Please use the countryside responsibly- so fed up

[jacks11]

On a rare day off from my day job, I have once again spent the day dealing with a series of thoughtless and/or completely entitled idiots behaving totally irresponsibly on our land. I had thought the one (very small) silver lining of this awful situation would be that this lambing season would see us free from so many problems from people out for a walk etc. But still having issues.

Today I stopped no fewer than 7 families traipsing through either the yard, our garden (one family stopping to have a seat on the picnic table/bench in our garden) or the lambing sheds to have a look. One family also stopped off to admire the lambs in one of the fields then preceded to take there youngish children (under 10) into said fields to see them closer. Several gates left open, people climbing over gates etc. I caught someone feeding our old pony apples and a doughnut! We’ve had rubbish being dropped. Dogs off leads etc.

What I cannot understand is how so many are getting to us- they must be breaching the guidance to only exercise locally or walking at least 7 miles from the nearest village. Which I doubt with the ages of some of the children.

When DH politely approached the family in our garden they were really rude, citing their “right to roam”- not even slightly apologetic when pointed out they were in our garden so they had no right to be there. Ditto several other people- don’t seem to realise right to roam does not apply to private gardens or land used for commercial reasons- I.e. yards/lambing sheds and you must behave responsibly (e.g. close gates, don’t let dogs off leads near livestock, don’t leave rubbish, don’t worry livestock, don’t walk across crops etc).

When you add in the situation with Covid, you’d think people would be careful about touching gates etc unnecessarily- but no. Lots of people have vulnerable family members and this is just an added headache- having to constantly be aware that people may have touched the gates/railings/doors etc.

Please use the countryside responsibly- some of us live on the land you are using as a playground. You are putting our livestock at risk- please don’t feed livestock/horses for that reason- and sometimes yourself in danger. There is no excuse for leaving rubbish.

Rant over!!

It all feels a bit like some people have just been waiting for an excuse to yell ‘get orfff my land’ for years and now they think they have one

The title of this thread starts with 'please use the countryside'. Adding the word 'responsibly' is hardly 'get orf moi land' .

Under the circumstances the OP is being very restrained.

One farmer round here (99% arable, hardly any gates to touch complained on the local Facebook page about people walking through his yard where there isn't a footpath. Fine nothing wrong with that complaint, perfectly reasonable. BUT until recently years ago the bridleway did go through his yard until it was diverted. The council put up a sign showing the diversion very clearly. The farmer knocked it down with his tractor and it's now lying hidden in the hedge. People who aren't used to that route are following the path shown on OS maps without a clue that it's changed. He can't see why he should put the post back up again, reckons the council should come and do it.

bringincrazyback With a picky attitude like that you must be a farmer, sorry for my dyslexia and predictive text, nice to know you’re the bullying type, If you must know I can see two farm houses, farms from my window, worked on a farm many years ago, sorry to let truth stand in the way of your sarcastic comment

Yes. We have 19 ponies in the field next to our house now. There were definitely 12 last week. Gate definitely left open.

Our own gate was left open by some random (never had randoms prior to the CV) and the farmer next door has said no sheep will be in the other field this year as lambs and sheep too vulnerable at the moment given the sudden influx of people traipsing through private land.

It's very annoying. So much for people not driving to get a walk in. Surely walking is walking. You can walk down the road etc. You don't need a field unless like the majority of idiots described above seem to be allowing their dogs to shit in the field and not clean it up in which case you probably do need one preferably away from windows but yes I can see you

So much for people not driving to get a walk in. Surely walking is walking. You can walk down the road I wonder how many of these Covidiots are quite new to this concept of daily exercise, and are welded to their cars. They can't seem to imagine just going for a walk in the streets, near their own home. It has to be a "nice" walk.

They are just selfish idiots.

19 Ponies in one field??? How big is the field? Overcrowded!

"I can see two farms from my window"
I am posting myself laughing
That clearly makes you an authority on the subject then
Silly silly actual farmers on here
What can they possibly know
ffs
OP you are soooo not being unreasonable
Farms are not playgrounds they are someone's workplace
Might go skippety hopping into wherever Hester works and start messing with her stuff and claim that because I saw a photocopier once I should be allowed free rein with hers

Pissing
Obviously
My phone is clearly more polite than me

hobnobsaremyfave Yet again, please can you show me where I have said farms are play grounds, do you read what you just think it says?

I also grew up on a farm next to a national park (not in the UK) and my parents shot 14 dogs worrying sheep during lambing. (And had 8 dog owners prosecuted)

If your near stock keep your dog on a lead or just stay home.

We're having the same problems here. Last Sunday 3 adults & 2 kids walked through our garden so the kids could see the horses. I was on the yard mucking out and called out "Excuse me", and immediately the older man shouted at me to control my dogs as they were scaring the kids. I politely pointed out it was private property and the response "What's your f'fing problem, the kids only want to see the horses". The woman apologised and herded them all back to their car, parked in our driveway, and they left leaving all the gates open and me having to run up the lane after our two Lab puppies. The Farm is landlocked on 3 sides with only one entrance in and no footpaths anywhere near. They opened 2 farm gates and a garden gate to get to the horses which should have made it pretty obvious it was private property. I think some people are just completely thoughtless.

