I have a very pleasant local walk which uses a mixture of public footpaths and unclassified roads. On all the occasions I’ve walked this loop I’ve only ever come across one other person on a footpath.

Since I’ve been walking this route more and more signs have been erected. The latest is where an access track crosses a public footpath through some woods, not only has a pile of branches been put across each side but two new signs have appeared – large, bright red with the words PRIVATE PROPERTY TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED.

So I exit the woods and there’s another sign PRIVATE LAND KEEP TO THE FOOTPATH. Then 200 metres further on there’s a stile with another sign with identical wording. Besides the stile is a gate with a NO PARKING sign plus a further PRIVATE LAND KEEP TO THE FOOTPATH.

Oh and did I mention the signs with CCTV CAMERAS IN OPERATION.

Is this tone, and number of signs, really necessary? Discuss.

Oooh . . . I wonder what they want to keep secret?

I have two thoughts here
– first is more happens that you realise on that route. A landowner may be having some ongoing issues of cars blocking or folk straying leaving gates open etc. We had issues with ‘wild camping’ on side of Loch Tay – it was out of hours, if you spoke to campers about where they had parked (blocking a farmers field access) they all used to trot out the “we’re only here overnight…” bolleaux. What they didn’t know is the farmer in an attempt to squeeze by one day turned a tractor over on himself…

– second one is that some landowners are selfish and entitled stupids, who attempt to keep all of the land at all costs, and they think aggressive signs will work.

Pointless. Anyone who wants to access for nefarious reasons won’t be put by a bit of signage. Could also be a new landowner who assumed that getting a footpath closed would be an easy ask of the council.

Could you pull the signs off, and lob them into the woods? 😀 (joking!)

This is disgraced cyclists Bradley Wiggins “private road” and you are the BBC I collect £5?

I would just think ” what a sad little man” and ignore them

You could cause mischief over the CCTV tho. To have CCTV that records on public land there are hoops to jump thru and its a reasonable bet the landowner hasn’t done this properly

But so long as the rights of way are not blocked then I would ignore it considering it the landowners problem not yours. If rights of way are blocked then take the appropriate action

Trespassers cannot be prosecuted anyway. Its a civil tort IIRC

It’s happened quite a bit around my area over the last few years, closing off some woodland completely. New owners, as I understand it.

Sounds to me like they’ve got a Dogging problem, I don’t think you’re the target OP.

Having said that some people just like putting up signs, they keep the Proles in their place, and help scare off undesirables… The Right to Roam still really irks some people…

If you had a large garden with a public footpath at the bottom would you want loads of old folk in red socks and day packs wandering through it singing valdaree valdarahh…….

Sounds great! Like having free Disney animatronic garden gnomes.

Curious where abouts in the country this is, riding around the New Forest see signs like this everywhere on people’s homes/gardens, as opposed to riding around Dartmoor struggle to see any private keep out signs.

Trespassers cannot be prosecuted anyway. Its a civil tort IIRC

Depends, the Criminal Justice bill made some trespasses a crime.

If you had a large garden with a public footpath at the bottom would you want loads of old folk in red socks and day packs wandering through it singing valdaree valdarahh…….

A good few years ago I lived in a house with this sort of issue. Big country house split into flats with an SSRI and unique geological formations in a glen behind the house. People could walk across the fields from the village a mile away along the border of our land. this was no issue. However people used to park in the entranceway which made it hard to get you car out onto the NSL road and even on occasion parked in our car parking area and walked thru our gardens to get to the SSRI / Geology. this was very annoying indeed

Basically its back to the principles in the land reform act – ” don’t be a dick”

Certain activities on private land are not a good mix with people straying from rights of way.

These generally involve putting little holes in feathery or furry animals

If you like to put little holes in aforesaid creatures you would rather people stayed away to avoid scaring off the creatures you want to put holes into. As there is a financial value to this not to mention a safety issue such land owners discourage trespass.

If any trespass is allowed it rapidly becomes a complete free for all.

Thanks for the responses. I realise I’m lucky to have such a varied walk from the door and this aggressive signage really saddens me. There’s little housing around, you need to be pretty determined to get to the woods due to muddy fields. As I stated, have only ever seen one other person walking. No car parks, no cafes. No opportunities for dogging.

CCTV is actually beside what seems to be a remote church, not just the one sign either. Hampshire, not New Forest though.

Seen quite a bit of the same and IMO land owner is entitled to encourage people to stick the the ROW.

adsh yes thats true but how about you have left a load of rusty metal in a pile or half fallen tree / broken branches. Any of these could injure someone then you have ambulance chasing lawyers saying there where no signs ?

