Fax 01924 497804. E mail brian@cluboffroad.co.uk

Wow it's a bit dusty in here (in joke for those who know just how long it has been since I dared to put my head in this cyber cupboard!) A bit of a tidy round with a feather duster.... must get around to putting finger to keyboard and doing justice to the Enduro which was in February 2007!

Now why am I in here? Ah yes to add the details for a challenge event being held in conjunction with Parkwood Off Road Centre, situated of course in the Broad Acres or Yorkshire to the uninitiated. Full details including an entry form can be found in the future events pages. A few details for the upcoming Rhino Charge is also included.

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To look at previous index pages (use this link) to see what has been going on here prior to this page.

Club Off Road for the newly arrived;

Club Off Road is but a shadow of its former self in terms of events. In our heyday 14 or more top quality events a year were the norm, plus extra curricular activities with manufacturers and their respective 4x4 clubs. Things have changed considerably over the past four years and it is true to say that our calendar is now slim to say the least. We pioneered driving days, play days, call them what you will back in 1990 and now sadly feature none at all. Safaris and Trails have also had to take a back seat for very good reasons but there is still enough life left to have two top events listed here in future events for those with the will to take them on. It is sad to say that for an organisation that did more to encourage people with ordinary 4x4's of all makes to take them off road and safely enjoy the full experience available from these marvellous machines that we currently have no such events at all.

For the time being at any rate as far as standard road going 4x4's are concerned our glories, and glories they were, are all in the past. Nevertheless I would heartily recommend you to visit the past in these pages to prove for yourself the truth of those fine words.

If you want to know more about our history, what we do and who does it, then carry on reading. If, however, you want to know what our future events are, see pictures from our past events, or read about events now rapidly receding into the mists of time then go to the site map. There you will find areas clearly titled in the Queen's English. Click on whatever section takes your interest and the magic medium of electronic ether should waft you off to yet another 4x4 fun palace.

HOWEVER! If it doesn't, don't blame me.

Regards,

Brian Hartley.

To contact Club Off Road you can use any of the following methods.

The old fashioned ways first; .Fax 01924 - 497804

Address. Club Off Road, 5 Quarryside Road, Mirfield, West Yorkshire, WF14 9QG.

E. Mail - brian@cluboffroad.co.uk

Club Off Road is now in its sixteenth year, and they said it would never last! Despite its Club title it isn't a club in the conventional sense of the word any longer, as there are no members as such, but the name is well known so it continues and not having to be a member means anyone can dip into our events at will.

A 'potted history' of Club Off road is given below.

The best way to find out about Club Off Road is to actually join us on one of our events where you too can experience some,

TRACTION IN ACTION!

Brian Hartley

Club Off Road History (Which is a smart word for the past)

Off Road and Four Wheel Drive magazine was the UK's first 4x4 magazine. Actually that's only partly true. Overlander 4x4 takes the 'first' title being brought out in May 1982 by David Bowyer, myself and Mike Hallett, though in truth David was the driving force behind its inception. Even more truthful was the fact that had I not intervened it would have been a dedicated Land Rover magazine called Land Rover Driver and who knows where that might have ended up? But my wishes on an all make magazine prevailed, yet another classic example of an uncanny ability to miss the upcoming trend on my part perhaps?

Back to the plot. After nearly two years of doing its own thing 4x4 really started to take off and Overlander was bought by Link House Publications in Spring 1984 to become Off Road and Four Wheel Driver. The 'Driver' became truncated to 'Drive' in January 1986. Since day one I have been with this magazine though gradually working from the top to the bottom of the contributors list,(nothing wrong with the bottom, there's nowhere else to go! In late '89 the Club Off Road idea was first discussed with some youthful Editor called John Beese (Smiley Miley to his friends), and finally came into existence in 1990, our first ever event being at Trentham Gardens. In 2001 our direct link with the magazines ended.

In those early days an hirsute chap named Dave Mitchell was a partner with me in Club Off Road but we soon gave him a free transfer to some other upstart 4x4 magazine! Right from the start we had uniform red coats. As things progressed and we needed more people to help run ever bigger events the red coats were handed out as a badge of office and lo and behold Club Off Road's finest feature was formed, the Redcoats. Butlins may have got there first but they never got there better. The Redcoats have become synonymous with all that is best about what we do, mixing a friendly manner with years of off road experience. Redcoats have come and gone over the years, our current regular line up consists of Harry Haigh, Keith Bettis, Christine Fairey and Steve Wilson. Previous incumbents of this illustrious post over the years are Steven and Sharon Soame, Larry Byrne, Brian Leeson, Barbara Hellett and Jill Ramsell all of whom gave meritorious service before moving on to bigger but not necessarily better things.

In addition to this merry band there are a whole raft of similarly minded 4x4 folk who regularly volunteer to help on our events. Rick and Sue Noyes, the brothers Braggins, Colin and Martin Jones, Ken Brindley, Darren McGuinness, Ian and June Herron, Mike and Diane Rosewell to name but some of them. They naturally have a Redcoat too.

In 1994 Land Rover World came on the scene and naturally enough Club Off Road was their 4x4 activity club too. Club Off Road have been innovators right from the start, though I could never ignore the experiences made by 15 years of being heavily involved in the wonderful world of Land Rover clubs, the Pennine Land Rover club in particular.

Everything we do is aimed at the 4x4 owning public. Right from events that help them take their first venture of road in a nice family road going 4x4 right through to the toughest events we can create. Hopefully there is something for everyone within our offerings. Our driving days offer recovery, good advice, first aid, creature comforts such as toilets and a hot food van as well as an ambience that is hard to beat. Club Off Road has been, and is, much imitated. Bettered? That is for you to decide. Our proud motto is Traction in Action (occasionally it has been known to be inaction, but then no-one is perfect). We have been taking ordinary 4x4 owners, drivers and their families to many corners of the Continent since our inception. Safari's to France, Spain, Slovakia, Morocco, Ireland, Wales and Scotland as well as a memorable 'recce to Russia just after Glasnost. We have two professional videos to our credit. The Tartan Trail for a perfect example of an upmarket event for road going 4x4's and the Highland Enduro the archetypal 'hard' off roading event on unforgiving Scottish hillsides. The Bulldog Trophy is our premier 4x4 challenge event that set the standard for others to follow and is now in its eighth year.
In addition to our Club Off Road events for the 4x4 owning public we also run events, training days and product launches for such notables as B.F. Goodrich, General Grabber, Michelin, Ford, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Tata, Toyota and Optima Batteries.
That was the potted history of who and what we are and what we try to do, other sections deal with set items in greater detail. Happy travels.