AIBU to be fed up with walkers trespassing on our land?

If we heard a little less wanging on about the 'right' to roam, and a little more about responsibilities if we wish to continue roaming, that would be good.

Maybe if a landowner could evidence a certain number of offences against the land and livestock of a certain threshold of seriousness to permit restrictions, that would help remind people that with rights come responsibilities.

Funnily enough, they wouldn't be happy if their property/workplace was trashed.

I'm sure some entitled townie who thinks food comes from a supermarket would be a far better custodian than you OP, with your selfish food-producing ways. Hand it over!

"What makes it your land?"

I see we've reached the "property is theft" stage of the discussion!

This is your problem OP - people with attitudes like this, and the chap a PP posted about earlier, ripping the sign down saying "I don't like being told what to do." In other words, people who don't respect the land or the countryside, people who don't think the land should be yours in the first place, and think they should be allowed to go/do whatever they like.

I think introducing a Right to Roam law in England would be disastrous for this reason. The issue with crops is obviously bad enough, but the harm to the livestock - the ponies, cows, alpacas mentioned on this thread - is really awful.

And you sound unbelievably dumb.

I assume you eat food? And who do you expect to grow that? What do you think farmers do?

And if farmer fields got trashed and crops destroyed then food prices will go up.

We don't produce enough food in this country and import huge amounts. Supporting British farming is so important.

Are you serious 😂 she's growing the food you eat.

I'd go in the kitchen and help myself to a cuppa as well.

Ok great, Give us your address and I’ll be sure to exercise my right to roam across your garden with my dog

Put a sign up saying

PRIVATE LAND - BEWARE - LOOSE BULL

There's no right to roam anywhere you like in England.

We also have private property rights which is a bedrock of society in this country and have been in existence in some form or other for about a thousand years. You need to start a revolution maybe to change it? Good luck with that one. I'm not sure by the tone of your posts, Jeremy, that you are the persuasive type? Just my opinion of course.

People have the right to pass and repass over the public footpath.

They don't have the right to litter.
They don't have the right to trample crops
They don't have the right to leave dog shit everywhere.
They don't have the right to harass livestock.
etc

You do realise that you’re talking about working farmland! You know, the place where your food comes from! Do you demand access to factories and businesses too? Farms are a business. Essential to growing the food you eat every day!

No they do not. What the hell gives you the right to roam on other peoples land?

To. Produce. Food.

Food doesnt just materilise in Tesco.

They have the right to walk on the path on the RoW which they are not currently doing.

its OPs land, just like a house garden belongs to the owner, a factory site belongs to the owner of the site. OP is bending over backwards to help people still be able to access, despite shitty behavior with clear signs, being polite etc. she doesn’t sound awful at all, the melons she’s dealing with on her land the other hand

But your garden doesn't belong to me. And presumably you don't welcome strangers to park up on your garden and use it as a dog exercise field?

I live on the edge of a Devon village that has a lot of visitors from Easter to October. It's beautiful and I understand why people love to walk down our lane with or without dogs.
Across the lane we have an area of grass, a wildflower bank and an orchard. It's very obviously mown and tended, with rhododendrons and azaleas, spring bulbs and fruit trees along with a row of granite staddle stones (mushrooms). People treat it like it's just there for their entertainment. They have their kids climbing on the straddles for photos. They pick flowers and wander up into the orchard. They drive up onto the banks, churning and breaking them down rather than reverse 20m to a passing place. And almost every day someone allows their dog to crap on the grass. They have dogs on extendable leads that basically mean the dog goes where it wants and they do get arsey if asked to keep them off the garden, or not to drive over the grass slope. It's not fenced but we lined the most vulnerable areas with large rocks- today I found my wildflower bank wrecked by car tracks despite being nearly vertical, and a slew of crushed primroses, grape hyacinths and narcissi on the lane, where a vehicle had torn them out of the bank. People move the rocks out of the way so they can still drive on the raised verges.
It's not our livelihood and we don't have OP's worries for livestock or food crops. But I think it's the same attitude that the countryside exists for their recreation and those who live here are characters in their holiday theme park. I'm so tired of visitors letting their dogs crap anywhere and not picking up up- as though the normal rules are suspended when you're on holiday. We all understand that visitors are important to the rural economy and want them to feel welcome- but that's honestly not always easy.
@Pricelessadvice you are not being unreasonable. Sadly you are probably too reasonable and need to be a bit more direct about threatening consequences if dogs worry livestock or horses are injured.

^ This. Surely every adult must know this.

Some people grow food. Your food!

Why should you own fields and fields of land when some people only have a postage stamp garden, if that? The earth belongs to all of us.

I like to think I’m a very respectful walker. The only time I would venture away from the public footpath is..

if it wasn’t adequately signposted and I was genuinely confused about which way to go.

if there were cattle in the field that were genuinely overly interested and a concern to my safety (I have a dog and a farming upbringing and was never concerned about cattle until I had a dog and experienced cattle surrounding us.) In this case I would find an alternative route for my own safety.

I would always pick up dog poo and treat land with absolute respect. I don’t see huge numbers of out of control walkers where I live but maybe I’m lucky. On the whole land owners are lovely too but it’s hard to completely control a 10 mile walk where you don’t know exactly what hazards or unclear signs you may encounter.

A donkey would take out that rottie.