L a n i n g L i f e

Welcome to Lauren ‘Sunshine’ Eaton, and her new regular Mud Life column.

You'll be able to read about green laning as seen through her windscreen at The Green Lane Association, and find out what’s hot or not in the laning world each month. Enjoy!

Scorcher of the month There’s a lot of noise being made about 4x4s in the Lake District at the moment; unless you live under a rock it’s unlikely to have escaped you! There is a very vocal group of anti-4x4ers who would like to see our hobby banned from the national park; currently their campaign focuses on two particularly well known lanes – High Tilberthwaite and High Oxen Fell.

So, what’s the nitty gritty, are we going to lose them? The short answer is no, at least there is no current threat. This is not a new campaign by a long chalk, it’s been rumbling on for a considerable time and the Lake District National Park Authority have addressed it in the form of a two year assessment. Their report concluded that although the antis had collected a large number of petition signatures and sent lots of emails, that neither their complaints, petition, or communications held up to scrutiny; the evidence just wasn’t there on the ground to support them.

There were concerns over the validity of the complaint numbers too, many were duplicates, a significant number of complainants admitted they had never visited the area, and many of the comments showed no knowledge of the locations - for example suggesting ‘churning up mud and causing ruts’ on lanes that are hard surfaced and, in the case of Tilberthwaite, newly repaired and re-surfaced!

UNESCO were dragged into the argument (the LDNP is a world heritage site) and have publically stated that there is no threat to the area’s status, but campaigners have continued to shout that there is and that 4x4s are the reason for the threat.

The outcome of the LDNPA’s assessment was to monitor the lanes going forward; no maintenance work is required, and the anti-campaign held no weight. This has not gone down well with campaigners of course, and now they are crowd-funding for a judicial review.

Does this mean we may lose the lanes after the JR? Again, no. The JR, if it goes ahead, will test the LDNPA’s assessment procedures, and whatever the outcome is the lanes will remain open, or open pending another assessment, only then could a TRO possibly be even looked at if a second assessment finds any issues. TRO’s carry their own procedures too and it is unlikely the lanes in question would fulfil the requirements of a closure order. GLASS will continue to monitor the situation and assist in providing user evidence as required going forward.

In short the anti-4x4s in the Lake District issue is very hot at the moment, but it’s mostly hot air! For the full assessment report go to - https://www. lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/green_roads/ future-management-of-tilberthwaite-and-oxen-fell-roads

What’s hot Shropshire. Wootton Lane remains under a TRO pending work to prevent off-piste activity on the adjacent land. Pipe Lane is one way only (west-east) and will soon have essential maintenance work to improve the exit from the river. Boat House Lane will be closed under a seasonal TRO for winter.

Work has begun at Wootton Lane and is set to be completed by the end of December.

The very picturesque lane has unfortunately had a turbulent year; from off-piste damage on neighbouring National Trust and privately owned farmland, to dumped and burned out vehicles, and even a motorcyclist being run over by someone trying to escape the police!

The lane itself is in good repair as all the problems have occurred off the legal track, or by criminals driving illegally.

The work to block access to neighbouring land will hopefully prevent similar incidents occurring in the future. Representatives from Shropshire County Council, The Environment Agency, The National Trust, Severn Trent Water, local land owners and GLASS have all worked together to save this right of way and preserve its future for all users.

Path Extinguishment Day (PED) is on most people’s lips at the moment. For those of you not in the loop PED signifies a huge legislation change in the world of PRoWs. Come January 2026 any RoW that is incorrectly recorded, or not recorded at all, will either lose some or all of its public usage rights; it may well disappear from the definitive map completely!

While this may sound awful; we’re going to lose more lanes! It can also be an opportunity; between now and then the process for applying for definitive map modification orders is still alive and well and that allows us to clean up the record, make applications for vehicular rights on incorrectly

Wales It’s always been a hotspot for laners, but that does come with a few niggles. Thankfully some of those issues are being worked on over winter; both Strata Florida and the Wayfarer are subject to work going forward.

While Strata remains partially closed and will do until January, this is a small price to pay for its continued vehicular rights long into the future. The Wayfarer will soon see a temporary TRO too, again what’s a few weeks closure when it comes to ensuring we get to drive it for years to come?

While it is still officially open at the moment and will be

recorded RoWs and even add new ones to the map. Great stuff! But after January 2026 this process will be scrapped meaning we simply will not be able to modify the definitive map anymore, so we have to act fast!

GLASS has just trained all its reps on how to file for a DMMO, if you’re interested in getting involved and filing an application, contact your county council for more information on their processes, or contact your local area GLASS rep.

until work goes ahead, some restraint would be sensible in the extremely wet weather we’ve been experiencing! Happy Valley and Carn Mach Arthur remain off limits until further notice.

Bath and North East Sommerset Recent repairs to Mountains Lane have been completed and are holding up well in the torrential downpours we’ve been experiencing nationwide so far this winter. Monsoons 0 – GLASS 1.

Berkshire The hardworking area GLASS reps have been in close contact with Wokingham Borough Council regarding their Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan, their aim is to work with all stakeholders going forward. They have also submitted a proposal to add two new byways to the area that would create a loop around Shinfield. Raggets Lane is receiving some maintenance work, while this will improve access due to the nature of the lane wet weather restraint is still advised.

Cumbria. Sadgill to Kentmere has received some essential maintenance; the rock step is no longer a potentially damaging feature!

Derbyshire. Doles Lane and Mininglow are currently under TRO pending essential maintenance work. Closures are due to lift in time for spring.

What’s not… The weather! This autumn and winter have seen torrential downpours, and it looks set to continue into a soggy new year.

While we all enjoy brightening up a dark, damp winter with a jaunt out on the lanes please keep in mind that soft surfaced RoWs are more sensitive than ever at this time of year - you’re also more likely to get stuck and look like a plonker.

Use this rainy season as a reason to research sustainable hard-surfaced lanes in your area; you never know, in doing so you may find some hidden gems you never knew about to drive!

That’s all from me for this month, join me next month for more 'What’s hot & What’s not' in the laning world, and take

a closer look at how to discover vehicular rights of way in England and Wales. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about green laning, or to directly support your hobby, visit the GLASS website.

Happy Laning! Lauren x GLASS Media and Communications Officer

For more information on green lanes visit: www.glass-uk.org

To join GLASS go to: www.glass-uk.org/join-glass.html