Trespassing: why do people do it?!

[Rebels]

I found a large group of people well away from the footpath who had come to see my baby pony. The baby pony in question was then an exceptionally aggressive weanling who i was working very hard on since she thought nothing of biting, kicking or striking out. I looked up to see them surrounding her completely with someone's arms round her neck. Luckily for them she was too scared to move. I've never run so fast in my life.

 

[ludlow]

I have a bridleway running adjacent to my cottage and the paddock. Apparently the paddock has the best views of the valley and in the summer have often found ramblers in my paddock (climbed over a padlocked gate to get in there, no rights of way etc!) having their lunch and a little sit down rest. When I asked where they lived so I could come and have a picnic in their back garden, and leave my litter they didn't seem too impressed and got quite huffy! I wasn't particularly happy that they were trying to feed my horse and pony an assortment of shortbread and ham sandwiches either. We do get some interesting folk around here!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

It doesnt help when TV programmes habitually show presenters randomly walking through fields of crops or doing pieces to camera with never any word to suggest that they have special permission to do so....

Set aside rules have meant farmers could lose a lot of €€ and be fined if they let horse riders use set aside verges as they are meant for wildlife species. Hence them not being as welcoming as they might otherwise be. Those rules are going, but sadly only cos so is the set aside element. So soon some of those riders trashing through fields without permission will find them ploughed up :-(

 

[RunToEarth]

Where a public right of way is impassable or obstructed then one is allowed to take a reasonable diversion. However it is important to contact the Access Department of the local County Council and make them aware of the problem as they are responsible for ensuring that the path/track can be freely used. They will then inspect the path/track and ensure that it is repaired or any obstruction is removed.

I will add to this that "impassable or obstructed" does not mean muddy from wet weather. I understand that this year has been particularly wet, and no one has been more frustrated by wet, muddy and waterlogged fields than farmers themselves, but riding/walking/biking into landowners crops is absolutely not acceptable, and is really unfair. Water and mud is, quite obviously, a consequence of walking/riding/cycling through the countryside, and if you cannot face going through mud/puddles/ a wet field/ I would advise you not to wonder around the countryside. This has annoyed me more than usual this winter. We would gladly accept people walking though crops if we had churned the fields up with tractors/machinery but to walk through crops to avoid mud/wet made by the guy upstairs is completely unacceptable and I am happy to tell ignorant walkers in no uncertain terms that I feel they are out of order.

 

[JFTDWS]

I once had friends down and we found a whole collection of naked sunbathers there. I just cannot understand people not checking that somewhere is public before using it. Worse thing was they weren't exactly fit

As if trespassing wasn't enough... Naked trespassing

 

[BBH]

Where a public right of way is impassable or obstructed then one is allowed to take a reasonable diversion. However it is important to contact the Access Department of the local County Council and make them aware of the problem as they are responsible for ensuring that the path/track can be freely used. They will then inspect the path/track and ensure that it is repaired or any obstruction is removed.

If only that were the case. It seems if the land is highways or council owned it is exempt

 

[BBH]

As if trespassing wasn't enough... Naked trespassing

HaHa it wasn't naked walking through trespassing but actual sun bathing. I thought they were wearing t-shirts until I got closer and realised they had body stocking tattoo's

I had to have a conversation with a stranger holding his d@@k to cover it and explained they couldn't be there. Not great. Never had this problem in London.

 

[tessybear]

we have some kids who crawl through a hole in their garden fence into the paddock to jump the dike and into their friends field. Don't want to cause an argument as they will likely end up trouble makers

Annoying all the same but enjoyable when you hook the electric fence up

 

[sandi_84]

I had a runner come through my field the other day, I was hoof picking and saw this orange thing out of the corner of my eye. I looked over my horses bum and saw some random guy jogging through my field!
I shouted "excuse me! You know this is private land and it's quite dangerous to run through a field with horses you don't know in it?" to which he replied "I got lost" and continued on. Not even an apology The silly thing is that I got more annoyed with the no apology bit than I did with him being there in the first place ha ha! Also he must have been really thick because it's pretty difficult to end up in our field if you follow any of the tracks up there, you'd have to come off the track and run through the woods downhill and jump down a wall into our field - which is obviously a field and not part of the surrounding woods

 

[Spudlet]

I did some trespassing last year to avoid taking the dog into a field with cows and calves. I'd have detoured on a RoW if possible, and turned back if practical (have done both these things) but in this case it wasn't, so we hopped over a gate, kept the dog on the lead, stuck to the field margin, and got back to the path as soon as we could. I'd have fully expected the farmer to be displeased if we'd met them, but on the other hand it would have been a lot more inconvenient for them if we'd upset their cows and ended up dead! I wouldn't wander across land lightly, but I think that is an example of when it's the least bad option.

