No fields to walk on

[CurlieSue]

Hi, I was born in Birmingham on the mid 70s. Even though I lived in a city there were always lots of fields nearby to walk on for miles on end. Even though now I live in rural Yorkshire, I cannot find a single field to walk on. Either they are private property or they belong to a farmer and have crops growing on them. AIBU to feel very sad about this?

Yes, you are a bit. You can walk freely on common land, but not farmland. Look for footpaths. Or move to where theres some common land, moors or heath.

Yes I see your point but I just find it sad that so many beautiful fields are no longer available to walk on. I've seen so much change in the 40 odd years of my life and I remember my nan being so sad about the loss of field land.

Have you checked on an up to date OS map whether there are any footpaths local to you?

I'm also in Yorkshire (semi-rural rather than truly rural) and there are endless footpaths round here, a lot of which aren't marked very well so would be easy to miss if you didn't know they were there.

I've never thought about it!

I run.... down the side of many a field. For miles sometimes

The land round us, and indeed ours, is criss crossed by footpaths.
Must say they're not very well used.

Yes it sucks that so much of our beautiful space is owned by people or entities who would never step foot on half of such land. Whilst we have at best a few betrothed acres and some common land. I'm with you there OP

I find it hard to believe there's no fields with public footpaths through them anywhere near you. My mum lives in suburbia but there's still fields to walk through with footpaths down the side. I can't believe in rural Yorkshire there's none.

There might be a few narrow, muddy footpaths to walk down, but I have yet to find a single open field to walk through!.

So, if you get an OS map, there are no footpaths in the rural area where you live??

I'm not talking about footpaths. I am talking about open fields.

Are we talking about different things? I'm on the edge of a midlands village, and there are paths heading though open fields, some under crops, some with cows or sheep, in every direction.

I am talking about open fields, with no crops, where you can walk/run freely.

X-post. But the footpaths cross open fields. If there's a crop, the farmer usually makes a path, but if it's grassland, there's nothing to indicate a path -- you're just walking through a field.

Same here, the footpaths go right through the open fields. They are not a visible or muddy path.

I find it very rare to find a field you can walk through and it there is, the path is very narrow. There just aren't the open fields available to walk through any more. I just find it very sad.

Why not buy some land then

I'm in semi rural W.Yorks and there are many footpath across open fields.

There aren't many actual marked paths, you just have right of way across farmers fields etc

The Yorkshire dales are very walkable. I've done so myself though I don't know the area well. Try your local tourist information centre for signposted walks.

You are being very unreasonable..when you live in a big town or city there are local designated recreation areas or parks' to give city dwellers some green space however in rural areas the land has to actually be used to grow crops you know to feed the population?! You will be able to find a country park not too far from you if you have a look where you will be able to walk freely. But sadly farmers cannot afford to donate large swathes of land to the general public to wander freely through

YANBU, I find it sad too.
Here's something even sadder: fields with crops near us got spayed with pesticides last spring. Walk across, and you find lots of dead and dying bumblebees. Depressing.

I live is se London and within half an hour there are tons of country parks that are fields you can just walk across.

I wonder if you are confused by the difference between fields which are traditionally pasture and crops. Fields which are traditionally pasture are grass land. The paths tend to be more open.