Club 80-90 Forums

'lo, i'm new. i've just bought my first syncro and at the moment i'm using it as a family car. i love it! i'm going to attempt to post some photos, which is something i've never done before, so bear with me if i mess up! cheers

Hi and welcome, nice looking van I have a very similar one, but not quite so tidy!

cheers for that! i'll get the hang of this one day.

where abouts in oxon are you?

i live in bampton west oxon and work in didcot,at the power station. i'm now the third person at the power station with a syncro!

no wayu didcot power station a hive of syncro ownership! can you still get onto the ridgeway, or have they closed it to vehicles now?

i was speaking to a guy at a vw show in reading a couple of weeks ago and he said that he takes his syncro up there quite often. not sure if you're supposed to or not though.

Hi Raddo, another nice Syncro caravelle...

Just cycled the Ridgeway, and could see Didcot pretty well from Coombe Hill right through to Uffington, it sort of fits in an eerie but necessary way within those pcituresque Oxford plains.

Nearly all track sections closed from 1st Oct through to April 31st, signs everywhere... there are a couple of BOAT sections well West near Ogbourne St George, but...

I personally think the Ridgeway is so special (and of no great interest driving wise) it should be left alone as much as possible. Yes, it gives fantastic views and some stretches are graded well enough to take wheeled traffic without damage, but..

many others are so cut up for cyclists, walkers and horse riders that I'd supporrt a lot more control, if not a special permit or ban - some sections are now so wide and rutted by 4WDs going wide for an 'easy' time of it when the going gets tough, it makes it impossible to find a clean decent track to walk or cycle on.

I think one solution for this burgeoning problem with Green Lanes is some form of permit, that has to be applied for. This would stop ad hoc perpetual cutting up of the same places every weekend, which, let's admit it, is half the problem.

Being a marque specific club, spread across the country, syncro owners and Syncronauts don't seem to be the type that do go to the same haunt every weekend, and having difflocks and good tyres mostly, also aren't often sitting there spinning and cutting them up badly - but of course are easily tarred with the same brush.

I found the last section down to Overton Hill from Hackpen extremely hard work, being the last hour or so 3 days riding (thunderstorms and cold didn't help) - but I really was swearing about 4WDs! Nice to see it from the other side of the fence - Houston, we have a problem

Ok, so I've just hijacked your first thread - sorry - welcome to the club, maybe get your membership form in for the Syncronauts so you too can drive at one of our private events? Some of the terrain is quite awesome

http://www.club80-90syncro.co.uk/Syncro ... ership.htm

PS. We are just at the start of the Ridgeway, nr. Tring and Ivinghoe. I prefer to think it was a first a pilgrimmage route 5500 years ago, from the North and East down to Avebury for the May day festivals, but all the maps seem to think its direction is the other way around - swimming against the tide on that one

that's quite alright, hijack away! i've never been up the ridgeway myself, although i have lived round here for ten years now (originaly from north wales) but the majority of people who i've spoken to about it have been mountain bikers and walkers so i think you're probably right, the 4x4's should leave it to them to enjoy now if it's in that bad a state. I'm sure that there's plenty more tracks about for us to enjoy,legally,of course( something which i plan to investigate when i get the chance) as for the syncronauts membership, i think that's a great idea and i'll fill the form in very soon. thanks for the welcome