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Apologies if it's been discussed already, I searched for slurry and nothing came up.
I saw a video today of a bike packer bein sprayed by an angry farmer with slurry. The opportunistic camper was forced to hide behind his tent to shelter from the incoming spray.
Anyone have the back story to this? It could possibly be someone who visits this forum.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/28620921/farmer-shoots-poo-slurry-wild-camper-tent/
Not sure why he's literally decided to nationally publicise his own details and the fact that he did it, but takes all sorts I guess.
I think the backstory is that he was touring LEJOG for charity, and had the misfortune to run out of light and set up camp in a field owned by a complete ****.
Who then rather than ask him to leave, as is the correct response to trespass, assaulted him by spraying him with shit.
I'm all for a bit of wild camping but that is not wild camping.
That's trespassing...
BUT showering him in Shit is unforgiveable and probably assault.
Yeah, it's trespass, but the only one committing a criminal offence (and being dumb enough to admit it to the Sun) is the farmer.
Farmer Jack Bellamy sounds like a balanced and intelligent individual.
“We’ve had people from towns walking in the fields."
“They’ve got no knowledge of the countryside at all."
“They probably think food grows on a plant or something.”
“They probably think food grows on a plant or something.”
This did strike me as an odd thing for a farmer to say. But then there's a lot to unpack in that article really.
^ how much of the UK is wild and can be wild camped 'legally'?
Let's face it's, this contractor (they won't be the landowner) in the tractor responsible for doing this is a ****. There was no need for this, obviously, but like many tractor drivers (around me at least) they are above the law; See speeding/constantly being on the phone/etc.
No idea what time of day it is, but said camper should really have been up and gone first thing & better hidden!
Edit: not clicking The Sun
I was thinking too he should have got going earlier!
I also thought it could be a set up video.
On the SDW I've done similar but in a bivvy bag. Id not be comfortable putting a tent up to be honest but even so that farmer is just needlessly confrontational. It's obvious the guy wasnt there as part of a group having a noisy booze up. It was 6am, give the guy a ticking off if you feel it necessary and tell him you'll check he's gone in half an hour. If you really have to be that way.
The old turn up late, leave early rule usually works. Leave nothing behind either, that goes without saying.
A word from the farmer, an apology from the rider is all that situation needed.
The Sun legal info at the bottom of the page is the really important part. It points out that in Scotland, this likely wouldn't have been a problem. The real issue is the terrible land access rights we have here in England. That's the scandal, not the guy doing the lajog.
Who'd a' thunk it?
A reactionary prick in charge of a big old bit of agricultural machinery acting like a **** and asking questions, never...
please someone tell me young Jack is getting charged? I'd love for it to go to court.
That was a silly place to 'wild camp' but obviously spraying someone with slurry is completely disproportionate, and I suspect assault so hopeful farmer mc nasty faces some legal recriminations since there is clear evidence of what he did!
The old turn up late, leave early rule usually works. Leave nothing behind either, that goes without sayin
A word from the farmer, an apology from the rider is all that situation needed.
Absolutely. And for all the "farmers think they are above the law" stuff, lots of bikepackers and cycle tourists will confirm that farmers often let them use a field, open space and other facilities.
So is the farmer being reported for the attack?
he was touring LEJOG for charity
From what I read over the weekend, he was doing it for charity in memory of his dead wife.
Farmer is a *waffle with a completely disproportional response. There may have been campsites nearby but if he was riding late into the night I don't blame him for not wanting to go and disturb people that may have already been asleep. That's assuming he knew there were campsites there. Nowt wrong with what the cyclist did IMO and I'd have done the same (albeit probably been up and off before 6am, especially at this time of year).
Most farmers near where I live are decent human beings. But like all walks of life, there's always some * unnecessarily taking delight from someone else's misery. I "wild camped" a dozen times last year in England and had zero issues or interactions with anyone. Mostly in the Peak District
So is the farmer being reported for the attack?
I would hope so, but as we've not heard from the cyclist involved, I suspect he is too nice a bloke to want to take it further.
@johndoh
Free Member
he was touring LEJOG for charityFrom what I read over the weekend, he was doing it for charity in memory of his dead wife.
Have you got a link mate? Not because I dont believe you!
Id genuinely like to have a read up. Sad to hear that's his reason for the ride and I hope he can put this behind him.
Round here we have a problem with dickheads parking their cars on bridleways (saw one actually parked on the South Downs Way yesterday), so I enjoyed the linked story about the Mercedes getting the slurry treatment. Nonplussed about the camper tbh. I wouldn't want to be covered in poo, but then I wouldn't camp in a farmer's field.
