Page 7 – TRF Trail

Last year the TRF asked a selection of our members for their thoughts about horses being ridden on public roads. As you might expect, this prompted a lively debate. Of the 137 people who responded:

9.5% (13) thought horse riding should be banned from public roads.
5.1% (7) thought horse riding ought to be restricted to minor roads.
85.4% (117) thought that there should be no change to the status quo.

The TRF see this as a clear affirmation of equine entitlement and a fair representation of the empathy motorcyclists have with other vulnerable road users. Many of the people who wished to curtail equine use sought to justify their opinion using similar misconceptions to those which are often levelled at motorcyclists and motorcycling.

To help trail riders better understand horse riding and the needs of horse riders we invited Alan Hiscox – Director of Safety at the British Horse Society – to comment on some of the beliefs aired during the discussion.

Alan with an equine friend.

Alan…

TRF:

Alan, thank you for finding the time to answer questions for Trail. Please tell us more about yourself and the work you do.

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Firstly…

Alan:

Firstly, can I thank TRF for this opportunity to tell your members more about the British Horse Society’s Dead Slow campaign and the work we are doing to increase the education of drivers on how to treat all vulnerable road users, but especially horses.

I spent 32 years in the Mounted Police in London, so I know a bit about riding horses on some of the busiest roads in the UK.

My horse has been hit by vehicles passing too close and if I had a pound for every near miss, I would be very rich!!

I am now responsible for the Dead Slow campaign which is looking reduce the number of horse and riders injured on our roads by not only changing the behaviour of drivers but also to let horse riders know how they can increase their safety by taking their responsibilities seriously when riding on the roads.

The BHS has had significant success with partnerships with the DfT, the Police and road safety organistions. Last year saw a 38% reduction in horses killed on the roads so we hope the Dead Slow campaign is making a difference. We make presentations to riders, drivers and communities to try to influence drivers skills when passing horses.

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TRF: It’s helpful to

TRF:

It’s helpful to have the opportunity to get input from an equine authority authority such as yourself on some common misconceptions. Lets start with this one: ‘Horses and horse riders ought to have some sort of training before they ride on the road’.

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This is a statement

Alan:

This is a statement I hear a lot, and in a perfect world I would agree.

The BHS run a training programme for all riders called the Ride Safe Award, and I would encourage all riders to take this. Even Mounted Police Units have and are taking this award. Riders can do a lot at home to get their horses prepared for riding on the road. They can desensitise their horses to the sights and sound of a road, by having friends slowly introduce them to bicycles, motorbikes and cars.

Horse riders share a great deal with motorcyclists and that is that we are perhaps the most vulnerable road users.

If we can raise our own awareness of all the challenges and make other drivers aware of these challenges, surely mutual respect and safer driving and riding will result.

Of course we will never totally eradicate careless and thoughtless driving but I am very passionate about each one of us reducing the risk as much as possible and that means taking some training.

TRF:

I think the regularity with which some motorists disregard our safety means we often take initiatives such as post-test training, peer assessment/critique and defensive riding for granted.

We learn how to compensate for the ignorance and carelessness of others.

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TRF can provide motorcycles for safe equine acclimatisation.

TRF: Ok next statement

TRF:

OK, next statement: ‘Horses and their riders ought to be insured’.

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Alan: I cannot emphasise

Alan:

I cannot emphasise enough the need for all riders to insure themselves when out riding.

The BHS Gold Membership offers one of the best third party injury or property damage public liability cover, up to £30 million. This means that you are covered for any recreational eventuality that may occur both on and off the road. Riders should also cover themselves for veterinary costs that can be substantial if you were to be involved in an accident on the roads. BHS Gold membership covers you for any horse you own or have permission to ride for recreational purposes.

The golden rule is to ensure you are fully insured.

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ANdrew dalton

TRF member, solicitor (and multiple horse & motorcycle owner) Andrew Dalton adds:

The Animals Act is possibly the worst drafted Act ever to leave Parliament. A horse, acting as a horse, with no history of say biting or kicking would be difficult to establish liability against the equestrian but a horse rider can be sued, though it is far from easy.

Historically, horses use roads and bridleways by right and motorists by license. A trail rider who adopts the TRF best practice around horses shouldn’t ever be in difficulty around just about any horse. An equestrian would be liable for furious or negligent horse riding and could – in limited circumstances – be vulnerable in criminal law.

