Devon lanes & touring weekend - thanks

[max.karisma]

Home from South Wales now after the most bendy and dippy route from Carmarthen to Cheshire I've ever encountered leaving after 3 glorious days of sunshine . . . definately tent drying weather after Devon!!

Although the weather was not on our side while in Devon I can definately say I had a fantastic time
Campsite, lanes, scrambles, communal food (& drink), local knowledge, pub food, cream teas (fish finger butty), site seeing, organisation (thanks to Clive & Jenny), passengers Julia & Roger (you must leave the indicators to me ) and good company from like minded syncronaunts . . . it was ALL great

Thanks for all your help, tips and advice, hope everyone returned home safe (and now dry), Max

[sonic23]

We had a great time with everyone, and it was lovely to meet some new faces. The 'reccy' on Friday was a highlight, some lovely lanes sat on the doorstep. I haven't been a passenger in someone elses Syncro for years - so it was fun to enjoy a different perspective.

The kids getting a lift in Roger's truck




Clive at the controls








Testing the depth.....


A little too deep?

[JennyTyger]

Some of Rob lhd's photos:

[HarryMann]

The baby kid goat high up on the rocks and tarr steps wade were pretty brill this year I thought, and the clear views from Porlock across to Wales too, caught a few out...

is that Wales or somewhere else in Devon we're looking at?

it seemed that close!

[JennyTyger]

Some of our piccies:

Friday afternoon recce (yeh right!)

Uncle Roger takes the young ones for a fun bumpy ride back up the track


Neil and Clive bow-sawing


Oh what a lovely prospect (All Hallows Hell)


Saturday

Somewhere nr. Sidmouth?


Somewhere else, nearer Sidmouth


A slight modification to the lane (that's not an unstable and steep bank down there)


Don't worry


That's not an unstable steep bank down there, but we'll just ratchet strap you
to a tree in case, but don't worry.


Sunday - Fingle Bridge

I said that was a really narrow bridge, I'm sure I did


Pretty sure narrow bridges are being mentioned.. (and what a nice spot for lunch too)


Dartmoor


Dartmoor


Uncle Roger gets a smile out of Lee's Lovely Lucy


Picnic at Hanging Rock

[JennyTyger]

Sunday

Out into Dartmoor, somewhat unplanned


On the rocks: a tor moment


Can't drive across that!


But can drive across this (just )


Rob and, er? Oh yes, Frankie



100% humidity


A beautiful and ancient field gate (and 100% humidity)


Humidity of a different kind...


Monday


Spot the interloper


Tarr steps


Tarr steps


Tarr steps


That can't really be the Welsh coast


FInally, arrived at Valley of Cream Teas, with some rock scrabbling thrown in

[max.karisma]

Loving the photos . . . great promotion for laning in Devon . . . what a mix of events and challenges

[silverbullet]

Sunday

But can drive across this (just )

The photo doesn't really do it justice, it was scarcely wider than Fingle Bridge (where 16" arches are a distinct disadvantage, about 1" each side to clear but the bridge isn't straight!) and it was very gloomy down in that valley, headlamps on stuff and it was WET!
Thanks again to Mark for the ride and making it all look so effortless in his Westy...

[HarryMann]

Yes Fingle bridge is very pretty, somewhat rustic and very much a kinky konstruction! When recceing last year I was a bit blasé, soon learnt though

[PC52]

Yes Fingle bridge is very pretty, somewhat rustic and very much a kinky konstruction! When recceing last year I was a bit blasé, soon learnt though

Clive, blasé? really ... I never would have guessed.


Love ratchet strap lane, always a good time to let your passengers go for a wander.

Some of our piccies:


Don't worry


That's not an unstable steep bank down there, but we'll just ratchet strap you
to a tree in case, but don't worry.

[HarryMann]

Good name, I wonder if we will be travelling down 'ratchet strap lane again' Unbeknownst to most (mincluded at the time), we should have hangar'd right down through a ford - about where we met the horse riders - blocking our true path.

If we are we'll want 2,000 kg ratchet straps (dats what i call 2 ton), not 1443 unknown Kilopond Newton Metres per Second per second (more metric meningless crap units ), that looked like about 1000 lb , 1500 at best straps

An education 'tis was, at worst, a chance to bond at best

.. and as you say, wander, lots of aimless wandering going on

[Aidan]

ah so that explains why our group didn't come across it last year and wondered what all the fuss was about as we DID the right turn and then encountered the pile of rocks that had been positioned on the left causing the vans to tip over against the big fo new fence doing damage to Patrick's slider and panel and a slight bruise to Doug's, the horse rider's had to wait for us to get through before they could ride up and cause you to deviate from the track, it'll need recceeing again before being driven

[HarryMann]

Thanks for that Aidan, I always wondered why we never came across that infamous blockage Doug described

On the other hand, I thought it was some way North of this lane, and encountered earlier in the day...

[HarryMann]

This might interest some of our group on the Saturday drive ...

But, s34 goes on to state that:
It is not an offence under this section to drive a mechanically-propelled vehicle on any land within fifteen yards of a road, being a road on which a motor vehicle may lawfully be driven, for the purpose only of parking the vehicle on that land.
and
A person shall not be convicted of an offence under this section with respect to a vehicle if he proves to the satisfaction of the court that it was driven in contravention of this section for the purpose of saving life or extinguishing fire or meeting any other like emergency.

As implied in the Act, a MPV may be driven on land or on a route with lawful authority. So, for example, someone delivering the post or driving on land with the permission of the landowner is doing so with lawful authority and is not committing an offence.