The following, from a farmer-type (he said he owned land and employs a gamekeeper) dog walker, who I met whilst walking my dog in the local woods, yesterday:

“I don’t mind the doggers, I don’t have a problem with them at all. You’ll never stop them, you may as well just let them get on with it, and they’re not unfriendly. The problem is the bikers, you can see they’ve started coming through here again”.

“doggers … they’re not unfriendly”

eye eye!

So if bikers were less unfriendly, it would be OK?

speaking of unfriendly bikers, we pulled up outside a local store in cambo in Northumberland a few weeks back, one of the lads went in to get a bottle of water, only to be told “I don’t serve cyclists, because of the abuse” When we asked him to explain he stared at the floor, totally silent until we left. Weird!

When we asked him to explain he stared at the floor, totally silent until we left. Weird!

You should have shouted at him, as he may have been hard of hearing!!

I contemplated one of 2 replies:

“so you prefer the woods to be used by people actively searching out sex in public locations, with complete strangers, who often leave behind all manner of things, which could be seen/found by families walking in the woods, yet have a problem with bikers???”

“I think walkers and mountain bikers just need to use some common sense, get along and realise the most important thing is people just getting out in to the countryside”

I was diplomatic and went with the 2nd.

“Maybe it’s doggers on bicycles?”

Maybe his definition of ‘dogger’ is not fully up to date?

It’s possible he meets passing pooch-walkers with a cheery “Greetings, fellow dogger…”

The problem is the bikers, you can see they’ve started coming through here again”

We don’t have a problem with bikers ‘coming’ around our parts, do the doggers get them going?

I find that quite concerning TBH..

The idea that by riding bicycle through the woods you are by defualt considered lower down the pecking order than sexual deviants who like getting it on with strangers or shaking one out with their face shoved against the fogged up back window of an old Volvo 750…

Do doggers now have more land access rights than cyclists?

It never ceases to amaze me just how much of it (Dogging) goes on. Always bumping into a little group of cars when we’re out on the trails at night. Everyone crowded round a steamed up car 😆

Often give them a quick blast with the head torch, but they don’t seem to care.

surely he must be referring to dog walkers?

No, farmer-palmer was 100% talking about doggers as in sexual deviants.

cookeaa > that was what I was shocked at, too, and that we really are seen as the lowest of the low, by some in society.

What his problem was with ‘bikers’ is, I don’t know. Probably the same old ‘they’ll run me over without a second thought, they scare the wildlife, they tear up trails etc etc etc’.

The wood is due to be logged early Summer, and the FC have told me that only the hardcore-topped paths will be kept clear. I bet it’ll be bikers clearing the other paths, in many instances, and not falmer-palmer and others like him…….

My brother had a freind who’s dad was a farmer.

They were out walking in his woodland one day and they found a couple ‘mid act’ near the entrance to one of his fields.

The farmer walked over, tapped the bloke on the bum with his walking stick and said ‘You’ll be closing the gate when you’ve finished.’ and walked off.

no idea if it’s relevant to the above, tbh.

Funny all the same. Btw I’m not anti-farmer before anyone says! It’s just that this bloke really did fit the mold of the old viz ‘farmer-palmer’!!!

Weirdly I got collard by a weatherd old farmer in north yorks once who gave me a 15 min talking to about mountain bikers being “better than those bloody walkers” because we shut gates, try not to scare sheep and get out of the way of tractors. which was nice. He then went onto a big rant against road riders with their “silly little mincey bikes from france, & the french would have been better off fighting wars than making feeble bikes”.

Like I say, odd fella.

I’m not sure why anyone is suprised by the farmer typss position. If his only interest in the woods is for someplace to walk his dogs. On one hand you’ve got doggers who aren’t bothering him in the slightest, he might even find their antics amusing.
And then you have cyclists, who he probably finds alarming when they pass him and his dog, maybe someone was rude to him for getting in thier way or something. If I were him I’d probably feel the same.

p.s country folks can be a pretty bawdy bunch, unlike some prigish townies.

sexual deviants

not my thing but most folk i know dont want to ride a bike in woods in winter in the dark and rain….equally deviant as not the “norm”

Maybe he’s been reading Uncyclopedia

Edit, possibly NSFW

not my thing but most folk i know dont want to ride a bike in woods in winter in the dark and rain….equally deviant as not the “norm”

I see your point but I get home from a ride and a shower is all I need to get the mud off, I doubt Doggers can wash the shame away so easily…

Shades of grey again I suppose, riding a push bike, over bumpy ground, close to trees, when it’s wet probably isn’t to most peoples mind “Normal” but it isn’t quite on a par with nobbing strangers in a woodland carpark while various nutters look on, little friend in hand…

MTBing may not “be the norm” but it not quite as divergent from the norm as Dogging…

If dogging is so socially acceptable then why hasn’t it been added to the olympic calendar?
Should we have put it in for 2012 as an “Exhibition” sport?
Scoring not done with cards but quantity of splodge scraped off the windows… Nice.

I may be a “Priggish Townie” but I really can’t see the appeal…

Whether you agree/accept/turn a blind eye/find it disgusting, as to what doggers are up to, would you want to take your children out to the woods, in the daytime, for a walk and have to explain to them when they ask what are the used condoms, underwear hanging in trees, tissues strewn about, stuff written on trees etc etc.

I know we don’t/can’t ever live in a perfect world, shades of grey, everyone entitled to their rights etc etc etc, but I think such a thing as basic decent behaviour is a valid point in this case.

Out of interest has anyone ever reported doggers to the rozzers?

As disgusting as I find it I’ve always just ridden on…
Perhaps I should be calling the police and reporting the dirty little monkeys…

Surly among the st massive we have one of the dogging fraternety to put their slant on this thread(sit back unzips trousers and waits for reply)