I should have got permission to forage!

[BOD]

Tarring all land owners with one brush a bit there BOD!

Are you saying that the land my Grandad bought, with money, and then worked all his life on to make a living, inhereted by my Dad and Uncle who likewise have worked all their lives on should be open to all and saundry to do what they want on?

No. Not at all. City dwellers out for a bit of fishing or camping are a blight in many cases and the landowner a better custodian of the land.

I left out what I intended to say and that is that there should be more public land, bought back by the state if necessary and access corridors to the benefit of ramblers animals etc. A long and difficult process but needed in many places.

The horse may have bolted in the British case but all is not lost. Other countries were able to limit the encroachment of landowners and preserve public access to public land and parks even if I admit many of the public abuse the privilege.

However, the situation today is a product of the political economy of the the last few hundred years and it is true that the system generally works to the benefit of the haves and the smart have-nots who worked to change their status.

I am all in favour of settled communities and connection to the land.

 

[reddy]

From a different perspective again, I bought a house in the middle of a town a few years ago, and to cut a long story short my neighbours (a kebab shop) assumed that because the previous owner had let them use the yard for things meant that I would aswell, and they were quite unhappy when I said no.

Nothing serious happened afterwards other than fag ends and litter chucked over the fence.
Some of the staff would hang around talking and shouting loudly right beside my yard too, looking into my window.

I had to go to the timber yard and buy high fencing and spend my time and money over this simply cos I didn't want strangers wandering in and out using my tiny concrete backyard.

BTW I painted the fence bright pink all over. It worked! I don't know if it was a psycological thing but they didn't like standing next to a big pink fence and they'd stay inside instead!

I respect the OP for coming on here and sharing what happened.

And anyway OP, everything happens for a reason - by having to look somewhere else for stuff you may discover somewhere loads better!

 

[crwydryny]

ime afraid i woulv been less than polit and tld her to **** off! if the police cant attend a burglary or assault for days theyre not gonna give resources to a chap peacefully collecting chestnuts.

unfortunatly where I live that would probably end with you having a rear end full of rocksalt fired from a shotgun.

luckly most of the farmer I know don't mind you going into their land as long as you don't cause any damage to the fences, crops, livestock ect. though there ae a few grumpy ones who go for the shotgun as soon as they see you. I've known a few boys who have had their dog's shot because they walked them through the fields even though the dog was on a lead the whole time, the farmers just pull up in their pickups call teh dog over, stroke it then pull out a shotgun and boom.

 

[ecobandit]

to add my two pennath the landowner who,s land I live on is resonably tolerant of people taking liberties as long as there is no damage or disturbance for instance gathering berries,nuts etc ok,making fires,cutting sapling and small trees,fires ,camping definate no no,even found some cheeky sods making a track for mountain biking nearly 1/4 mile long!!!! mind you the young ladies who have their pictures taken in the oilseed rape when its in bloom wearing a birthday suit is always perfectly acceptable,it happens most years!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bernie Garland]

unfortunatly where I live that would probably end with you having a rear end full of rocksalt fired from a shotgun.

luckly most of the farmer I know don't mind you going into their land as long as you don't cause any damage to the fences, crops, livestock ect. though there ae a few grumpy ones who go for the shotgun as soon as they see you. I've known a few boys who have had their dog's shot because they walked them through the fields even though the dog was on a lead the whole time, the farmers just pull up in their pickups call teh dog over, stroke it then pull out a shotgun and boom.

Its a bit different now,you only have to report said farmer or whoever to the police and report them for threatening you with the shotgun and you'll have them taken off you,until proven otherwise,i know as the chap who ran the course where i took my level 1 dsc had his taken and took him a year to get back,for some poachers claiming he threatened them.

Bernie

 

[reddy]

"I've known a few boys who have had their dog's shot because they walked them through the fields even though the dog was on a lead the whole time, the farmers just pull up in their pickups call teh dog over, stroke it then pull out a shotgun and boom"

Seriously?

I don't even have a dog and that's upset me.

Were they on private land on on public footpaths?

