4x4 Mag - Off Road Day - Weston Coyney

Off Road Day at Weston Coyney, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

Event Report by "doctor diff lock"

Imagine the setting, a spacious redundant gravel quarry surrounded by woodland and featuring a large expanse of marshy ground with a lake at its centre. Well that was the location for the off-road event at Weston Coyney held early in July attended by a large number of all kinds of 4x4s. The venue had been closed for some years and this was its official re-opening by the organisers 4x4 Funday Ltd . The woodland area has many tracks and routes to enjoy, however, most are too overgrown or narrow for anything bigger than a SWB Landie and along side the woods are muddy tracks and side slopes. The quarry basin offered the most opportunity for enjoying the relaxed style of 4x4 driving enjoyed at these kind of events. Plenty of obstacles to tackle all with good visibility and lots of spectating areas cordoned off and safely out of the way of the 4x4s.

Above : Finding the Mud

Some years ago this kind of event was very popular with large numbers attending, many of whom had not been off-road before, many in "family" motors, and for some time people where put off from attending due to some organisers hiring sites which were too small to allow sufficient space for all to enjoy driving without queing. Nowadays there's a good selection of experienced off-roaders attending and those new to the activity benefit from the great atmosphere at these days wherein everyone is willing to help and advise each other, irrespective of the kind of 4x4 they drive ! Safety is a factor of great importance to all who attend, looking non-regulated we discovered that there was a well thought out system in place.

The great thing about these events is that the marshalling is very low-key, no one coming up to you and telling you what to do. However, I did see one motor doing rather a stupid speed across one section. After a quiet word from one of the Marshalls his pace was tempered, all without hassle and fuss. It seems that everyone is there to enjoy themselves and a kind of self-regulating marshalling occurs. Many folk really enjoy this kind of day who aren't interested in the more formal side of Trialling or Competitive Club events and the pay-as-you-arrive style of day suits them great.

Above : Getting through one of the mud runs !

Above : Stranded 90 gets helping tug from 90 special.

Recovery was always on hand (and FREE) and no matter how difficult the job there always seemed to be the equipment in place to help. It was good to see so many drivers equipped with their own ropes and shackles, and not a sign of chains or wire rope ! Noticed four winch equipped vehicles, winching, however, was strictly organised in the interests of everyone's safety and no one can engage in any recovery utilising a winch without informing the organisers.

All in all seemed a well organised event, there were areas marked out as HAZARDS and cordoned off, specific SPECTATOR areas also marked with flags and poles, a site map was given to all who attended, and at entry driving tips and safety procedure documents were given out. The booking in point was also the FIRST AID point and FIRE POINT equipped with mobile communications on two cell-phone networks ! The hot-food van was great, very professional and good value, there when I arrived at 10am and still there when I left at 4pm. No toilets. However, with the site sticker admission system you could leave the site whenever needed and return without paying again.

Above : Going a little too far into the bull rushes !

Next event at Weston Coyney on Sunday September 12th : visit the website at http://www.4x4funday.co.uk