But on the lanes the law expects us all to rub along with consideration for each other – If we’re all kind to each other, the law does not need to intervene.

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TRF: Next statement, Horse Riders

TRF:

Next statement: ‘Horse riders ought to stick to their 20,000 miles of bridleways and leave our 3,000 miles of byways to us’.

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Alan: Horse riders…

Alan:

Horse riders are only using roads and byways to access bridleways. Believe me, given the choice, riders and horses would not want to use roads and come into contact with other motorised vehicles.

The fact is we have to use them because of the fragmented network, although the BHS are working with other stakeholders to increase the number of multi user routes and keep the existing ones. A sympathetic sharing of space by all vulnerable road users is critical for all our safety and enjoyment.

A lot of horse riders are motorcyclists and drivers as well, and I am sure the reverse is true so we should all respect each other’s requirements. If there is careless driving or riding for that matter (horses and motorbikes) there are avenues available for the police and individuals to take action, especially with the helmet cameras.

Surely impatience and lack of respect by either party could cause injury and loss for both?

We are all vulnerable, let’s work together, not against each other.

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We are all

TRF:

A fragmented network is something that affects motorcyclists too, with complaints about the amount of ‘road work’ in between green roads being a regular complaint amongst trail riders.

We recognise that our entitlement to use public roads and byways is subject to responsibilities and obligations. Our experience is that a majority of equestrians are happy to share these spaces with responsible motorcyclists.

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Safe public spaces are as important to motorcyclists as they are to equestrians.

TRF: Horses and their…

TRF:

Next statement: ‘Horses and their riders ought to be made to wear hi-vis in public places’.

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Alan: It is paramount

Alan:

It is paramount to safety that horse riders wear conspicuous clothing for themselves and their horses at all times.

The BHS commissioned a report from the Transport Research Laboratory in 2017 on the ‘Conspicuity of horses and riders on the roads’.

There have been many urban myths about Hi viz, but now we have scientific evidence about how it will keep riders safer. It came up with 3 recommendations; speed limits where there are significant horse and rider activity should be reduced and enforced, riders should utilise clothing that contains LED lights and riders should use bright and reflective clothing wherever feasible. This last one talks about prioritising width over height and using biological motion cues on horse’s legs.

I know that motorcycles are using twin or even three lights to help their conspicuity, so there is some common ground here. The full report can be found on the BHS website and is an interesting read.

In short if riders go out without any conspicuous clothing they may well be impacting their safety, and the welfare of their horse.

TRF:

Particularly as evolution has bestowed horses a suite of inconspicuous colours, what with being prey animals. Hi-vis really is a welfare issue.

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HRSA are also keen proponents of hi-vis (image used with permission).

TRF: Horse riders should be made

TRF:

OK, next statement: ‘Horse riders ought to be made to pick up their horses’ poo’.

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A difficult

Alan:

A difficult task to do at the time, but where specific complaints have been received I know stables go and pick up. Horse manure is bio-degradable and is different to dog poo, so that’s why it is good for compost!

Riders are encouraged to move to the edge of the route if they know their horse is likely to deposit, so out of the ride line of motorcycles, but of course this isn’t always possible.

I hope that horse dung is not much of a problem to trial bike riders, as they have to deal with more ‘interesting’ conditions to ride over, I’m sure!

There is also the consideration of being aware of the road ahead, and horse warning triangle signs should give an indication there may be manure on the road.

TRF:

I remember being instructed to look out for manure on the road when I undertook my compulsory basic training. Fresh deposits are a useful indicator of the presence of horses on any given road or byway.

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Areas well-used by horse riders and feral horses are often signed.

TRF: Horse riders ought to pay road tax

TRF:

Next statement: ‘Horse riders ought to pay roa…’.

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Alan: There is no

Alan:

There is no such thing as ‘road tax’. – That stopped in 1937!

Vehicle Excise Duty that is paid by all of us if we own a car (not electric vehicles) goes to many things not just roads. It is calculated on emissions, so you could argue that horse riders would not need to pay anyway. See my previous answer!!

Also the vast majority of riders own cars, so we do pay VED.

TRF:

If even a small proportion of VED paid by trail riders was allocated to maintaining green roads or creating hardstanding for horse boxes then it would greatly benefit the wider public.

Learn more about electric motorcycles by clicking HERE.

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1.9 and 1.0 horsepower – neither are liable for VED.

TRF: How do you think

TRF:

How do you think the results of our poll compare with the attitudes of other user groups?