 

[fishfish]

how his ancestors had fought for this land,

rubbish his sort forced his tennants to fight and could any survivors please send word of any booty captured! these sorts make me sick , it was our ancestors ,the common man,that faught and bled on these green and pleasant lands by what right do they call it their own?? their claim is as valid as me saying i own 'their' feilds! rant rant rant rant grrrrrrrrrrr gonna go kick the cat now grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .....right bdoly wound up .............whees me zider............

 

[xylaria]

When I forage I try my best to keep it legal. The way the law can be applied a landowner that is well connected can quite easily proscute trasspassers for theft for foraging food. i don't want the hassle. It is just easier to keep to common law.

I have being shot at for trespassing in a wood. i walked up a road passed an open gate that had being pushed into a thick hedge. i got to the wood, and saw two men in the distance laughing and shoving each other. not wanting company i walked to other direction. The next thing I know a shot whistles past. There wasn't deer in sight. i leg it pretty fast back down the road. I then get stopped by a woman with a very plummy voice and asked what i was doing on private land. I said had no way of knowing it was private, she then pushed back the brambles to show me the sign on the gate. I didn't swear at her,I just looked at her like she was a scumbag and then i just walked off. I still think they broke more serious laws than I did.

Just send the lady a cake geoff, she was having a bad a day.

 

[Stew]

Cor blimey!

Geoff, I impressed with your attitude as you admit that you did wrong.

For a lot of others I'm quite disappointed, if I'm honest. You need to get a grip and have some respect rather than being so self serving.

Think about it if the tables were turned or if that was a garden.

Unbelievable.

 

[saddle_tramp]

There really cant be an argument here. The law supports the landowners, this site has to respect the law, so tresspassing joins the long list of taboo subjects, like carrying knives, lighting fires, sleeping out and all manner of things that we cannot officially do, without seeking express permission on bended knee.

As for tresspassing being likened to someone entering anothers house or garden, i guess it depends on the size of their garden. Were i to brazenly enter someones 20 x 20yard patch, that would be a serious affront to the persons privacy, but in a similar way, if my neighbour lays claim to 20,000 acres of privacy, that could be considered an affront to my freedom.

 

[firecrest]

There really cant be an argument here. The law supports the landowners, this site has to respect the law, so tresspassing joins the long list of taboo subjects, like carrying knives, lighting fires, sleeping out and all manner of things that we cannot do, without seeking express permission on bended knee.

As for tresspassing being likened to someone to entering someones house or garden, i guess it depends on the size of their garden. Were i to brazenly enter someones 20 x 20yard garden, that would be a serious affront to the persons privacy, but in a similar way, if my neighbour lays claim to 20,000 acres of privacy, that could be considered an affront to my freedom.

i agree, the site should stick within the law, but I agree on the second point to - I think the law should be much more like swedens rights to roam.

 

[Grebby]

That would be great, as long as we somehow manage to get to a simiilar population per area figure as Sweden and more importantly the repect for the land that the Swedes have!

 

[BigShot]

The law should be very clear that people who abuse the right to roam (causing damage, invading curtilage of houses and so on) will be punished.

However, we don't need a population per area close to Sweden's to get non-damaging, legal access to woodland and open fields on someone's thousands of acres of "private" land.

I'm all for privacy at home, but "home" should in no way extend miles from someone's house. I think it as is utterly asinine to attempt to compare walking through woodland or fields on "private" land, to walking brazenly through a back garden, as it is to compare a basket worth of foraging of wild food to walking into someone's house and stealing food from their pantry.

 

[swagman]

"I've known a few boys who have had their dog's shot because they walked them through the fields even though the dog was on a lead the whole time, the farmers just pull up in their pickups call teh dog over, stroke it then pull out a shotgun and boom"


If this happend to me and my dog beleve me the farmer would need surgery to remove
the gun from were i would shove it.

 

[Grebby]

The law should be very clear that people who abuse the right to roam (causing damage, invading curtilage of houses and so on) will be punished.

However, we don't need a population per area close to Sweden's to get non-damaging, legal access to woodland and open fields on someone's thousands of acres of "private" land.

