Footpath problem

[The Ruminant]

Think long and hard before going down this route. It really is a last resort if you're really desperate.
1) You lose a strip of land.
2) An extra fence to maintain.
3) You will have to maintain the strip or else it will soon be overgrown with weeds and you'll get complaints about that.

See my earlier reply. (1) You don’t lose a strip if, every few weeks you turn the cattle in there and get them to browse it down overnight. I generally choose a Sunday evening as very few people use it between, say, 7pm and 7am on Monday morning. I do also put up signs to say footpath temporarily closed.

(2) A couple of strands of high tensile and posts every 25 yards doesn’t take too much upkeep and, given that it’s stopped everyone from walking on the ground, it has more than paid for itself. (I also mob graze so it’s handy for that too!)

(3) See 1, above. Plus my footpaths are so heavily used that they don’t grow a lot...!!

I understand why you say what you do, but I’d have no hesitation in doing it again.

 

[Lazy Sod]

(2) A couple of strands of high tensile and posts every 25 yards

It won't keep the dogs out though, will it.

 

[The Ruminant]

It won't keep the dogs out though, will it.

Again, yes it does seem to. They get one belt from the wire thats 8”-12” off the ground and are loathe to go near it. Also the owners don’t like their dog getting zapped so they keep it away from the fence.

I can only say what my experience has been, maybe other people would find differently, but the footpaths are really busy ones and so far, no problems since the fences went up.

 

[shelly reynolds]

What would the collective do about a person who constantly leave gates open, letting out the sheep, probarbly twice if not three times a week

 

[Crex]

What would the collective do about a person who constantly leave gates open, letting out the sheep, probarbly twice if not three times a week

Tell dad it's time to retire?

 

[shelly reynolds]

Tell dad it's time to retire?

Sadly not that easy, he's on covert surveillance, trying to catch the barstewd dog walker

 

[Grandad Pig]

Trail cam in the hedge and post the video on every local social media group?

 

[Highland Mule]

Put in a kissing gate.

 

[shelly reynolds]

[

Put in a kissing gate.

It's a bridleway to

 

[Highland Mule]

[

It's a bridleway to

A big kissing gate then?

 

[MRT]

What would the collective do about a person who constantly leave gates open, letting out the sheep, probarbly twice if not three times a week

Catch them, send them a bill for time and lost production

 

[bill and bens dad]

only if you don’t get on their first and register your own land as being fine.....

did our patch when it was first launched
How do you register and to whom??

 

[dudders]

What would the collective do about a person who constantly leave gates open, letting out the sheep, probarbly twice if not three times a week

Hang the gate so it always closes by itself. Then put a horserider-friendly latch on it - just a long bar connected to the latch. Google 'bridleway gate latch' or similar - there are loads. If you make a big enough fuss with the county council highways people, they might do it for you, or at least stump up for the special latch. Make sure they approve the work anyway, so you don't have to take it apart when someone objects.

 

[tessflower42]

All the locals are moaning today, because we have got the cows in yesterday and sorting them, so they have been making alot of noise... This is the sort of people I am dealing with. If only we could build on the land and get the hell out of here!!!
If they aren't complaining about muck spreading and getting it on their boots, Muddy footpaths, cows and sheep in fields.. what the hell is this world coming too.. Time to move on!! if only it wasn't a family farm.. Chin up, keep smiling and move on.. No word from HSE yet!

 

[MRT]

All the locals are moaning today, because we have got the cows in yesterday and sorting them, so they have been making alot of noise... This is the sort of people I am dealing with. If only we could build on the land and get the hell out of here!!!
If they aren't complaining about muck spreading and getting it on their boots, Muddy footpaths, cows and sheep in fields.. what the hell is this world coming too.. Time to move on!! if only it wasn't a family farm.. Chin up, keep smiling and move on.. No word from HSE yet!

Put a planning application in for 200 affordable homes based on the fact that the locals are so against normal farming activities the land is no longer suitable for farming

 

[Flatwheels]

During Covid we’ve had many more people using the footpaths. It doesn’t bother me but as usual there’s always one......

A person from the village continually walks where she pleases around the farm. I’ve explained politely where the footpaths go and the importance of sticking to them and she says she’s ‘not doing any harm’ and says she’s just cutting through from one footpath to join with another.

With most people, I’ll explain once and there won’t be any further problems. She’s fully aware of the route of the footpaths but does as she pleases.

My patience is wearing thin, but what can I actually do?

I had a similar problem with one individual in our village, who would walk on Stewardship margins take shortcuts etc. They joined the Parish Council and wanted to extend the network of footpaths/bridlepaths also looked at re-instating routes which where removed when the Definitive map was created in the 1950's, even thought that with the Wildlife and Countryside act 'could force Landowners to have additional paths'. Thankfully the Rights of Way Officer had little support for this action although could only help on current paths but advised me to speak with the Police because a persistant offender is a nuisance. I had a visit from an Officer to discuss all of this and told the Officer that even after telling /advising this person they still persisted in committing Trespass. The Officer advised me to record everything when they trespassed, when you had to speak with the person and if they continue give the person a letter stating when and where you have spoken with them. This was because the Officer took this behaviour as a form of Harassment by the individual and if it was taken to court that you could prove that reasonable steps had been taken by me to advise them of the situation. It does get to you and I knew that if I 'lost it' with this individual I could have a lot more to potentially loose with shotguns and rifles in the house. They left the village under a cloud earlier this year which is a relief, but these situations are not easy.

 

[farmerm]

What would the collective do about a person who constantly leave gates open, letting out the sheep, probarbly twice if not three times a week

Trail cam... Will your local council RoW department fund new self closing gates?

 

[tessflower42]

Put a planning application in for 200 affordable homes based on the fact that the locals are so against normal farming activities the land is no longer suitable for farming

I might make one up, just to get the jungle drums beating..

 

[teslacoils]

Just have a mate in the pub "let it slip" that you're in discussions to sell it to some folk for a caravan site. And that they will get it through as a temporary site for tourists but then never leave.

 

[Christoph1945]

Traveller's site??????