countryside road etiquette

[Crystyclear]

oh dear... it's the holidays.

yes, i know you enjoy driving your pretty little sportscar/hulking great caravan/ posh saloon (delete as appropriate) around the countryside lanes, but please, please learn some basic fecking etiquette:

if you're on a single track road and you meet a car coming the other way and there's a pull in space just behind you, do reverse into it and let them by

or if there's no pull in but the road is wide enough for two, then pull over - so no one has to scratch their car squeezing though.

don't honk and fuss at the farmers and their vehicles - they are working and live here and will usually pull over when they can to let you by.

i don't care what the sat nav is telling you - if the road sign says no vehicles over X height or X width, it's not a joke and having the only road to your house closed due to a jack-knifed car with caravan is certainly not funny.

or AIBU?

I completely agree that horse riders need to be just as considerate as drivers! In fact, I have had a number of incidents when I have been driving or on foot and been on the receiving end of rude horse riders - who just give the considerate ones a bad reputation.

Yes, riders should move into single file as soon as it is safe to do so or pull over to let the traffic pass. I guess some of the problems stem from a rude rider annoying a driver to such an extent that next time they encounter a horse they don't slow, or they beep etc.

Just as whilst a handful of drivers are impatient, most are actually (in my experience) quite lovely!

Sorry just saw your other post re: highway code. When I had a look it said to ride no more than double and single on a narrow road:

53
Before riding off or turning, look behind you to make sure it is safe, then give a clear arm signal.

When riding on the road you should

keep to the left
keep both hands on the reins unless you are signalling
keep both feet in the stirrups
not carry another person
not carry anything which might affect your balance or get tangled up with the reins
keep a horse you are leading to your left
move in the direction of the traffic flow in a one-way street
never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends

www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069853

But i think we essentially agree - politeness and consideration from both sides!

Horse riders round here are rather rude as it happens. Not only do they not acknowledge you slowing down they don't move over either. But more annoying is horse and cart woman who rides round the village very slowly every day, not going anywhere, just riding round. FGS woman, get a Fiat Punto like all mad octogenarians round here!

We have nutty horse riders in our village too.

One thinks it is ok for her to ride a horse down a single track busy road, leading another horse with her 2 dogs wizzing around behind her.

Everytime I see her I think she is about to be involved in an accident.

We have a mad old man in our village who drives a motorised wheelchair (you know the ones with a big plastic cover, like a toilet tent on wheels). He is nearly blind and just ignores traffic lights - sails straight through - I have no idea how long he's lasted on country roads but it's remarkable he's not been squished yet.

Totally agree with all the above, but one slight query regarding the pulling over on narrow country lanes. I was always taught that if the road is on an incline the person going down hill should give priority to the person going up hill and try to ensure that they don't have to come to rest as it is harder for them to start. Has anyone else come across that?

Oh we had one of those too whomoved. She would quite often run out of battery power on one of her little jaunts. She didn't seem to understand she needed to be charged up before she left the house, but the men of the village were fed up of pushing her home.

That's true 5foot5 - you should give way to traffic going up.

QuickLookBusy - ah I'm glad you said it was a woman, I thought maybe he'd got lost again. He quite often runs out of battery on the way home and freewheels down the hill home . Which is fine in principal but the brakes on those things don't seem to work with the engine off

Oh I can't wait to get into my 80's, thinking of all the fun I can have wheeling round the village causing havoc.

I suspect your role as village irritant would be fairly short lived though.

"Just a thought - teach yourself, your child or your horse to ride properly off road. If you're not confident of your ability to do that, don't ride at all."

What a strange comment. Are you aware that horses are not machines and are therefore unpredictable, particularly if they get frightened? Do you equate this with lack of confidence in riding? I think you may need to educate yourself to the proclivities of animals.

To me, some of the above, rather eccentric, but perfectly legal examples, are what keeps England quaint, before it was taken over by 4 x 4 driving city workers who weren't in a rush to get everywhere. To be honest, if other road users in the countryside annoyed me as much as Little Red Rock (and its cyclists too and no doubt pedestrians as well), I'd either move somewhere I didn't have to drive on country roads or change jobs.

It just reminds me too much of the stereotype of people moving to the countryside and then complaining about the noise of sheep bleating.

