Would you walk across someone else's fields?

[hotpatooties1]

Just that really. I've been surprised since moving to a farm just how many people are willing to walk across other peoples land and allow their dogs to run all over it too. Some of the fields have just been sewn and are sprayed with fertiliser regularly..they don't seem to care.

I wouldn't do it, was brought up on and around farms and was told not to walk over other peoples land. I understand the right to roam and that lawfully, they are doing nothing wrong. It just doesn't seem right.

This morning I drove past one of our fields that is gated. A woman had gone into it with her dog, let it off lead and had a kid on a bike in it..AIBU? Would you do that?

If you own land you know their is a right of way, are you suggesting that all rights of way be withdrawn im sure landlowners would love that but as a dog owner I wouldnt, farmers do not maintain signs and in fact take them down, put up styles instead of gates so dog walkers cant use them, neither do they maintain fences and are trigger happy to get the chance to shoot a dog and the law always backs them up when in one case the dog had run away when he hit an electric fence, the owner ran to get her little springer back, when she got to the field it was running back to her, no animals harmed and the evil farmer shot the dog dead evil w*nker , land owners and dog owner hate each other

And farmers need to learn PR skills as well if you think land should only be for farming and anyone that wants a walk what do you suggest we do walk round out gardens or on a pavement, land was actually made millions of years ago and once owned by no one except dinosaurs

I would walk over a path but keep the dog on a lead and close gates every time.

rubbish, I pick up my dog poo others dog poo and rubbish but farmers here in the Brecon Beecons take down signs, hide footpaths, put up styles instead of gates to make it hard for us dog walkers, if the two sides dont work together it will be war, we need food but farmers also need customers and those customers cant all buy a few thousand acres to go for a walk

wow thats pathetic was wondering the other day why they dont have posters and tv campaigns

[quote hotpatooties1]@sunflowersandbuttercups but it isn't up to me to make things easier for you! If you are coming to the countryside to enjoy it then do your research and find out where you can and can't go first.

I don't know how it could be more clear that the fields have been sewn or the grass fields are off limits unless I was to actually stand at the side of them telling people. There are gates and fences, tractor lines, often a big fuck off sprayer about 20 metres wide going up and down the field..[/quote]
We have local fields like this & to put tresspassers off farmers have started putting up big prominent signs saying the fertiliser used is toxic to children and dogs. Yry that?

I was brought up in the country and I would not cross someone else’s land.

I admit to wandering a up to a few metres in from the fence to avoid mud and poo, dog on short lead. If it was anything but grass absolutely no way, would never go into a field that wasn't a public footpath

YABU to do this. It contributes to further erosion of the turf and grassland.

The only place where you’re ASKED to do this is on Dartmoor and that’s a different case.

I dunno OP. I mean, you're not wrong, but this is a small country and I wouldn't begrudge people a bit of space to exercise or escape from things, as long as they're not doing any damage.

Well I wouldn't normally do this but actually yesterday I dropped my daughter at a scout hut for a holiday club. It was on a road with fast traffic and no pavement, not even a tiny verge. It was 2 lanes with hedges right next to the road on both sides. The bus dropped us near the scout hut but even going 20m to get to it was scary! I had to go somewhere to wait for my daughter and followed a sign for a public footpath on to farm land. I saw one further very non-obvious sign on the land but it was not clear where the footpath went. After 45 mins I was lost and had to go back out the same gate. There were no other options than to walk on the road with fast traffic inches away from me. I dont know whose responsibility it is to maintain the footpaths but i felt I was in danger because i didnt have safe access to a path around the farm land.

indeed the land owners do it on purpose, if they had their way wed all be caged in our own gardens if we have one and the only walks would be if you owned your own estate

Also, lots of public footpaths are signposted but totally blocked by brambles and undergrowth. I went out with my dog yesterday - lots of well-signposted farm tracks until suddenly...they stopped.

There was a signpost through a field that was just a lumpy, boggy mess. No path to follow, no way you could just walk around the edges as they were covered in brambles, and no clear exit on the other side. We got about halfway across and I was forced to give up and turn back.

Public rights of way are historic footpaths, developed over years of use, generally a long time ago when most people's main form of transport was walking. They were about utility - use.

If they are blocked by undergrowth, this might suggest that that particular path is no longer used & so no longer needed as a right of way.

Public footpaths & rights of way aren't therefor leisure purposes. If a field's boggy, it's boggy. There's no compunction on the owner to drain it so you can have a leisure walk.

There were no other options than to walk on the road with fast traffic inches away from me. I dont know whose responsibility it is to maintain the footpaths but i felt I was in danger because i didnt have safe access to a path around the farm land.

It's not the farmer's responsibility to enable you to go for a leisure walk.

