To maintain a farmer’s land myself?

[Shan5474]

I think some people will say this is petty and I need to get a hobby, thing is walking and gardening are my hobbies.

In a nutshell, if you were a farmer or landowner, would you be annoyed at someone maintaining a path that runs in between/through your fields?

The path is the quickest way to the neighbouring village and river, it’s hilly but lovely. Public transport takes an hour whereas this is a direct 30 minute walk. The problem is the path (it is a right of way, marked on paper maps and has yellow arrows by the styles) is maintained about twice a year so for much of the summer and winter it’s impassable unless you’re wearing chainsaw trousers and a helmet due to 6ft+ nettles, brambles and weeds. The path was maintained a few days ago but it’s still impassable (see photo - it’s really not possible to walk through). Second photo is just the nice view while on the walk.

I know farmers are very busy. However this farmer does have time to set up occasional shoots in one of the fields that the path runs directly through which I’m surprised is allowed on a public right of way.

This is really rambly but my question is if I were to contact the farmer somehow and offer to maintain it, or in fact just do it myself, would this be unreasonable and what kind of response can I expect?

The farmer's not maintaining it because he wants to prevent people using their right of way.

If you want to go and make it usable do it but I wouldn't go looking for conflict by asking the farmer.

The farmer is being paid not to farm. The subsidies which started via the European union are for set aside. Do not touch the land, it would be criminal damage.
plus it might be a re wild ing scheme

Set aside or rewilding do not take precedent over public rights of way (if the path is a PROW).

This might be helpful: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking-hub/dealing-problems-public-paths

I would find out who is "in charge" of public rights of way at your local county council. They might be able to insist the farmer does something. Or see if the council or a wildlife trust will get together to form some sort of clearing group like they have for canals and parks.

Also contact your local force concerning the shoot so close to a right of way to find out it it's actually legal.

Its overgrown as no one uses it.
No one uses it as its overgrown...

This isn’t rewilding. It's not unusual for landowners to strategically fail to maintain ROW in an effort to ensure they fall out of use. Over time, the access eventually gets lost.

I would find out who looks after ROW / access issues in your area and speak to them about it. This isn't an uncommon issue and they will have a process for trying to deal with it.

The problem here is that it is clearly not a well used path. We have various walks from our house where in the summer the path gets a bit overgrown with nettles and brambles but usually someone in the village trims it back a bit. I’ve taken my secateurs with me a few times.

This path needs more than a light trim!

Landowners have a duty to keep rights if way accessible. In Essex you usually just report it to highways and they arrange for volunteers to open the path up.

Yes, this is correct. Lots of row around here through fields and much local mumbling if they are not correctly maintained.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-rights-of-way-landowner-responsibilities

Report the obstruction to your ROW team, every area has one, some areas have an interactive map you can use to report issues which makes the whole thing very easy.

As PP have said, it's highly likely the land owner is doing the bare minimum, in the hopes it will put people off using the path.

There is nothing stopping landowners shooting near or over public footpaths, as long as they do so safely and its their land/they have permission. Their licence should tell them what constitutes safe.

That view is fabulous and worth fighting for.
Report it. Let the Council see it in its bad state. Only once they have seen it would I consider getting the secateurs out myself.
Report it ASAP (with photos?) - now is peak lushness, so now is the worst it will look.

In which county is that lovely bridle path/ROW?
I would contact the farmer and say how valued the path is to you and I would offer to help cut the path with a scythe.
The owner can say YES or NO but it might be the start of a fabulous system. The farmer would have the tools possibly.

If the reception is too cool, then politely inform the ROW authority to attend to the matter.

She can't cut with a sycthe - it's criminal damage.

Do you know the owner?

@user1492757084 I can assure you if whoever owns it wanted it accesible it would be

But whether the landowner wants is accessible or not is actually not relevant, as long as it is a proper public right of way.

Absolutely contact the council as pp said. We are potentially at risk of loosing 100s of miles of public footpath in this country, one of the causes of this is landowners quietly not maintaining their footpaths as legally required in the hope that people stop using them and then eventually forget they exist https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/22/government-accused-u-turn-england-footpath-promise

Thank you everyone, I think it’s definitely a ROW and not rewilding, it’s marked by yellow arrows on the (broken) styles and one of the paths is covered in bindweed which I don’t think is native or wild.

I do feel the farmer/owner is doing the bare minimum, I stomped my way through part of the route that I could still just about get access through and when I came through that bit after it had been maintained, the only evidence I saw was about 5 nettles had been broken in half - I did more than that using a leaf for a glove 😂

Such a shame to hear we’re at risk of losing so many paths! It’s in Sussex and I don’t know the landowner. I didn’t know about ROW teams, I’ll report the path along with photos of the condition and I suppose be prepared to keep reporting as it’s been a similar story for the last couple of years. If I were going to do it I’d use a hedge trimmer instead of wandering about with a scythe as I might get to reported to someone myself!

I also didn’t know it was legal to organise shoots on or near ROWs!

I go out walking with a big walking pole and secateurs in my pocket OP - I refuse to let these ROW disappear, sod the farmers who refuse to maintain them. I've previously tried reporting the council which achieves the sum of fuck all so 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’ve just looked on the council website and it says that right of way issues are usually dealt with in 3-6 months 👎. If taking a hedgetrimmer would be criminal damage like PPs suggest I think I also need to get myself a big stick!

I think if you went out with some shears the chances of any negative repercussions are near zero. What’s the landowner going to do - sue you and tell a judge he wasn’t properly maintaining the RoW? If that path was near me I would happily cut it back.

I wouldn't even think twice about it! I went out last weekend with the hedge trimmer and cleared path near me that was getting overgrown. And yes it is a proper ROW.

Ah I suspect if they shoot the land through the winter I doubt the farmer wants all and sundry walking through where he is rearing his birds! However it's a ROW so it's tough shit tbh. Might be worth speaking to him - through rearing season he might be open to you taking a slightly different route then everyone is happy.

I've done a few reports in my time 😀

Try this

www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisure-tourism/discover-east-sussex/rights-of-way/problems-on-rights-of-way/report

Or this one

www.westsussex.gov.uk/land-waste-and-housing/public-paths-and-the-countryside/public-rights-of-way/report-a-problem-with-a-right-of-way/