Would you buy a property with a public footpath on it?

[indiat]

Hi all,

So, our dream house was snapped up by someone else before we could get our house on the market, the one with six, lovely, very private acres. I am praying to every deity I can think of that by the time we get an offer, the buyers will change their minds, but I have to be realistic and assume it is gone. There are two other properties we would be interested in but both have a footpath running through them and hubs is saying no way! One has eight acres and a path running around the edge of one paddock. One has four acres but apparently the path crosses over a corner of the field, lopping off about a quarter of it. Is it possible to change the path so it hugs the edge of the field without major faff? Thank you all in advance!

 

[Fides]

Speaking from previous and current experience...

Previously I have had a footpath moved at a cost of approx £2500.

I am currently in a property that has a footpath running through the middle of the field (and also past the side of my house) and do not have to spare cash right now to get it all changed. All I can say is the flaming sense of entitlement that some walkers have is unbelievable! If you purchase the property see if you can get them to drop the price by the cost of having the path relocated.

To give an example of how annoying walkers can be - my property is 16 acres and one walker stood not 12 feet away from where I was eating my lunch in the garden whilst reading his map. Of all the places he could stand he stood where he could be the most intrusive. If you say 'do you mind?' (as it was creeping me out!) the reposnse is 'it's a public footpath I can do as I please'. And then there are the people who think the horses are a toy for their children...

 

[martlin]

Out of the 2 properties you mention, I would go for the one with 8 acres and path running around the edge, then I would fence off the footpath if possible. If not, I would look elsewhere as having people wandering around your property can feel very intrusive.

 

[amandap]

No. I once rented a place with one and it was a nightmare! Sorry but once bitten twice shy.

ps. If I had to choose I would choose the one with it round the edge as well.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

No. Too many bad stories from friends and customers who do have paths crossing their land.

 

[indiat]

OK, that's made up my mind for me then! OH doesn't want anyone doing anything daft like giving our greedy and ever so friendly Highland bread so he chokes to death, or strangers being anywhere near the kids. I am heartbroken about that house - I wish I had a voodoo doll of the buyers, evil cow that I am.

 

[debsandpets]

Hell no !!! I currently rent some sheep grazing with a footpath running through and we lost a lamb yesterday due to some MORONS feeding the sheep an entire carrier bag of what looks like biscuits ......... Short of leaving the body by the gate with a flag up its bum saying look what you did I don't know how I can get the idiots to stop, so if I were purchasing any land that potentially had a FP running through - I would run for the hills in the opposite direction ........

 

[dogatemysalad]

If the thought of possible scenario's upsets you, you're right not to go ahead really. I don't mind too much as long as the ROW doesn't run too near the house. I've lived on properties with footpaths but they weren't heavily used and didn't cause any grief, but I agree that somewhere else it might be a real pain.

 

[gnubee]

I have 2 footpaths running through our 5 acres. One of them comes up from the main road. It is entirely fenced off from the horse fields as it was already half done when we moved in, and I worry about the accessibility meaning people with limited understanding of the countryside code or how to behave around horses coming up. I also maintain it only to the bare minimum standard required to keep it useable at the road end to deter people from coming up it. I have seen a family walking on it once.
The other one is part of a proper hike - think you are about 2 miles from the road before you reach our bit. I think I have seen walkers on it twice. It goes directly through the middle of one of my fields, so hard to fence off, but the people you get on it tend to be proper walkers with at least a vague understanding of how to act sensibly around horses.

I'm touching wood as I post this, but dont write off an otherwise good bit of land without at least considering how much issue the footpath will cause. If you are in a proper countryside area and people will have to pass 4 other fields of ponies to get to yours and looks barely used, its a bit of a different scenario from having one coming directly up from the local estates that people keep bringing pushchairs up.