I was thinking about adding a sign to my footpath saying ‘Cyclists also welcome’ and sit back and wait for the moaners to start telling me I can’t do it! Kind of the opposite problem I guess 🙂

I suppose you can put a sign up saying whatever you want. I’ve seen a sign discouraging access to a Bridleway for instance. Doesn’t mean you have to take any notice.

At the end of the day if you choose to buy a property/land with a RoW through some part of it you have to accept it, otherwise there’s nobody else to blame.

No opportunities for dogging

You sound disappointed 😉

benpinnik – like this one? Hopefully its readable – it says private road. walkers and cyclists welcome

https://goo.gl/maps/hqaAWWZdeN42

what does the blurred bit at the bottom say? I can see “Except for” then the rest is illegible

Sounds like they need to build a wall. A big beautiful wall. Who’s gonna pay for it? The Ramblers Association.

Something about access to the car park for construction workers I think and the telephone number of the B&B

The latest is where an access track crosses a public footpath through some woods, not only has a pile of branches been put across each side

Do you mean the piles of branches are obstructing the footpath?

At the end of the day if you choose to buy a property/land with a RoW through some part of it you have to accept it, otherwise there’s nobody else to blame.

Indeed. But what I don’t understand is the need to scare or frighten people cos that’s how it comes across to me. Really wouldn’t want folk to be put off from using RoW due to this. OK if a landowner really has to put up a sign then a simple one with the word ‘private’ would suffice. No need for multiple blots on the landscape.

There is another footpath running through the far end of the wood which I haven’t been along for a while so will need to check that out. No shoots around nor grazing livestock.

Do you mean the piles of branches are obstructing the footpath?

No, they’re across what was the access road which presumably they have no use for now.

Bloke near me who is a skip millionare put loads of signs including a speed limit of 15mph for bikes, I always wondered if he had a speed gun or camera! 😀

My favouritest sign ever! Its just up from our house, as you head onto the moors. To my knowledge there has never been a rave anywhere in the vicinity since about 1992, but I just love its quaint, retro 80’s threat level. I can see Michael Howard now, on the news, condemning this kind of thing. Aaaaaaaah…. happy days 😀

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ST2UA5]Raves are illegal[/url] by bin lid, on Flickr

Sounds like the owner doesn’t want deviations from the RoW. Fair enough to me. Likely that idiots have felt that they can go where they like or fail to know where and where not to go. CCTV signs do sound as if they have something more to worry about than the odd walker stepping a few yards of the RoW to open his flask or have a pee. Poaching springs to mind.
No more offensive than the signs you see in towns telling you that this is a service road or just back access to the shops.

“they’re across what was the access road which presumably they have no use for now.”

I complete fail to see how this is a problem to anyone. Bloody good idea actually. It shows the boundary nicely.

tjagain

Yeah but smaller on the FP sign itself. P***** me off round our way that I am a few hundred metres off the C2C but there’s no other off road access nearby – pretty much nothing (which I am not used to), so I figured I could start, and maybe others will follow.

Chuckles at the sign in binners post.

I complete fail to see how this is a problem to anyone. Bloody good idea actually. It shows the boundary nicely.

On their own these piles of branches do make it clear where people can’t go. But the landowner has also put up two large signs in red saying PRIVATE LAND TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. As I’ve said before, these signs are blots on the landscape and scaring people.

CCTV was for church which isn’t a million miles away.

“PRIVATE LAND TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED”
Technically misguided maybe but where is the problem? Its not blocking your RoW is it? If so then deal with it IMHO but if not there is no issue.
There are millions of things dotted about the countryside that are far more offensive to the eye. Totally unnecessary road signs, even foot path signs. Car parking signs, Housing estates. Some bunch of cretins has sign posted the MTB trails around here as if using your eyes doesn’t work. None of this is any big deal on somebody else’s land.
Try and look at it from somebody else’s point of view. There is usually an explanation that eases any dislike. The land owner will have a valid reason and I bet its some pea brain being anti social that’s caused this. Dad really but most of moderns society has bits of that.

I’ve never been scared by a sign, unsightly, legally ambivalent, NIMBYish perhaps, but not scared or intimidated.

these signs are blots on the landscape and scaring people.

any pics possible?

There’s a classic passive aggresive one on the climb to charity lane at Macc Forest informing anyone who wishes to use the footpath that they are legally entitled to do but that it goes no-where, just across a field and back again. Trying to dig through my HD for a picture, sure I had one.

it’s this one

https://goo.gl/maps/yr6i3UD1QQs

the sign says the ROW is there as the path was used for access to the form for delivering post or somesuch, but goes no further than the frarm, IIRC

Church = lead roof?

Do people actually get prosecuted for trespassing?

Cloud nine – you can’t be its not (usually) a criminal offense