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!!

We live in the country and own the a small private lane up to our cottage. A few weeks ago people started coming from the nearby town and parking in our lane to go walking, which was blocking access.

We went out and asked them to move, pointing out it was private property. We then got Verbal abuse and threats. One man told me he was going to complain to the Council ( good luck with that) and report me to the police.

So then we put large rocks on the side so they couldn’t park there. Another Man then told me it was fly tipping and I would get a big fine. And that because of me he was forced to park in the ( very narrow ) main road and if his vehicle was damaged by a tractor he would sue me.

People’s level of entitlement is astounding.

nonevernotever You only have the right to roam on certain lands, not every where, My dog was under close control as sated in the quide book

Your dog, your responsibility, to make sure it does not so much as take one unauthorised step towards livestock, as you exercise your right of way over land that someone else owns, and farms. Which means, keep it on a lead, in case there is stock in the paddock. I can see why you've had run ins with landowners, in fact I'd go so far as to think that perhaps you wilfully instigated them.

If it took minutes to get your dog back then it wasn't under close control at all. At lambing time your dog should be on a lead.

Clymene there was no livestock in the previous fields, and as you know lambing does not start at the same time and date every year, A nice friendly sign would be nice, not to hard to do, The farmers could be helpful as well,

mbosnz The only ones ive had run inns with are the arrogant ones, most off them are ok,

Lambing started a good few weeks ago. If you know anything about the countryside, you'd know that. And prior to that there will be pregnant ewes. Why not err on the side of caution and keep your dog on a lead, just in case? It'd be the decent thing to do.

YouTheCat yes your right in all it was properly a minute once I got through the gate, it would off been on a lead if the person and been so helpful and considerate to walkers as they expect us to be to them.

The only ones ive had run inns with are the arrogant ones, most off them are ok

LOL, I wonder what the arrogant ones would have to say about you.

Perhaps make sure you never go rambling in another country where there isn't such a system hester, I think you'd find the treatment you received if you took your dog off-leash into a paddock with stock in it quite a revelation.

Hester,

Why don't you just f off? Your posts are headache inducing due to your stupidity.

YouTheCat this was some weeks ago, it was the first time since last year there has been livestock in the field

Good god on another thread we've got someone who is getting chickens and asking if it's ok to fashion a coop from a dog crate rather than buy an actual one and on here we've got someone who doesn't understand how recall works in a dog.

Why people get animals as pets when they don't fully understand how to 'own' properly is baffling.

So they just have to go in that field with a public right away in it, no the one to the right or left, sometimes I think they put them in the field so they can moan about the general public

Unbelievably idiotic.

Just put your dog on a lead unless you're 100% sure it won't run after livestock. If you can't manage that very small amount of responsibility frankly you don't deserve the right to walk through the sheep's home and dinner. Unless you're just doing it so as to have something to whine and huff about.

@Purpletigers

You really need to calm the fuck down. You come across as unhinged and very aggressive

PepePig I am going for a walk now, I just wish farmers/landowners wouldn't treat people on footpaths etc as if they are scum, they have every right to be there, Im sorry if there are a few that do not use footpaths and just roam anywhere, we are not all like it, don't treat us all the same its a two way street, respect to get respect

Quite ridiculous to expect farmers to put up warnings on pasture. It's much safer all round if walkers assume that there may be stock in a field unless they can clearly see there isn't. It's not difficult, it's foolproof. Well, except in the case of people who are being wilfully foolish.

ErrolTheDragon Why, if you drove the same road every day, until one day there was tree cut down in the road around a corner you couldn't see, you hit it is that your fault or the lack of signs?

And there would have been pregnant ewes some weeks ago and you will have known that. Your dogs should have been on the lead. Use your common sense, please.

ErrolTheDragon Why is it ridiculous, I would of fault it good practice at the first turning out of the year,

YouTheCat AS I tried to tell you there was no sheep in there the day before, I am just trying to show not all people are bad, if we could work together, it would help

If someone cut down a tree across a road - something entirely out of the ordinary- then sure they should sign it.

OTOH if I run into a tree blown down by a storm then probably I should have been going slower.

I've never known pastures not have stock in them at some point, it's what they're for. If you see a grassy field, then it's reasonable to assume there might be stock in it. Why should farmers have to go to extra trouble just because some people can't be responsible and control their dogs properly?

Hester, you seem to think that ramblers are equal stakeholders to the farmers. Ramblers are not. They are exercising a right of way, they have no ownership. This right of way exists over land which is growing highly valuable crops and livestock, and also there is the threat of public liability if some utter numpty of a rambler (and it seems that numpty ramblers are not an uncommon breed) manages to give themselves an ouchie while on the farmers land.

Also, farming isn't exactly notorious for being a stress free 9-5 job, with lots of free time to make cutesy fwiendly signs to inform ramblers who might be a sufficient numpty of a twat as to take their dog off lead into a paddock at lambing time not knowing whether there was stock in it or not, that yes, there was stock in it, so could you put your dear Fido who you know wouldn't hurt a lamb, but the lamb and the sheep don't know that, on a sodding lead. Let alone to meander around doing this every time they shift their stock, to effectively farm THEIR LAND!

Why don't you treat their land, and their livelihood with respect, while you enjoy the seriously ought to be reviewed right to use the rights of way over someone else's land.

Why put your sheep in a field with a footpath at this time of year

BECAUSE THATS WHERE THEY LIVE

you are right though, I'll just put them in to the spare empty field next door that's owned by my neighbour. He won't mind.

Grumpy re the farm subsidies, I think it would be more helpful to think of them as food production subsidies. Farmers can only sell their produce at or below the cost of actual production due to subsidies. Without subsidies the cost of food would rise, costing the individual tax payer more. Don't forget farmers also pay tax on their income including subsidies.

Unfortunately there are many Hesters out there which is why farmers are so frustrated.

Yes, I know. I read that. But this is the countryside. Livestock don't necessarily stay in the same place all the time. Especially at this time of year, keep your dog on a lead and then there won't be a problem.

ErrolTheDragon I can asure you there has been no stock in these fields since last year.