Bradford Council ‘footpath ranger’

Had an interaction with an angry old man yesterday who claimed to be a footpath ranger for Bradford Council. Does anyone know if this is a real thing? I can’t find any mention of them on the council website.
He was very shouty and angry from the off and was adamant the council will prosecute for trespass. He was also waving a very pointy looking walking stick towards me.
I am slightly worried if he is the voice of the council out in the countryside.

Anyone willing to make a complaint about the council employee/volunteer/bullshitter?

Don’t sweat it. There’s some councils that run volunteer rangers but clearly this isn’t in their remit. Things like litter and keeping paths clear are as far as it normally goes. Unless it was council land they’d not be able to do anything anyway.

Next time get a photo / video. Assuming Bradford does have volunteer rangers they’d be one less in no time at all.

Next time get a photo / video

A name would be better and less likely to get the op into trouble themselves or escalate the situation.

It’s an angry walker, I’d either ignore or ask for his details so you can check them with the council (which he will not give you as he’s made a job up).

Sounds like a self-appointed post. Mind you, even official Park Rangers sometimes don’t know what they’re talking about. Had a full on “debate” with a Peak Park ranger at the top of the Stanage Plantation bridleway a few years ago, he was insistent it was a footpath…

Well that’s the thing, he shouted his name at me right at the start. I just didn’t catch it. He was also covered in rambler’s association pin badges… There are a lot of things I would have done differently, but I was just out for some enjoyment not a blood boiling interaction with the self entitled.
It was on open access land owned/maintained by Bradford Council and Natural England. I always thought it was Yorkshire Water land, but hey ho.
I do wonder if I had left the path to ride off piste whether footpath ranger would then be stuck on his little path…
Ironically the path has been trashed by motor bikes in the last few years and is also a local dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish/tyres/turkey carcasses.

Round here it’s a voluntary role.

Technically I guess that would indeed make you the landowners agent or whatever the legal wording is for people who are entitled to ask you to leave.

Whereabouts is this path?

It goes across the moor from Thornton Moor reservoir towards Warley Moor reservoir. Skirts round the bottom end of the the area where the massive windmills are.

As above, sounds like complete cobblers. 8 years ago when a MTB trail building possibility came up with Bradford Council we sat in a number of meetings with and interacted closely with council woodland, parks, footpath, bridleway people and IMO they just wouldn’t be employing shouty retiree old men as any sort of ranger. He may have been a member of a “Friends of …..” group or something, but that gives him no council authority. And as above, even if he was in some sort of council initiated volunteer footpath group, I’m certain part of their remit wouldn’t be getting shouty and confrontational with people, in fact he would probably be told quite the opposite.

So, heading west from the reservoir gate did you (a) head up the steep rocky bit towards Ogden, then turn right through new gate onto techy FP round to Warley or (b) take the water conduit round to the same place?

Is it the path (nice bit of trail) on the top of the moor or the track that skirts around the bottom following the water channels?

If your referring to the path, there’s your answer 🤪

Edit him above use the proper terminology

Oh and if you are referring to the path, it runs better the other direction! (Not that I’ve ever ridden it)

My mum is one of these, but for Monmouthshire council. Their role is to walk Thier designated footpaths from time to time, often with secateurs or a pruning saw and some yellow arrows to put on posts.
Their main role is to maintain the right of way, i.e. prevent the landowner claiming out of use and report back any big issues, fallen trees or landslips.
Good bit of work the needs doing.
If they had concerns about misuse then their role is purely to report it. Sounds like you’ve got an angry old git who probably isn’t a ranger. Most councils would welcome a few bikers to adopt the odd bridleway or footpath and do regular trundles through, path clearing etc.

As above, probably a volunteer to keep an eye out for fires, wildlife etc.

I used to do similar in Herts years ago.

I’d put a call in to the council to explain that you were aggressively confronted by an angry gentleman claiming to represent them.

Then there will at least probably be a reminder email sent round about rule 1.

In these situations it’s best just to say. “Ok!” then carry on with your day. Another entitled Walker isn’t going to ruin your day.

https://www.bradford.gov.uk/environment/countryside-and-rights-of-way/bradford-laf-members/

If you feel like taking it further ie someone claiming to be a council ranger being aggressive and threatening, These are the official Bradford local access people you could get in touch with and they may look into it or tell you to just ignore it. Tim Sellors and David Sturge certainly used to be regulars on this forum.

I know it’s a path. 🤪
And yes it’s the techy footpath with the new gate at the end (that’s the wrong way round to stop anything).
I have been riding up there for years, this is the first interaction. It’s normally deserted. It’s also the way we’ve been told to go to avoid the shooters down the bottom during their season. I find the direction of preference very much depends on the wind direction… 😉
It didn’t ruin my day, in fact we turned round and headed down the singletrack off the moor, then down the link route to the road, which was all a blast cause it’s dry (as dry as it ever gets) then raced up the steep road hill to see if we could meet him at the other end of his path. But we didn’t, so we then rode the footpath across to limers gate. 😱🤫
I was more interested to know if he was official and whether I should mention it to someone at the council about the aggression. It’s also quite an appealing volunteer role if it exists, so was surprised when there’s no mention on the council website.

Bradford council always had a fairly positive attitude to people riding on their land.

