Lots of farmers get pissed off with people riding on footpaths.What needs to happen is all outdoor users mtbers horse riders even the ramblers work together for better sensible access to the country side.One local nature reserve is out of bounds as a natural unspoiled place despite the steps and the gravel paths that have been put in .You get a right bollocking for riding round it but the wardens land rover is always in there.It's not us country lovers who will wreck it but all the townies who need gravel tracks steps and signs so they can access the countryside
Chat Forum
[closed]
this riding on footpath nonsense
-
Posted 2 years ago #
-
What's the "legal" difference between a footpath and a pavement then?
A pavement is a strip of land by the side of a highway set aside for pedestrians, on which it was made illegal to drive a carriage in the 19th century. At some point, someone decided that a bike is a carriage. It is therefore a criminal offence to ride a bike on a pavement, but the advice to the police from the Home Office is only to issue a fixed penalty notice for the offence if the cyclist is riding irresponsibly.
A public footpath is a route over which pedestrians have a legal right of way. This right does not mean that you can't ride a bike on the same place; indeed there may be other legal rights of way for bikes along the same route. If there is no other right of way, the landowner or their agent may ask you to leave the land and they could start civil proceedings to recoup the damage you have done by riding on their land, just as they could if you rode anywhere on their land without permission.
Posted 2 years ago # -
For those not in the know..
if there is a footpath local to you and you know the land owner - go and speak to them - with their permission you can then ride on the said footpath - much to the chgrin of the red sock brigade.
I used to do this as a 15 year old living at my mum and dads where there was no BWs just alot of FPs..
mostly the FPs were in and around Farms and Farmland.. and the Farmers had no issues as long as I stuck to them. (which walkers often wouldnt)
I no longer worry about this as I now live in Scotland..
Where any track, trail or path on the ground - you can walk, cycle or horse ride along. However Pavements are covered by the highways act and not the Land Reform act - therefore not permissable for use by cycles.Posted 2 years ago # -
back in 1988 i wrote to Lord Stafford asking for permission to ride my 'specially adapted bicycle' on some of his land. he wrote back, said no problem, enjoy your cycling. Hence, in Hanchurch at least, it seems the landowner is on your side no matter what the FC say.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Agree with above we wandered off a bridleway and saw the farmer in the field so we went to say sorry and he didn't mind at all just said keep hold of the dogs (which we were) and leave the gates as they are
Posted 2 years ago # -
Where any track, trail or path on the ground - you can walk, cycle or horse ride along.
If I'm not wrong, it doesnt even have to be a path or a trail, you can walk/cycle/horse ride wherever you like providing you're not being irresponsible.
Posted 2 years ago # -
What needs to happen is all outdoor users mtbers horse riders even the ramblers work together for better sensible access to the country side.
hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahah
what needs to happen is that people need to get a grip and stop bothering others who aren't bothering them,
The ramblers association is a Vogon disguise, have you heard their bureaucratic poetry? there's nothing worse!
Posted 2 years ago # -
what needs to happen is that people need to get a grip and stop bothering others who aren't bothering them,
Obviously it is bothering them, or they wouldn't bother others
Posted 2 years ago # -
I am not a rambler fan either but in an ideal world one large body of people trying to improve things may have more clout than smaller groups
Posted 2 years ago # -
the ramblers view of what might 'improve things' is probably a countryside entirely without horses, bikes, trail bikes and 4WDs.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Agree on the trailbike 4x4 bit unless it's policed properly they really rip sensitive areas apart
Posted 2 years ago # -
I regularly ride along a footpath in Bewdley on my commute.
It's through a park, so for most of its length, there is plenty of room on one side or the other to do a wide loop round any pedestrians I might meet.
Riding home one day last week, the two oncoming pedestrians were wearing police uniforms.
A wide sweep to the right while maintaining the same pace and I was gone before they had time to think about Rights of Way. Posted 2 years ago # -
Please can someone post a link to this thread on the Ramblers forum?!
Posted 2 years ago # -
the two oncoming pedestrians were wearing police uniforms.
beneath which they had only frilly suspenders...
Posted 2 years ago # -
In my defence, it is a proposed Sustrans route.
North out of Bewdley on the West bank, or heading upstream with the river on your right, if you prefer.
It's a far safer route from Bewdley in to the Wyre Forest than the official Route 45 up Welch Gate, but I think the Sustrans argument is that a long ride up a steep narrow hill between houses in a 30mph limit is safer than crossing a road with a 60mph limit. It isn't.Posted 2 years ago # -
and welcome confrontation - except it never happens - most of the time there's nobody there to notice or care and the sooner the self-policing meme is eradicted from riders, the happier they'll be
The confrontation may not happen there and then, instead we get people building traps and obstacles on trails after the "group ride" that affects other riders.
Is a bit of common sense really too much to ask for?
Posted 2 years ago # -
The confrontation may not happen there and then, instead we get people building traps and obstacles on trails after the "group ride" that affects other riders.
not anywhere I've ever been
Is a bit of common sense really too much to ask for?
it's common sense not to build mantraps as it's both illegal and dangerous. It's common sense that it's our country.
