To ask how high?

[Damntheman]

I'm having issues with neighbours (and also random strangers) using my garden as a short cut. Since the town took away the bus stop up the hill when re-doing the bus routes I've noticed an increasing stream of foot traffic through my garden without permission. It's a pretty steep hill but going down my garden is probably the least steep part of it and cuts 10 minutes walking time off anyone coming from the houses up there down to the current bus stop. It's driving me batty! It's turning half my garden into sheet ice and almost certaining ruining the grass and any plants beneath. I'm also fairly territorial and have my hackles right up regarding people sauntering over my land without asking.

I've managed to catch two of them at it and asked them to stop but there are still several more. The land is quite open as when they built the new houses up the hill, they cut down the line of trees along the border so now in winter (we get a lot of snow) there's no visible boundary which I suspect is a large part of the problem. As a side note I'm also fairly certain someone living up there has buried their pet in my garden as I found a small mound along with home-made cross under one of my trees before the snow came.. wtf!

I want to put up a rope fence in spring time (probably May by the time the ground has defrosted enough to sink posts. Sigh..) to prevent people walking through. I quite like most of my neighbours up the hill and there's a shared play area up there that my kids have an open invite to use so I am not wanting to go for a completely solid high fence to start with at least. It would be nice to be able to maintain at least some of the open community feel without opening my garden to become a public footpath.

The current thought is a series of posts 1 meter apart with two ropes strung between them. One at about 1 meter high and one at 50cm to prevent people ducking under the rope or climbing over.

Is that high enough to prevent people climbing over do you think? Or should the upper rope be more like 4 feet (1.2 meters) up instead or higher?

I'm also considering planting a row of gooseberry bushes or something similarly prickly in front of the hedge for a secondary line of defense.. so to speak.

Help!

How can they go under it if there are 2 more levels of rope barrier?

You put your leg through, bend over and pull the rest of your body through

If it’s just a case of pointing out that there’s no right of way to the polite, non-CF Norwegians just put a notice up?

Or, if it’s just a case of pointing out that there’s no right of way to the polite, non-CF Norwegians then a 1ft-high fence will do it?

You put your leg through, bend over and pull the rest of your body through Literally not possible with rope fences here. They're very thick rope with no give to them. You can't lift them up or move them.

Sadly there's nowhere to put a notice where anyone would actually see it. It won't be a 1ft high fence, it'll be a 4ft high fence.

@Damntheman Ah ok - that might do it then.

I lived in Switzerland for a while, and a sign would have done the job! In the U.K., someone would probably snip one section of your rope and create a “gate” for everyone!
I think you need to canvas more Norwegians.

I suspect you're right Ellisandre! I'll do that :) But thank you everyone for your input!

In the U.K., someone would probably snip one section of your rope and create a “gate” for everyone :o :o :o omg so true though.

In the U.K., someone would probably snip one section of your rope and create a “gate” for everyone!

I agree

Sadly there's nowhere to put a notice where anyone would actually see it. It won't be a 1ft high fence, it'll be a 4ft high fence.

Why go to the expense of a 4ft high fence when 1ft high will do it?

Literally not possible with rope fences here. They're very thick rope with no give to them. You can't lift them up or move them.

If it's possible with a post-and-rail fence it'd be possible with a rope line.

(Am I the only one finding this seriously baffling??).

I'm sorry to have been confusing bug! I very much suspect I haven't managed to explain myself well enough. It's not confusing to me, but of course I know exactly what I'm trying (and apparently failing) to convey.

You couldn't slip through a post and rail fence either if the struts were too close together, which is the plan with the rope. Besides, if one tried to slip through such a fence in that kind of manner when the ground is on that serious of an incline, one is going to fall over and at the very least get very muddy/snowy or hurt. It's not flat ground. At a guess I'd put it at a 12-15% incline.

Over here a 4ft rope fence wouldn't be any more expensive than a 1ft fence and I see your point, but the higher fence would probably make me feel better in an irrational fashion. Also be less likely to get totally covered in snow in the winter. 1-2 feet of snow? totally possible. 4 feet on that incline? Much more unlikely.