 

[Char0901]

A friend of mine owns a farm and surrounding land. I know she has public footpaths in places but not exactly sure where. I do know her biggest problems with them have been dogs off the lead around sheep and lambs and people not closing gates so our horses wonder off to socialise with the cows! Thankfully its all very well fenced and there's another gate closed somewhere so they can't go too far.
Posts on gates etc mean nothing!

 

[Honey08]

we have footpaths on our land. Never had any trouble. The ones down the sides of fields are easy, just fence them off From the field, use a good strong fence and make it as high as possible. On cross field paths, we fence an intermittent line of plain wire fencing (top strand only) so walkers can duck under from the horses if need be. Also make sure the gates have springs on them (as in kissing gate stiles) so they can't be left open, padlock the larger gates. We've not had a single issue with the paths and our horses in 40 years.

 

[PorkChop]

We have footpaths all over our land, about 100 acres. I find it a nightmare, we have had footpaths changed with great expense. I have no trouble with people using the footpaths, it's just that so many people deviate and think they have the right to walk wherever they want with their dogs off the lead.

 

[Archangel]

I live on a bridleway, it is very busy with cyclists, walkers, sadly not too many riders. It comes close to the house but really we have no problems, we fenced off the garden when the cat arrived as lots of dogs used to run ahead of their owners and come in the garden and house and I thought it would be safer for the cat.! It is the litter that drives me potty (not cat litter by the way - dropped water bottles and sweet wrappers).

 

[jrp204]

Personally, if the 8 acre property ticks all the boxes I would fence the footpath off with stock fence ://www.tornadowire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/R13-120-8.pdf with 2 rows of wire on top making it 1.5 metres high, the wire is more expensive than ordinary stock fence but is horse friendly and higher.

 

[WandaMare]

We bought a place with a number of footpaths and at times they have been a nuisance. However I don't regret buying because the property has more important positives which override the footpath problems. eg good location, outdoor school etc. I also believe that having a public footpath is considered in the price of the property so we probably wouldn't have got the same for our money without it being there. It felt intrusive the first few years but we have got used to it now and more experienced at dealing with problem walkers and the council timewasters. It causes us very few problems nowadays, in fact I have met some nice people walking on the footpath who helped us bring in our hay one year, so its not all bad.

 

[Fools Motto]

If I had a choice, then no to footpaths. Last year, despite a style, walkers thought it wise to open the gate - and leave it open. 25 steers merrily trotted off down the main road. Thanks.
Also, they do like to treat fatty pone to sweeties..
Now we have chained gates, and moved the horses to another field - which to be honst is a bit of a faff for us as its not so easy to bring them in through other fields and through the cows. Hey ho.
I wish you luck in finding your perfect new abode.

 

[FreshandMinty]

If it was a property with a hundred acres and the footpath was at the far side and able to be fenced off, then maybe, just maybe. However on your average equestrian property with about 6 acres or so, then hell no. I cant understand why anyone would even consider it ?! Fiddes, did you know about the footpath when you bought your house? If you were hell bent on it then if it were me you would simply have to factor in the cost of moving them onto the cost of the property.

 

[Old Bat]

We have 5 acres of fields around two sides of our garden, with a footpath around the edge of the fields bordering the garden and one across the middle. There are 4 footpath gates to negotiate with springs to self close and the path goes past three five-bar gates into our garden and stable yard which are closely monitored by three very large and noisy lurchers. The field gate onto the road is padlocked. We've put "Please Do Not Feed the Livestock - Vet's Orders" notices on the boundary gates and have never had a problem in nearly 20 years. (Touching wood here!) The locals stop for a natter and the outsiders and rambling clubs scoot through very quickly as they tend not to notice that the loud lurchers have very waggy tails at the other end!

 

[YorksG]

When we bought this place one of the important things was no footpaths, as we had a horse with a lot of food intolerances. There is footpath next to one of the fields, we electric fence the horses back from the wall. A lot of the people from the next village walk their dogs on that path, lots of them off the lead and running through their sheep If the houses and land tick all the other boxes, I would fence the paths off with stock fencing, with electric to keep the horses out of reach. Just be aware that people will complain if you fence, even though it is quite legal. Our old YO when we were at livery fenced the path and people tried to get the council to make him take it down, 'cos they wanted to walk wherever they wanted!

