All of the green lane knowledge held by various TRF groups is easily accessible. All we do is buy the relevant OS map, plan a route, mark the route on the map or more likely these days, track log it on a sat nav and amend/refine the route where necessary.TRF groups are not the sole keepers of byway knowledge in the UK, anyone can do as we have done, it's only laziness that prevents them from doing so.

As for sharing, we have a set of marked up OS maps for the areas we regularly ride, they are freely available to anyone in the group to borrow and copy. New members are encouraged to do the same.

As for disparate groups, why is that we have ridden with Bristol, Gloucestershire, East Midlands, Devon and Welsh TRF groups? We've taken most of the above groups on our local lanes, encouraged them to tracklog the routes and they've done the same for us. If I want a route for green lanes anywhere in England or Wales, I only have to ask the relevant group. I've also got a selection of routes for Spain, Portugal, France & Italy that have been emailed to me.

If others have already made the green lane knowledge available as you suggest, what is the point of the TRF or anyone repeating, especially when OS maps are readily available, as are sat navs that come with preloaded OS maps for whole of the country?

Riding abroad is great, that's why we're taking another group to Portugal in September for the second time this year and off to central France next spring but nothing beats deciding you want to go trail riding at short notice, getting the bike out and hitting the local trails.

It's not for you to comment on the "emotional attachment to green lanes" of people you don't know.....

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