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Practice Ground


useless
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it seams to me that trials is in a bit of a decline, im sure this is in no small part due to lack of practice grounds.

they are out there but very hard to find unless you already know somebody who is using one.

take a look on e-bay and see how many bike are for sale due to lack of time (read cant find anywhere to play without the old bill turning up and spoiling things).

how about a dedicated section on here of where you can go and maybe some sort of map, this will help encorage people to get out and practice and then maybe actualy enter the odd event or two.

i live in skelmersdale and the only place local i can find is cowrn quarry (45 miles away ) which is very good but would i also like to practice on differant grounds mud ect.

anybody got any other idears!!!! :guinness:

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trials rides don't want to pay enough for someone to do it down the 100% legal route IMHO. by the time you've added land costs, insurance, staff, maintaince and planning conesent i can't see how you can do it for less that

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I completely agree with 'useless'. I am new to trials and found it difficult to find spots to ride initially- and either no one knows anywhere to ride in the midlands on this forum or they aren't forthcoming and want to keep it quiet as no replies to a post of mine...

I have come from dh mountainbiking and mountainbikers have got places dedicated to riding through riding coming together and building tracks, petitioning and they are sectioned off from walkers etc. Maybe riders finding suitable spots, approaching land owners and turning them into trials areas would work? Paying would not be a problem in my opinion if you could see where your money was going-into developing area and adding features etc.

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Where abouts are you in the Midlands Mil? nowhere really Anymore to ride legally, loads of places a few years ago. Mountain bikes are very different to Trials bikes, most people ramblers etc will except them to a degree but its different for bikes. All of us get tarnished with MX and Enduro and areas soon get closed down. We have our own site we rent from a company and are very very lucky to have it. We have spent quite alot of time and money fencing it off and policing it but landowners like these are like rocking horse ****.

Soon as you find a new area even if you get permission the MX ers are soon there blatting around and it gets stopped very quickly. Be prepared to travel, we do, we spend most of out time in Wales, 2-3 hours to get there but worth it for the area.

If you find a good site, I can virtually guarantee the council will have it closed no matter what you say or do, best idea is to have a drive around one weekend, find a few areas off the beaten track and approach the landowner. Make a good proposal to him, like rent amount, times of use, insurance(the major stummbling block) and indemnities to cover his a*** incase someone gets hurt or killed. Limit the riding to a group of you say 5-10 and no-one else.

Its possible the landowner will think your MX ers so send him some good info on what trials is all about and how different it is too MX/Enduro, quiet, slow and skill based sport, may even be worth sending a DVD as well.

Edited by Betarev3
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i really dont mind paying for a place i can use legally like back cowrn quarry, just cant find many places to go, i have friends who have just sold up because its too much hassel finding somwhere, and others who have bike sat around gathering dust.

we need a national database of places to go , back cowrn quarry seams to be doing it right as whenever i have been there have been loads of bikes there. im sure if you do it right there is money to be made and its good for the sport as a whole.

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Having a place to practice is always going to be good, but a lot of people who are lucky enough will not invite people over. Me and a few mates have a piece of land where we can practice when ever we like and we have had to pay the land owner and machine drivers to make some rocky sections etc. However you cant invite one person and not someone else you know as you end up with random people turning up and spoiling it for the poeple who have spent a lot if time and money.

I assumed that living up North or in Wales would mean that you had loads of places to ride as the land is always better up there etc. But the old bill spoil it for everyone now. I used to practice in my local woods but now the old bill have clamped down and will take my bike away. :guinness:

Cheers

Tony

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Hi Useless, I'm in Wigan myself and have NEVER found a legal piece of land within the Wigan borough. Been writing to land owners for about 3 years now and just never get replys.

I ride in the lakes mostly now as I have a caravan up there.

I'd LOVE to find a local place for those couple of spare hours every now and then.

Dave.

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  • 15 years later...
 

I think there are 4 options 

you go illegal and hope for the best 

you find a friendly land owner - give a them a cash donation  every time you ride but accept there is probably no insurance cover 

get your local club to run an official practice sessions / closed to club / training event  with correct ACU permit - that will involve organisation etc and by tied to specific dates and some rules to be followed (c of c/ coach etc etc )and May mean venues become over used

 find a commercial enterprise that will set up a piece of land and run it as a business 

all but option 1 will cost 

we are lucky down in wales to have all options but I cannot condone option 1

 

 

 

Edited by jimmyl
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