A few local green lanes

Don't know if anyone is interested, but we intend to go out green laning on 31st Oct.

Unfortunately, I know that cuts out a fair few - there's something important on on the 30th for some... Can't think what!

Anyway, it will be some of the lanes we did Stourport weekend plus a few more that we ran out of time for. This will not be the organised, well planned route we had in and around Newark, neither will the breakfast be of the same standard!!!!

If you are interested, either pm me or leave a message on here.

YES Tony put my name down for that. Hopefully I will be sober and still Mrs T, still will be very happy..
Where do we go for breakfast?

Sorry, we can't join you's. It's our 6th Wedding Anniversary on the 30th, so we'll be out wining & dining somewhere...... will be far too for driving the next morning!

And on the 31st itself we'll be at a halloween party at Abbots Oak Country House

Hope you have a great time, and we'll try to make the next one,
Elaine&Richard J

RICK wrote:YES Tony put my name down for that. Hopefully I will be sober and still Mrs T, still will be very happy..
Where do we go for breakfast?

You cant really be serious...?!

Sorry, we won't be able join you either as we'll be setting off for the British Rally Championship awards evening.

And Mrs W deserves a new evening dress!

Would love to join you but unfortunately......we will be south of the Tamar.

That will be Drakes Island in Plymouth sound then

or

France

Just bowled over by the place........

I searched everywhere for the Plymouth Hoe but just couldn't find her!

Well, have had a couple of takers.
Will be leaving here at 10am(ish) next Sat. (Last orders for breakfast - sausage/bacon/egg butties - will be 9.30. Last washing up done at 9.55!)

LIN &TONYS green lane day.





What have we let ourselves in for? Its midnight on Friday night and we are at a wedding reception in Newark. Had a great time and thinking we’ve got to be up @ 8 in the morning to cook breakfast, change wheels on Taz as we had made arrangements with Colin and Mike Smith to go green laning.

We put on forum we were doing this outing and, as we knew as Rick and Rose were getting married on the Friday (congratulations) then - 1.we picked wrong day as lots of scampers would be @ reception and would be too knackered to join us. 2.We did not want to change date as we already had confirmation that people would be coming.

WRONG! During the evening we were informed that there will be other scampers joining us. Great news! (But Lin’s panicking now - how to feed them. I’ve every faith in her.)



We left reception and took Colin and Debs home. Colin gave me a wheel that had a puncture he wanted mended for green-laning. Another bloody job!! (Which I will be grateful for later!) We left their house 1.30ish(AM!) - an hours drive home, shower in bed for 3ish - got to get up at 8.

Alarm goes - 8oclock (go away!) Up we get. Dawn had tidied up some of the house but still a few bits to do to make it look reasonable. So, to the breakfast. Lin goes to the local butcher to get the bacon and sausages. I have brain wave and get bbq out. Put on the 2 griddles to save mess in house. Mike & Wendy Smith turn up bearing gifts - eggs (yeh – fresh, free range!) They also bring Mike’s sister and partner(Nettie and Nick) with a land rover ( me thinks recovery vehicle!) so the cooking commences. Colin and Debs arrive.

We have a phone call. Rick and the gang are on the way! I have cunning plan, I leave Lin to cook while I change Taz’s wheels and do Colin’s puncture.(See, told you I was grateful for the job – woman’s place in the kitchen, the men’s place in the garage – but don’t tell Lin I said that!) Lin is saved by Wendy and Debbie, they help (take over more like!) with the breakfasts and washing up. THANKYOU!!!! Along with Rick and Rose are Charlie, Andrew, Steve, Fred and Wayne - a friend of Fred’s. We offered Rick and Rose a champagne breakfast but Rose declined - she didn't think it would go with the bacon and eggs. After a few coffees and changes of wheels to m&s, we’re off - 7 vehicles in convoy. The sun is shinning - just right.

