The other night I had a shock as I was getting firewood from the wood shed. Someone had put a white cross on the drive. Now we're some way from the road but we are on a public footpath.
The worst things crossed my mind first. I instantly thought of the supposed marks that thieves leave to mark somewhere with something worth taking, marking a driveway or a gate and then coming back later.
I went down onto the road and found this mark at the bottom of our drive. I wasn't happy. I scrubbed the marks off, leaving no trace whatsoever along with other marks leading away.
I have since found out that these marks were left by a group of ramblers that like to follow a trail to a certain goal.
I'm sure they'd say they had the right to mark my drive because it's a public right of way but I disagree. They can walk on it but not mark it in my opinion and I hope I don't catch anyone in the act, it could have really upset and older person who was more paranoid than me (and I can be pretty paranoid) and I think it's irresponsible not to ask a landowners permission first and explain what it is.
Hopefully they were rambling for quite some time that night. A little evil streak in me wanted to lay a trail going somewhere else completely, to the middle of a pond or something!
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ReplyDeleteMy stomach churned when I first read today's post! We unfortunately live in an area where dog theft is rife and people report that the thieves (scum) mark out homes/dogs by doing this. Thank God yours is ramblers! But should still ask permission though would've thought.
ReplyDeleteIt's what I thought as well, I thought my tractor or something would be gone by morning. My stomach did churn and even when I worked out what it was I'm sure I didn't sleep so easily that night.
DeleteI would have thought exactly the same as you. It's usually a sign that your farm equipment or your dogs will not be there in the morning.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been polite of them to ask, and an arrow would also have made more 'rambling' sense!!
Yeah, I wasn't happy, but then I never saw the person do it. My wife was in all day so no excuse fro not asking.
DeleteWow I freaked a little in my head then that someone stole some live stock. eek. If anyone asks, you thought it was the kids and you chucked a bucket of water on the marks if you dont want to get into it with the head rambler person. (sorry I dont know what the term would be).
ReplyDeleteI thought rights of way were marked on posts with special circle tags (metal)? Am I wrong.
Although you have probably already looked I found these 2 links I hope they help
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-rights-of-way-landowner-responsibilities
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/signs-on-public-rights-of-way
Also now you are coming up to lambing, maybe make some signs that there are ewes on your land. Please keep to the path...? are you allowed to do that.
The footpath is marked and this is on it but it's also my driveway. I also have signs to keep dogs and lead and stay on the path. Generally people asy on the paths but not everyone keeps their dog on a lead which does annoy me somewhat.
DeleteI just put up a used target on a fence post with the center full of holes. That is a universal sign to beware around here.
ReplyDeleteProbably get my licence taken off em for that...
DeleteThat is a little unnerving. I dont think the ramblers need to be marking anything.
ReplyDeleteSurely the ramblers should know where they're going and how to get there, don't they have maps and GPS?
ReplyDeleteI think this like treasure hunt with clues. All they get at the end of this one is an angry carpenter though!
DeleteStll sounds a bit dodgey to me
ReplyDeleteNothing went missing so I'll take it as a win.
DeleteNow THAT would have made me very uncomfortable! There's no reason the "ramblers" couldn't have stopped and asked permission or at least told you what they were doing. No problem then if the folks involved were decent and polite. Can you report this to some kind of law establishment, just to cover all bases?
ReplyDeleteNothing really to report. It would probably just start a big game of "the law says I'm allowed to..." and probably encourage them to do it more. I'll just keep washing them off for now!
DeleteI think that is a bit unsettling. Have you contacted your local police to see what they have to say? With your wife and small children home alone I would. Sorry this happened to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm work from home sometimes or a couple of miles away. Although away from the village we're in a really we protected cul-de-sac and look out for each other.
Deletecan you think of a way we can repurpose our roof trusses and any wood we get out of the roof area? I wonder if I could reuse it as a pergola? do you think that is possible. For sure I am not letting them chop it up and dump it in a skip. at the very least it can be fire wood but I want to reuse everything that we can. also have you used wool fleece as loft insulation? There will be rooms in the loft. do you think that is also possible?
ReplyDeleteStrip the wood out and reuse but they're normally quite small sections and the gang nail plates normally take some removing.
