What is green laning? It is a new sport where four wheel drive vehicles are used to travel on a green lane. A green lane (according to Wikipedia) is a road that is 'unsurfaced, and may be so infrequently used that there is no wearing of the surface, allowing vegetation to colonise freely, hence 'green'. Many green lanes are ancient routes that have existed for millennia'.

Richard Hammond on the Top Gear TV show explained it thus. It's about man and machine together against nature. Yes, you do get muddy. You may get stuck in huge stinking pools of the stuff. But you wade through. It comes up to your chest. You throw a line round a tree. You pull yourself out. It's tough, it's technical, and - well - it's brilliant!

No indication was given on this show that the presenters were aware that a green lane is an ancient route throught the countryside that lots of people like to walk. Why should people who love to walk in the countryside have their paths turned into 'huge stinking pools'. If people want to do this sort of thing on their own land or land put aside for the purpose then I don't have a problem. But people who want an afternoon's fun in the countryside should not ruin it for people who can genuinely appreciate the countryside.

The presenters were making fun of ramblers. I am not a rambler. I was bought up in the countryside and often return to the area where I grew up. I like to walk in the countryside and enjoy the trees, wild flowers, bird song and all of the other things that make life worth living. I also use paths to walk from one town to another. I don't want the noise of the town brought into the countryside and I don't want to be stopped from walking my usual routes by huge stinking pools.

Green laning should be called brown laning. If all the vegetation was crushed and the countryside was a sea of mud then it would make people like Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson happy. They don't even understand what the issue is and they would never realize what they have destroyed. 'Man and machine against nature' indeed.