Posted 2 years ago # -
SFB enjoys the confrontation a bit too much but I don't think you can lay the blame of "traps" at the feet of cheeky group rides, that rests clearly with the unhinged minds of the individuals building the traps. Just as a mototorist seeing an RLJer doesn't give them carteblanche to run down cyclists, seeing trail poachers doesn't give them reason to build traps, they are just sadistic gits.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'll admit to not having read every post on this, so apologies if this has already been said.
Like many of us I have done plenty of cheeky riding, but as someone who also likes to go for a peaceful walk with my little 'uns, it is nice to know I can get on a footpath and be fairly confident I don't have to worry about bikes hurtling towards me from both directions. Using the same reasoning, I like riding at trail centres because - generally - I'm not going to find endless walkers around every corner spoiling my fun.
I've also got scars on both arms from a bit of bailing twine strung across a bridleway. Thankfully there are no accompanying scars on my neck. I'm still wondering if this is relevant to the post
Posted 2 years ago # -
don't think that most ramblers or horseriders are anti-mtb but there is potential for conflict where people ride bikes like c0cks and one or two bad experiences colours peoples opinions
got stopped by a peak park ranger riding one of those odd routes where in the 50's south yorks council made an old route a bridleway whilst derby cc decided that it would only be a footpath on their side of the border - it was pointed out that i was breaking a national park byelaw and i pointed out that the national trust that owned the land had a policy of encouraging cycling (true its in their annual report but you'd never realise it) we chatted about the view and he asked me not to do it again i said i'd fought for access for climbers and walkers and was happy to do the same for cyclists - and went on my way
as an experience compares pretty favourably with the pre crow run ins with gamekeepers and waterboard employees and their dogs and guns when out running on forbidden moorlandpersonally i think should be campaigning for free access for bike access to all crow land and if in exchange we need third party insurance i'd consider it a good deal (runs and hides) and if some places need a voluntary agreement to reduce conflict no big deal
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm a live and let live rider, I always say hello and am very aware of how quick a bike can close on someone from behind and scare the bejeesuz out of them, so I exercise caution AMAP. That being said you do get some pedestrians who like to give you as much hassle as possible and bar your way. I like think they are off duty teachers and just thank them for their advice whilst sailing past.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Posted 2 years ago # -
I ride where I want when I want, and I've had confrontation maybe once or twice asa result of it. As with SFB, mostly this is a problem in our heads. Most folk don't know the rules anyway, and don't venture (on the whole) more than a couple of hundred yards from which ever car park they've driven to for a nice "day out in the countryside" They mostly assume we know what we can do, and if they do know we shouldn't be there, they'll do the English thing, and mutter to themselves about it.
The last confrontation I had with a bunch of ramblers was on a Bridleway, when one decided that I was was responsible for all the erosion (tyre tracks through a puddle) I couldn't be arsed with an argument, so just ignored the silly man. That was a couple of years ago now.
Posted 2 years ago # -
True they don't. For example there are sections of 'trail' that have never been any form of ROW, however over the years bikers have made these little trails and now walkers use them. So it makes me chuckle when I see a walker getting ready to spout 'you shouldn't be on here' and I reply 'nor should you' But at least I've paid my permit money and tidy the trails up two or three time a year.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I just wave my permit and tell them it entitles me to ride anywhere I want, which isn't exactly true
Posted 2 years ago # -
I try to stick to singletrack (aka footpaths) as much as possible, after all, this is the website for "Singletrack" magazine. However I'm always polite to walkers and am happy to slow down/stop if needed. 99% of the time you get a friendly "Hello", quite often followed by words of encouragement and/or a "You're mad!" type jokey comment. Occasionally you get some miserable git but I still give them the same polite treatment and just carry on riding.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I think I made my feeling clear on the other ROW post.
I'll stop riding on paths when, they take down the mobile mast in the woods, dig up the car park and road to it and return it to woodland, bulldoze the café remove all the litter it makes, get rid of all the reflective signs, make dog walkers pick up the plastic bags and remove all the bins and make people take litter home.Posted 2 years ago # -
I'll stop riding on paths when, they take down the mobile mast in the woods, dig up the car park ...
AKA "never" :o)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I just wave my permit and tell them it entitles me to ride anywhere I want,
Day release permit?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Any farmers on here to give their views on people using their land?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Any farmers on here to give their views on people using their land?
how much time do you spend on farming forums ?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Two weeks ago, I was stopped whilst riding with my two children on a footpath (consisting of a mile long tarmac road approx 9ft wide). I was told politely that it was a footpath and that, next time, we should get off our bikes and push. He then drove off in his car along the "footpath" aka "road" leaving me scratching my head at the irony of the situation. (Car - yes, bike - no). Ok it was probably his land but it seemed ridiculous all the same. Being new to mountain biking, I posted a query on this forum and received some helpful replies from others. The Scots have the right idea though!
Posted 2 years ago # -
2nd BoardinBob
I emigrated
Posted 2 years ago # -
a forestry commission guy who didn't know the law
...you've met 'Log Man' (our localvigilantevolunteer ranger) aswell then? Posted 2 years ago # -
That bloody Ashdown Forest needs sorting out with a bit of mass SFB treatment.
Posted 2 years ago #
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.