 

[fatpiggy]

Here's a good example for you. Field gate was taken off its hinges and the back wall lowered to make it easier to jump. Who was the culprit - the local hunt and it was our land. Hunt master was snotty as hell about it when told to put the damage right and stay off in future. It took a solicitors letter to get him to do the work.

 

[miss_c]

My YO has a footpath across her paddocks which are just above my bit, and I remember one day in the summer seeing people walk across it - fine. However instead of going over the stile into the next field of footpath they walked up the field, onto the yard, through her garden and down her drive! I sat and waited and they had to come back as her huge high electric gates were shut! Served them right - the footpath is extremely well signposted.

 

[blackcob]

We've just moved from an area with very well maintained and waymarked bridleways (part of a big named national route, crossing National Trust land etc.) to right in the middle of nowhere.

Despite spending several days tramping about on foot with a map before attempting to ride them I am still struggling with some of the bridleways.

Here's one of them - on definitive map, both ends clearly waymarked, yet across the middle of a crop field with no margin or alternative available.

Another nearby one is a restricted byway - overgrown to shoulder height for much of its length and the first gate padlocked, right next to the signpost. There is supposedly a footpath leading to and from it but I'm b*ggered if I can find it, it fizzles out in the middle of another field. Very disappointed about this one as I'd be able to use a dog-powered vehicle on an RB or BOAT but can't on a bridleway (and obviously not a footpath).

Someone locally has taken to riding on the public footpath that starts at the back of our house. I wouldn't mind but in places the track is very narrow and in the wet weather they absolutely trashed the surface there, it was a knee deep bog where it was only a little muddy in previous years.

Last week I also witnessed a group of what I can only assume were DofE students climbing across several wire fences, bending them a great deal, in order to get back to the road. The footpath would have taken them there but they did not appear to have a map.

Numpties are everywhere, NOA etc. but sometimes landowners don't make it easy, historically there've been a few locally who like to remove waymarks and lock gates.

 

[Spudlet]

Have to say BC, in that particular example, I'd have worked out the line the path should have taken and walked it

 

[blackcob]

We did - and found lots of very deep muddy hoofprints to show that others are riding over it!

Followed the line as it appeared on the map, going to the left of the house at the top, and indeed there was another blue marker and the rest of the route was easily followed from there.

Just a bit at riding over crops.

 

[JFTDWS]

I had to do similar a few weeks back, BC - a track which the farmer is always bad at reinstating (but it is definitely a PRoW) as the alternative was a very, very long detour home. Wouldn't have to ride over crops if they reinstated the path though...

 

[xxcharlottexx]

We have a stoney r.o.w through the place where I keep my horse with a fenced field on either side. People are always letting their dogs off for a run even though they can see the horses. One of my neighbours even asked who owned a particular horse as it had kicked his dog despite being on a lead! He had let it get tangled round the horse! People always walk through the bigger field. You have to duck under a wire fence one end and over post and rail at the other.... How is that a public footpath. Big field is on a steep slope ans with all the snow I caught 5 people snowboarding with the horses in sight. Politely said it's a private field and has horses in please leave.... They said yeah we will go in a bit, Erm no now...

 

[Spudlet]

I don't think I'd want to ride over a crop, no! Most of the farmers around here are very good at leaving a clear line through the crops - and it is noticed and appreciated, lovely farmers of the world You do get the odd one who doesn't though, which is annoying. I am going to start harassing the council over a couple, as I've been advised to do - by several farmers!

 

[sparky27]

I was poo picking last summer and watched three teenage guys jump over the fence from the footpath surrounding the yard and into my field. They then strolled over to one of the xc fences, and got out a few bottles. Had no phone on me so couldn't call scary YM, so went over (with my fork - menacing haha!) and asked them to leave.

They obviously thought they'd found a lovely place to get drunk in the sun (and smoke something that definitely wasn't legal) - felt quite bad for ruining their fun. Luckily the horses were in, else the boys would've been sharing with a NF and 3yo!

 

[Dogrose]

Here's a good example for you. Field gate was taken off its hinges and the back wall lowered to make it easier to jump. Who was the culprit - the local hunt and it was our land. Hunt master was snotty as hell about it when told to put the damage right and stay off in future. It took a solicitors letter to get him to do the work.