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Alan: I was not surprised

Alan:

I was not surprised actually, in a recent RAC survey on inconsiderate driving, diving too close or too fast past horses was the 7th most inconsiderate behaviour. Driving too close past cyclists was 9th!

I believe that the vast majority of drivers drive considerately and carefully, it’s just that they are not sure how to pass horses safely and that’s where our Dead Slow messages come in.

If I see a horse on the road, then I will:

Slow down – to 15mph.
Be patient – I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine.
Pass wide and slow – at least a car’s width if possible.
Drive slowly away.

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https://trail.trf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Horses-Hi-Viz.jpg

Rider education is an integral part of both motorcycling and horse riding.

Informal polling of two

Informal polling of two prominent equine safety groups on Facebook produced differing results, which are likely explained by each group’s respective culture and subject matter.

Horses & Road Safety Awareness:

68.2% (443) thought that drivers would keep the status quo.
27.7% (180) thought that drivers would ban horse riding from public roads.
4.1% (27) thought that drivers would restrict horse riding to minor roads.

Pass Wide & Slow:

68.0% (215) thought that drivers would ban horse riding from public roads.
26.3% (83) thought that drivers would keep the status quo.
5.7% (18) thought that drivers would restrict horse riding to minor roads.

We hope that horse riders will be encouraged by the attitude of TRF members and the measures we have taken to help make using public roads safer for everyone.

The revised TRF code of conduct introduced greater provision for protecting equestrians and was adopted by our members with a 96% approval.

The TRF member code now extends to sealed roads, which are statistically more dangerous than green roads due to the higher vehicle speeds that they are engineered to enable.

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TRF: Is there any specific

TRF:

Is there any specific advice about equine road safety that you think motorcyclists may have overlooked or ought to be more mindful of?

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Alan: Apart from the

Alan:

Apart from the Dead Slow advice, try and remember there are three brains working when you meet a horse: yours, the riders, and the horse.

They are prey animals so they may well want to reduce, remove or avoid a perceived risk at any time, BUT you can help train the horse to accept the risk by being considerate and careful. Remember that horses can weigh up to ¾ tonne, they can move very fast and will cause serious damage to you and your bike if they hit you, or you hit them.

I would also ask all TRF members to report any incident, or near miss with a horse to the BHS accident website horseaccidents.org.uk. This is the only way that we can improve our advice to riders and take action to avoid a similar incident.

I have always found that motorcyclists are amongst the most careful drivers around horses so thank you for that.

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Horse riders and motorcyclists often say the nicest things about one another.

TRF: Thank you for your time

TRF:

Thank you for your time Alan, I hope this piece helps make riding in shared spaces safer for horse riders.

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Alan: Thank you for the opportunity

Alan:

Thank you for the opportunity to talk to another group of VRU, together we can work to educate other drivers and influence their behaviour when driving around and on the same roads as us.

Cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders must work together to improve our safety.

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TRF support the BHS ‘Dead Slow’ campaign.

Like motorcyclists horse riders

Like motorcyclists, horse riders are particularly vulnerable on public roads so benefit from specific rules in the Highway Code and through the THINK! road safety campaign.

Thankfully there are several organisations that advise horse riders how to reduce road risk and what to do if they are the victims of negligent drivers, with wearable cameras being an invaluable tool in securing justice.

We support the establishment of a vulnerable road users’ forum in order that motorcyclists, cyclists, equestrians and others can work with one another to understand our respective needs and wishes, reduce road risk and advise how best to protect us.

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THINK!

THINK!:

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Website

http://think.direct.gov.uk/

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Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/THINKroadsafety/

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BHS

The British Horse Society:

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Website

http://www.bhs.org.uk/safety-and-accidents

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Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheBritishHorseSociety/

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HRSA:

Horses & Road Safety Awareness:

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Website

https://www.hrsa.org.uk/

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Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/horsesafetyawareness/

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Pass Wide & Slow:

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Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/passwideandslow/

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Trail bikes and exploration go hand in hand. Add a sleeping bag and you have a multi-day adventure. Last summer Central Bristol TRF headed out on a ‘outward-bound’ exercise into the unknown.

Dean Allen lifts the lid on their wild ride.

