Neighbours walking past our front door to leave the house

[Bluesea14]

our new neighbours keep walking past our front door and squeezing past our cars when they go out. We have checked our deeds and title and this is part of our property, not a public footpath. We would never dream of walking past their house when we go out so we can't understand why they think it's acceptable to do it. They recently had furniture delivered and this was also carried down the path past our front door instead of going in between their cars.
I have attached a image which is similar to the layout of our house and the blue line is where they keep walking. Any advice on how to deal with this please? We haven't properly met them yet so we don't want to come across confrontational but we also want to make it clear that we don't want people regularly walking on our property and setting our ring doorbell off.

Speak to them about it? Or put some big plant pots in the way. But I'm not sure this would bother me... (Doesn't the ring doorbell go off if they just step outside their door?)

I'm surprised it's part of just your deeds to be honest. If looks like a footpath to access all of the properties both your side and the ones on the left so I can understand why they are walking that way.

I wouldn't imagine there would be much room to walk alongside the gravel bit by the fence especially when a car was parked there unless the picture is deceptive in how wide it is.

I can see why they think it's a footpath tbh. I think you are going to have to put your big girl pants on and use your words.

Can you put a plant pot in between your doors? Something to create a bit of a barrier. That would annoy me too

I think you just need to suck it up. You don't have a garden so to be of the road people need to go on that path.
Or next door neighbour does it to us to go to our other side. Except it is our drive. I didn't like it when we first moved in then I rationalised, she's in her 80s and not doing any harm.
I get it is annoying but it's not worth making an issue or if it

On new build estates most people assume the entire carpark is public land, including the paths around them, so most people will take the quickest route. I guess if the deeds state you can put items on the footpath you could put a tall planter next to your front door so they would have to really squeeze around it to go that way.

Big plant pots in between to block it off.

So, do they have their own path to the other side like in this similar image?

I'd knock and introduce myself and welcome them to the neighbourhood. Maybe take some home baked cookies as a little gift if you feel you want to. Be upfront and say to them that you don't want to get off on the wrong foot, what with them being new, but you need to point out that the path in front of your window isn't a public footpath and they must use their own path/drive to enter and exit their property. Let them know you have a Ring doorbell and they keep setting it off. If you say it in a friendly and non-aggressive way then hopefully all will be ok.

It would annoy me too. I think that the best thing is to introduce yourself and point out that there is no right of way over your property.

If they have their own path on their side of the properties then it’s a bit strange.

I’d put a fence between you and next door.

Planter between the doors is the way to go. But strange you haven’t said hello or introduced yourselves yet. Invite them in for a cuppa.

How incredibly rude! Put something up that creates a barrier. I would find it very unsettling to see people suddenly go past my window.

In that image it looks like the path is used to access both properties, do they have a separate path to theirs?

It may be your land but the neighbours may nevertheless have a right of access over it. Have you checked this?

Big prickly plant in heavy pot should fix that.

They have identical path their side but it’s a longer way round, yes?

Yes they have their own path which leads to the road

I'm not worried about speaking to them, I just wasn't sure which was the correct way to go about it as my partner thinks a letter would be better.

Tbh this sort of set up you think it's a public footpath so they probably don't know. Knock on their door and welcome them to the road

What an incredibly petty thing to get upset about. How does it affect you?

Maybe because it's my property? As I said I constantly wouldn't walk past their living room to go out, it's called respect.

Thanks. My car is parked quite far back almost into the bush (not pictured) so they are really having to squeeze past.

But they have a path to the left and space on their driveway to walk down. Why should they walk on our property instead of inbetween their cars?

When did we all start hating each other? What a stupid thing to be annoyed about

Yes to the left