On Tuesday I went for a local run, across the fields along some footpaths nobody every really uses and that I've only ever been on once or twice.
There is a section that is poorly signed and I had to make up my own route through some woods to find the footpath again.
I followed a footpath that I've used before, that brings you out to a farm house and some out-buildings.
There was a guy on the roof of a van, tying something down. I already knew that if I followed the track, maybe 1/2 a mile later I'd come to a road, but I didn’t want to seem rude or 'odd'....so I played dumb and asked which way the footpath went rather than blanking him and running past.
The guy was maybe 30, he told me that there wasn’t a footpath, and that I cant come through ere mate. He said I was on his bosses land and he wont be very happy if he see's me and he told me to leg-it and get off the land quickly.
I told him that I'd just come off a marked footpath and It was pointing straight at the place we were standing at, he denied it once again and told me I cant keep coming though here.
Anyway, I did what he said, and followed the track to the road.
When I got home I checked with my grandma and she said she's been that way before, and I went on multimap and used the OS feature and the footpath goes straight through the farm.
So, the lad maybe didn’t know what he was talking about...perhaps not being local and he certainly didn’t look like a runner.
What should I do though, continue to use the footpath as im within my rights...and its a cracker of a route and risk getting an ear full.
I thought of printing off the route and carrying it as proof incase Im questioned again.
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