AIBU to be fed up with walkers trespassing on our land?

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We have a family farm that, unfortunately, has a footpath that runs through it.
The footpath turns and goes into some woods and off our property but many people ignore the turn and just carry on around our land. This is mostly dog walkers. They then let their dog crap on our fields and just leave it. We take a crop off the land- some years a hay crop, some years beans, others wheat- but people just don’t seem to care.
I am always polite when I see someone trespassing. I ask them if they know they have left the footpath and I point them back in the direction of it. 9 people out of 10 get really arsey about it. I get all the excuses in the book- “it’s just fields/I always walk here/I can do what I want/it’s just grass/other people do it”
Ive had off lead dogs chasing my liveries horses (who have permission to ride the headlands), sheep being worried, the list goes on.

There are plenty of signs telling people where the footpath is and where it isn’t, but they get ignored.

When I try to explain to people that they wouldn’t like it if I walked my dogs in their garden every day and let them poo everywhere, they just argue that it’s not the same coz “these are fields”
SIGH
The Covid year was a bloody nightmare with people wandering everywhere.
When did people get so entitled? AIBU to think that people just think they can do whatever the hell they want nowadays?

We have lots of dog walkers who come through the farm. There’s clearly one who has a problem with the farmer next door.
I can’t tar all of our local dog walkers as arsonists!

My AIBU was about being fed up of people trespassing. It had nothing to do with the arsonist dog walker who targeted my neighbour years ago, so that was irrelevant to my original post. Yes the police were informed.

You seem to be taking this off on a different tangent, which is strange.
I don’t have a problem with arsonists dog walkers. I have a problem with trespassing dog walkers.

No, it isn't, and whether in England or Scotland people should not walk over and damage crops. But would you have an issue with ramblers walking over fields in the winter, when there are no crops? Or walking across a sheep field in a responsible manner? I think the constant suggestion that we consider how we'd feel if people "roamed" across our gardens, or the bottom of our gardens, is very telling. What you are thinking of when you say the word "garden" is very different from what the reality is for most people in the UK. If you look at the dictionary definition, it isn't really possible to "roam" across the average British garden, is it? Here's a photo, to help you to recognise what such a garden looks like. And of course lots of people have no garden at all. I'd hope that we can encourage people so deprived of access to nature to get out into the countryside. While acting responsibly. I'd like to ask you how you think society should deal with the problem you're complaining about. What in practical terms do you think the law should do?

Its not your land though? Or anyone else's other than the person who owns the land. So Im not sure why you are suggesting you have some sort of moral right to someone else's property. If there isnt a public footpath/access, people don't have a right to walk on it. The owner doesn't want legal rights over her land established by continuous use either presumably.

The law should protect the landowner. The right to roam is all very well but it’s naive to suggest that everyone does it responsibly and the landowner is the one who loses out when it goes wrong. If there’s no footpath and right of public access then no-one has the ‘right to roam’ on private property. If there is a footpath and it crosses the landowners private residence then they have a right to put up signs directing walkers to the proper path to avoid damage to their property. Why should the fact that they own land preclude them from the laws that cover the rest of us.

I like your comment about catching bees with honey. I'd add that humans are pack animals who like to belong to 'us' but can be hostile to 'them'. So I'd suggest notices should be about 'us all' rather than sounding like a landowner (them) telling us what to do (even if you are entitled to do this on your land). Perhaps a welcome, a diagram of where the path goes, pictures of wildlife & farm animals to look out for and notes of how we can all protect them - stay on path, dogs on lead. (Many humans are very simple creatures who like pictures rather than words). Maybe another notice saying 'sorry we can't let you in here to keep you and us safe' due to dangerous horse / bull or risk of dog crap on farm workers' hands getting into food we all eat and a phone number to report any open gates / broken stiles / dogs off lead. Maybe a post on a local FB page asking for ideas for how to solve the problem?

This won't deter hardened arsehikes but if my local farmer did this (instead of barbed wire across a PROW) I'd be round there offering to build them a fence!