Lin’s done the planning and has a route all planned, using some of the lanes we used on the scamp picnic weekend and a few more. We arrive at the first lane - fun but not much to write about. A few challenges but no probs. That’s the story for most of the lanes - apart from the traditional - Colin dropping his exhaust over the countryside. We’ve come to expect this now. We went down to the stream - was not as deep as I thought it would be, but still fun. We found a few more lanes that had to be investigated which were good and worth another try in wetter conditions. One we found had a great opening. We could drive 2 cars abreast! Then we reach a gate and still loads of room, we drive single file. As we get to other end of field, 2 men were watching us and, as we approached them, they came towards us. I kept going and this wide lane got narrowwwww! Mirrors in, head down, off I go and it got narrower and narrower! I felt sorry 4 the Landrover at this point(ha ha!) Any way I get through and park up, waiting 4 the others and, one by one they make it, now for the Landrover! All I can say is - path is wider now than it was before we started and Landrover has lots of pin stripes. Back to the 2 men - reports from other scampers. They were not impressed with our presence. What a shame! This little lane cost Fred his mirror.

We stopped 4 dinner at a local pub.Sat out side - very pleasant, then off again. Lots more lanes mud and bumps. Colin wanted to use a lane we had used on an earlier trip which involved a lane which we still have not mastered. It has steel pipes about 6ft high across it going down to a stream and is where I got stuck a few months ago and had to christen my winch. This time it was Fred’s turn to get stuck, but with some shoving he got out. As we approach the pipes, which are on a hill, I got another one of my brain waves. I think I will turn Taz round as I know there’s not much room to turn round at the bottom with 2 cars, let alone 7! And, yes, I got stuck! (bollocks!) Anyway, with people pushing I’m free and back down towards the pipes. The others park up and walk down. Now here there a differences of opinions - some say they (Scamps) can get through, some say they can’t. We still don’t know. It’s getting late, darkness approaching so we’ll have to try another day. Now, to turn 6 vehicles round on a single track, but they do and we get back to terra firma. We then have to say goodbye to Mike, Wendy, Nettie and Nick before Mikes dog trashes the house (again) because of fireworks. Then we have a 7 mile drive back to our house where people put their road tyres back on. We have coffee and say our good byes.



It turned out to be a great day I really enjoyed it. Thank you for those who had a late night/early morning and made the effort to join us. You can sleep tomorrow. You all made a difference. Only 2 mishaps and one of those doesn’t count - that’s Colin’s exhaust - and the other Fred’s mirror.

Can’t wait to next time - not to far away, in time, I hope.

Once again thank you so much to Mike 4 eggs and a special thanks to Debbie and Wendy for helping to cook breakfast. x

Some say they (Scamps) can get through, some say they can’t

Useful trick: find a measurement somewhere on your body that matches the car's overall width. For example, if I put my elbow on one side of a gap and can't reach the other side with outstretched fingers, it's wide enough to get through.

Ground clearance and sharp corners are other matters.

A big thank you to Tony and Lin for organising a great day. I think I can safely say that we all had a great time. It did help with the weather being on our side.

Yes, Colin did lose his exhaust a few times, but the day wouldn't be the same if he didn't !!

I understand that it is our turn to organise an event next. We are thinking of making it on Saturday 14th November. It will be around the Whitwick area where we live (Leicestershire). Would anyone be interested? Confirmation and details to follow .....

Rum Tum Tugger wrote:

Some say they (Scamps) can get through, some say they can’t

Useful trick: find a measurement somewhere on your body that matches the car's overall width. For example, if I put my elbow on one side of a gap and can't reach the other side with outstretched fingers, it's wide enough to get through.

Ground clearance and sharp corners are other matters.

A useful tip Bob - on this occasion however, it was headroom that was causing an additional problem to the width - there is a large steel water pipe that goes over the track with rutted sandstone beneath, and trees either side -will try to upload a pic of 'the men' standing by it - We were aware of it cos we had tried the lane out before with Colin and Deb. (The lane has been closed by the council at the other end anyway )

http://www.facebook.com/photo_comments.php?aid=162191&id=1384123281#/photo.php?pid=30789116&id=1384123281

Sorry - sometimes I can add the pics themselves - othertimes I can't!