DeleteNot used wool flease but I've heard good things about it, but with rooms in the loft you might not have enough space and have to use kingspan or simular.
I would have done the same, after all it is your property.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear I'm not alone on this one.
Deletethat would have freaked me out.
ReplyDeleteIt did up the heart rate for a minute or two!
DeleteKev, you need a sign like this one.
ReplyDeletehttp://images.mysecuritysign.com/img/lg/K/i-own-firearms-backhoe-sign-k-0313.png
PS, A Backhoe here is what you over there call a digger.
The digger is there for all to see! I do like the sign though, not sure the wife will allow it!
DeleteWe have a gate at the road which is locked at our entrance to our property so if I found marks I would totally be upset. If you can gate your drive I highly recommend it. We used to get sales people if you can believe that even out in the country with a 1/4 mile long drive way coming to our house.. arghhh....Gate stops all that.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask what is a rambler? Is that a city worker of some kind? If its just a private citizen why are they marking peoples drives? I am not familiar with that term
rambler?
hey Texan, a Rambler is what you would call a hiker. in the UK there are what we call Rights Of Way, this is where the public is allowed to cross private land. The areas they can walk are quite restricted but it maybe that a way has been across Kevs land for hundreds of years and is a traditional route, ie,from a village to the nearest town, the shortest course to market?
DeleteThey should not be marking anything on the land - leave only foot prints...
The route is from the village to church. I'm sure it's been used for many hundreds of year. I was always told the collective noun for a group of ramblers is an irritation but I couldn't possibly comment!
DeleteThanks Sol and Kev... learned something new!
DeleteCheeky buggers. It always used to gypsies who'd mark houses where they'd sold something.
ReplyDeleteThat was my frist though but more when they mark to steal.
DeleteI would not be impressed either. Like you say, a right to roam is not a right to mark your drive.
ReplyDeleteThere is no right to roam - that's only in scotland, they have only can stick to the footpath. It annoys me when people don;t ask permission, last year soemone had load of the black berries, but I can't grumble too much I suppose, we have other hedges.
DeleteA couple of these on the foot path with some trip lines should teach them a lesson. ;-)
ReplyDeletehttps://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/5f/89/cd/5f89cd2c122a3bf706da7a4c172df7d2.jpg
Teach them a lesson and I'd probably end up in court! The British laws are somewhat different! I'd probably get sued as well!
DeleteUp here in Appalachia, symbols like that are associated with "hexing" or putting a curse on someone. People take it seriously. But then again, a lot of the local people here still think the devil wanders the woods at night, looking for lost souls. I know it's just luminescent methane gas, myself, but I still don't go out in the woods when that kind of thing is going on! We also have witches, whom you can go to and pay to put a curse on someone. It sounds funny but it's done in dead earnest.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds mental. no witches around here that I know of though. As for the methane gas I'm pretty sure I know where that comes from around here!
DeleteIt would have made me panic! I've heard of people leaving marks to come back and steal Dogs from your garden.
ReplyDeleteThis si what I thought, they also mark it for things to steal as well apparently.
DeleteI would have felt the same as you and done the same as you. I admit I don't understand folks when it comes to what they think are their "rights." We knew some folks who lived on the end of a dead end road at the foot of a mountain in. When bear hunting season arrived, hunters would congregate at the end of the road and turn their dogs loose to chase bears down the mountain, while the hunters got rowdy drinking beer. Our friends had a terrible time with that because technically the hunters weren't on their property.
ReplyDeleteThe ramblers certainly have right to walk across my land, there is a footpath that has been there for hundreds for year to be a walk to the church and I wouldn't want to change that, but marking it is another story!
DeleteThe hunters sound annoying, I heard different stories of hunters in too greater numbers in certain areas making it dangerous to hunt, I also think that many Americans have the idea that if TSHTF then they could hunt to provide, however I think that everyone else would be doing the same and there would be nothing left.
It did make my heart beat a bit quicker!
ReplyDeleteGoogle gypsy graffiti signs. Yours show up as 1: Nothing here and 2: Gypsies not liked
ReplyDeleteCould be worse.