I have been putting on events and raising money with Central Bristol TRF (CBTRF) over the last eight years and can honestly say that it has been very successful, and I have enjoyed myself immensely. The “Ubley Muddle” and “Checkpoints” are the 2 events that I am most proud of especially as neither of them are speed events. “Checkpoints” is a navigational challenge and the “Ubley Muddle” is a show of technical skill with observed sections. Members of the TRF have been delighted to use these two events to build their confidence in riding and has enabled them to go on and take part in Long distance trials or LDTs as they are known. However, 2017 saw me taking a break in the organisation of events and pursuing some of my other riding ambitions. One thing that I had on the bucket list was to do an outward-bound type of exercise where I leave a destination and wild camp the route over several days until I reach my chosen destination. All whilst travelling and navigating across the country on green roads.

I gathered a small team of like minded CBTRF members and began to plan our expedition. My travel companions were to be Alcuin Wilkie, Darth Speed, Tom Cruuse, Kevin draper and his wife. Now part of the emphasis of this trip was the art of packing light, only the essentials as everything had to be carried on the bikes by ourselves.

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Now it was

Now it was quite clear that everyone’s idea of essentials was very different. On the one hand you had myself with my 30-year-old sleeping bag, self-inflating pack light roll mat, tarp and bivi bag (incidentally I suffered every night of the trip due to my poor choice of sleeping bag). On the other hand, we had someone rock up with family size tent, double airbed, pyjamas and slippers.

Now all we had to do was plan our route. I spent hours on Basecamp identifying the different green roads that were available to ensure that our route was a strictly legal one. Fitting this all into a time frame and knowing where all the garages are whilst maintaining our direction of travel was no easy task. One thing that has always fascinated me was the sense of enjoyment that you get whilst navigating the unknown, following trails that are hardly visible and yet somehow still able to arrive at your destination. The only navigational problems we encountered were due to obstructions on the route. One of these was a massive piece of farming equipment that had been parked in front of a gate that led onto a green road. The gate had also been locked and a fence had been erected around it. We indeed spoke to the farmer who was unwilling to budge on the subject and hence denying us a truly fantastic legal green road.

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However if we

However, if we hadn’t had to make a diversion then we would never had met a fantastic gentleman who was in his 94th year. His name was John Richards and we spotted him from quite some distance beating the ground with a stick out in the middle of nowhere half way up a mountain.

As we went through the gate three crazy barking Collies came running towards us and gave us quite a fright. It turns out that he is a farmer and was out attacking the thistles on his land that he couldn’t reach by tractor. Not only this but the stick he was using was his walking stick, that he needed because he had a broken leg. He was a most interesting man and we chatted for some time about the changes in the world and the fact that he was older than the queen. His secret – a drop of brandy on an evening. Anyway, we said our goodbyes and I promised him that 2018 I would be back and would drop him in a bottle of brandy.

Our first night out sleeping under the stars was a few miles past Abergavenny. Finding it was tricky as we had to pass through a farm. On arrival I got off my bike and had a little walk around as there were multiple gates and I wanted to ensure that we were on the path and not on private property. This was the spot I had earmarked on the map. A huge green road that climbed whilst traversing a rather large hill. It did not disappoint, we had a natural supply of water that had filtered through the moss, the shelter of some trees – great for someone with a hammock, plenty of dead wood for a small fire and a cracking view.

I had mixed feelings about the destination I had chosen for camp 2. It was on part of a route that I use when travelling around Hay-on-Wye which is next to a river that we cross and a byway. All was going well until around 8pm when a very angry farmer turned up and verbally assaulted us all. We left quickly, and the other guys had decided that they would find another place to sleep. I carried on the route for another 5-10 miles and slept alone. It was amazing to have been out on my own, settling down with a nice cup of tea to watch the sunset. As the darkness crept over me a suddenly became aware of a ghostly sound that I could hear every so often. I must admit for a while I was worried about being eaten alive by some terrible beast yet was so tired I soon fell asleep.

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The next day

The next day I got up and travelled a little further along the route and then found a tree to lean the bike on a wait for the others to catch back up on the route. Whilst I waited for them a car went past and about 30 seconds later I heard that dreadful sound again from the night…. Turns out it was a cattle grid that I could hear during the night, I nearly peed myself when I found out and thought what a daft idiot. I didn’t wait long before the others caught up to me. It turns out that they had managed to track down the owner of the land, a local lord, who gave them permission to set up a camp some hundred or so yards away from the angry farmer.

