125 green laning

I bought this little XR125L a few years ago to give green laning a try. I bought it non-running and had to fit a new cylinder and piston, which meant I had to do a lot of road riding to break the engine in before I got anywhere near taking it off road.

After cleaning the mud off.

I plan on getting some intermediate tyres, but the second set of wheel I bought have loose spokes, so I need to do some wheel truing and spoke tensioning before I can use them (but they did come with a part worn pair of Pirelli MT60 tyres).

So how does green laning work? Any laws behind doing it?

The main UK green laning group is called GLASS. They can explain the system better than I can https://glass-uk.org/where-can-i-drive-home-grid-articles.html But the basics are as follows. If it's a public right of way, the same rules apply as on a normal road (MoT, tax, insurance, helmet, etc). You're not allowed on footpaths, bridleways, or restricted byways. You specifically want something called a B.O.A.T - Byway Open (to) All Traffic. These are usually signed as just 'byway'. However, you have to be careful as a byway can still have restrictions, called TROs (Traffic Regulation Order). This could restrict your access to specific times of year or cause temporary closure for maintenance for example.

An Ordinance Survey map is usually a good way to find them (especially the online versions), but once word of caution - in rare cases the OS can get it wrong, so your local council is the authoritative source for rights of way. My local council has an online map where you can search by type, which I use to check a new route, and make sure there's not a new TRO on a familiar route.

Another important thing to remember is that of 'image'. A lot of the public has a poor view of green laners, and especially motorbike riders, so I am always on full alert and as polite as possible. I give way to walkers if a passing place is too tight, and I always turn the engine off if I meet a horse rider (if they are coming towards me) or give them as much room as possible and keep revs as low as possible when over taking (only after I'm sure the rider has seen me, and ideally beckoned me round). If enough members of the public complain, the councils reaction is to usually turn a BOAT into a restricted byway meaning we can't use it anymore. So I treat every ride as if I'm being watched.

Working for a council, I do know we have a handy map for byways: http://row.lincolnshire.gov.uk/map.aspx?act=Motorists

Its not the best looking but it is helpful. Sort of.