Either that, or she just sees the bad in everything she encounters - "I get furious", "cars get angry" - short fuse and lack of patience. Certainly seems to think she is more important than other road users, because she is driving a car.

I once nearly hit an old lady on her mobility scooter. I turned left into a one way street and there she was in the middle of the road driving TOWARDS me. I don't really think mobility scooters should be on the road, unless there is no pavement, but if you are on the road FGS obey the highway code!!!!

I have been riding on both country roads and on busy A roads for over 15 years, and have been driving for about the same amount of time. I can honestly say, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of rude horse riders I have met, however I lost count long ago of the number of rude, ignorants and downright dangerous drivers I have encountered while riding my horse. I have had people pass so close to me that the clipped my bloody foot on their wing mirror, and then had the cheek to stop the car and have a pop about the scratch! I've had buses repeatedly let off their air brakes right up my horses arse because they thought it was funny. I've had people honk their horn at me while riding single file up a road, then stop 50 yards in front of me, get out and shout filth and abuse at me for daring to ride on the road.
While it is nice to acknowledge someone who slows down and gives us room, and I do this wherever possible (however taking a hand off the reins when riding my horse generally results in him whipping round and trying to piss off back to the comfort of his stable and friends) I should point out that its the same as giving way to traffic from the right at a roundabout - ITS IN THE HIGHWAY CODE! you shouldnt expect thanks for obeying the rules of the road, and riders who dont wave and shed tears of gratitude when you do slow down arent actually being rude! rude would be them sticking twos up at you, or shouting abuse etc etc. if someone thanked you for giving way to the right at a roundabout you would think they were bonkers and wonder what the hell they were waving at.

In regards ton horse riders and drivers, there seems to be a lack of respect from both sides.

I often have to ride on the roads and my horse is excellent in traffic. My OH walks the dog with us, and I would consider myself very polite, I always say thank you and most people get a cheery wave. I'll trot on until I can move out of the way and wait for them to pass.

Some drivers though are complete dickheads like the jaguar driver whose slipped out of gear and revved the buggerey out of his car about a foot behind my horse. Once he managed to find the right gear, he roared past as fast as he could. Clever.

I don't want to end up in someone's windscreen with my horse on their bonnet because they couldn't possibly wait for me to get out the way.

RHINESTONE!!!!

You are my hero.

Butterbur, we don't trot on roads as DH's mare has sidebone and GD's pony's getting on a bit, but we always try to let people get by as soon as possible and never ride 2 abreast.

It was definitely National Drive Like a Twat Day yesterday though. 2 near misses in an hours ride. One pillock overtook me while I was turning onto the road (difficult junction to see round) and one was doing at least twice the speed limit and didn't slow down while we were crossing the road onto the yard!

If there is a massive line of cars behind you (or even just 2 or 3), pull into the next passing place and LET THEM PASS YOU!

oh and theres a reason me and my child are walking down the lane at side of road but two abreast ( thats so you will see us and i can push my dc into hedge if need be when you come steaming past) .Thats becuase i ahve just collected my dc from school and we happen to live down that lane

Oh and lorries using my lane as shortcut as the m11 further away junction is a mess .There a height limit for a reason not just the bloody tress you knock down that ake out my phone but theres a railway crossing with cables and when you knock on my door after ripping them down i am not going to be sympathic to you needing to contact your boss as your now running late .

I shall be busy calling the train people and the power company and no i can not offer you a cuppa while you wait becuase twunt I shall be without power for at least 8 hrs .(though if you are genuinley in shock or hurt i will make sure your ok then i will call you a twunt after

and theres goig to be some magnifcant queues when everyones else trys to use lane as cut through and realise the level crossing gates are stuck down and there going to have to sit there or ages then mutter and turn round ( ok last bit i enjoy especially as come down the lane and some driver says no point love the gates are stuck and i then turn into my drive 0#

oh and when your waiting at the crossing dont block my bloddy drive if im in my car or even more so block my garden gate so we cant even walk in .I shall and do rap on windows ( disclaimer at some points in the day the gates shut for 20 mins at a time and i do get pissed when i cant even walk into my own yard

Rhinestone is my hero too!

