The future of the SSDT and other organised events put in jeopardy
By Team TMX on 17th May 19
Illegal riding has been the bane of off-road motorcycle sport since day one with many excellent venues lost as a result of the actions of bogus dirt bikers.
On the back of another excellent edition of the SSDT, it's disappointing that the SACU, Edinburgh & District MC, Lochaber & District MCC and Kinlochleven MCC have had to join forces to issue a warning that certain sections within the historic SSDT route are now under threat for the very same reason. Sort it out peeps!
Statement below:
Joint statement from the SACU, Edinburgh & District MC, Lochaber & District MCC, Kinlochleven MCC.
We continue to get complaints about unauthorised use of motorcycles on land around Fort William, Kinlochleven and Spean Bridge as well as other locations. The future of organised events such as the SSDT, Lochaber MCC events and others will be put in jeopardy if this continues.
One of the most affected estates is Jahama Highland Estates who own the land around lochaber smelter and Kinlochleven hydro. The attached letter from Jahama is self explanatory but others include smaller estates which are key to maintaining access for the SSDT. The potential loss of land to organised events would have a major impact on the sport we all love.
Subject: FW: Hydro & Estates Access
Dear Motorcycle Club Secretary,
We have recently noted some illegal motorcycles on a number of our roads through the estates, in Fort William, Kinlochleven and Spean Bridge, as well as others. As you can imagine there are significant health & safety implications with regards to people riding on our land without approval, as well as the inevitable maintenance issues this also has.
We therefore politely request that you inform all your members that if they do wish to take their bikes off-road through any part of our estate, that they approach us in the first instance so we can provide approval or indeed guidance as to where they can or cannot go.
Without being able to control and manage such access more successfully will inevitably make being able to grant permission to club events increasingly difficult. Other interested parties, such as SNH, will be aware of the damage being done by those who have not asked for or received permission, and as such will take a dim view on future events.
If you have any questions regarding the above or any queries at all about future events, please get in touch.
Best regards,
OLIVIA GEMMILL Operations Manager
JAHAMA HIGHLAND ESTATES
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