Devon Laning Recce

[Pumpy]

Spent the weekend in Devon, rough route was anti clockwise around Dartmoor, then up onto Exmoor before heading home. Pic credits to my mate Mike in the 90.

First nights wildcamp, think alfred hitchcock was about these parts, just after 4am had to be the loudest dawn chorus I ever heard!


Example of lane width in Devon, be prepared to back up, a lot! (this wasn't the worst we found either)

Lovely area to explore...



Sat night was the best wildcamping spot I've found yet!
















Water lane - breathe in!




Devils Steps - only for the brave!


see that rock about to cream my rear wheelarch? I didn't LOL


what's the rollover angle for an 80 again?



whew made it with only minor damage to the wheelarch...


OMG it gets worse...


better get out and have a look - had to winch the 90 (after a mountaineering mission to get a tree strop on the tree 20ft above the lane!) Ashcroft ATBs didn't cut the mustard



Here we go!





engage lockers all round! No winching needed for the 80



This would be a great lane on halloween!



All round a great weekend, I don't think it's practical for a group larger than 2 or 3 vehicles, we had to reverse a lot to allow traffic to pass, this on regular roads! We backed out of a few lanes you really don't want to be reversing out of, interesting is an understatement Lots of forestry work to cut overhanging trees so I could get through with the RTT. Shame the tides were against us, there are some fantastic looking tidal fords across the various estuarys we had to miss out, maybe next time, if there is a next time - took some dings to the truck for sure. I've got some bonnetcam footage I'll upload next week if I get time to edit it, busy packing for the next trip atm, off to the Lakes this w/e

 

[Iwan]

Good to see your trip Pumpy..

Brightened up the cup of tea break at work.

Thanks for sharing your trip! ​

 

[Chas]

Some great pictures there, er, regarding the rollover angle for an 80, I don't know but I think you were pretty close to it there.

 

[Shayne]

Looks like a fun place to be great photo's thanks for sharing

Just said to myself - why have i got no off road photo's of my truck and a voice from behind the computer came back with "because you go to effing fast to take photo's" i guess i said it out loud

 

[AndyCook]

Some tricky and scratchy looking lanes there, nice part of the U.K.,
dont get many laning reports from this area

 

[TonyP]

Nice report, thanks for sharing

 

[Pumpy]

Some tricky and scratchy looking lanes there, nice part of the U.K.,
dont get many laning reports from this area

There's a couple of pro tour companies in the area with vids on YT, few bits on youtube from TRF too. Route planning was a bit hit n miss, there's very few lanes down there with any info on Trailwise, you can check legality on the definitive map but there's no indication if it's driveable. Devils steps and a couple of lanes over the open moors were the only lanes that looked well used, one lane was so overgrown with heavy scratchy broom when we got to the end the truck looked like it was being prepped for a respray there was that much paint dust all over it! I lost my snorkel top on Water lane, didn't realise until we stopped that night, 20km away, found it next day, it took some force to have it off, bent the new stainless bulls horn cover too!

I don't mind tight scratchy lanes, it's kinda part of laning in the UK, but when they're tight rocky sided lanes that narrow 1/2 way down, it puts my cringe-o-meter into the red

 

[Ben Stratford]

Stonking pictures pumpy, thanks for taking the time to share them, wouldn't mind a description of the route if you get some time, I must drive past it every day!

 

[Ben]

Great trip report and pics.

 

[Pumpy]

Stonking pictures pumpy, thanks for taking the time to share them, wouldn't mind a description of the route if you get some time, I must drive past it every day!

I've got the planned route on GPX file, a clip board full of notes to edit trailwise, and the whole route on video. When I get chance to edit 2 days of video, I can put the lane references in as I update trailwise, then edit out the no-go lanes off the GPX ready for sharing, I could give you the planned route but it'd include a bunch of no-go lanes you really don't want to find yourself on!

 

[Ben Stratford]

Thanks very much Pumpy, looking forward to it.

 

[Pumpy]

Bonnet cam video now uploaded

shortcut to devils steps (where the best pics were taken)

shortcut to some Benny Hill style lane clearence

 

[Shayne]

Catch 22 you buy a camera and then you need to fit it to someones else's truck to catch your own action shots

Had the same problem on boats i took loads of good ones in force 9 gales and handed them over but never got one back

 

[Pumpy]

I think you'd need a few cameras to make a proper video, and a handheld to capture the banter, campfire ambience etc. then cut it all to the bone to make it short enough for today's attentions spans

Here's a Devils steps edit - with a slight poke at our LR friends

When we get back from the Alps I'll have about 10 days of video, struggling to work out how best to edit it into something people will actually want to watch

 

[Scott]

Only watched your quick video links but it looks like you had a great time. I did a bit of laning in Devon a few years back in the Discovery and that was getting pretty tight, so well done getting the 80 through them! As you say, the paintwork will never be the same again!!

Erosion and gradients giving something to think about, the video shows how more stable and capable a long wheel base 4x4 is verses a short wheelbase (90), obviously the 90 is better when it gets very twisty, but the 80 looked to make light work of the sections where the 90 was struggling.

Thanks for posting the pics and video, makes me want a 80 that it wouldn't be sacrilege to risk squeezing it along tight UK lanes.

 

[Ben Stratford]

Great to watch and one to show the 90 fans at work!
thanks for the effort to edit and upload the films pumpy

 

[Pumpy]

makes me want a 80 that it wouldn't be sacrilege to risk squeezing it along tight UK lanes.

Whatever you go laning in will get scratched up in the UK, there's a complete lack of maintenance in just about every county, I see it as par for the course. It is possible to plan non scratchy routes or hang back for reports over the CB, but you'll miss out all the best lanes and end up doing a lot of tarmac miles. I've only had to miss out on a couple of permit only lanes in the Lake District, but they're limited to 100" wheelbase so even 110's can't do em. I can think of a few I wouldn't do again, couple of real tight gateways in the Dales and Lakes where I picked up dings on the rear quarters, one particulaly tight lane in the Peaks too.

I don't mind sactificing those odd narrow lanes for the advantages the 80 brings, the sheer comfort of the 80 compared to anything else I've driven is the major bonus, lockers all round at the flick of a switch means it'll go pretty much anywhere without fuss, and bring everything including the kitchen sink with me!

When I first got the 80 I took it to Yarwell (one of the best offroad sites in the country) to get used to the auto box offroad, a mate of mine in a LR trayback was taking the mick bigtime about the 80's likelyhood of getting stuck, so I said 'right-o you lead I'll follow' he spent 40 mins trying to lead me into something the 80 coulnd't cope with before he got bored and skulled off to the butty bar

The only downside has been the cost of spares/repairs trying to get it baselined for overlanding, I've spent a small fortune, mostly because I brought the genuine parts only philosophy with me from LR ownership, I can't keep up with Mr Ts prices so I've grudgingly changed my tune on that one, still I won't go back to LR now it's done to such a high standard, I think the 80 will out last me

 

[GerryTLC]

The last pic is the most rewarding view!

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi top video love it thanks looks like you have had a lot of fun from Tony

 

[Roger Crocker]

Hi
Just to add, excellent write up, we live locally to these lanes, anyone interested in coming down or want to go out and about in Devon or anywhere in the West Country or Wales, please get in touch
Roger & Julia