See this thread which is about Baildon Moor but also Bradford council’s general view, which is you can ride on our land but don’t be a dick and don’t dig

Cheeky Baildon routes?

Given this I think it’s highly unlikely they have employed people to shout at mountain bikers.

I had this once on a BW but the gentleman in question was pretending to be a police officer and threatened to arrest me. As my wife worked for the Police I knew he couldn’t refuse to give me his badge number, which he wouldn’t or couldn’t do. Too many nobs about.

was adamant the council will prosecute for trespass.

Since he’s talking out of his behind about this – prosecution relates only to criminal matters, trespass of this kind is certainly not that, the chances of his ranger status being more than a litter-picking job are pretty remote, too.

Smile and wave.

I would definitely get in touch with Bradford Council about this.

as said, self important volunteer. Be nice say hi and ride on. however i’d also be suggesting that threatening people with walking sticks and such like really isn’t very clever.

I bet he was wearing a leather cowboy hat and a green zip up fleece with a canal boat embroidered on it.
The rangers on Epsom downs however are a very real bunch of pricks.

I’ve ridden up there

Is it Calderdale, Bradford or Keighley area?

I would definitely get in touch with Bradford Council about this.

This wouldn’t be a wise thing to do
‘I was cycling along a moorland footpath when….’

ElShamino
It is between Keighley and Halifax but comes under Bradford Council.

Whilst the “ranger” sounds a right jumped up idiot, a conversation that requires you to admit you were breaking the (stupid) “rules” about cycling on a public footpath doesn’t exactly give you the moral high ground.

I disagree

We need to normalise riding on footpaths.

We need to normalise riding on footpaths

Yep, and kill them with kindness. Open gates for walkers, say nice things to their dogs, be so nice that they have to be nice back 😁

Funny one a couple of days ago…

Riding along a footpath through a field, a walker had a huff at me, normal thing, ‘you can’t ride here’ etc. Path is double width, so no space issues. I was pleasant, said, ‘yeah I know it’s a footpath, but otherwise it’s an extra 4km round by road, and I’ve been riding on it for 15 years with no problems so far.’

A little further on, as I was pushing the bike through the gate out of the field, the farmer was there herding a few recalcitrant cows.
I said ‘morning, you don’t mind me using the path do you?’
He replies ‘as long as you’re not scaring the cows, then anyone’s welcome.’
Pity Mrs huffy hiker wasn’t there to hear that 😆

I’m well behind the curve in this, until last year I had never even considered riding on footpaths. I honestly felt guilty. “It’s wrong”. Then at some punt during lock down it finally occured to me how utterly bloody stupid the whole concept is.

So…

We need to normalise riding on footpaths.

I now totally agree with this statement.

Yep, and kill them with kindness. Open gates for walkers, say nice things to their dogs, be so nice that they have to be nice back 😁

I also agree with this.

I have no intention of riding them like a dick and I’ll always assume there is a dog, human,toddler (they are sort of human), horse (horse riders can think the rule is stupid if I do too…👍) around ever corner and ride appropriately.

All rule 1 stuff.

Whilst the “ranger” sounds a right jumped up idiot, a conversation that requires you to admit you were breaking the (stupid) “rules” about cycling on a public footpath doesn’t exactly give you the moral high ground.

Unless you start with “I must have accidentally strayed onto a FP without realising, but that doesn’t excuse the rudeness of this person who claimed to be a council employee…”

Second what chakaping and ajantom said as well ^^.
No harm in FP riding if you’re polite and you’re not trying to ride a massively popular trail on a sunny Bank Holiday!

Oh I agree with normalising footpath riding. I’d be up for a mass bike trespass to push the issue. I’m just not sure complaining about the attitude of someone whose “job” it is to look after footpaths is worth the effort.

We need to normalise riding on footpaths.

I agree, essentially there needs to acceptance that a bike is a reasonable accompanyment (or whatever the right word is) and that as long as you are prepared to hump it over stiles made for walkers and obey rule one it’s OK. If there is a need for a specific exclusion (SSSI etc ) then that can be excluded by signage. The default should be riding with a bicycle is permitted.

As for the OP he doesn’t need to state what he was doing, he can just state he was verbally abused by a person claiming to be a council ranger.

I’d report it just to save the old guy from himself

When your job title is “Anger” with an R on the front that should be a clue.

Yeah, just report that someone is pretending to be working for them/representing them and verbally abusing people on a local footpath.

I’m well behind the curve in this, until last year I had never even considered riding on footpaths.

I had this epiphany back at Foot & Mouth in the early noughties. When were allowed back into the countryside, every footpath was cratered with horse-hoof prints, and no-one said a thing, so I though fine, what’s good enough for the goose… and have ridden them ever since.

every footpath was cratered with horse-hoof prints, and no-one said a thing,

I’d have said “how the **** do you get a horse over a stile or through a kissing gate?”

He was also covered in rambler’s association pin badges…

I found this the most troubling aspect of the whole sordid affair. Who knows what else he might be capable of.

Ask for their Work ID, if they are indeed working for the council, they will have one.  I bet they won’t.

If they refuse then they are just a Countryside Unofficial Numpty Trailwarden.  Sometimes shortened to…

Countryside Unofficial Numpty Trailwarden

I shall have to remember that one, that’s brilliant.