I'm all for privacy at home, but "home" should in no way extend miles from someone's house. I think it as is utterly asinine to attempt to compare walking through woodland or fields on "private" land, to walking brazenly through a back garden, as it is to compare a basket worth of foraging of wild food to walking into someone's house and stealing food from their pantry.

It's very diffcult to prove damage etc after the act has happened let alone "who" caused it. A lot of people trouping through woodland whether well meaning or not can damage the land(if its a bit soft under fott then you just end up with a quagmire for example) so lower population densities are relevant. However the 2nd half of my sentence is the far more important part. The Swedes have a far greater respect for the land as a nation and this means everyone looks after it, this is not so with the Brits, you lot are a pleasant exception.

All my humble opinion of course.

Grebby

As far as I'm aware my dad hasn't ever refused access to someone that politely asked before hand with no reason, he would probably go on to explain the reason as well, he does love to talk . He has however had to tell people to bu**er off who were "discovered" picking buckets (multiple) of damsons/plums from our trees. Had they asked I'm sure that he would have said sure help yourself to a(singular) bucket full.

Edited for poor spelling.

 

[crwydryny]

"I've known a few boys who have had their dog's shot because they walked them through the fields even though the dog was on a lead the whole time, the farmers just pull up in their pickups call teh dog over, stroke it then pull out a shotgun and boom"


If this happend to me and my dog beleve me the farmer would need surgery to remove
the gun from were i would shove it.

I don't blame you. heck if I was there when it happened lets just say when I finished with the farmer all the witnesses would be in therapy and the farmer probably won't be useing a shotgun ever again. and that is if I was in a good mood that day (don't let me get started on what would happen if he did it on a bad day)


but back to the topic at hand I think it's hard to work public access to private land simply because many landowners can be a bit selfish, as can many people passing through. I've lost count of how many times I have walked up teh mountains near me or through the forrests and found abandoned camp sites with rubbish left everywhere, big heaps of bunt wood and ash just left after the campfire, and in a few occasions just left burning with no attempt to clear up after themselves. then you have the people who cut huge swaths through the trees just to make tracks for dirtbikes (which really annoys me) and lets not forget the people who steal cars then just dump them in farmer's fields.

 

[BigShot]

Grebby - a good post there.
I'm right with you on the lack of respect thing. It sickens me to see the state some people leave the place in.

I'm the guy you'll see picking up bits of plastic from the beach, sea, snow, woods and fields and taking them to a proper bin (or home if there isn't one). My current personal best is a broken fish crate from a Spanish trawler that I found in the shorebreak on a beach in the Pays Basque (just north of Guéthary).

Sounds like your old man is a good sort for access. I'd be all for telling someone to bugger off if they were taking the mickey while forraging too.

 

[Mike Ameling]

In the end, you are still asking to use somebody else's property - either by directly asking them, or implicitly by invoking your interpretation of the law.

They bought the land. They have to maintain it. They have to pay property taxes on it. They have to pay insurance on it. They have to pay to fix damage to it. And it is they who will get sued when somebody injures themselves while on that property.

Why should they do all that - just so you can have a nice wander through the fields and trees while picking up anything that catches your eye?

Yet too many of the responses posted here talk more about using a boot to stomp their personal legal rights/freedoms down the throats of those land owners - instead of talking about respecting the people's personal property and their rights to decide who should be given permission to use their personal property.

And the only difference between a farm field/woodland and a home/backyard in town is the size and location of each. The rest is all ... rationalization ... for a personal desire to use other people's property (with or without their expressed permission).

In simple terms: Respect the person. And respect their personal property.

And just go ask for permission first.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. And here I thought that "Robinhood Syndrome" had finally started to die out after the Iron Curtain fell.

 

[Silverback]

well said Mike my thoughts exactly (although they didn't sound that clever in my head )

 

[dommyracer]

And here I thought that "Robinhood Syndrome" had finally started to die out after the Iron Curtain fell.

Not in my house. I'm a proud socialist.

It would all be owned by the state if I had my way.