Years ago my father and stepmother lived in a semi-detached cottage down a long green track. The track stopped at the the back of the cottages but continued on through the neighbour's garden and orchard as a footpath. One day when no one was at home the entire local hunt rode down the track and through the neighbours garden! The neighbour had just spent loads of money putting down gravel hard standing at the back and it was totally trashed. That evening some of the hunt retraced their steps and tried to ride back through the neighbour's garden but my step mother was waiting for them - they had to go home the looooong way with their ears burning

 

[jrp204]

My daughter and I were walking the dogs around the farm (family's) came to this 20 acre field overlooking the estuary, stunning views. Just about to climb the gate when we saw something 'stuck' about 50yds away in the long grass. My first instinct was that one of the sheep was on its back but they were all present and correct. It then dawned on us it was a couple bonking!! My daughter then yells ' this is private property' I waved and shouted 'helloooo' the funny thing was they didn't rush! Sorted themselves out and then walked back across the field, instead of going back out the lane they then climbed over a hedge and went up across 2 ploughed fields. Made my day, don't think we've laughed so much in ages.

 

[Luci07]

I had a funny trespass on my old horse but it was due to getting completely lost. New yard, in the woods, hikers asked me for directions (!) and kindly took out and shook a large map. When I finally managed to pull up, I was totally lost with no one in sight.

I did end up being escorted out to a main road by a very tolerant woman through her garden some 3 hours later. Turns out the my hopeful thought that my horse would know how to get back was wrong and his sense of direction was worse than mine!

 

[pippixox]

my horses are on a farm, with a big footpath/bridle way down the middle from a busy canal path. i can ride around the edges of all the farm land as i have permission as horses part of the farm, but once rode over half a mile from the path to find people in one of the fields having a pic-nic, they would have walked a good 20 minutes at least through an unmarked field with obviously no path. really rude and un-nerved my horse who was learning to hack out alone and wanted a quite hack! but to be honest was worried about confronting them as a number were guys with beer cans and i was concerned they might start shouting and throwing beer cans, which would have ended in disaster.

i guy once decided to drive his new 4x4 into one of our fields to test it out! went through woodland labelled private to get there.... hehehe he got stuck, had to walk across a load of boggy fields and found my friend who direted him to the land lord to get help, ofcorse he got an ear ful and no help, cost him a fortune to tow it out as too boggy. pulled a fence down as well, lucky no horses in there

 

[bonny]

You know the world doesn't end if someone walks through a field....a bit of grass might get a bit flattened but that's about it. Reading this thread makes me glad to be in Scotland where you can ride, walk, cycle just about anywhere. My horses are in a hilly field above a village and dog walkers use it regularly, the horses don't bother and it's a nice place for a walk. Really don't see what the problem is, live and let live !

 

[zaminda]

Bonny, thats fine, right up until the point they leave the remainder of there picnic in your field, including pottery and one of your horses gets injured. Or one of your horses kicks a dog the dim witted owner was allowing to 'play' with your horses and threatens to sue. Or ruins your crops if your a farmer.

 

[Annette4]

I'm desperate to find out who farms the land at the back of us so I can ask (and hopefully get permission) to avoid two blind bends on a busy roads. I wouldn't dream of just getting across without asking!

 

[JFTDWS]

You know the world doesn't end if someone walks through a field....a bit of grass might get a bit flattened but that's about it. Reading this thread makes me glad to be in Scotland where you can ride, walk, cycle just about anywhere. My horses are in a hilly field above a village and dog walkers use it regularly, the horses don't bother and it's a nice place for a walk. Really don't see what the problem is, live and let live !

It's not people walking through the odd grassy field which is the problem - it's the leaving of litter, the opening of gates, loose dogs, upsetting livestock, being injured by livestock (or ground conditions) and suing land owner, riding/biking/driving on crops and environmental margins... If people could be trusted not to do any or all of the above, land owners might be more tolerant

 

[bonny]

It's not people walking through the odd grassy field which is the problem - it's the leaving of litter, the opening of gates, loose dogs, upsetting livestock, being injured by livestock (or ground conditions) and suing land owner, riding/biking/driving on crops and environmental margins... If people could be trusted not to do any or all of the above, land owners might be more tolerant

It works in Scotland, why not everywhere ?

 

[Honey08]

You know the world doesn't end if someone walks through a field....a bit of grass might get a bit flattened but that's about it. Reading this thread makes me glad to be in Scotland where you can ride, walk, cycle just about anywhere. My horses are in a hilly field above a village and dog walkers use it regularly, the horses don't bother and it's a nice place for a walk. Really don't see what the problem is, live and let live !

Lol, someone trespassing on our hayfield once said something like that to me when I pulled him up. Funnily enough he wasn't happy enough to live an let live enough to tell me where he lived so I could come and walk my dogs through his flowerbeds!

 

[bonny]

Lol, someone trespassing on our hayfield once said something like that to me when I pulled him up. Funnily enough he wasn't happy enough to live an let live enough to tell me where he lived so I could come and walk my dogs through his flowerbeds!

That's such a tame argument, there is a world of difference between someone's garden and grass fields. By law here you can go wherever you want apart from someone's garden unless your garden extends to an estate in which case anyone can walk there.....it works !