A dispute with a farmer.

[mxhornet]

A year or so back I got told by a farmer who jump out of his Land Rover at me to keep off of his land, I explained I only ran in the strip of land around where crops were planted so wasn't doing any damage he then told that was now set aside land under DEFRA rules and the public weren't allowed to use it as a path. He then went on to tell me that his game keeper would have a word with me if I ignored his warning, I then laughed, he said why do you find it funny I said I normally wave and say hello when I see the game keeper
I must admit I never check whether what he told me was valid as I could keep to plenty of waymarked paths in that area anyway.

As for geese my mum used to keep them, best way to fend then off is to bend forward arms together as if you're a bigger goose, daft as it may sound it does work.

[dylan]

i have always found the best way when confronted with a farmer is to shout out loudly"nathen hows tha diddleing"and laugh,walk and smile,then follow it with a quite"hows things mate,"if he still has a go at you just hold up your arms and say sorry i did not intend to cause you a problem,but i am only following my map/public right of way,have i gone wrong?to be honest from experience by this point their your best mate and tell you there farming problems,you nod in agreement at which point he will tell you where its ok to go and where not.that first day may take 5 minutes,but for the rest of your running life he will remember you,and most important show respect for every other runner that passes.
until one lamps him!

[mxhornet]

Forgot to add to my account I'd been using that route for 20 years prior to being told not to.

[Fnstein]

I had a problem with a local farmer. His dog ran out and snarled at me so I growled back. When I entered the farmyard he ordered me not to run through his farmyard (there was no animals or machinery about). I replied "Why?" and his burly colleague stepped into my path and pushed me.

I asked the police for advice, he spoke to the farmer, and I was informed that it was all my fault. The dog was just being friendly, and I was only asked not to run because running through farmyards was dangerous, and I'd run into the man rather than him pushing me.

Never been that way again obviously, for fear of being seriously assaulted.

Contact these people who can assert your right to use a public footpath for you!

Write to: Countryside and Rights of Way Office
Phoenix House
Clough Road
Winsford
Cheshire
CW7 4BD

Phone: 01606 271830
Fax: 01606 271818
E-mail: [email protected]
Call in person at: Phoenix House

[Fnstein]

i have always found the best way when confronted with a farmer is to shout out loudly"nathen hows tha diddleing"and laugh,walk and smile,then follow it with a quite"hows things mate,"if he still has a go at you just hold up your arms and say sorry i did not intend to cause you a problem,but i am only following my map/public right of way,have i gone wrong?to be honest from experience by this point their your best mate and tell you there farming problems,you nod in agreement at which point he will tell you where its ok to go and where not.that first day may take 5 minutes,but for the rest of your running life he will remember you,and most important show respect for every other runner that passes.
until one lamps him!

This is very good advice.

[Darth domain]

i did stray in the wrong direction when going through a farm and i realised when i saw the private sign, farmer caught me, i apologised and said navigatinal error, he showed me the correct way, perhaps yorkshire farmers are more tolerant?

[millipede]

Footpaths are totally amazing. we need to keep using them to preserve them for future generations (I even have a bit of a fetish for beautifully crafted stiles, I'm thinking of starting a photography collection.)

I think the main problem is that the majority of them are hardly ever used. so when a solitary (rather strange looking) fell runner appears it is a bit of a shock to a farmer who is not used to company.

I agree with the advice about a positive and friendly attitude going a long way. I always smile sweetly and usually have no problems. I am although always a bit cautious when running through unknown farms.

I think farmers should celebrate their ancient routes and the many weary feet that have travelled to their doors over the years.

A local farmer near here used to love the fact people went past his door and gave him the opportunity for a chat.

[Alf Tupper]

Local footpaths officer?

[XRunner]

DEFRA website for footpaths and rights of way.

5.3 Public rights of way


As a condition of joining the scheme, you must maintain existing rights of way and abide by the relevant legislation. This means that you must meet the following requirements.

5.3.1 Keeping rights of way clear of obstruction

Keep rights of way clear of any obstructions, such as padlocked gates, rubbish, barbed wire, slurry, manure, electric fences, hedgerows and chained or loose dogs. If necessary, cut back vegetation encroaching from the sides (but not the surface) and above, so that it does not inconvenience the public or prevent the right of way being apparent on the ground.

[dominion]

Not long ago I found a new 'permissive' path that mean't I could get back from my 'hill' without using a busy stretch of footpath-less road. Now there's a sign up saying the landowner and council have agreed to close it. There's another path that runs sorts of diagonally parallel on the OS maps, how can I find out if the path is still open? There are no signposts leading to it.