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

[Pricelessadvice]

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?

It can be diverted but permission should be sought I believe.

I live neighbouring farmland with a public footpath going through it. I can see it from my windows. Most walkers I observe do just walk the path. One path leads to another here where i live and so people can carry on with their walk, which becomes a trek or a trail!

I have a dog, the farmer is my neighbour and gives me and locals permission to walk our dogs on their land whilst using the public footpaths. The fields are impeccable because we would never not pick up after our dogs.

It is not possible in many cases to put fences up on farmland fields, it doesn’t quite work like that.

I think people should make themselves aware of how country life is. As OP says, imagine if the farmer turned up and entered someone’s garden for a dog walk and toilet.

You are not unreasonable at all. In fact you're being remarkably measured in the circumstances.

The British public can be vile when they decide their right to do whatever they want wherever they want is being impinged, but God help anyone who so much as sets a foot in their garden.

@Pricelessadvice Your (joke) suggestion of charging to use the private land isn't actually a bad idea!

Where you have a sign showing the public right of way, and another sign clearly marking private property, I would then add a notice that says: "should you wish to walk on our private land, please contact <email> to pay the £200 annual family permit that will give you access to the perimeter of this field/area. CCTV in operation".

Perhaps some fake CCTV on a tree? Or perhaps a real hidden camera to be able to name and shame those who trespass?

You sound like a nice farmer and it's a shame you have to put up with these arrogant idiots.

I am a Hiker and a dog owner.
My rules are, dogs on leads unless I know for sure dogs off lead is allowed, stick to footpaths unless I'm in an open acess area and pick up dog crap.
They are not hard rules!
I would be livd if I was you op and I dont get mad very often.

We live backing on to a farm and the farmer has been known to shoot a rifle when people venture onto his land. I don’t blame him, dog walkers in particular take the piss.

I did read the OP thoroughly.

She says there "are plenty of signs telling people where the footpath is and where it isn’t" but she also mentions a particular places where, "The footpath turns and goes into some woods and off our property but many people ignore the turn "

I just thought a clear sign at that point might save a lot of trouble.

As someone who walks a lot in the country there are often points where the path becomes unclear. Sometimes however hard you think you're trying to get it right you find yourself straying from the path. When it's close to people's property I often think how much they must get fed up of people in the wrong place and if it was me I'd not want them there and would put up a clear sign.0

A similar issue when we had a house with a couple of surrounding small fields belonging to the house. When we moved in I didn't mind as people were very much in the distance & I didn't see them very often. Dh cut the grass with a sit on lawnmower. He was raging when he found people had left rubbish strewn all over the field. He dug a deep trench in the offending area which became mud. Needlessly to say trespassers stopped using it.

Right to roam in Scotland is often misconstrued as a right to go anywhere. It is not. It applies to mountains, hills, forests, woods, most coastal land, and inland waters. If farmland is being crossed it must be with care, use margins and not damage crops. Private gardens, working farms are not included. Irresponsible behaviour negates this right.

I have friends who lives along the NC500 and woke up one morning to find a campervan in their garden - they claimed they had a right to be there.

And yes dog poo is a known biohazard which you do not really want to be near where crops are being grown.

A painted sign on a bit of old wood saying 'footpath this way' costs nothing.

I totally agree it's up to the walker to make sure they're in the right place but even the best willed people make mistakes, footpaths change - the coast path for example often moves because of land slip. I see it's difficult for landowners and some people using the countryside can be a bloody nuisance but a sign might save farmers a l trouble.

It's horrible - and I think very unfair - seeing lots of beautiful countryside that isn't accessible.

There are lots of beautiful buildings in historic towns which aren't accessible, because they are people's homes or workplaces.

'The countryside' isn't just sitting there being beautiful - it too is home and workplace for many people.

On similar lines, there's often an op asking people not to feed her horses.
People say 'put up signs'
OP says signs are ignored and torn down.
People say 'well you can't expect people to read signs'.

Big Sign near us says dogs can be shot to avoid chasing livestock. Might do the trick.

Dog owners are causing massive problems with the lambing season near us. Can you imagine people letting their dogs off the lead where there are pregnant sheep?
Unbelievable. It's costing farmers a lot

Yes and maybe also explaining the new rules about stricter punishments for dogs worrying livestock.

If you can't fence it off, signage may help.

I don't have to imagine, our neighbour of three doors along lets her dog crap on our tiny lawn. People are foul and entitled wherever you live.

I'm not surprised 90% of people get arsy at a correct and reasonable request.
You've posted quite clearly what the issue is and even a few posters telling you you're wrong!
Yes, entitled and selfish. Sadly very common now, especially in dog owners.

It just be frustrating OP. I live near orchards that have been owned by a family for 50+ years. There are footpaths running through it but the landowner had no issue with people walking through the orchards/fields. Then he died a year or two ago and his kids wanted to stop everyone walking through it. Unsurprisingly that didn’t go down well. They put up fences, someone cut holes in them. They put up signs, someone took them down. There’s now an application for making a right of way on the basis of these fields being used as public footpaths for so many years.

We are in a similar position although we don't own the land we farm on

People's knowledge of rights of way seems to have disappeared & most people think the countryside is the same as public parks. They don't understand the difference between footpaths & bridleways.

There's also been a change in how people use rights of way. Most walkers now have dogs & don't grasp that access is for people & they don't have an automatic right to let their dogs run around.

It is in the Highway code that dogs should be on short leads on roads or paths shared with horse riders or cyclists.

There's new legislation & tightening of existing legislation that really puts the burden of responsibility onto dog owners.

Our local police rural crime team are now much more on the ball & where we have evidence eg helmet camera, photos, know the ID or car reg they are actually following up.

On a previous field we had sheep on we actually managed to get a temporary footpath closure on a footpath during lambing as a result of repeated off lead dogs. That angered the locals but did help get the message across.

I had this in one of my fields in Yorkshire - the footpath went diagonally across the field. Technically I should have formally submitted a request to the council to move the footpath but I just redirected it around the edge of the field, which was only used for a few months of the year.

people should follow the countryside code. Put up some signs about that and you might get people being less arsey when you are telling them off for ‘trespassing’

It’s a shame that England hasn’t followed Scotlands example with the Right to Roam.

everyone should have right to access the land (as long as they don’t cause damage)

A vanlifer with a youtube channel was doing the NC500 and gleefully parked his van right in a farmer's field, accessed through a gate he opened, shouting about "right to roam". Twat.

It's horrible - and I think very unfair - seeing lots of beautiful countryside that isn't accessible.

But this reveals your deep ignorance @MrFluffyDogIsMyBestFriend : that beautiful countryside is generally working land, being used to provide your food. It's not there for you to stroll through.

How selfish of him. He obviously doesn't realise it's working land.

You are at least lucky that trespass is a thing for you. I live in Scotland where entitled aresholes with and without dogs wander everywhere with impunity. Only today idiot tourists with a dog off its lead in a field of cows with newborn calves beside my cottage. I had words with them about responsibility and got total abuse back, I actually hope they get attacked by the cattle on their way back.

If I were youId I'd put up a couple of signs warning that dogs may be shot if running free near livestock. Even if you don't have a gun or wouldn't use it, they are not to know this and it might make them think twice!

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