Just back in from a local loop and a play in the woods, where around 70% of the route was made up of rural footpath, 15% quiet back roads, 5% pavement alongside a busy A road (not a single pedestrian passed) and 10% was bridleway.

All morning, I’ve had nothing but cheery responses from pedestrians, dog walkers and families out conker picking (even telling one family about a huge stash I’d just ridden past as their young lad was a bit upset that there weren’t many around!).
About three miles from home I pulled onto the final off road section where I spotted a couple of old dears aproaching the kissingate onto the field, I found myself a suitable gap in the undergrowth , dismounted and tucked myself into the hedge as always. The walkers passed with some light wind related banter and encouragement for the remainder of both of our journeys, then a couple of hundred yards further on (exceptionally busy today at two people per mile!) the scene replayed although this time with the walkers stopping to allow me to pass. I continued along the path around the field edge as the farmer has felt fit to divert the path to save him creating a path through his crop – I can live with this, it’s a seventy yard diversion and in fairness apart from one spot where water collects, it’s generally a better path as it’s not ploughed up twice a year.

Approaching the halfway point of the path, I see the pickup of the gamekeeper racing across the field towards me. He pulls up and tells me that I’m riding on a footpath! After a bit of a discussion I informed him that I would continue riding along the path. Strangely now I think about it, I was not told not to ride it at any time, nor told not to return!
I would like to see the damages claimed by a bike tyre compared to a pickup rooster tailing across the crop…

It’s a weird old world innit!

I shall be continuing to ride these routes as this is the first occasion in 15+ years of riding around here that I’ve ever had anyone take umbrage to my presence !

Hallelujah for the Highlands, no footpaths, no sheep tracks, horse walking tracks and no “gerrof moi laaand” – just ride where you d***m well please. As long as you don’t wheelie through the neighbors garden, its all good.

The one person who had a problem with you riding there is, sadly, the one person who has a legal right to say anything.

If you told him you would like to carry on riding it and he didn’t say you couldn’t it sounds like you now have the land owners permission. That’s nice. 😀

I try and keep it to a minimum but I ride footpaths to link up trails…I’m in the wrong so I think its right to show a bit of humility when caught: I apologise and I don’t bother trying to argue the right/wrong in it (because I’m in the wrong).

I got caught the other day about to ride a trail that starts on a FP…NT warden happen to be walking the path before I’d started, he told me the BW was the other direction so I just apologised and went back to the BW…no bother as getting caught is rare and I’ll ride it another day.

Sound sense above: always be polite, a cheery hello goes a long way. A while back, friends on a night ride that passed through a nature reserve, came across the elderly warden trapped under a fallen tree. They helped her, located the ambulance and got her to safety: she told them she’d never complain about the cyclists in the woods again.

The one person who had a problem with you riding there is, sadly, the one person who has a legal right to say anything.

Aye maybe not piss the gamekeeper off who might go back to his boss and say whats going on

My next doors the gamekeeper for langsett moor and the other guy runs north america from what i can gather they can and will throw the teddy out the pram if you start affecting their land and can and will shut it down regardless

I spotted a couple of old dears aproaching the kissingate onto the field, I found myself a suitable gap in the undergrowth , dismounted and tucked myself into the hedge as always

I started to worry where this thread was leading

He had the right to evict you with reasonable force. But wisely chose not too. Obviously your presence there with a bicycle had a massive impact on farming/game compared with all the dog walkers he ignored. not

Ignore and carry on being nice and riding bikes

I have always ridden footpaths when conditions make it appropriate. I will continue to do so. I’ve had probably less than one ‘anti’ comment per year, with one stand-up row.

I am considerate to other users be it footpath, bridleway or cheeky.

There is nothing else to say, really. There are always one or two tossers about.

This can include ‘us’. A few years back I was riding a very naughty path near me. I slowed and stopped for an old couple (just as I was getting to the ‘good’ bit). The old boy, very friendly, just said “you know you really shouldn’t be riding that here don’t you?” I just replied that yes, I shouldn’t, but I always slow down for others, don’t fly round blind corners etc.

It then transpired that him and his missus had nearly been KO’d by a group of four or five of ‘us’ tearing around a blind bend on a footpath a few weeks before. These ‘riders’ simply yelled “get the **** out of the way”.

99% of the time everyone can get along just fine. Idiots always spoil things for the majority, be it over-officious walkers or irresponsible riders.

crop field / gamekeeper = triffids?

no longer have the opportunity but after CROW there was one run where’d i’d always stop and moon at the gamekeepers house on the far side of the reservoir celebrating not having to see if his land rover was about to race me across the fragile moor

Shooting season has just started gamekeepers will be busy trying to keep as many birds in their shooting areas as possible, I can fully understand the gamekeeper getting het up, it’s his livelihood.

If it goes tits up on the next day you’ll be getting very red ears from all the blame that will be aportioned to you!

