I realise this might need a diagram! I was out running with my dog today. There's a footpath off the main road which leads to a dam. People fish on it. The footpath has a fence either side of it right up until the dam, give or take about 4 feet of land comprising of grass and another footpath (between the end of the dam and the fence). An angler was sitting at the dam, with his fishing rod to his left propped up on some apparatus completely blocking the four feet of land which I was to run across, right next to the fence. No way around it without going for a swim. It was poised about a foot and a half high.
I stepped over it and my dog jumped over it. Dog is huge, didn't touch the rod just cleared it. I didn't take a flying leap, I stepped over it carefully. Then continued my run-but he shouted after me that I shouldn't step over it, he'd have moved it (he hadn't said anything like this before I stepped over it). I shouted back that it was okay, and he responded that had I broken a section of his rod it would have cost me £250.
It's then when I was unreasonable, I shouted back that I wasn't waiting for him to move the rod, I've as much right to the path as him.
And he was blocking it which isn't great. Further up from the footpath would have been fine, no fence there and grassy areas surrounding so I could have just avoided.
I imagine he'll spend half his day repeatedly moving his rod, sitting in the spot he was right opposite where the footpath emerges, It's a regularly used-route.
Would you have hung about while he moved it (again he never said 'hang on I'll move my rod')?
I had no reason to think he would, and I wouldn't have asked either because I didn't know it was possible without a lot of faffing about. It wouldn't have been an especially quick thing to do, a long fishing rod with various elements and garments attached to it.
Anyway no harm done but I perhaps shouldn't have argued back with him.