Paths were rights of way for people to get from one place to another before cars were invented.

In Scotland so we have right to roam.

But common courtesy (and common sense) means you don't walk through a field with either crops or livestock.

Right to Roam is a bit of a misnomer - you can't just go anywhere...

^People in Scotland enjoy what is colloquially known as the "right to roam" but this is a misnomer.

It is set out in Section 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 that in Scotland everyone has the right to be on land for recreational purposes and to cross land for such purposes. However, as with any ‘right’, there are limitations and restrictions.

The so called “right to roam” must be exercised reasonably and helpfully, very good guidance is provided in the expertly drafted Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This Code highlights that the right needs to be exercised responsibly. The law also sets boundaries on the extent of the right so that the benefits of private ownership are still respected. Thus, for example, the “right to roam” will not extend to include land that is adjacent to dwelling houses, farm buildings, compounds, schools, and the like."

But no, I wouldn't walk through a field unless it had a footpath over it. I'm also paranoid about cows so am really careful about even ones with footpaths on ....

A lot of people simply don't have a clue. They never go to the country and have never heard of the country code. They see grass - 'it's a free country'.

You'll need a big sign explaining about pesticides or weed killers. You have to convince them it's a risk. Tell them you've sown crops and they won't care, they'll still let their dog shit on it, but tell them your field will give them cancer and kill the dog, they might pay attention.

@davidstuart

indeed the land owners do it on purpose, if they had their way wed all be caged in our own gardens if we have one and the only walks would be if you owned your own estate

What are you talking about? You’ve left lots of very angry posts to no one in particular on a relatively old thread.

The farmer you mentioned just sounds like a cunt. Not all farmers are desperate to shoot people’s dogs dead. My land is forever invaded by families with dogs, children, and god knows who else. My gates are left open, my crops trampled, my animals worried, and I have yet to shoot anyone or anything dead. Not only that, there are no rights of way across my land that I have to honour.

Some people are just twats, be they farmers or civvies. If people were educated in respecting the countryside, we wouldn’t have these problems.

Well, where else am I going to eat my flake OP?

Joking btw before you set a mad cow on me 🙂

There were no other options than to walk on the road with fast traffic inches away from me. I dont know whose responsibility it is to maintain the footpaths but i felt I was in danger because i didnt have safe access to a path around the farm land.

It's not the farmer's responsibility to enable you to go for a leisure walk.

Paths were rights of way for people to get from one place to another before cars were invented."

It wasn't a leisure walk! I needed to get to a different bus stop to get home. I don't have a car and not planning on getting one whether farmers maintain public rights of way or not. But if someone has a right to get from A to B through their land and it's their responsibility to facilitate this then they should do it.

The amount of people who think public footpath = rights to walk over entire paddock, is staggering.

Yes a public footpath crosses my land, your access therefore begins and ends on the boundaries of that footpath, not my entire bloody field!

@OhMrDarcy

Brought up in the countryside and I'd rather chew my own leg off than walk anywhere than a clearly marked footpath/bridleway. DH was brought up in a town and would happily walk over any random field. Words have been had on many occasion.

Same! He says that as long as it's not crop it's fine, and we have to agree to disagree. On one memorable occasion on holiday with his friends, they insisted on playing football on some land alongside a public footpath. I had to take myself of for a walk as I wanted no part in it! They all felt that because the footpath was public and it was 'just grass' they had a right to be there.

@romdowa

I have done if its empty or just grass but never if there is crops as I would presume I could be liable for any damage done to the crops.

grass is a crop you numpty

@ShortBacknSides

There were no other options than to walk on the road with fast traffic inches away from me. I dont know whose responsibility it is to maintain the footpaths but i felt I was in danger because i didnt have safe access to a path around the farm land.

It's not the farmer's responsibility to enable you to go for a leisure walk.

Paths were rights of way for people to get from one place to another before cars were invented.

actually in England yes it is the farmers responsibility to maintain public rights of way whatewver the reason for their use. www.gov.uk/guidance/public-rights-of-way-landowner-responsibilities

If they are blocked by undergrowth, this might suggest that that particular path is no longer used & so no longer needed as a right of way.

That's rather convenient - people can't use an unusable PROW, so it will rapidly become a self-perpetuating issue. In fact, one of the most used tracks (bridleway) in my area is very overgrown at the moment, despite being in frequent use by pedestrians, [brave] cyclists and horse riders. In consequence, most horse riders and some pedestrians are actively avoiding it until the land owners get around to sorting it (which they will as they're reasonable people).

It is the land owner's legal obligation to prevent bridleway obstruction by vegetation.

I used to live on the edge of the city where there was farmland. We had a right of way across the fields (or rather in between the fields) to the local church and pub. However we always were careful not to tread on the farmers's crops or actually leave the designated path.