Traditionally – some kinda brashing hook (or a ‘brushing hook’ in some places) – pretty much just a curved ‘machete’ on a stick.
It’s a mix of cutting / crushing / bashing stuff down, and they are impressively effective. Most are a basic carbon-steel, so will need the edge redoing quite often, but as a consequence they are tough, and won’t chip / damage from hitting something a bit tougher/grittier.
I wouldn’t go any more than a 400grit on it, perhaps not even that – the coarser, micro-saw-like nature of ~400 will help with cutting the stems – you certainly don’t need it as fine as a chisel / plane / pocket-knife (as the first big wet, soil covered stem it hits will immediately take that fine edge off anyway).
Under S139 CJA 1988, you’ll need a ‘good reason’ to be carrying it in a public place – ultimately that’ll be for the Bench to decide if it comes to it, but if you can demonstrate good reason, there should be no worries. Remember that your car (for example) is a ‘public place’, so if you have spent the day clearing a lane, (and thereby probably demonstrating ‘good reason’), but then call into the shops on the way home for something, technically … you’ll be in breach of the Act, as you won’t be able to demonstrate ‘good reason’ to [then] have it in a supermarket car park – even tho’ you are only on the way home. That’s a narrow distinction, as you’ll be using the the roads to get home, but that is not an unreasonable thing to do – the Bench may reasonably expect you to take the stuff home, then go back to the shops. Have in mind the Act is really to give the Executive the power to prosecute if someone is just wandering out and about with one of their mum’s carving knives stuffed into their tracksuit bottoms, not to prevent citizens going about their legitimate business.
Don’t rely on this bit in court 😉 , but if you do end going somewhere else on the way home, make sure it’s well out of sight, in a locked boot, buried in with all of the other stuff you’ve used to clear the lane, thereby supporting your case that it was just to clear the lane.
You ought to get (or demonstrate that you have tried to get) permission first, in case there is any potential additional case to answer, such as aggravated trespass (as a consequence of having such an article on private land).
I can imagine that a brashing hook would be hard to carry (certainly hard to carry discretely) on a bike tho’ (and you’ll not want to be coming off carrying one) – so you may be better walking in.
… But harvest the Blackberries before you start brashing tho’.
😉