Walkers v Landowners The DIFFICULTY of walking in the Countryside, it just gets WORSE

Sometimes we feel not welcome on rights of way and public footpaths. We find obstructions and obstacles on paths where we have to divert our course. Does this happen to you?
In this video, we will explore a challenge that we seem to be encountering more and more often when filming our walks. Something that has left us feeling frustrated, annoyed and occasionally really scared.
From cows to barbed wire, mud and stubborn horses, sometimes walking in the countryside is not easy, and some farmers definitely give you a sense that you are not welcome. We understand that a farmer will want to protect his livestock, after all it is their income and we respect that. But in the last 12 months we have encountered some circumstances that simply mean a right of way is no longer passable. We feel that the already unhappy partnership between rambler and landowner has deteriorated over the years with blatant efforts to put a rambler off.
With the governement trying to restrict our access on private land, rescinding the historic right of a footpath, and council budgets under pressure, as a rambler, what do you do to protect our rights?
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We are Sarah and Andrew and we film our walks around Cornwall and publish on KZbin, usually weekly. Sometimes we stay in accommodation in Cornwall and upload our vlog. Sarah is fascinated by sea glass and likes to collect it so there may be the occasional sea glass video too. The channel is a hobby and we both have normal day jobs!
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[@theolddog5129]

There are two sides to this problem and we experience both sides. We own a 5.5 acre grazing field adjoining our garden with a public footpath running across as well as a riverside footpath on the edge of the field on the outside of the sheep fence. Being country lovers and keen walkers ourselves, I am regularly out with a brushcutter during the summer to make sure that there is always a 1.5m+ path clear of stingy nettles etc. Most people appreciate this and stop to have a chat. But a few stop to question why I am interfering with a public footpath. This year a fisherman who was causing damage to the river bank insisted that because the the footpath was a public path, the land either side was public land and therefore partly owned by him. Every year we have incidents where lambs in the grazing field are chased by dogs, causing much stress to the lambs and ourselves, despite "please keep dogs on leads" signs on both gates of the path running across the field. Interestingly, most people assume that youngsters would be responsible for such behaviour but in our 30 years at the property it has always been middle to upper end of the age spectrum that have caused problems. Examples being the 60+ year old lady who used to leave the gates wide open during Covid because she felt that she should not have to touch the gates. Yet she was happy to touch the gates to open them. The last two weeks we have had photographic equipment pointing at the gates in order identify the person who was leaving a gate open every morning and actually wedging it wide open in the dark in the evening. It turned out to be a new regular user of the path who uses it to walk to town for their daily routine. Perhaps they didn't like the idea of having to walk over sheep droppings in a sheep grazing field. The possibility of the sheep/lambs escaping and causing an accident involving say a motorcyclist doesn't bear thinking about. Then there is the rubbish dropped on or alongside the paths such as used tissues, plastic bags with dog poo etc. All this hassle is from owning just 5.5 acres. I feel for the farmers who have paths running over 50 or 250 acres and are trying to make a living from the land. There is a need to rationalise UK's public footpath network so that land can be used effectively for its primary purpose which is food production. At the moment there are often multiple footpaths running through fields, some in the middle of fields, which makes farming extremely difficult.

[@johntimbrell]

I'll admit that I did not watch all of this video so my comments may be inappropriate. People today have seemed to have lost all respect and knowledge of animals. You should learn how to deal with animals . It's easy. Cows are not dangerous unless you have a dog. Likewise horses. If livestock did not eat the grass and resulting scrub then you would not be able to walk the paths. I applaud your exposure of the car parking and REAL footpath obstructions but cattle or horses are not dangerous. What is apparent is your lack of knowledge of how to relate to animals.

[@TheBuckspygmy]

I am afraid due to a massive increase in irresponsible people coming into rural areas in the last few years, farmers are having to put up with people who know zero about the country code. Dogs attacking farm animals, and litter. Farmland is the farmer's factory. That horse was upset because you did not give it a sugar lump or an apple. It would have gone away then.

