Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Urra Moor

It was very peaceful on Urra Moor today, once I had cleared the sound of a shoot in upper Bilsdale. Blue sky, puddles frozen, no wind, all quiet except for the occasional ka, ke, ke, ke, ke, kekekerrr of a grouse taking flight. But then a group of motorcyclists spoilt the atmosphere. Being on a Public Bridleway, this was illegal riding of course. The local police will confiscate the bikes if caught but catching them is difficult. I came upon them again stopped on the Public Bridleway that runs alongside Billy’s Dyke. “We’re lost, can you help?” said the spokesman. Not being confrontational I must admit to not making full use of the opportunity, merely asked where they wanted to get to. Apparently, the beaters for the shoot had stopped them descending into Bilsdale. Initially, they said they wanted to get back to Rudland Rigg but this changed to Chop Gate after I said the best way would be to retrace their route. Ended up directing them down the track to Bilsdale Hall.




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3 responses to “Urra Moor”

  1. Trevor avatar
    Trevor

    You should have directed them to the nearest police station to explain themselves. I have experience some aggressive behaviour when I have questioned their rights to be on bridleways and footpaths, So you did the right thing. There has been a marked increase in this illigal activity over the last year or two.

  2. Fhithich avatar
    Fhithich

    There was 5 of them!

  3. John avatar
    John

    These people broadly divide into three categories in my experience.
    ‘The Trail Bike Taliban’…..these people know what they’re up to and will resort to aggression and violence if tackled.
    ‘The Chancers’…….know full well they shouldn’t be there but fall back on “we’re lost” or “we didn’t realise, mate” if challenged.
    ‘The Genuinely Lost’……….nuff said.

    Given that your lot approached you and that at least one of the bikes sported a number plate (can that be read on the original photo?) that wasn’t tiny/covered in mud then I think they possibly fell into the final category.

    You have no way of knowing who you are dealing with so I would urge everyone to report these incidents on 101. Obviously there won’t be an instant response but NYP use the reports for intelligence and to justify operations against this menace. Lots of these off road bikes are not taxed/insured/tested and a number are stolen as shown by NYP operations in the area over the last 2 or so years.

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