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!!

I doubt it's hung by 'dog walkers'. I (not a dog owner) make a point of picking up their s bags off the ground, and hanging them on trees. My message to them ? 'Your litter is still here....that you habitually throw your poo bags on the ground doesn't make them disappear.' The good folk of Todmorden, did this at one popular dog-walking spot....there were literally hundreds of bags hanging from the bushes.

I very much doubt your 'message' was interpreted as you intended. I'd guess dog walkers who were doing the silly but less weird and obnoxious thing of bagging and leaving (some with the intent of picking it up on the way back) would probably have just thought, like the rest of us, 'what antisocial idiot hangs up poo bags'.

We no longer have a dog but I wouldn’t have dreamed of hanging up his poo bag on a tree. For any reason!

Mmmm, I see your point re hanging them on trees ..... whatever, and whoever is doing it - its really antisocial.
What I can't get my head around is HOW all these people reach us out here in the sticks? We're used to our regular dog walkers, they usually pass at their regular time of day and I recognise them. But now there's a stead stream of strangers who sadly leave gates open and doggy bags lying around (are they expecting litter bins?)
Its the fact that folk are driving their cars out here and leaving them in the church carpark when this isn't a particularly scenic place to go for a walk.
(sigh) but who can blame them? I just wish they'd just respect our property.

Put signs on all entrances. Where there’s cattle ‘Beware - Bull loose in field’. Where there’s no livestock ‘Beware - Poison laid’. Where there’s sheep ‘Beware - Guard dogs loose’.

but who can blame them?

Er... everyone who is obeying the law about not making unnecessary journeys?
Unless they're all coming from somewhere nearby where it's impossible to walk.

If it's physically possible, sounds like that church car park needs shutting, it's not as though the members will be using it at the moment.

Actually on another thread, a pp has posted the police advice on travel. You ARE allowed short distances of travel for exercise. So anyone coming from a short distance to our NT car park should have been permitted to do this. At least walking on their open spaces stops walking all over farms!

The Governments Children’s Commissioner asked on radio 5 today that families are able to use golf courses and parks so there is open space available. I think she has a point.

Using a church car park could be fine if the journey to get there is a short one. Better than unsafe parking or blocking gateways.

Hence the "Unless..." in my post.

Jacks11 - I feel for you. What is wrong with people?
Was going to say, everyone, there’s no point arguing with Hester; she’s in’tractor’ble, but seems she’s gone?

Yes. I agreed with you Errol! If we end up with draconian over zealous rules people will quietly disobey.

Davespecifico Sorry to disappoint you, still here, I fully agree with the points about people abusing walkways and wondering around farmyards etc , my arguments are with farmers/land owners/tenants that thinks its ok to block, obstruct, shut off foot paths etc, come at you in an aggressive manner, put up fake signs and leave them up, (don't seem bothered to put up helpful signs ) which would help regular walkers, some times it just seems a case of "Get of my land" attitude.

@Hester54 how about you make your own imaginary sign. It could say something like 'farming activity ahead'. Then you wouldn't be surprised when you're walking through farm land and come across evidence of farming.

TrainspottingWelsh Since when has blocking fp, being rude etc been a farming activity?

@Hester54 perhaps some farmers wouldn't feel driven to blocking footpaths if people kept their dogs on leads, picked up their litter and cleaned up after their dogs.

DdraigGoch Two wrongs doesn't make a right, Should we shut all pubs because some people get drunk and cause problems?

@Hester54 pubs can kick people out and ban them, which I would say is a better analogy than shutting the pub.

MinnieMountain still will not stop people getting drunk and causing problems, not the same people anyway

If it's "not the same people anyway", why mention pubs at all?

Two wrongs doesn't make a right so why are you taking your bolt cutters to cause criminal damage then?

If a farmer is 'rude' to you (I question that, I'd say more likely thoroughly and understandably exasperated with you and other daytrippers, and not backwards in coming forwards and showing it - and no Hester, I'm not a farmer), what does that cost you?

Does it cost you in terms of crops spoiled, livestock threatened and or killed? No. Do you end up having to pick up their dog shit and litter? No. Are they coming and settling down to a nice picnic in your garden? No.

Perhaps the two 'wrongs' simply aren't comparable. You just get your feelings hurt, which after all, just means you get to gnaw your liver a bit more about how mean and horrible farmers are. . .)

mbosnz why would they exasperated by me? I am just somebody walking on a public footpath,

Scrowy I only use them if somebody has broken the law, I don't use them if I don't have too

mbosnz My car had a puncture this morning, But its alright the postman turned up just at the right time, so I ranted at him, chuck in a few swear worlds, buts that's ok, I am sure he understands

It's madness here as well - today alone I've moved 3 groups on from various parts of the farm, 2 of which were sat having picnics nowhere near the footpath! The 3rd lot were walking across a field that has only been planted in the last week or so and had 4 large dogs tearing around off the lead.

None of the groups were local - when asked they had all driven at least 45 mins to get there and one lot came from over an hour away!! One lot tried to tell me they had permission to be there from the farmer and looked rather sheepish when I pointed out I was the farmer and I'd never seen him before in my life!

We are lambing as well at the minute and it worries me to death that people think it's ok to rock up and let their dogs run wild!

We are lambing as well at the minute and it worries me to death that people think it's ok to rock up and let their dogs run wild! Sympathies whojamaflip Hope lambing is going well. It's such good weather for the lambs this year. Unfortunately it's brought out the twats.