To ask my neighbour not to use my garden as a flipping public right of way?!

[CupcakeBabaPoo]

Will try not to drip feed but this is quite outing! To cut a long story short, my neighbours, and then subsequently the world and his wife, started using my garden as a public footpath.
It was nice for a bit and it was great for the kids but everyone gets fed up of living in a goldfish bowl eventually. In the end I stopped this happening but then they started cutting across another part of my garden. I asked them politely to stop it and now they are acting like I've done something wrong - have I?! Things have got really awkward and I feel like I'm in the wrong!

Remove neighbour from your Facebook after a comment re no idea why you were getting filthy looks and why people felt it was ok to trespass despite being asked not to. Ridiculous, they're like children!

Cherry - she is blocked and so is her friend who made the comment. I would understand if I had told her not to walk on her own path then I would be unreasonable but it's my path.

I feel so much better now that IANBU. I've tried handling it the best I can. It will blow over I am sure.

It's hard to know without seeing a photo, and it's understandable if you don't want to post one, but in reality (as opposed to on a diagram) does the area at the front of the houses look like individual gardens or like a communal areas criss-crossed by paths?

The neighbour's visitors don't have access to the Land Registry files to see the boundaries, they just have to read the landscape. If it looks like a communal space with paths providing alternative routes to the two houses' front doors, the best way to stop people treating it as such is to re-landscape it to appear more like conventional, separate private gardens.

Casper - every house has their own path and access if that makes sense. It's just adds an extra 5 seconds using their own paths.

I think some relandscaping might be in order though. It's just a shame.

Gosh OP my mum is in a similar situation, similar set up as well with the open garden, she's at the end next to the car park and the new neighbours were walking through her garden to get to their car and the kids have trampled on her flowers. She has a massive full length window and they always stare in as they pass, it's so intrusive, one of the little boys would even go right up to the window and place his hands and forehead on window and just stand looking in (window has a tint).

She has asked them to not do it anymore and they have went from smiling and saying hi to completely ignoring her and walking past her with their nose in the air. I have no idea what makes people act like this, they're in the wrong and all you have asked them to do is stop, very weird reaction.

I used to have a shitbag neighbour like this. Once you do something to put them out, even if they're in the wrong, they'll do everything they can to be nasty. Dragging other ppl into the issue is common, just so they can bitch about you.
You're not going to win with this one. I don't think you can do or say anything to make it better or blow over. Some ppl are just arsey like that (and ignorant of decent behaviour). Plant or erect borders they can't trample (because if they can, they will) and ignore as much as possible.

What rude twats they are.

Thanks all. I am going to look in to borders and having the patio slab things that make the path removed. All this because I have added the grand total of 5 seconds to the journey to their car! I just hope it doesn't escalate too much. My neighbour was blaming her friend and saying she's like that anyway (re the Facebook post and walking on the path again) but apparently she has never slagged me off to her. Likely story. Still, being ignored is better than living in a goldfish bowl.

I like the sound of prickles, sprinklers and guard dogs though

Sorry to the the dissenting voice, but I feel like you ABU to be honest.

It seems as if you used to get on well enough and your kids would play in each others' back gardens and that your front gardens are seemingly communal.

Your neighbours are probably surprised that this is now an issue for you, and whilst they should respect your views probably feel they're a bit OTT, which they do seem to be.

If your neighbour is saying she told her friend not to cross your garden, and "blaming her friend" for the unpleasantness, I really think your neighbour is at least making a gesture towards not being really combative.

If I were you I would say something along the lines of: "I know it might seem a bit fussy, but I would really appreciate it if you are able to humour me", rather than being outraged. It is terrible to be on bad terms with such close neighbours, and the kids are friends!

You don't need to go the expense of digging up paving, you could place a row of heavy planters and pots below your window. Block up the path with them. They can't pass directly in front of your window and no more goldfish bowl!
The current set up, and their behaviour sounds utter shit. Best of luck with it.

I'm sorry I can't read your diagram properly as I can't see what's written in yellow pen.

But I think you are right - if you can't /won't put up a fence you will need to remove the slabs that form the path and put in a border. Border needs to be at least 1.5 M deep and planted with tough evergreens. This will give you colour and form all year round.

Don't waste your money on piddling little pretty herbaceous plants that neighbours can just step over.

You could plant a little hedge

At - it was fine for the kids to play with each other but when you have people passing through your back garden at all hours, making comments about things you are doing in the privacy of your own home and gawping in every time they walk by it gets a bit much. It wasn't a shock to them as they have no right of way and I told them before I put the fence back up that I was going to do it. My neighbour took it down without my permission in the first place!

Sorry, I didn't really mean that YABU with the back fence. That makes sense. Rather The front pth being used as a shortcut seems reasonable.

I guess put up a front fence on your lawn to stop them?

Love the little hedge!