Scottish forestry offroad event, Wheels in the woods 20-SEPT

[syncro up]

I've come across this event on the scottish offroad club site and wondered if it would be of interest to anyone.
I'm thinking of attending.

from the website.
The Scottish Off Road Club Limited is pleased to be able to invite you on Sunday 20th September 2009 to the fourth year of this event in the Scottish Borders.

WHEELS IN THE WOODS is a driving day in which you get to explore two different forests in the Tweed Valley.

The cost for the day is £30 per vehicle. ADVANCE BOOKING is ESSENTIAL to ensure a place – the last events were sell-outs.
As in previous years, base camp will be adjacent to Elibank Forest and signposted from the town of Walkerburn. Signing on will take place here and there will be catering and toilets on site.
There will be a one-way system in force in each forest but you can go back round the circuits as often as you like. All stages will be marked by level of difficulty. SORC marshals will be around the course for help, advice and encouragement!
Full details including a map of the area, camping and accommodation information and safety rules will be supplied to all those who sign up.
The forests are about fifty minutes to an hour south of Edinburgh, maybe an hour and three quarters from Newcastle.
Members of SORC are not permitted to participate in Wheels in the Woods as we're required for marshalling the event.
For more information please contact by email wheelsinthewoods@yahoo.co.uk
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Scottish Off Road Club is happy to acknowledge its gratitude to Forestry Commission Scotland

[slobbo]

Could be tempted. Not sure if the van will be good to go by then though. I am hoping to make some more space in my arches and I will need to fabricate a grill for my oil cooler and also noticed I don't have any bash plates under the engine.

[syncro up]

Well I felt like I went through a Syncro right of passage on Sunday. This was my first outing with the Scottish Offroad Club, which meant that out of a field of 70 vehicles, 65 of them were landrovers. The look on their faces when I drove in to scrutinering with a single cab Syncro was priceless.

The stages were all in the forests around Peebles, so the terrain was steep and wooded with lots of tree stumps and logs lying around. The weather had been dry for the previous week with a shower the night before so there was only one trail which was slick mud. There were a few occasions where motors got stuck including a highly modified Suzuki which had a minor engine fire.
The Syncro was unstoppable; she managed everything I pointed her at. Their was one point where after a long steep decent, the trail stepped down into a hole before climbing back to the access road. Apart from being a butt clenching moment as you drive over the edge, it was inevitable that we were going to bury the front bumper. And we did, just as the marshal was going to get his LR to start the recovery, I engaged both diff locks and drove right out, no problem. I think the LR crowd were all quite disappointed at how well she was performing.

Putting the arrival angle to one side, there was nothing that the LR could do that Syncro couldn’t, and im sure we could have out manoeuvred some of the LR’s given a chance.

Everyone I spoke to on the day said how nice it was to see something other than a LR at these events, I’m sure it would have been the first time most of them had ever seen a Syncro in action.

The field


After the bomb hole


and again


Other sutff


again


Sorry they are all tame shots, i was on my own so could only take pictures when someone in front got stuck.

I'll keep you posted on next years event.
Rob, this was described as a non damaging event, which i think just means their was no rocks, which is correct but there was a lot of trees and seriously over hanging branches which would have destroyed a nice paint job. I did consider taking the camper to this event as its now fully working 4wd. VERY glad i didnt.

See you all next year then

[slobbo]

Wish I had managed it. I have attended a couple of open days the SLRO club run at Bathgate but both times I couldn't take out the Syncro. First time it was in getting TDi'd and the second time was when I had just taken delivery of my replacement for the TDi'd beast and it had road tyres and a bloody great plough on the front (read bull bar) so wasn't keen to take it off road. I'll give you a tinkle when the next one is on Syncro Up.

[toomanytoys]

Nice one.. Saw these (or similar) 3 or 4 years ago and thought what a cracker... maybe we can get a few syncro's together for next year..

[syncro up]

I think its testiment to the wee truck that she still has her original number plate on.
really need to get a spare mounted higher up cause that will get ripped off one of these days. lol