I too thought that people weren’t supposed to drive to then go for a walk - we are totally isolated with only a couple of tiny villages within a three or four mile radius. Have seen so many walkers, many clearly not local as they keep asking us which way to go - mostly walking across the farmers fields off the footpath - some in full rambling gear, families I’ve never seen use the footpath before, groups of 8/9 people walking together. It’s crazy - is it just because people have been told not to go out that now they desperately want to walk for miles and miles? Weird.

I honestly can’t believe the stupidity and entitlement of some people.

I wonder how they’d react if some randoms just rocked up and sat in their garden? Or started poking around their garage?

Maybe you should follow them home and set up a picnic in their garden or have a rummage around their garage.

FFS, words fail me reading some of the behaviour seen by the general public. Fucking morons, what's wrong with people.

Not so much now but I used to live in a beautiful rural area beside a big farm - no livestock, but it was also a commercial game shoot staffed by a terrifying gamekeeper. There was a great 4 mile circuit I could walk, but it did include footpaths that went through the farm. You had to keep dogs on leads, and stay on the marked paths even though they left them unkept or ploughed over and didn't reinstate them, so they were harder to use - if the dog was loose or you wandered onto the wrong path, the gamekeeper (or farmer) would appear as if by magic and scare the living shit out of you. Maybe I'm a wimp but I wouldn't have DREAMT of going anywhere near the outbuildings or machinery, and having got bollocked for taking a short cut (about 50 yards of non-public path joining two footpaths up and saving me 20 mins) I wouldn't stray off a path either.

I just don't think it's that hard, and I'm happy being an uncool rule keeper. They gave zero common sense (or country sense).

I live in a small village surrounded by beautiful countryside... Since this lockdown, whilst out on my daily walk I have seen an old fridge dumped by a field, and in another area an old oven... What is wrong with people.. I know that the tips are closed but what makes people do that... FFS!!! It saddens me... Especially as there is so much beautiful wildlife around here and natural beauty... I am thankful every day that I live somewhere so peaceful and lovely and then some dickhead does that !!! And the farmers are the ones that have to clear that up if the council don't come out when it's reported ... There have been so many people walking through the village since lockdown... Whilst most are respectful it's sad to know that people that dump rubbish are usually aware of where they can do it totally unnoticed...

YANBU OP! Selfish idiots the lot of them. I don't understand the entitled attitudes of some people. How can they think its ok to traipse all over your land???

Get a few Peacocks...the noise alone should cause them to move on....or a gaggle of geese...summit that'll get on there xxxs but not hurt them...if it doesn't work keep graduating until you get on their bollocks...I mean get some frisky bullocks.

Farmers are key workers and cannot self-isolate at home. People opening/climbing over gates and walking through their land/farms are putting them and their families at risk. Unfortunately locking gates are only options just now.

Don't let me start!! I have only read the first page of this Post and am already fuming. Yes, I am a country person and I have footpaths right outside my front door. One of these goes straight through the farmyard adjacent where there are in lamb ewes. Notices are posted on the gates to the yard and likewise at the entrance to the other main footpath that leads further down the lane. People have actually laughed at me for pointing out the protocol required. One of these was the Chairman of my local Parish Council - words failed me that day.
Already posted is a list of Do's and Dont's but here we are again.
When using a RIght of Way for exercise
First of all STAY HOME. But if you must walk a footpath, please observe the following:
Respect Social Distancing
Don't pass through farm yards, gardens, or close to people's homes.
Avoid gates, but if you can't, sanitize before and after use
Avoid Fields with livestock
KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEAD AND UNDER CONTROL.
PREFERABlY, don't travel by car to use a right of way

Geese. Better than guard dogs. Evil buggers!

@WhatTiggersDoBest
Doggers?? That’s given me the best giggle in days!
Sorry about the selfish twats though. Same to you OP.... I grew up in rural farming country and dickheads that do this stuff are a bloody menace.

Oh my good lord this is insane, people in your garden and not the least bit apologetic - this post just highlights everything that is wrong with this country - too many ignorant b*stards thinking they know better. How horrible for you.

Please, please contact that Police or your local neighbourhood policing team and see what assistance they can offer. We have a historical beauty spot at the bottom of our road - people had been going in for BBQs, picnics, parking on people’s drives as they’ve closed the car park. We and others reported and the NPT have been great and have been put patrolling a few times a day.

It’s everywhere OP here we have a lot of arable land and people have been walking through the fields with their dogs of leads - 0 respect. It’s never happened previously so I don’t know where all these buggers have come from.

On my lovely countryside walk today the farmers yard you can normally walk straight through without touching anything had had hay bales put right across the yard leaving a tiny gap, all gates shut with fiddly locks (never seen them shut before), footpath signs taken down, footpaths through fields ploughed and planted, stiles broken. Have always been able to do this walk without touching anything and it’s one of the reasons I chose it. Today not. I’m sure the farmer is fed up with all the people who have discovered this route but it’s surely better to leave it as a hands free route.

Not just the countryside either. We are allowed to go out for exercise once a day but some inconsiderate people are ruining that for everyone by letting their dogs shit everywhere or throwing their bags of dog shit along the side of the footpath. Seriously, what is wrong with people?

And what is with the boy racers thinking they can drive through local roads like they are on an F1 track? Just because there isn’t much traffic, doesn’t mean the high street and surrounding areas are Le Mans.

Makes me so mad!