Closing Footpaths and bridleways

[dannewhouse]

I have plenty of both running through our land.
Last time the cows were in the 3 bridleway fields as part of the rotation there were gates left open 3 times in 2 weeks, 1 of which they ended on road.
They are back in that part of the rotation, day 6 and a gate had been left open!
Only yesterday a gate was left open on a footpath for a different herd.

How do I go about closing these paths even temporary while I graze that land? I am going to padlock the gates now as this is just a waste of time chasing cows!
I have no option but to graze the land due to it being too steep for anything else.

 

[Shutesy]

I have plenty of both running through our land.
Last time the cows were in the 3 bridleway fields as part of the rotation there were gates left open 3 times in 2 weeks, 1 of which they ended on road.
They are back in that part of the rotation, day 6 and a gate had been left open!
Only yesterday a gate was left open on a footpath for a different herd.

How do I go about closing these paths even temporary while I graze that land? I am going to padlock the gates now as this is just a waste of time chasing cows!
I have no option but to graze the land due to it being too steep for anything else.

Don't know about closing paths temporarily but could you spring load the gates so they pull themselves shut again? That said, probably just easier to padlock till someone complains by which time you'll have moved the cattle on again most likely.

 

[milkloss]

Get some cheapo bicycle locks and just lock them up for a couple of weeks at a time. I reckon by the time the council stop barking and begin to bite you will make the locks disappear.

 

[Christoph1945]

Temporarily locking the gates sounds very much like a quick solution but I would suggest placing a laminated notice on the gate declaring the reason for the temporary locking and how reluctant you had been to lock the gates.

It may also be a good idea to set up a trail camera to discover who the culprits are; you may get a big surprise when you do discover who is leaving the gates open and I suggest that if you do set up a trail camera, do 'NOT' tell anyone else what you are up to and make sure that the camera is well camouflaged.

 

[Christoph1945]

Temporarily locking the gates sounds very much like a quick solution but I would suggest placing a laminated notice on the gate declaring the reason for the temporary locking and how reluctant you had been to lock the gates.

It may also be a good idea to set up a trail camera to discover who the culprits are; you may get a big surprise when you do discover who is leaving the gates open and I suggest that if you do set up a trail camera, do 'NOT' tell anyone else what you are up to and make sure that the camera is well camouflaged.

PS ............ don't even tell your nearest and dearest, or your farm hands!

 

[dannewhouse]

It's me and my dad, he couldn't be arsed to walk down the hill just to cause the drama! But I hear what you are saying about neighbours/jealous friends.

Springing the gates could work but not all of them have slam catches, some open both ways for my ease. Just another unpaid job for me!

Trail camera, don't they just get nicked? Even if well hidden there red at night.

Bike type lock is what I did last time, I'd quite like a better solution though ... may put in styles for Footpaths, may not though as it's dry stone wall either side of gate!

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

How easy is it to put an electric fence along the footpath? You can graze both sides alternately and have the people and horses on one side and cattle to the other.

On rereading your post, it looks like you may have paths cross crossing some bits. To stay within the law, you could mob graze. You "only" need to sort out fencing and water. And rely on cooperation of the great British public not to switch off water, nick battery, cut fence etc.

Also what about some lockable bollards to stop the unlocked gates swinging open outwards when the cattle are in there?

 

[dannewhouse]

Fence either side of path is a bit of a no go in some fields and it's the gates that's problem. Some. Of my internal gateways have 2 strands of electronic no gate, these are actually the best as people don't bother touching them!!!

Would horses like spring loaded gates? On the bridleway.

I do a slight variation on mob grazing, well I just rotational graze. (Loose paddock grazing)

Problem is gates aren't wide enough to loose a bit at side to a style and it's just a big enough job moving post etc

 

[Lazy Sod]

Lock the gates and put a spring loaded gate with an automatic latch for the public to use. In the case of a footpath fit a kissing gate.

I have long thought that it would be possible to have 2 gates with a space between them and a mechanism which only allows 1 gate to be open at a time ie, working on the airlock principle.

 

[tepapa]

If not bridle path look into bristol gates.

Bristol 2-in-1

Bristol 2-in-1 Gates are designed to incorporate a pedestrian gate into a field gate, allowing pedestrians and vehicles access when required.

centrewire.com

If it is then look to put a bridle gate to the side of the gate. Not in the wall but sticking into the field at a T to the wall with the gate closing to one side. You may need to rehang the gate to make it work better.

