A small group of us have recently started creating a new trail in some local woods, which was shaping up really nicely after a bit of hard work. This was until some condescending numpty came along and told us that, “….what you are doing is wrong” (which he kept on repeating) and that we should pack up and leave. He also took my friend’s registration plate number and threatened to tell the authorities. The trail doesn’t run on any footpaths and we’ve always been polite to any walkers. We even started picking up litter in the area to make it cleaner. Just don’t understand why some people react so badly when we are doing something genuinely productive (and completely harmless) with our time when we could be hanging around a Maccy D’s car park or mugging pensioners. What’s stupid is there is a golf course nearby which has flattened acres of woodland, the clubhouse of which said numpty walked to as we were leaving……idiot.

Some people hate to see others having fun…..

Do you have the owners permission? If not you are in the wrong.

Why didn't you politely explain that the land owners is OK with what you are doing so all is in fact fine ?

You did contact the landowner before you started didn't you 😉 ? and they did give you permission to alter their property didn't they ?

Do not take your mates car the next time then

should have told him you'd put him a shallow grave

Do you have the owners permission? If not you are in the wrong.

See what I mean? 😉

Should have built further from the golf course. A bigger group of NIMBY's is hard to find. Any "sport" that requires you to spend hundreds of pounds a year on club membership, even though it can realistically be done in any old field is strange in my book.

Haha Peter Poddy, some people just can't stand to see others enjoying themselves 😉 The land is owned by our local borough council and no, we don't have permission. I would have no qualms if a member of their staff came and told us to bugger off, but there really is no need for uppety members of the public to interfere when what we are doing is harmless, clean fun. Shallow grave was tempting considering the tools we had on us….

TandemJeremy – Member
Do you have the owners permission? If not you are in the wrong.

What happened to "All property is theft" comrade? 😉

Personally I wouldn't worry about it. So long as you haven't damaged anything (nailing north shore to trees etc) then no ones going to sue you over it. Just build sensibly, and accept that one day you might turn up and it's all been flattened, in which case you just move somewhere else.

If you're going to build trails, just make sure that it can all be returned to how you found it easily, and don't get too atached to it.

Yeah, we haven't gotten too ambitious with what we've built, mostly singletrack with a couple of rollers and berms. Have been building trails for a few years on and off and it's always hit-and-miss longevitity-wise (as all trail builders know!) 😕

It's public land, and you're sadly in the wrong. As the man aboive says just move on or be prepared to face the consequences of trailbuilding without permission.

LOL @ the sad attempts to have a gratuitous go at someone elses sport…

What wasn't mentioned in the origin l post is that it was just path, to link up twoexisting footpaths, with no jumps etc, and that there is allready a load of dh runs in the area anyway…

Heather Bash the golf comments are true – it is an elitist game and they are very greedy with the countryside. Pitch and putt and crazy golf are quite good fun though.

I would have no qualms if a member of their staff came and told us to bugger off…there really is no need for uppety members of the public to interfere

If it's public land, I'd say "the public" is perfectly entitled to tell you to bugger off actually. You don't necessarily have to do as they say, obviously. 🙂

I would have lied and told him that I work for the Forestry Commission and he should learn to smile, it doesn't cost anything…

Heather Bash, I have nothing against golf persee, enjoy watching a bit of it now and again, just there seems to be no consistentcy with regards to land use. All boils down to money which is a sad thing.

Nowt wrong with golf, play it myself sometimes.

As for the some of the people that play it thats a different matter, but you get that in any sport.

just there seems to be no consistentcy with regards to land use

isn't there?

Given that its not a footpath, you should have told him that he was trespassing and to leave immediately 🙂

Cops drove past some mates digging recently. Stopped for a word and were sympathetic but said they'd have to contact landowners etc. Nothing ever came of that, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

>just there seems to be no consistentcy with regards to land use. All boils down to money which is a sad thing. <

tell me about it – half of Scotland's owned by 'non residents' ;-(

Golf is still pretty accessible afaik – not aware of any of the hundreds of cheap pay to play municiple courses up and down the UK being bulldozed to make way for housing et al. I do however, have a major problem with Trump and his ilk…

Just tell em to eff off.