DirtyTeNeReLess
Grey Hound
ok so having grown up in henley was chatting to a couple mates who are in training for the quads 4 quads event and i was tasked to put together an off road route to and back from the vaal dam. no worries. found some old train tracks, easy peasy. not sure when the train tracks stopped being used and were pulled up but cant be more than 10 years old so was excited to be able to move through the farms with relative ease. quads in tow.
anyway we set off my with a YZ450, some KTM 500 quad and another polaris 500 quad. we lost the polaris within the first kilometer due to some unexpected drain and a combination of no side mirrors available. rolled the quad into a barb wire fence... lucky he didnt go with it. heard yesterday he actually fractured two vertebra and broke his wrist. talk about shock, he helped us load the bike on the bakkie and went to work before wife sent him off for some scans... didnt take any picture of his quad dangling in the fence.
the drain
the fence minus a quad. dangerous things these quads.
destroyed his entire front and snapped his wheel arms off. lucky we only 1 k away, ring ring. hello? hi wifey, please bring bakkie... :imaposer:
the whole route there and back that a plotted with a combination of Garmin City Naviagtor 2016 and Google earth.
where the abandoned train tracks joined my track.
my question / problems are this. i hit my first fence where my track started, seems like the farmer decided it was not going to be available anymore. the first gate had a padlock, rule of thumb for me is closed gate can be opened and closed behind you but a locked gate is a no no. fair game we will go around on the tar to the train tracks i know run that way, these tracks have been abandoned or pulled up im not sure when but provide a very sure route for us.
We had quads with us so any tar was not really an option due to the tire damage etc etc. 100 meter onto our train track, we met a fence and an old wheel house / train station and a open gate with a sign saying private road no entry.
we went in anyway pretending to not see the sign and followed this farmers road along side the tracks, all the while looking for a gap to get on the track. went in three times. every time met a boundary fence blocking the way. we eventually got to the end of the farmers road and decided that unless we are prepared to start cutting fences we should turn around.
my question is this, as obviously a return trip is on the cards with bolt / side cutters. do they legitimately now own that land? is it still a state servitude? are they entitle to just sommer put a fence up? ive heard of a number of places / road being fenced in illegally?
whats everyone's thoughts? how much trouble would one be in if you reopened that route? obviously angry farmer with a rifle after you but what a KARK way to deprive us of passing through? is it allowed?
anyway we set off my with a YZ450, some KTM 500 quad and another polaris 500 quad. we lost the polaris within the first kilometer due to some unexpected drain and a combination of no side mirrors available. rolled the quad into a barb wire fence... lucky he didnt go with it. heard yesterday he actually fractured two vertebra and broke his wrist. talk about shock, he helped us load the bike on the bakkie and went to work before wife sent him off for some scans... didnt take any picture of his quad dangling in the fence.
the drain
the fence minus a quad. dangerous things these quads.
destroyed his entire front and snapped his wheel arms off. lucky we only 1 k away, ring ring. hello? hi wifey, please bring bakkie... :imaposer:
the whole route there and back that a plotted with a combination of Garmin City Naviagtor 2016 and Google earth.
where the abandoned train tracks joined my track.
my question / problems are this. i hit my first fence where my track started, seems like the farmer decided it was not going to be available anymore. the first gate had a padlock, rule of thumb for me is closed gate can be opened and closed behind you but a locked gate is a no no. fair game we will go around on the tar to the train tracks i know run that way, these tracks have been abandoned or pulled up im not sure when but provide a very sure route for us.
We had quads with us so any tar was not really an option due to the tire damage etc etc. 100 meter onto our train track, we met a fence and an old wheel house / train station and a open gate with a sign saying private road no entry.
we went in anyway pretending to not see the sign and followed this farmers road along side the tracks, all the while looking for a gap to get on the track. went in three times. every time met a boundary fence blocking the way. we eventually got to the end of the farmers road and decided that unless we are prepared to start cutting fences we should turn around.
my question is this, as obviously a return trip is on the cards with bolt / side cutters. do they legitimately now own that land? is it still a state servitude? are they entitle to just sommer put a fence up? ive heard of a number of places / road being fenced in illegally?
whats everyone's thoughts? how much trouble would one be in if you reopened that route? obviously angry farmer with a rifle after you but what a KARK way to deprive us of passing through? is it allowed?