Later that day we stopped at a very small friendly campsite for a cup of tea and to discuss where we were going to sleep that night. We didn’t want another night facing an angry farmer. Darth suggested we stay where we were at the campsite, so before long we were indulging in hot showers and a field to ourselves all for £5 each. Note to all planning a similar adventure expedition – it is very handy to have one or two planned nights in a campsite to make use of their facilities and continue your journey fresh and revived.

After four days riding and sleeping rough we only had half a day riding to do until we would reach our destination. The forecast that day was for heavy rain – so I decided to call in on a farmer friend of mine in Carno who willingly put us up in a barn with a pub next door. Tom ending up sleeping the night on a big bundle of wool which is probably the comfiest nights sleep he ever had.

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In summary

In summary our adventure was a great success we found some great camping spots, loads of green roads were discovered (that I can now incorporate into other runs that I do) and nobody suffered any injuries or hypothermia.

Lots and lots of planning went into this and we did have a back up vehicle driven by Kevin and his wife which carried spare wheels etc. in case we needed some heavy-duty bike maintenance on route or if anybody sustained injury they could be picked up with their motorbike.

So I would just like to say that if you have ever been out green roading and wished that you could just keep going, if ride outs just aren’t long enough for you and instead of being glad that you are back at home with your feet up after a day’s riding you wished you were still out on the open road, may I suggest you get planning your own adventure and don’t let fear hold you back.

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The TRF spans the whole of England and Wales, with regional groups and members representing trail riders in almost every county. However, the further north you go the more spread out the groups become.

Cumbria TRF’s Steve Stout and Teesside North Yorkshire TRF’s Doug Cartwright are leading a push to bring the northern groups together and build on the idea of strength in numbers. We caught up with them to find out what the project is all about.

TRF:

Hi Steve. You’ve been a key member in the recent push to get the TRF Northern Group up and running again. Could you give us a little background?

Steve:

As part of the initial TRF setup, there were regional groups all over the UK, over time they have slowly disappeared but the northern one has remained. The first I knew about it was a conversation with Steve Pighills, who asked me to help set up the next meeting around Hawes.

I immediately saw the huge benefits of the process and set about trying to make it happen. The group seems to have fragmented and the boundary of the north seemed a little vague until Doug stepped in and clarified the TRF groups included in the original group. Since then we’ve had our first 2018 meeting and rekindled the interest and the reasons behind it’s existence.

TRF:

It’s interesting that there is a need for a regional collective. What’s the purpose of the group?

Steve:

In simple terms, it’s about pooling and sharing collective experience, knowledge and processes with the aim to improve the overall situation of all the groups involved. Teamwork I would say is the key word.

TRF:

I guess a key aspect of the group is sharing info and knowledge. It’s easy to just focus on what goes on in your own TRF local club, but most people end up riding across county borders on a day out.

Steve:

Each area has its own unique situations and interactions, by sharing these we can start to see the patterns and the develop strategies that benefit the whole of the TRF.

The face of trail riding is changing rapidly at the moment, on one hand trail riders are seen as the spawn of the devil and on the other the saviour of the lanes working tirelessly to keep green lanes open for all to use. As green lanes have deteriorated from lack of maintenance and budget cuts, increasingly more groups are turning their hands to try to manage that deterioration. Sharing the methods used and the paperwork required is an important part of northern group discussions.

TRF:

In the past it would have been important for people from the Northern Group to meet in person. Are you using new tech this time round to connect people?

Steve:

Face to face meetings achieve an awful lot is a short space of time, so they are important. But with today’s modern communications they don’t have to be the only way to communicate. We’ve looked at Skype, Facebook and WhatsApp communications so we can all chat as we need. Everyone leads such busy lives these days making the most of technology is a no brainer really.

When you create a private group, all the participants can see the group, they can be invited to be part of it and it’s then up to them to either accept or delete the invite. Once you’re in the group, they can be seen on FB with the banner picture and the description and that’s it. What goes on inside the group is private. The only ground rules are the ones the group agree and other members

TRF:

Thanks Steve and good luck with the Northern Group.

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Steve Stout enjoying some Balkans trails

Doug Cartwright, not in the Balkans!

Hi Doug

TRF:

Hi Doug. Congratulations on being voted in as our latest TRF Director! I think you are our most northern representative for a while.

Doug:

Thanks Greg I volunteered because I am first and foremost a trail rider. Living up here in North Yorkshire we have some of the greatest roads in the country. The TRF has had some excellent success particularly in the last few years and we can now build on that to further secure our network up here. I look forward to helping with that.