I have been out with the King of Cheek today who doesn’t seem to realise the difference between FPs and BWs so we mainly rode FPs. Because I swear he is on the Aspergers spectrum he doesn’t notice people’s expressions and he is faster than me so it was me that got glared at by walkers despite the cheery greet ings etc. luckily plenty of people replied in a friendly manner but an awful lot weren’t pleased. It won’t stop us riding them though!

It then transpired that him and his missus had nearly been KO’d by a group of four or five of ‘us’ tearing around a blind bend on a footpath a few weeks before. These ‘riders’ simply yelled “get the **** out of the way”.

Jees they do us no favours do they!? Just keep being sensible is all you can do.

Funny that you tresspass and think your correct. 🙄

The gamekeeper was quiet within his rights to escort you from the property as you were not supposed to be ridding on the (a) footpath.

Why be a complete **** and carry on riding? Why not get off your bike appologise and push the rest of the way off the field. The thing is now he WILL be keeping and eye out for you FFS. (Or I would if I was him).

Some people do not have a **** clue maybe at that present second in time, you were **** up one of his drives?
Had you though of that? It’s not all pretty fields and woodland just for you to cycle / tresspass on you know. It’s a working environment for some people 🙄
How would you like me coming in to your office and throwing all your paper work off your desk then walking off?

Some people boil my piss
ex-gamekeeper
Badllama

Had a similar experience on private part of Ilkley Moor (actually Burley Moor, but most refer to it all as Ilkley Moor). had a nice friendly conversation with the Gamekeeper who was actually more bothered about dog walkers. We had a polite discussion and I put him in the picture on how most MTBers ride and think, which would unlikely effect their nesting birds ie we’re always going to stick within the trail margin. However, I still had to ride off in the wrong direction and hide in a ditch until he drove off so I could cross his private land undetected.

It then transpired that him and his missus had nearly been KO’d by a group of four or five of ‘us’ tearing around a blind bend on a footpath a few weeks before. These ‘riders’ simply yelled “get the **** out of the way”.

Not “Stravaaaaaaa!” then?

Badlllama, I’m fully aware of the operations of a shoot… I own more gore tex gear with Jahti Jakt or duck-dri labels than I do with endura on them…
The keeper didn’t ask me to stop riding and allowed me to continue along the path whilst riding.
His cover crops are 400yrds away from the path seperated by two boundary hedges, his release pens are miles from this area.
As mentioned, his pickup being raced across the field was far more disruptive to his stock than me!
I’d gladly do a bit of dogging back for him should he be interested in controlling his birds…

I’d gladly do a bit of dogging back for him ? 😯

Do we really think the rules are going to be changed ? I say just ride where you want, but clearly be respectful to others, and lets see what the consequences will be. We need some martyrs !

Edric, don’t worry – it doesn’t involve the interior light of my car!

Some people do not have a **** clue maybe at that present second in time, you were **** up one of his drives?

More so than the people walking dogs who had a right to be on the FP you reckon? Bicycles not being allowed on FPs is an anachronism for which there is no real justification in the vast majority of cases (if not all).

I own more gore tex gear with Jahti Jakt or duck-dri labels than I do with endura on them…

Awesome when did gore tex make you the landowner?

Secondly he might not have said stop riding , he might be reporting back to the landowner saying we are all becoming a PITA

He had the right to evict you with reasonable force. But wisely chose not too.

Happy to be corrected, but I think he can only use ‘reasonable force’ (whatever that is) if the OP refused to leave when asked.

so the gamekeeper had taken a break from poisoning buzzards to have a go at a cyclist? tools of the landed gentry, they dont deserve your respect. unlike all the other good people you met today who do

Happy to be corrected, but I think he can only use ‘reasonable force’ (whatever that is) if the OP refused to leave when asked.

You are correct

I am considerate to other users be it footpath, bridleway or cheeky.

There is nothing else to say, really. There are always one or two tossers about.

^This. But there’s more than one or two tossers – I’d say a worryingly large majority who seem to think that they own the countryside.

I’m not doubting that there are some areas of the country where bridleways and other legitimate non-trail centre riding is thin on the ground – I’m lucky, I live in an area which is rddled with good, legal trails but I do think that a lot of people are just lazy and take the proverbial when it comes to cheeky trailage, expecting everyone else to accomodate them, instead of the other way around.

I’ll repeat my comment above, johnellison. Bicycles not being allowed on FPs is an anachronism for which there is no real justification in the vast majority of cases (if not all).

I had a game keeper race up to me in a 4×4 the other day, just as I was about to ride a 2-minute off-piste moorland section where there’s no trail at all, neither FP or BW. He was a bit aggressive and swore plenty, but the gist of what he said was that he and his colleagues will (and do) turn a blind eye to riders on footpaths, but he won’t ignore us if we ride where there’s no trails at all, cutting across untouched moorland. I kinda thought this was fair enough. Legally I don’t know where he stands, but it’s not worth causing the aggro if he’s prepared to ignore all the times I ‘might’ in the future ride on FPs. Give and take, I guess.