You couldn't slip through a post and rail fence either if the struts were too close together, which is the plan with the rope.

I agree. But a rail/rope at 4ft and one at 2ft is going to stop very few people, surely?

Over here a 4ft rope fence wouldn't be any more expensive than a 1ft fence

That's impressive, here the higher fence would cost more.

Anyway, it seems you have a solution to your problem

Ah yes, I think you're right so the plan has changed for three ropes :) I do appreciate your input bug, thank you for your time! Crossing fingers that next winter I don't need to set up a hunting den in my kitchen window with a nerf gun to take out intruders :o

As an aside, why are you paying rent for the private access road when from your diagram there is no other way to get to your house?! Is there no right to access (easement) in Norway?

Indeed no right of easement over private land, it's written into the deeds that 'rent' for maintaining the road and paying for a tractor to come and clear snow and lay grit is to be paid to the owner of house 1. Perhaps rent is the wrong word - but essentially yes, we use the road and the road isn't looked after by the town so we are required to pay towards its upkeep. It's not a very large amount of money.

Would it be possible to write (someone here might be able to help with wording) a polite note that you could print or copy enough to pop through the mail boxes of the houses on the top, if its nicely written explaining that your garden is being damaged and you're scared of someone hurting themselves they might understand without you needing to put a fence up.
I'm just going by your comment about locals not normally being cf's, so they may not realise and would appreciate the advice that its private property.

It's a good idea. I had considered it but was afraid of looking nuts if the culprits turn out to be strangers from further up their road! I may do it anyway :)

If everyone got a little note it wouldn't be singling anyone out, providing you word it nicely!

I’d just build the fence rather than drawing attention to the situation across the whole neighbourhood

If the snow is there and fairly fixed, could you use something like food colouring, garden paint or even sand to create a bright line on the boundary so that there’s something visible on the ground to make people stop and think (even if it’s to wonder who was murdered after seeing the red on the ground?)...

A series of crime scene outlines along the border could be highly entertaining 😂 sadly this winter has been weirdly warm so the snow isn't as consistent as it usually is but I might try the food dye line for as long as this snow lasts!

OP, can you knit?

My brother sent me that picture too :o I can knit! Could probably knit that, but it wouldn't even last one winter here sadly! It's very beautiful.

Hang on. The play area is owned by the new houses. But they're kindly letting your kids use it. You however aren't prepared to let them walk across your grass a couple of times a day? Sorry but I think you're being a bit unfair.

I never asked if my kids could use the play area. It was offered freely by them when they built it with no expectation of return. My kids using their play area is not killing their grass/plants the way them walking over my garden WITHOUT ASKING is. I really don't see why this is even slightly unfair. If the original condition had been "If we let your kids use the play area can we walk over your private land whenever we like?" My answer would have been "No" and then my kids would not be going up to play. Bear in mind the play area is only accessible for about five months out of the year and they're waltzing through my garden (again, without permission) every day, twice a day at minimum.

Not to mention it's very likely not just the people living up there traipsing through my garden. I spoke to one of them the other day and he's also irritated by the constant stream of strangers passing by his veranda (and hot tub) so it's clearly also people who live slightly further afield who have cottoned on to this handy 'short cut' and aren't in fact offering my family anything as a deal.

Anyway - to update the situation, I've now spoken to three of the neighbours up the hill - two of them were under the impression that the third had given permission as it was his land, the third says it was a misunderstanding as he gave permission to use the road and assumed they'd ask me. Eyeroll. So I've given permission for those three to continue to cross but only at the corner to minimise the damage and only until the snow is gone and pre-warned them that a fence will go up in the spring. They're now discussing putting in a set of steps in the next garden along (hopefully with permission :o ) which should solve my problem completely as nobody wants to slip down a crazy hill in the snow when there are steps to use. We are all in consensus that it's not just neighbours up the hill (who own the play area - it's not that exciting, a sandbox, two swings and a trampoline on gravel but the kids are all buddies in the neighbourhood so far so it's nice to have a hang out spot) that are traisping through my garden (without permission).