Had a few run ins with a local farmer recently…no unpleasantness but only way to access the top of a bridleway is along 300m of footpath..he doesn’t want bikers on it…fair enough!

Local council guy says they haven’t enough money to maintain existing ROW network let alone open up cul de sac bridleways (farmers need compensating)

got me thinking as farmers/landowners love a bit of subsidy action 😉 would a licence scheme work wherby we pay say £30 per year to ride on footpaths accross land where the landowner has opted into the scheme? farmers opting in get an annual payment as a thankyou based on acreage opened up for bikers use

idea would be a laminated card like a BC licence you’d carry and farmers could demonstrate they’d opted in with a disc on sign post on access points on their land..plus obvious website, mapping links etc

Got to be a goer for somebody on Dragons den or not….discuss

ps anybody nicks my idea and I’ll superglue your jockey wheels 😆

Just ride on his land for free.

As long as you aren’t bunnyhopping on his pig’s heads, or skidding the heads off his genetically modified corn, what’s the problem?

Yep…mostly used at night so no issue but new job gives me weds and fridays off so tend to see him knocking about….just thinking of a practical way to enjoy Scottish style access

I think farmers get enough payments anually too. Have you seen the price of a Range Rover and a John Deere tractor? 😉

You’d rather pay than walk 300m with a bike?

Then you’d also have to setup a system to issue licences and collect and distribute revenue. You’d receive thousands of claims from farmers with footpaths that no-one ever uses and would receive huge opposition if someone ever did try to upgrade them into bridleways.

I would rather pay £30 a year to an organisation that campaigned to get bicycles access to footpaths.

Don’t give up the day job, unless this is your day job of course 😉

not talking about an isolated 300m though am I!…imagine if 90% of farmers in England and Wales opted in… you could pretty much ride anywhere

Campaigning gets you nowhere fella…I’m involved in a big MTBing project and some landowners wont consider a route accross their land…

Distributing licences online would be simple, think fishing licence…
as would caculating a formula for reimbursing farmers

its the principle would you stump up the cost of a Hi Roller to legitimise your cheeky trails?

I would rather pay £30 a year to an organisation that campaigned to get bicycles access to footpaths.

Me too.

imagine if 90% of farmers in England and Wales opted in… you could pretty much ride anywhere

You can at the moment though, farmers can get as irate as they want, just ignore them.

It would be better to have a campaign for cyclists to be able to use footpaths,

I can’t imagine a farmer signing up to a scheme that allows people to ride anywhere on their land. Its not practical.

Put yourself in their shoes would you let a dozen orange 5 owners come do skids in your garden.

Local council guy says they haven’t enough money to maintain existing ROW network let alone open up cul de sac bridleways (farmers need compensating)

If you’re talking about dead end BWs, then something that should have been designated as a BW has clearly been mis-designated as a FP – no compensation should be needed, the definitive map just needs fixing. I’d be inclined to tell farmer where to go if riding a FP which should be a BW.

Hmmm so you’d pay £30 notes to somebody to ask politely if the landed gentry mind scruffy oiks riding accross their land (guess the answer)

or pay £30 to an organisation that could tell you X number of landowners in your area had opted in allowing you access to Y miles of footpath

Councils cant afford to upgrade rights of way…so how long do you guys think these changes would take by campaigning alone?

Aracer nope the bridleway served a former leadmill cart access to the coast not up to the road nearby!

I know I can ride anywhere if am prepared to be hassled…looking for a solution…in my lifetime ideally 😆

Nope not on your nelly.. the Land isn’t thiers.

whytetrash – Member
Hmmm so you’d pay £30 notes to somebody to ask politely if the landed gentry mind scruffy oiks riding accross their land (guess the answer)

or pay £30 to an organisation that could tell you X number of landowners in your area had opted in allowing you access to Y miles of footpath

I don’t like the idea of paying for access in that way, I think it is completely the wrong direction to take. How on earth would it be enforced too?

Campaigning can work, I was amazed that fox hunting was banned. If the campaigning doesn’t work? Well, it’s only trespass so I will continue to use footpaths as I see appropriate, treat other footpath users with a little respect & consideration and most likely continue to have little trouble with anyone 🙂

Campaigning can work, I was amazed that fox hunting was banned. If the campaigning doesn’t work?

It wasn’t banned, The method of killing the fox was “banned”

Also there is a difference between landowners land and a bridleways/footpath that crosses their land, Landowners have very little if any control of the PROW so its pointless campaigning to them.

yep but the Fox issue is a bit different… you’ve got the cruelty case, class war element don’t think the public care that much about MTB access rights 😉

my first post specifcally mentions footpaths on their land…if they say its ok we can ride them!

Would I ****. It’s our land! They already get subsided to do their jobs – show me a world where I get subsided to be a secretary? Don’t think so.

Farmers: don’t like people on PUBLIC rights of way? Suck.It.Up!

Down Shep! If you want to be pedantic are you sure it wasn’t the hunting of foxes with dogs that was banned? It was just an example of a campaign that worked, I’m not fussed about the detail.

You may have a point though whytetrash, one thing against the hunt supporters was that many of the general public saw them as a bunch of arrogant tossers riding their horses wherever they wished. It is not inconceivable some may have the same view of MTBers…

Nah, just ride where you want, when you want. As long as you’re not sawing down trees or stealing sheep or whatever then sod the farmer or landowner.

Is this a civil issue rather than a criminal one or is that just for riding on footpaths?

I didn’t mean any disrespect Rubber_buc.

I spent half an hour chatting with a local landowner, having stopped to pass the time while riding in his wood. Lovely chap – gave me a veritable history lesson of the area since his family have had holdings and worked local quarries for a few generations. He said the only folk that annoy him is people who start moaning that he’s coppicing the wood! I told him not worry, that local cyclists tend to tidy up the trails as they go. They are not all the same.

I think if the landowner want to build a facility for cyclists then I’d pay a little to use it. But to ride across a field? No!

I can’t see how many people would object. Apart from those who ignore logic and have unbalenced political view points. After all we pay to use all sorts of private places. Anyone here expect to use a private gym for free.?

However it wouldn’t work in practice. Too much abuse by non payers would put many people off

bikebouy – Member
Nope not on your nelly.. the Land isn’t thiers.

[quote]Karinofnine – Member
Would I ****. It’s our land![/quote]What do you mean it’s not theirs? If it’s a footpath then isn’t it theirs but with a specific right of public access by foot attached? Or do you mean not theirs in an all property is theft kind of way?

It’s not their land……..it belongs to jesus

Rubber_Buccaneer – Member
I would rather pay £30 a year to an organisation that campaigned to get bicycles access to footpaths.

I think if a few thousand riders turned up in person at their local MP’s office with a £30 donation and a request for open access like Scotland, you’d have it by the next election….