Saturday 13th October dawned very misty, but with the promise of better things to come as the day unfolded. I guess it was around 08:00 when three cars and six Observers left the Solihull area bound for the Forest of Dean, and in particular the small town of Coleford where Whitecliffe Quarry is to be found. Why go to an old quarry, well that’s because it’s the home of Whitecliffe 4x4 off road experience, which had been chosen to give the Observers a chance to learn about handling vehicles in proper off road conditions.

The party duly arrived shortly before 10:00 to be greeted by our two instructors for the morning session, Richard and Andy. After coffee and approximately half an hour of briefing, we made our way to the three vehicles that we were to undertake our training in. They were not the latest models, but what would be the point of having such to be abused and misused in the manner we were about to experience. We had two Range Rovers, one moderately standard, the other modified to a two-seater cab and open back with a number of mechanical mods too, and a more or less standard Land Rover 90; all three having the good old V8 power pack.

Having managed to get from base camp to the training area within the old quarry floor, we prepared to walk the first introductory section, after all as was explained to us, it is quite important to know where the ‘road’ goes, particularly when you can’t see it because the bonnet of the vehicle is pointing skywards as you reach the next obstacle. Within this process the art of determining the correct course, using the correct gear and controlling the speed were all explained at length. It was then time for us to put into practice what we had been told, all under the watchful eyes of Richard and Andy, who were clearly devotees of this 4x4 art.

Having survived the first section, we progressed onwards towards greater challenges in the following sections, again walking and planning each section before driving it, and being shown what happens when you get it wrong. By this time we were getting the hang of things and talk of axles, articulation, low ratio, wind-up and dif-locks were making some sense. Taking it all into account and putting it into practice was less easy, but we were all having a pretty good attempt at it. When things got too much, one could stand and admire the peace of the place and the peregrine falcons soaring above over the man made cliff face. By now the sun was beginning to burn-off the cloud and mist, preparing the way for a sunny afternoon.

Back to business. we still had to complete the course and by now we were driving in places that earlier had looked pretty daunting. The final demonstration drive by Richard and Andy was quite amazing, especially with five-up in a Range Rover negotiating very steep inclines and carving a path where previously there wasn’t one!

With the time well after 13:00 it was time to head back to base and meet up with the six afternoon crew who had had a more eventful journey down; the M50 being closed due to a truck misbehaving on a bridge and depositing loads of debris across both carriageways at Junction 2. Lunch was the time to reflect on our new-found skills and to alarm the ‘green horns’ as much as possible about what they were going to be doing. I gather they actually did rather well and enjoyed themselves as much as we did.

So, with the sun now shining and the trees just starting to show their autumn tints, we set forth for home somewhat wiser and better able to advise others on how one should perhaps approach off-road obstacles and hazards. I certainly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone who was thinking of using a 4x4 in anger, ‘cos as we saw, the vehicle is limited by the drivers knowledge and understanding of the mechanics and the terrain. It is actually not too difficult to get a 4x4 stuck!

Well done to the organiser, and long may such training sessions continue.

Denis Hale - Senior Observer