Ask your council footpath officer. They supply and sometimes fit kissing gates and bridle gates so you may get the materials for free or even fitted especially if it's improving access

 

[Christoph1945]

Trail camera, don't they just get nicked? Even if well hidden there red at night.

Trail cameras do get nicked but if well hidden there shouldn't be a problem; they don't show red but do use 'infrared' for recording images during the hours of darkness.

I installed a trail camera in our enclosed back garden to capture evidence of rats moving around at night but all I captured was a bloomin great hedgehog and also learned that some plant movements in the wind could trigger the camera; depending on the sensitivity setting and location.

 

[Al R]

If not bridle path look into bristol gates.

Bristol 2-in-1

Bristol 2-in-1 Gates are designed to incorporate a pedestrian gate into a field gate, allowing pedestrians and vehicles access when required.

centrewire.com

If it is then look to put a bridle gate to the side of the gate. Not in the wall but sticking into the field at a T to the wall with the gate closing to one side. You may need to rehang the gate to make it work better.

Ask your council footpath officer. They supply and sometimes fit kissing gates and bridle gates so you may get the materials for free or even fitted especially if it's improving access

Got quite a few of those Bristol gates and their perfect. 1 block of land has the York gates as it’s a bridle way and they are horrendous! Too many hinge points so go slack very quick and the bolts are rusted solid within 2 years here. They are always being left open, now when I graze that block this time of year I tend to leave all of the York gate’s open so they have the whole block which isn’t ideal but better than having loads of groups mixing. The amount of people I see walk through gates and just walk off and don’t check that the gate has shut properly would be over 2-3 a day that I witness myself and I don’t go near a lot of the gates, we’ve always got to assume that all gates are open when turning stock into fields. We’ve got to check all of the gates and tie/padlock all we need to before the group of sheep enter.

Out of 110 fields at this time of year only 6/7 don’t have footpaths in. I had 6 kissing gates on the cliffs lifted a few weeks ago and 580 ewes mixed that were almost 4 mile apart. Fortunately they were all the same ewes but definitely besides the point.

where I have some Bristol gates I’ve padlocked the main gate so pedestrians can still use the small self closing gate.

 

[matthew]

It's me and my dad, he couldn't be arsed to walk down the hill just to cause the drama! But I hear what you are saying about neighbours/jealous friends.

Springing the gates could work but not all of them have slam catches, some open both ways for my ease. Just another unpaid job for me!

Trail camera, don't they just get nicked? Even if well hidden there red at night.

Bike type lock is what I did last time, I'd quite like a better solution though ... may put in styles for Footpaths, may not though as it's dry stone wall either side of gate!

They are well camouflaged and the one you want is 'black flash' type, which don't show a thing.
We have a Bushnell 'Trophy Cam' HD Max.

 

[Fendt516profi]

Just had a foot path diverted down one of our fields instead of over railway line insisted they fit kissing gates. Can you get on to rights of way and get them to do something similar don't know about bridleway though

 

[Formatted]

Locking footpaths is against the law (last updated in the 1988 road traffic act) and when your local footpaths officer finds out you will be in trouble. Our local council recently paid for a bunch of new spring-loaded gates, I think you'd be better off being proactive, giving them a call and explaining

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Don't know about closing paths temporarily but could you spring load the gates so they pull themselves shut again? That said, probably just easier to padlock till someone complains by which time you'll have moved the cattle on again most likely.

why not lock the gates and fit styles next to them? I know that won't work for a bridlepath, but it would for a footpath

 

[dannewhouse]

why not lock the gates and fit styles next to them? I know that won't work for a bridlepath, but it would for a footpath

Just a bit of work Drystone walls each side of gateways. I've 4 fields in a line on 1 particular path. First 2 path crosses the middle next 2 it's against side wall but to widen gateways I'd have water trough to move aswell as post and wall to build back.
Do able just fare bit of work. Even fencing path seperately not too good as I'd still need to access gateways full width sometimes.

 

[flowerpot]

Will the Council provide some self-closing gates for you?

They have to be fitted correctly though, so they close, but not too quickly or with such force that could cause damage to a horse (which has happened and led to a horse fatality) or saddlery.

 

[7610 super q]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but round here folks make a point of propping self closing gates open with sticks.

 

[kiwi pom]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but round here folks make a point of propping self closing gates open with sticks.

Could always set up some of these