I think we still have to be considerate though, keep moving around and cleaning up rubbish / keeping tracks clear / being nice to randoms/walkers/cyclists (try not to frighten them, a comment you think is friendly banter could be quite intimidating to an old person on their own!)
certain places are still best avoided (or only used for very small parties) like Cholsey because they have been rinsed too often.
Tthere are also posh houses tucked away along the track and the people in there monitor all “unusual” movements of vehicles (they grass up the dirtbike riders and SUV crew as well).
There are also rare species up at Cholsey and along other bits of the Ridgeway which are in protection zones. (there is usually a map on a plinth showing the zones – simple solution is not to put rigs or vehicles there and tell all moosers who go exploring not to throw their trash on the ground!)
I also reckon TVP and Wiltshire are only being “lenient” because of the fallout from 7/7 – when there are bombs and racial war cops have to re-assess their priorities and a bit of noise out in the sticks really isn’t too much to worry about no matter how much middle england whinges.
Even so we can’t afford to take the piss with parties.
I think people are learning slowly how far they can take it; 2 or 3 rigs is just right and its best if it winds down by 5pm on Sunday.
Any more and loads more locals complain; if you are still there on Monday you can guarantee people are really angry as they need to use the Ridgeway to get to their workplaces. Remember its the ancient equivalent of the M4 and still a valid access road to all the surrounding fields..
be careful around the end of the summer as well as cops sometimes try to be a bit heavy and do a big raid on at least one of the end of season parties (I reckon they get a quarterly budget cash injection around that time) look on some of the older threads here and you may see reports on similar incidents
incidentally I’m sure those people who take dirt bikes up there also need licenses and even PELs if they are inviting the public, they are also quite noisy yet don’t get as much grief from cops (OTOH they don’t do their rides in the middle of the night and for 12 hours solid!)
Totally agree. that venue in particular i could see a farm very close to the site and also a village/town not too far away in the distance. Thought it was a bit of a cheeky one tbh.
2 to 3 rigs is perfect for a party imo. obviously i love a good moot or tek but the smaller parties go by so much more unnoticed. a lot less distruption is caused. therefore less justification for ob and locals to kick off.
Cholsey has been rinsed way too much , was well surprised to hear that was where the party was going to be. been so many parties there this year and previous years
end of year party that sticks out for me like a sore thumb was misty moot 2002