I told this story on another thread - it relates to respecting animals on the road, and will hopefully amuse QuietTiger's husband.

My dad was following a chap towing a lovely, shiny new caravan along the country road that led to the village where we lived, when they came upon a herd of cattle being driven along the road. Townie caravan driver became somewhat impatient and instead of waiting for the cattle to pass him, he decided to sound his horn and aggressively barge his way through.

Unfortunately for him, the herd of cows had the bull with them, and he was somewhat protective of his lady-friends, and when the caravan drew level with him, he swiped along its side with his horn, laying it open like he'd used a giant tin opener!! Muppet driver was incensed at this, and my dad took great pleasure in informing him that it was his own damn silly fault.

I've met some horse riders who haven't acknowledged me when I've been a considerate car driver, but to be fair, most nod, smile or wave. I don't think I've ever met a rider who hasn't pulled into the nearest layby to let cars past though. I think that what many car drivers don't understand is that a horse may not be able to get to the layby quite as quickly as they would like, and that they may well need to continue at a walk to get there. I think that has been explained clearly by others earlier on this thread.
"Just a thought - teach yourself, your child or your horse to ride properly off road. If you're not confident of your ability to do that, don't ride at all."
Here's the process of starting a young horse or rider to riding out:
First you get them confident in an enclosed area.
Then you get them confident in a larger but safe area.
Then, at some stage you need to introduce them to the road. Which is a whole different thing. Bear in mind that the horse has to get used to cars approaching and overtaking, sometimes at speed. So there's no way round it, at some point we have to teach them to go on the road, and when we do that we will often have someone walking with us, or another rider on an experienced horse riding alongside.
I'm currently walking out a pony on my own in-hand to get her used to the roads and traffic. You'd think that maybe, just maybe, drivers would think that some sort of lesson might be going on there wouldn't you? I mean, when the pony doesn't have a rider on board? And yet, yesterday, some twat nearly took us out by overtaking too close. Luckily said pony is a sensible soul and just jumped a bit, but it could have been so different.

StayingDavid TennantsGirl that is fab!!!!!!! Same with Rhinestone.

My mum and auntie were out walking along some country lanes one day when they went to inspect a small stone monument. As it was very old they bent down behind it to see who had placed it there etc. As they did so they were obviously out of sight from the road and a car pulled over and it's passenger proceeded to throw various items of fast food rubbish out of the car, over the top of the monument.

My mum and auntie then poped up from behind the monoument startled the litter throwers and my auntie straight away told them to pick up their rubbish and take it with them! Which they did out of sheer shock.

StayingDavidTenantsGirl - absolutely love it, but don't give my DH ideas! He's bad enough already and Colin, our bull, DOES have horns!!

Butterbur -

"And round here some of the horse riders also need a bit of a lesson.

Don't ride two abreast, and if someone's behind, it would be a nice gesture to break into a little trot to the pull in, half a mile ahead, instead of ambling.

Plus, seeing as this lane is right next to extensive woodland, criss- crossed with bridleways, why are you riding up the road anyway? I have to, if I'm in the car, but no way would I want to, if I'm walking/running/cycling/horse riding."

You sound like part of the problem.

We ride two abreast to stop idiots like you doing half-lane overtakes in dangerous places. Riding two abreast forces you to do a proper overtake, which might make you consider a bit more where is safe to overtake and where is not.

Trotting half a mile on tarmac is simply not an option for most horses. Even the police won't trot a horse that far on a hard surface.

And you'll find that the vast majority of horse riders (and mountain bikers) only ride along short sections of roads to link up bridlepaths. Most bridlepaths start or end on a road - you need to go along the road to get to them.

Lucy, to be honest if I saw someone leading a horse along a road my first thought wouldn't be "Aha, there must be a lesson going on" as I have no idea what the process is for training a horse. I'd be more likely to think something like "Oh, that person's must've got bored of riding that horse."

I'd still slow right down and give the horse a wide berth of course but I think it's a touch unrealistic to assume that people should read your mind just know what you and your horse is doing. If it's so important for other road users to know that you're teaching a horse, could you not get a hi-vis vest printed up saying "Horse lesson in progress" or somesuch? Or stick some L-plates to your coat?