[@Polopony]

Doesn't the landowner have a legal obligation to keep footpaths over his/her land clear? Around where I live in Cornwall, the Council encourages blocked or impassable footpaths to be reported, and they will then contact the landowner and request the blockage be cleared, otherwise the Council will clear it and charge the landowner for the costs. The Ramblers association will also report blocked footpaths if they are made aware of them, and sometimes organise walking trips to clear blocked paths. My partner and I were once challenged by a landowner for being off the footpath crossing his land, but we pointed out that that actual footpath was impassable and it was his responsibility to ensure it was usable if he didn't want people taking alternate routes. He didn't like it, but he didn't argue, and the next time we went that way he'd cleared the path.

[@colinbaker3415]

My daughter is married to a farmer. And yet despite growing up with them, my grandson is absolutely petrified of the cows on the farm. Too big, too unpredictable he says.

[@geoffrichards2706]

On a recent walk, we took a footpath behind Perranporth rugby club through a field . To our suprise the field was full of bullocks. We did get through but was very worried.

[@brigidaodonnell7053]

When horses stamp their feet it’s because of animals such as flies that tickle their leg, and they stomp to remove the tickling. They are never ever trying to hurt humans when they stamp their feet. The horse shouldn’t be fed carrot, apple, sugar lumps or any other food, as it encourages the horse to go after humans and nip them to get more of the treats, which they really don’t need

[@green856w]

There are plenty of spaces for walking without making life difficult for anyone. When it comes to animals, they don't have the same priorities as humans. The field is their domain and humans need to respect the animals.

[@MiWri]

How dare that farmer keep livestock in his fields when hoards of ignorant people want to trample all over his land.!!!

[@christopherdakin7094]

Thank you for another video and for raising this issue. The rights of way must be protected. Especially for those who are respectful and responsible such as yourselves.

[@mavicsteve9275]

We have a local farmer who as a lot of paths over his land, he spends a day walking with a knapsack sprayer and marks the paths even killing a path in his crops.

[@neilbradford9752]

Better to play safe as you did , cows and horses are very unpredictable, I’ll always go around animals , love your videos , it’s a lovely gentle tonic at the end of a week , thank you both 👍

[@seanmcguinness6669]

Thank you, very informative, I tried to find some standing stones near Castle au Dinas near Newquay & found them in a farmers field, some had either fallen or been knocked down, presumably by farmers machinery, and the fiddlers stone was missing. As far as livestock is concerned walking by hedge, rather than through the middle can help, but poor maintenance of bye ways is not just confined to Cornwall I'm afraid, underfunding has been a problem for decades. I really like your channel, your enthusiasm shines through, and a little tip for horses being a nuisance is to have a couple of sugar lumps, you can leave them like a trail leading away from access points

[@heatherdepasquale9803]

In the USA we don't have public access areas. It would feel strange for me to go through someone's land and here people are very protective of their property. We do have county, state and national parks where most of us would go hiking. When in Cornwall we did really enjoy the trails and their unique areas. I think the horse stole the show!

[@westcountrywanderings]

I am glad that you both raised this issue!

[@jolees3886]

Great video as always. We were once chased by a herd of bullocks with our 3 young children and had to leap a barbed wire fence into a ditch. Was very scary! We're all quite wary of cow fields now. We loved this video - our children did a brilliant sailing course with the Children's Sailing Trust this summer at Porth Saxon beach. And my husband and I had a lovely walk around the Helford River valley each day. Was so lovely. Think it's my favourite part of Cornwall. ❤ Jx

[@marylewis201]

It is so good to see two such experienced walkers expressing concerns about horses and cows. So many times I have had to find a diversion as I am terrified of cows and horses. I have often waited for other walkers and asked them if i can walk with them. Love your videos

[@alisonhammond1641]

I walk a lot in Cornwall. I have had several incidents where I have been surrounded by cows. It is so scary! Also I find that all the money goes to the coastal tourist routes and the inland routes are left unattended and impassable.

[@lisahopper207]

Love this I understand both sides of the farmer and the walkers

[@kimputterill4451]

I love your walks 😊 Ive had horses and they were kept in a field that had a footpath through the middle but we put up electric fencing to make it safe for both horses and walkers. I personally wont walk through fields with horses as they can be inquisitive and if youre caught in the middle its extremely dangerous. Love cows but have been chased by them and most definitely avoid fields with them in 😂its quite scary.