Am I a cf for asking a farmer this question?

[Whye]

We want to buy a house which is off a rarely used but fast winding country lane - only wide enough for one car. The speed limit is 30 but we have seen cars zooming along. I would not feel safe walking my dog on these country roads. There are some woods nearby but I would probably have to load dogs up each time for the 2 min drive.

There are fields all around. Would I be cheeky to ask the farmer who owns the fields opposite us if I could potentially walk my dogs on the perimeter of his fields, obviously I will pick up messes and be respectful.

We would be 5 mins from a decent sized market town so there are plenty of options just not convenient. Am I being cheeky?

And for that reason the farmer would 9f course similarly not be rude or entitled etc to say no.

The way people feel just having conversations with people is rude is very weird.

Farmers around here are fine with dog walkers. Just ask.

I wouldn’t buy a house if it was contingent on neighbours allowing you to regularly inconvenience them.

It's definitely cheeky to ask some things.
'Can I borrow your wheelbarrow for a couple of hours?' versus 'Could you drive me to work every day for the next two weeks?'
'Could I borrow come in to your garden to trim my hedge?' versus 'Can you cut my grass every time you do yours?'

I still don't think that's cheeky to ask. As long as it's a genuine request and not a demand dressed up as a question.

I've knocked on your door.

Hello. I'm thinking of buying the house next to you. But I don't want to walk on the road or drive the dogs to a walk, so would you mind if I just walked round your land instead? I probably won't buy next door if you say no.

Now, it might not be rude to ask the question. But you say no, and then as you close the door what are you thinking? What a strange woman. Why would she ask that? Why would she think that's ok? Did she expect me to say yes? I wonder why? How bizarre.

Fairly isolated houses with no where to walk do put purchasers off so you have to think about resale.
Keep looking and find another house. I dismissed so many like this. We are now more rural, still off a busy lane but with a bit of land of our own so we just walk on our bit! And it wasn’t more expensive than he other options

Right, well it IS cheeky to ask some questions.

I’m a farmer and I’d say s very firm ‘no’, I’m afraid. It would add to our liability and potentially create a precedent. Farms are not parks and windy roads are part of rural living.

OP I'd just ignore the naysayers and ask the farmer if it's possible. You'd be neighbours and theres every chance he'd be OK with your suggestion. If its used for crops there's probably a wideish periphery around the field where he wouldnt plough anyway.

Are you a farmer or do you live rurally?

How on earth do you know what the farmer is going to say?
Without knowing them, the area, what, if anything they are growing, or how they feel?
I used to live backing onto a farmer's field, farmer was happy for all the houses on the street to use the field as a cut through to the common next to it apart from the rare times they were actually using it (e.g. sowing crops, occasionally opened it up for parking for a local festival etc.)

We bought five acres, it's a key node point with various footpaths off the boundaries.
Initially, we gave the neighbours permission to cross our land 20m to access acres of common. Then they were unpleasant and continued to be unpleasant. Permission withdrawn. We're now 20 years down the line and for 18 years they have had to load up the dogs twice a day and drive 2 minutes down the road. We're amazed they didn't make more effort to say sorry all those years ago.
They now watch other neighbours happily cross our land to get to the pub, it must really grate.

Yes, possibly bizarre, and possibly the provider of a good anecdote depending on how the conversation went. But cheeky, rude or entitled? Nope!

I know some people feel asking anything is cheeky. A school mum asked me the other day if I could have her boys before and after school for the next two Wednesdays and in the same message apologised for asking. I don't get why she thought she had anything to apologise for. In the end I can do the before school but not the after school so I happily replied saying that.

If she'd asked on here she'd have had 30 posters telling her she was entitled for even asking. All very odd.

The problem is even if he agrees he may change his mind or he could move so I’d say it’s maybe not the house for you

Cant get much more rural than round here and believe it or not many farmers are nice and approahable and would be happy to meet OP if she's going to be their new neighbour.

Presumably you know that school mum though? Not a complete stranger who is basing their decision on whether to buy a house on your answer?

Also, neighbour would be entirely justified in saying yes to begin with, then changing their mind if / when it no longer suits them, so you could end up stuck if you buy the house on the assumption you can use neighbour’s land.

No one is saying farmers aren't nice. Just that the field is their livelihood....

No, I wouldn't think of asking.

We have farmers in the family and sometimes people will wander round as if it's public land even right near the house. When asked if they're looking for someone, they sound quite affronted as if it's their right to wander through and even pick the produce (fruit)! It's not unless there is a right of way through it.

By which times the dogs may be long dead and so its not an issue.

Im sad to see all the negativity to the OP who sounds really nice.

My advice, don't buy the property. I can't imagine living under such circumstances that I am at the whim of neighbours, who might change their mind or move, at any point as to whether I can walk my dog without having to get in my car. Freedom, peace of mind and boundaries are very important in your choice of where to live.

Yes, she does sound polite but admits she's a townie!

Yes and as mentioned above i know of farmers who dont give a monkeys that many local residents have extended their decking into their field, as it doesnt stop the tractor going round to harvest. Likewise doesnt mind dog walking at the periphery. Not everyone is as militant as you seem to make out.

I'm not sure what some posters are on but I'm from a farming family and this would be fine. I know tens of farming families and it'd be fine with all of them, so long as you are sticking to the edges or even the trams potentially, it'd be no problem.