Off road newbie.

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Nomad64

Full Member
Nov 21, 2015
1,072
593
UK
So I pulled a trigger and got myself a 4x4. My dream car and a new project to modify, equip and play with.

Could you please educate me where and how can I play with it and do a bit of green laning? Last thing I want is to be associated with those noisy enduro k***heads. I'm after sightseeing and touring, maybe a spot or two to try low gears but nothing extreme with flying mud.

So how can I find legal off road paths? Do you know any 4x4 trails? Any decent paid areas to play? Any advice welcome

Sensible choice of vehicle but IMHO go easy with the mods and accessories - start with a decent set of AT tyres and see how you get on. As with bushcraft and most other hobbies, the more experience you have the less you need - friends of mine who have travelled much of the globe in an ancient Land Rover 110 and edit various overland 4x4 books don’t carry a hi-lift or a winch.

There are lots of sharks out there who will try to convince you that spending a small fortune on aftermarket kit is essential before a 4x4 can tackle a slightly moist carpark but with decent tyres most “proper” 4x4s (which includes a Vitara) are capable of things which 99.9% of them will never need to do.

Making your 4x4 look like an off-road warrior wagon risks attracting attention from the haters and those who may be interested in what toys you may have in your boot and unless properly thought out, suspension lifts can put strain on the drivetrain - FWIW, my much travelled Defender sits on standard height suspension.

The problem you will find is finding somewhere to enjoy your vehicle away from the politics and aggro which seem to be inseparable from off-roading in the U.K. these days. Broch has pointed you to GLASS who do a great job of promoting responsible off-roading but the problem is the sheer numbers of cheap 4x4s out there means that the routes that can lawfully be used are crowded and the reputation of all off-road driving enthusiasts gets tarnished by those who don’t play by the rules.

Although some basic recovery kit and the knowledge of how to use them are essential, but the simple truth is that you shouldn’t really be attempting a route in conditions where you are likely to need recovering. A 4x4 stuck so that it needs winching out is likely to make a real mess of what is supposed to be a public thoroughfare and although there may be arguments about who is responsible for keeping the route passable the responsible answer is to walk any dodgy sections first to check that they can be passed without drama and turn back if not. The trouble is that “flying mud” etc is more fun which is why GLASS is fighting a losing battle trying to preserve the right to use these for responsible drivers.

Books on off-road driving techniques are useful - I camped next to Keith Hart a few years ago - nice bloke who knows his stuff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handbook...145421&hash=item212e0f4f4c:g:Jf0AAOSwaDZaxnkw

No substitute for hands on training Paul Blackburn is based up North like you and is another nice bloke who knows his stuff and is a good teacher. He also runs group tours in Europe and North Africa.

http://www.onelifeadventure.co.uk/training.php

Pay and play sites are IME a mixed bunch - in theory they should be great places to hone your skills by taking the opportunity to look at obstacles and challenges and methodically work out how to tackle them but TBH I’ve generally been too scared to get out of my Landy because of the amount of clowns hooning around in knackered Discos and Cherokees being given a last hurrah before being broken up and flogged in pieces on the Bay of E or taken to the scrappy. If you can join a club which has dedicated training sessions at off-road sites then that would be better.

Personally if you are looking for opportunities to get away from it all and do some touring, I can highly recommend Chris Scott’s guides to Morocco - it may seem impossibly exotic and adventurous to be out on your own exploring the fringes of the Sahara but it is surprisingly easy (many of the routes he describes where done in an old Merc car) and not expensive.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morocco-Ov...s=gateway&sprefix=Chris+Scott+,aps,169&sr=8-1

Have fun! :)

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BigMonster

Full Member
Sep 6, 2011
1,322
219
Manchester
Sensible choice of vehicle but IMHO go easy with the mods and accessories...

View attachment 54106

Fantastic post and exactly what I'm thinking. Regarding mods this is my daily driver so after (sensible) suspension kit, AT tyers and under engine guard I'm done modding. The rest of the toys in the boot are half bushcraft stuf plus couple of useful bits. Once or twice a year I will go somewhere more serious like Chernobyl at end of this year and we are thinking Bulgaria next summer.

So I'm just after options in UK to enjoy my 4x4 between those trips. Looks like I just need to find a decent off road farm in my area and maybe a trail or two for a day out with my girl.

Thank you for making things much clearer for me.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Fantastic post and exactly what I'm thinking. Regarding mods this is my daily driver so after (sensible) suspension kit, AT tyers and under engine guard I'm done modding. The rest of the toys in the boot are half bushcraft stuf plus couple of useful bits. Once or twice a year I will go somewhere more serious like Chernobyl at end of this year and we are thinking Bulgaria next summer.

So I'm just after options in UK to enjoy my 4x4 between those trips. Looks like I just need to find a decent off road farm in my area and maybe a trail or two for a day out with my girl.

Thank you for making things much clearer for me.
That was always my biggest restriction too; just having the one vehicle for all uses meant I was too dependent on it to play too hard and risk being afoot. That said, you can have an awful lot of fun without trying to run the Mint 400 or the Camel Stakes.
 

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