1. If enough people are unhappy about lack of access to the countryside then England may end up seeing the right to roam introduced. It's being campaigned for. People in Scotland can now wander across vast areas of land that they had no right to access 25 years ago. Not just on foot - the right to roam also includes bikes, horse-riding and wild camping. See this campaigning group, for instance: ABOUT | RIGHT TO ROAM
2. We know that it's unhealthy for children, individuals and for society as a whole for people not to go out into and enjoy the countryside. Good, easy, pleasurable access to the countryside is important. Are there sufficient footpaths for instance? Close enough to towns, which in some cases will be newly-built towns? This stuff matters.
3. The current law in England is on OP's side. But she's still not happy. How much does that law really help her? Has she tried to enforce her rights? Would enforcing her rights be practicable and effective? If not, what practical suggestions does she have for improving her situation or, more broadly, for revising the current system?
4. We know that OP works very hard for a living and I'm sure she doesn't have much spare time. But maybe one idea would be for a group of landowners to offer to go into local schools to run sessions on the importance of farming, how to access and learn from the countryside while treating it with respect, etc? I'm sure that OP can come up with other ideas.

I obviously see things differently to you. If I
see rolling hills and countryside, I don’t automatically think I should have the right to walk across it. Infact, I think inviting humans to roam across the countryside is one of the worst things that could happen to it, having seen how disrespectful people are with regards things like litter.
I can appreciate the countryside with my eyes, I don’t feel I have the right to trample over it.
I also aware that those fields and hills I see often belong to someone and I respect their right to have the things they own kept for their personal use.

Vast swathes of countryside being in the private ownership of a small number of extremely rich families for centuries is what leads to revolution, or in this case to the Right to Roam. In Scotland there are still very strong feelings about the clearances.
It isn't right, or sustainable, for the huge majority of the population to be forced to live in tiny spaces in the cities, with no right to access the countryside, because a few mega rich people have bought the countryside up.
How would you feel in England if there were no public footpaths? No national parks? Nowhere to go to see grass and trees, other than your local town park? Nowhere to exercise other than your local gym? Well, those public footpaths and national parks didn't come about by accident. The government created them. Access to the countryside is a public good, and sometimes a public good takes precedence over the right of a billionaire to boot people off his land because it's his.

The right to roam seems a bit of a red herring in the context of this thread. If people are unable to follow simple signage and the countryside code then they will struggle if given unfettered access to rural areas. Of course, if people run into difficulties they then depend on volunteers from the local area to rescue them. Some of the comments show a lack of knowledge about rural life, rural poverty and the pressures facing farmers. If more education is needed then perhaps the groups lobbying for access could shoulder the responsibility for this.

I doubt that farmers would like to see the ramblers teaching schoolchildren about the importance of farming and how to respect farmland.

I'm still waiting for practical suggestions from the OP. Does she think that there should be an emergency phone line to local police ready to race to OP's farm to arrest walkers who stray into a cropped field or allow their dog to defecate? Does she think that the public footpath system should be closed down? Or does she have other suggestions? What does she actually want to happen?

Our Scout group got lost last summer (unaccompained expedition) and the Farmer whole land they ended up on was very happy to get the realigned with their map and get the back on route. Probably because they were polite and asked for help instead if trying to ckaim they the right to wander across the field being harvested.

There is plenty of land not being used for crops or vulnerable animals... why are some people so insistent tbey should have the right to go everywhere? Food before leisure.

PRIVATE LAND
3 OFF LEAD DOGS SHOT IN 2025.
PLEASE KEEP OFF

Why are you questioning me like that?? I don’t want to do anything. I simply wish people would respect the signage on our farm. I don’t wish the footpath system to be closed down at all, I just wish people would stick to it. I love walking footpaths with my dogs, but I stick to them.
I wrote this AIBU out of frustration. You seem to have come on here to attack me for feeling frustrated that people are roaming on my crops and I’m a bit bemused by that.