 

[RunToEarth]

No. We have miles of them on the farm and they cause nothing but grief.

 

[indiat]

It's good to hear that some people manage it fine but I only have a budget for a tiny amount of land and OH is hot on his privacy so I think we will err on the side of caution and go for land with no public access. But thank you all for your replies, I do appreciate it.

 

[rara007]

At my parents we have one running along the edge of our schooling field, winter turnout and through the middle of our hat field, another running through the middle of our summer turnout and another cutting all the land up. They're quite busy but in all honesty cause very few problems- maybe as we have dog chasing small ponies- people learn quick! We don't have any livestock to be bothered. We've had a bit of a problem when we've had colts and now we have a very stalliony gelding having to turn them out quite a walk away to avoid the paths. There's footpaths everywhere all through our village so not really an option to avoid. Sadly there's very few byways and bridleways though!

 

[glinda]

NO…. never again!

I have a small 90 acre farm and a footpath running between the paddocks and the arable part of the farm….. we have fenced it off at great expense so its pretty darn obvious where the footpath is but I still find people will wander all over the place- including into my actual garden right by the house (with dogs off the lead).

One excuse for walking across my garden (quite a distance from the actual footpath) was that the footpath was muddy and they didn't want to get their shoes dirty!!!!! Another couple came right up to my house with 2 big dogs off the lead and then complained when my own dogs starting barking at them- apparently they wanted a shortcut as the path was too long for them !!!

I could go on forever- the path is a right royal pain in the proverbial and I hate it!

If people actually just walked on the path and were respectful of others property then it wouldn't be a problem but they really ARE NOT and they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[southerncomfort]

Could you plant thick high hedging? Maybe not Lleylandii but something similar? I guess if it's a very long footpath it may work out pretty expensive.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I have a footpath across one of our fields, we haven't ever found it an issue. That said its one of the fields furthest away from the house and we don't graze our horses in it, only our other livestock. We often have groups of ramblers sat in there, or kids camping. As long as they are respectful they act as another pair of eyes and people have often stopped to tell us something is caught somewhere etc etc

 

[Orangehorse]

We are right at the end of the village with two footpaths that form a very convenient cross for dog walkers
me included. Touching wood furiously, we have had very little trouble, although the cattle got out last week and I wondered if they had been frightened by dogs, but well out of sight of the house and they could have been out for hours.

One winter the horses were turned out to graze in the field with the footpath running the whole length of the field and I did fence it all with electric fencing, mainly because the mare was grumpy and quite likely to turn her rear end on anyone, so I thought that if there was a fence up there would be no excuse for them mixing.

When the crops are harvested we tend to have people wandering all over the fields. No, they are not "doing any harm" - but it is annoying and I have been grumpy with people at various times. My OH will also play the part of grumpy farmer and I think the locals are a bit wary of him!

 

[rubyrussell]

Intersting thread, we have a fp through the middle of our horse field which then goes over a busy railway line which they want to move closer to our house we are adiment we dont want it moved as no trouble to us where it is and any move will cause us in convince, can we be made to agreebto move it and how much will it devalue our property?

 

[indiat]

Glinda - 90 acres and they STILL cause grief?! :O I'm definitely avoiding them!

 

[Jericho]

No I would not - I havent even had experience of it but we did buy a house recently with 7 acres and I couldnt bear the thought of people coming on to it, especially with out of control dogs, children etc. We did look at a house with a footpath and it was one of the major concerns we had about the house. Sadly there are just some people that have no respect for other peoples property and it is those few who would end up being a nightmare

 

[Buddy'sMum]

Nope, never again! I have several very well used footpaths criss-crossing my land and it's a nightmare, so much so that we're planning to move soon.