Farmer sprays cyclist wild camper.

[Chris]

A landowner has the right to use reasonable force to remove a trespasser that doesn’t cooperate. Cow muck reasonable force? Only for a court to decide

After asking them to leave, if they refuse.

I am sure you’re not pretending to think this was reasonable force.

 

[mikehill]

They were both idiots

 

[MartinK9]

Is there no woods in Devon to camp in, instead of camping on farmland?

Yes there are, but you can't get muck sprayers in there

 

[Chris]

Yes there are, but you can't get muck sprayers in there

Not with that attitude!

 

[Paul_B]

According to my watch sunset to sunrise is about 6 hours 50 minutes. I believe the last time I camped on lowland, farmland it was about this same time of year on a tour of the Lakes. It was getting quite dark when we pitched up, three small tents. We left shortly after sunrise.

It was in a livestock field without livestock in it, they were a couple of fields away. We were also in a dip, below the main field height just above a stream with trees on about 3 sides iirc. It was a horrible midge fest so we went straight to sleep. We all got up and packed in maybe the half hour before sunrise. We had packed up just after sunrise and moved on to have breakfast and a brew later on.

Basically we used a bit of common sense in that we were pitched significantly away from a likely direction a farmer would pass, very discrete location and we were pretty much packed up and mobile when it was daylight. No road nearby to be seen by passing farmers or farming community members. Even far away from gates accessing the field.

There was no campsite on our route for several miles and hiking not cycling meant we couldn't easily travel to a campsite. Unlike the slurry camper who it seems was easily noticed and was very close to commercial campsites. The argument of the site being too expensive doesn't give you any rights to camp on farmland so that's a non-argument. If you can't or don't want to pay for what you want to do then don't do it. In this slurry campers case if he cycled past commercial campsites because he didn't want to pay for a legal stay well that's just another point against him imho.

Still, no need to spray slurry. Two wrongs don't make a right.

On one side there's an inconsiderate, self entitled cheapskate and on the other is a farmer with questionable judgement and possibly anger or control issues. Nobody comes out great here.

The only positive here is if even just one wildcamper learns about and uses the principle of pitch up late and move on early to avoid conflict in future. And another farmer thinks twice before direct action against a wildcamper.

 

[oldtimer]

All the land round where I live is owned by the Church Commissioners: one would hope that any wild campers would have their trespasses forgiven .

 

[mikehill]

Yup … if you wild camp then it is illegal and you take your chances. If I was a farmer then it would annoy me. But it was over the top.

High ground wild camping seems much more acceptable

 

[slowworm]

Is there no woods in Devon to camp in, instead of camping on farmland?

If the story happened as described then the farmer is in the wrong. Something doesn't seem quite right about it though.

If it is true then at least the farmer saw the camper, I've almost had a tractor and slurry tanker run into my car as the farmer was half asleep.

As for woods, I think I've mentioned before, the woods I own and around me have more than one whole large round bale of hayledge or straw in the bottom of the valley. Rolled down the field, strait through a fence and through a few hundred yards or wood. You wouldn't want to be sleeping in them.

 

[Pattree]

Are we confusing wild camping and stealth camping here?

 

[Herman30]

What´s the difference? Stealth camping I know nothing about since we don´t need to camp stealthy here.

 

[Broch]

The main principle isn't pitch late rise early, it's ask permission! I've never been refused. But, times have changed.

 

[TeeDee]

A landowner has the right to use reasonable force to remove a trespasser that doesn’t cooperate. Cow muck reasonable force? Only for a court to decide

Who in this day and age wants to roll the dice and find the vast difference between one considers reasonable force and potentially what the police or other parties lawyer considers reasonable force?

 

[William_Montgomery]

The thing is, it's not always easy to ask for permission, especially if you are on the move and just looking to get your head down for a few hours in unfamiliar territory.
Either way though, that's pretty low behaviour from the farmer and the whole thing seemed a bit cowardly.

 

[TeeDee]

The thing is, it's not always easy to ask for permission, especially if you are on the move and just looking to get your head down for a few hours in unfamiliar territory.
Either way though, that's pretty low behaviour from the farmer and the whole thing seemed a bit cowardly.

Whilst I agree - I believe someone mentioned there were two official campsite very close to this?

I'm not defending the farmer - but if there were no campsite in the immediate vicinity maybe the farmer would have been different.

Not clever of the farmer , not clever of the camper.

 

[TLM]

Some lessons learned are hard to eradicate, The Sargent Corps was quite insistent: "Thou shall not camp in sight."

 

[William_Montgomery]

Whilst I agree - I believe someone mentioned there were two official campsite very close to this?

I'm not defending the farmer - but if there were no campsite in the immediate vicinity maybe the farmer would have been different.

Not clever of the farmer , not clever of the camper.

Yeah, true. But who knows the details. Maybe he didn't know about the campsites, or maybe he did. But regardless of the rights or wrongs, I just found the whole thing a bit distasteful and verging on the bullyish/cowardice side of things. I would have had more respect for the farmer had he actually got out and told him to leave.

 

[silverpac64]

hi all . for my 2 peneth , this is just the start , huge rises in camp site fees have got the camping community fuming and i can see more and more people taking up the idea of pitching anywhere they like , as the purse strings tighten . unfortunately not all campers are the same and this will lead to more frustration and anger from the land owners and more conflict , I hope i am wrong but the modern generation seem to get a kick out of videos on media channels like this and in my opinion it wont be long before some wally decides to set a tent on fire or worse and video it and there will be serious injury .

 

[Paul_B]

I heard on farming forums there are more condemning the farm worker than supporting him. If true then I doubt setting a tent on fire is something that will happen. There may well be more conflict but if that is the way things end up looking I do wonder if that will result in law amendments to stop wildcamping on farmland such that police can affect removal. Would that be a problem for you?

If so I think we should condemn the farm worker but not let the charity cyclist / camper get away with things without some allocation of blame in this whole situation in the video. In order to maintain wildcamping through turning a blind eye by landowners for responsible wildcampers in England, I wonder if we need to highlight the point when there is bad practise. Afterall in England we are really only allowed with the unstated permission by inaction of the landowner. Obviously not an issue in Scotland or some parts of England with rights such as New Forest (assuming that is back to being the case).

BTW I have seen the old, bad practises of Loch Lomond car campers which got banned in Cumbria. Walna Scar road in summer often have people parked up and huge frame tents, big campers and caravans. Most playing loud music, drinking, having BBQs and even open fires. Rubbish blowing around too. A right mess in the area at times.

 

[birchwood]

Having cleared up numerous times after fools, - rubbish , glass, bonfire residue, chopped green trees etc , it’s quite simple.
Stay off of peoples property.

 

[Paul_B]

Having cleared up numerous times after fools, - rubbish , glass, bonfire residue, chopped green trees etc , it’s quite simple.
Stay off of peoples property.

If you knew I'd camped I'd call you an expert tracker as I leave no trace, pitch late and leave early. In fact I often make a brew while I'm packing then I load up my stove, down my brew before picking up my sack and going. I am rarely still at my pitch site at 7am. BTW I brew up on a soldering mat to prevent damage to the ground too, all part of the responsibility needed as gratitude for farmers turning a blind eye to my activity. This is always in the higher lands of uk above the last intake or fell wall.