TRF:

It makes sense that you would Chair the Northern Group, seeing as you can take issues back to the TRF Board as and when they arise. What do you think the benefit of having a Northern Group is?

Doug:

Working together and sharing knowledge is key. The Northern group will focus more on the Technical or Rights of Road stuff in support of the regional groups. Having a common or unified approach makes us more effective and quicker at dealing with Rights of Road issues. Recently we have had some great successes by leveraging the knowledge of the collective brains of the TRF and local members and we need to make sure this approach & knowledge is fully utilised on our northern road network too. By virtue of this countries geography and demographics the centre of activity is south of us so we need to bridge that gap.

TRF:

Are there any key issues going on at the moment in the north?

Doug:

Yes and the really good news recently has been the success we had in overturning the TRO on Seggimire. We have also great relationships with Highway Authorities and National Parks and these have been put to use on the Coach Road and the well published events on Deadman’s Hill.

Our events up here are all fully subscribed, up which shows the healthy state of trail riding and the interest in things “oop North”.

The big challenges we have at the moment are still the “anti movements” and the unsocial and illegal use of public and private land. We are working right now with a local landowner who wants out help in curtailing what he describes as “ferule motocrossers”. He does however have utmost respect for the TRF, its members and its excellent webpage!

TRF:

Not all the northern TRF groups are represented yet are they? Is there a message that you would like to give to any others that may not know what the group is about?

Doug:

Yes I will reach out to all groups shortly and they are very welcome to join us or get in touch. We meet quarterly and monthly via conference calls. If you are struggling to get traction on an issue or want to understand TRF strategy on it just give me or Steve a call. [email protected]

Finally we have had great success up in the North just this year and want to build on that to secure other roads. What we need are more members to help out. Anything from simply taking an interest in a particular road, volunteering to fill in some potholes to organising events.

TRF:

Thanks Doug.

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You can connect with Doug and the Northern Group HERE

mailto:[email protected]

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My horse has been hit by vehicles passing too close and if I had a pound for every near miss, I would be very rich!!

Horse riders share a great deal with motorcyclists and that is that we are perhaps the most vulnerable road users. If we can raise our own awareness of all the challenges and make other drivers aware of these challenges, surely mutual respect and safer driving and riding will result.

The golden rule is to ensure you are fully insured.

In short if riders go out without any conspicuous clothing they may well be impacting their safety, and the welfare of their horse.

I hope that horse dung is not much of a problem to trial bike riders, as they have to deal with more ‘interesting’ conditions to ride over, I’m sure!

Slow down – to 15mph. Be patient – I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine. Pass wide and slow – at least a car’s width if possible. Drive slowly away.

Informal polling of two prominent equine safety groups on Facebook produced differing results, which are likely explained by each group’s respective culture and subject matter.

Apart from the Dead Slow advice, try and remember there are three brains working when you meet a horse: yours, the riders, and the horse.

I have always found that motorcyclists are amongst the most careful drivers around horses so thank you for that.

Cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders must work together to improve our safety.

THINK!:

The British Horse Society:

Horses & Road Safety Awareness:

Pass Wide & Slow:

Trail bikes and exploration go hand in hand. Add a sleeping bag and you have a multi-day adventure. Last summer Central Bristol TRF headed out on a ‘outward-bound’ exercise into the unknown. Dean Allen lifts the lid on their wild ride.

However, if we hadn’t had to make a diversion then we would never had met a fantastic gentleman who was in his 94th year. His name was John Richards and we spotted him from quite some distance beating the ground with a stick out in the middle of nowhere half way up a mountain.

In summary our adventure was a great success we found some great camping spots, loads of green roads were discovered (that I can now incorporate into other runs that I do) and nobody suffered any injuries or hypothermia.

Horse riders share a great deal with motorcyclists and that is that we are perhaps the most vulnerable road users.

If we can raise our own awareness of all the challenges and make other drivers aware of these challenges, surely mutual respect and safer driving and riding will result.

Slow down – to 15mph.
Be patient – I won’t sound my horn or rev my engine.
Pass wide and slow – at least a car’s width if possible.
Drive slowly away.

Trail bikes and exploration go hand in hand. Add a sleeping bag and you have a multi-day adventure. Last summer Central Bristol TRF headed out on a ‘outward-bound’ exercise into the unknown.

Dean Allen lifts the lid on their wild ride.