My next doors the gamekeeper for langsett moor and the other guy runs north america from what i can gather they can and will throw the teddy out the pram if you start affecting their land and can and will shut it down regardless

I met the gamekeeper for north america some years ago (obviously could be a different one now). He blocked the trail, told me that the BW i was riding was a FP, claimed to be the landowner himself, then started throwing punches when I argued. A prize twunt all told. Luckily the ranger I had seen him talking to gave me his name to report to peak authorities and the local rozzers.

Not sure he’d be going back to report that one to his boss: “I blocked a right of way, claimed to be you, then punched someone”.

I’ll repeat my comment above, johnellison. Bicycles not being allowed on FPs is an anachronism for which there is no real justification in the vast majority of cases (if not all).

I don’t disagree. But the fact remains that currently, it is not legal to ride a bicycle on a public footpath (and yes, I am aware that trespass is a civil tort). Until the law changes, if we choose to use public footpaths we must at least be polite and humble about it if anyone challenges us, and be prepared to move over and let those who currently have a legitimate right to be there exercise that right without hindrance.

My point is, that in my opinion an awful lot of cyclists take liberties when it comes to public footpaths and then act all hurt when they are challenged. Given the prevailing attitudes I would say that these individuals are generally either lazy, wilfully ignorant, or both. In my book, laziness and ignorance are not valid arguments for the defence.

I ride on public footpaths very occasionally, but I only do it where I know that there is little or no likelihood of coming into conflict with anyone, and if I do I have the good grace to admit that I’m in the wrong and promise not to do it again (whether I mean it or not).

Well said John…sums it up perfectly for me

Until the law changes, if we choose to use public footpaths we must at least be polite and humble about it if anyone challenges us, and be prepared to move over and let those who currently have a legitimate right to be there exercise that right without hindrance.

I agree with all of that – just not sure I understand your point about “taking liberties”. I’ve stopped admitting I’m wrong when riding FPs – my last exchange on one (which is I think the only time I’ve ever been challenged when riding a unicycle) went something like:

“you know this is a footpath?”
“is it?”
“yes”
“oh, OK, thanks” … as I rode off the way I was going.

…though on checking the map that particular path has no RoW status at all.

Admittedly I will ride stuff on the unicycle I won’t ride on the bike (except when I’m sure I won’t meet anybody), given my speed is much closer to running so the same conflict issues don’t exist – that and the vast majority of people seem pleased to see me even on a FP.

Sadly I see quite a bit of poor etiquette from mountain bikers – including people I would expect better of. Expecting walkers to get out of the way, then not saying thank you when they do, passing people too close/too fast, etc. It’s bad enough on a bridleway but I always think you should be extra-courteous on a FP.

Until the law changes, if we choose to use public footpaths we must at least be polite and humble about it if anyone challenges us, and be prepared to move over and let those who currently have a legitimate right to be there exercise that right without hindrance.

+1

A smile and giving priority goes an awfully long way in most cases, and costs seconds.

just not sure I understand your point about “taking liberties”

What I’m getting at is that some individuals over-use public footpaths and do not (or cannot) see the potential conflict with legitimate users; if anyone challenges them, they get on their high horse and start shouting the odds, which does the rest of us no favours.

As I have already said, I feel that a lot of this attitude is born of laziness, lack of consideration for others and ignorance, wilful or otherwise.

When I started riding off-road about 25 years ago, I took the trouble to find out where I could and could not ride legitimately, with the help of a little reading and an OS map. It took about 10 minutes to establish the facts and to start planning routes on a map. I don’t understand why people cannot do this now, especially now that information is so much more readily available.

A couple of mates were stopped on a hardcore track which is also a footpath last week by a gamekeeper on a quad bike near Doctors Gate, Hamsterley. Soon another 4×4 arrived with another couple of gamekeepers – they had to turn round and go back the way they’d come even though they were only a couple of 100m from exiting on to a road.

The gamekeepers were very aggressive and they were left in no doubt if they carried on they would be given a kicking and have their bikes taken. This was on a 4 metre wide hardcore surfaced track classified as footpath, not singletrack through the heather.

What is your definition of “over using” FPs, and do you have a similar one for “over using” BWs? My point is that the difference is purely arbitrary as far as bike riders are concerned.

I appreciate there is a lot that can be said in detail about the pros and cons of riding FPs, or cheeky for that matter.

However, this thread (in various incarnations) is nearly as old as the hills we all like to ride in. It has been done various times and never gets resolved.

99% of the time everyone can rub along just fine if they follow one basic rule: Don’t be a tosser.

To slightly muddy the waters, I would argue that the gamekeepers in neninja’s post were straying into tosser territory. Why would someone riding a bike be more disruptive to their activities than someone on foot? If human presence is so disruptive they should either seek to have the RoW closed down or do their shoots elesewhere. We’d soon see how much of a stink the ramblers would kick up if they tried to close the footpath.

neninja, right or wrong the gamekeepers have no right to do that and I’d suggest that was excessive force, not reasonable.
However, I’d probably have gone back the way I came too, not really keen on getting a beating or my bike taken. BUT I’d have noted the individuals and the vehicle registrations and reported to the police.