bike, especially not with my current experience level. But I'm confident that I'm able to pick this 125 up (found that out my first time riding muddy ruts a couple of weeks ago, no damage except pride). I think the relative light weight and low power is going a long way to flattering me at the moment, I'm sure a bigger bike would highlight my lack of technique and probably run up a bill of replacement parts .
As you've said though, the desire to explore is definitely there and it's encompassing a lot of other interests for me. Looking forward to doing plenty more of this!
With the desire to explore and the will to do so you will have a lot of fun
You have proved that a lot of power or cc's is not necessary
There are lots of over biked riders and once the wheels spin more power is meaningless
Good write up, it is reports like this that inspire people to get out there
.
I quickly decided this was a good time to take a proper pit stop, let the bike and me cool down, take some kit off and take on some fluids. Fantastic views out north looking towards Blue Anchor Bay and Watchet, a fine place for a chocolate bar and a can of fanta. While cooling off I took the opportunity to scout the lane on foot as the first 100m or so look very intimidating with a steep rocky climb and prominent tree root/step up being a very early obstacle, luckily it looked like once passed the lane looked much easier going. Walking the initial part of the route also helped me decide on what line to try and tackle this first step with and luckily I could make out some trials pattern treads in places so this helped me be confident in my choice. I took it steady but committed and quickly navigated this first obstacle, clearly so surprised was I in myself for doing this without a hitch that I promptly stalled on the easy bit right afterwards. Oops! A few attempts at getting going again and I was on my way. Having to do hill starts on terrain like this really makes me feel far more confident and much less anxious about having to do this on tarmac with traffic. The last quarter to a third of the lane was a fairly manageable climb but again there were some nasty dangling and protruding brambles and thorns, luckily no tears in my jacket.