I can only find this online, a fair few farmers aren't to happy with the tractor driver either apparently.
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-24-june-2024-309017
The internet needs to find this cyclist and what charity he was cycling to raise money for
That was an abhorrent assault
Reassuring to read most of these comments:
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/farmer-camper-and-slurry-muck.411503/
I think most reasonable people would see that as an moronic response. Being on a well trodden route like LeJoG I'd expect you get more than your fair share of people thinking in a bit of an insular manner - see NC500. People go into 'mission mode' forgetting that the locals see tens of people a days also having the same 'unique' adventure. But even still.... And this bloke didn't seem to be doing anything more than being possibly a bit cheeky. There's campers leaving disposable BBQ and cans everywhere and playing music long into the night...then there's middle aged blokes in one man tents and scoffing a bag of jelly babies.
Beyond the reporting to police etc..........how do you get sorted in that situation - your entire world covered in shit, hundreds of miles from home with no water source nearby. Nasty.
^^Id just like to bung his charity a tenner if he had a page up really.
that's my neck of the woods. not seen anything on local news channels.
On a lighter note, are we sure it wasn't Trump?
I’m from a farming background, most farming folk I know are decent, hard working and thoughtful people. In the same situation, my farming relatives would have had a chat with him and probably invited him for breakfast.
Clearly there are ****s in all walks of life that give the majority a bad rep
I’m all for a bit of wild camping but that is not wild camping.
That’s trespassing…
All wild camping is trespassing in England and Wales excluding Dartmoor.
And TBH I've camped in similar spots. He's not visible from the road unless you're looking hard, it's early morning (6am would be barely 8hours sleep after sunset) so within the bounds of "arrive late, leave early", tucked into the edge of the field not obstructing anything or flattening a crop.
I’ve done similar but in a bivvy bag
Too many energy gels?
Rubber_BuccaneerFull Member
I’ve done similar but in a bivvy bag
Too many energy gels?
Lol, funnily enough I did have the trotts on one SDW attempt that I put down to od'ing on energy gels! I sorted the bivvy bag but I got through a few leaves.😉
Flap jacks were a far better/ safer option!
Apparently he was doing a charity LEJOG for a cancer charity in memory of his recently deceased wife and was trying to bikepack it so that he could maximise the money going to charity.
The Farmer's an arse and I hope he ends up in court, the cyclist was mildly in the wrong but the response was waaaaaay out of proportion.
The internet needs to find this cyclist and what charity he was cycling to raise money for
This, I'll drop a few quid in if it can be found and verified.
Great to see most of the comments on the farmers page were just as outraged.
I'd bung him a tenner if anyone finds a link.
Apparently there was a similar case in Staffs and the magistrates fell like a ton of bricks on the farmer despite a guilty plea.
If the cyclist is found he really needs to take this further.
I dont really do SM admittedly but I've yet to find the guy. I hope someone in here does.
I sorted the bivvy bag
I need to clarify that bloody predictive! I meant "spared" rather than "sorted", as in "filled it up".😁
My understanding is that this would not have been legal in Scotland. In Scotland you have the right to camp on unenclosed land
But I’m not in Scotland so I’m happy to learn from those that are
GCN story right there.
Could be Si Richardson, he likes cows.
#gcn
Lol, funnily enough I did have the trotts on one SDW attempt that I put down to od’ing on energy gels! I sorted the bivvy bag but I got through a few leaves.😉
Flap jacks were a far better/ safer option!
Wouldn't they abrade the **** out of your arse? Not very absorbent either....
My understanding is that this would not have been legal in Scotland
Hang on, sorry. Which bit? You *seem* to be implying that the farmer's actions were legal in England!
Hang on, sorry. Which bit? You *seem* to be implying that the farmer’s actions were legal in England!
No, he seems to be implying it would not be legal to camp there........even in Scotland. Not sure legal is the right term technically - Scottish outdoor access code says "but help to avoid causing problems for local people and land managers by not camping in enclosed fields of crops or farm animals and by keeping well away from buildings, roads or historic structures. " - but not sure if that makes it legal or not. It's something I follow so not really considered if not doing so was illegal or just bad manners.
Bit of an overreaction by the farmer. Seems the wild camper is paying the price for other problems the farmer has likely made for himself.
Never mind, im sure the camper can go back in a few months and raze one of his fields back to stubble.
I’ve been trying to work out where it was from the video and if it’s where I think it is, it’s only about half a mile from the legitimate wild camping zone on Dartmoor.