I really don’t know why you feel I should have to explain to you what I want to happen. All I want is that people stick to using the footpath. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

Put up signs saying things like:

• PRIVATE LAND

DANGER - LOOSE BULL

or

PRIVATE SHOOTING RANGE DO NOT APPROACH
DANGER TO LIFE

big yellow ⚠️

*I obviously see things differently to you. If I
see rolling hills and countryside, I don’t automatically think I should have the right to walk across it. *

You have probably lost a lot of sympathy saying this. The vast majority of people walking in the countryside do little/no damage.

The countryside code covers the basics and that should be the starting point. I think the OP just wants people to follow this and then there would not be a problem. Crossing farmland is just one aspect of this. Look at the problems caused by people causing fires in moorlands or woodlands, river and canal wildlife being being damaged by litter, the resources spent rescuing people who set out unprepared for the terrain or weather conditions. If groups are lobbying for more access, they should take on the responsibility of raising awareness, not the people who have to pick up the litter and dog shit, deal with dead or injured animals, etc. Often these work is done by volunteers from rural communities.

But I obviously do see things differently. I regularly see rubbish stuffed in our hedgerows and dog poo bags hanging up on trees. Ever pulled in at a country lay-by and seen litter just dumped, despite there beings bins? Have you never seen people tossing rubbish out of car windows? There’s a motorway junction by us and on the verges by the traffic lights to the junction roundabout, it’s like a rubbish tip. Sadly a lot of people cannot respect our planet.

I apologise to the decent people out there who do respect nature and just want to walk in the countryside, but when every day you are confronted with what humans do to our environment (I’m not just talking about my farm now, I’m talking about the footpaths I walk when I’m out with my dogs, and the beaches), it’s hard to imagine that these places of natural beauty won’t be in some way tainted by humans.

That got a bit deep, sorry 😅

There's a perfectly good existing law against trespass. Its up to the OP how far she wants to go in enforcing it. Its a civil matter unless its aggravated trespass. So she could apply for an injunction to stop persistent offenders trespassing if she wanted to. Be up to her. Seems a shame to have to obviously but if its her livelihood it may be worth it.

It doesnt look like the OP has a problem with having footpaths so I don't know why you think she wants "the public footpath system to be closed down". She just wants people to stick to the footpaths. She's doing everything reasonable to show people the route.

The dog poo bags hanging from trees during covid were unbelievable. Often in remote fields where there was no right of way. I always thought people must assume that they are followed everywhere by council run turd collectors who clear up after them. Mad.

Fence it or charge people. Our friend charges for horses using the footpath and loads of riders are very grateful to be able to get off road.

If you charge for people walking off the footpath I don't see a problem.

What's that got to do with the Op?

Not at all.

The problem is when people see rolling hills and countryside as playground rather than as food production line or hospital maternity ward. They wouldn’t think that they have the automatic right to play wherever they like in a food production line, or leave poo on the floor in a maternity ward - I hope!

During our walks we've always acknowledged signs but best to have several as they can be missed. Also, more direct, private, dangers of pesticides, public footpath that way with pointers.

Whenever we've got a bit lost we've always been polite, apologised and been grateful for directions to get back on track.

I would have thought most if not all walkers would have display the same behaviour but I do understand how some could be annoyed, especially as a genuine mistake, to be told off 'oi get orf my land'. This was a joke. Xx

I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time to explain about their experiences on footpaths where signage might not be the best. We do have signs but I’ve taken that on board and have ordered some more.
I don’t want to ruin peoples enjoyment of the footpath, far from it. If people stick to it and are respectful of the land it goes through, there really is no issue.
I use footpaths myself, after all.

I think a couple of people want to paint all land owners as rich, greedy people who are buying up the countryside to stop people using it, or get all footpaths closed. Im not sure where that has come from as I have never once mentioned that I want the footpath closed or even re-routed, but I assume they simply have their own opinions and this thread has given them an opportunity to voice those. Fair enough I suppose. That really isn’t the case here though.

Many thanks to everyone for their thoughts though 🙂