blocked "byways"

xloopylozzax

xloopylozzax

Active Member
Jan 14, 2008
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Leeds
Hi
wonder if anyone can help, my local hacking route has been completely trashed by 'someone' (believed local farmer but unsure).

there are large boulders, locked gates, chain blockades and logs placed across every path or link between fields with no way to get round (safely anyway theres enough room for a single person but theres 6 foot ditches either side).

as far as im aware there has been no issues (people riding on sown crops, theft etc) however there has been a low level problem with joyriding and cars been dumped and torched- this was stopped by the first boulder i mentioned which we could get round so it wasnt an issue, it has now been moved so you cant get past at all.
people are careful when riding on stubble fields and paths so they dont get chewed up.
one farmer used to get annoyed with a couple of people riding right up his private drive past his house and he shut a gate but that path didnt stop the whole route and he opens it after a while anyway.
we are considerate and shut gates, allow other road users past, thank farmers and are generally pleasant, cant speak for anyone else though.
the paths/roads in question are in burton salmon (anyone local?!) specifically fairfield lane, and a track linking burton common lane around the woods then back to poole lane (see the cricket pitch its one field afterwards going straight up ;))

could also be a deterrant to the hunt, but frankly its ridiculous, the hunt (and anyone) are allowed on public byways (though not private roads, but as far as im aware there isnt one...) and they wont go on land without permission so its a bit rubbish.
the joyriders have been stopped by the first boulder no need to move it.

they could stop vehicles but still leave it wide enough to take a horse through.

im at a loss, its the best (almost) traffic free hacking we have!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?near=burton+salmon&q=maps&f=p&rl=1
thanks for reading my essay :o
 
One for the rights of way officer from the sound of it - nobody has the right to single handedly block a public right of way to legitimate users. Some of them do have the right to trash it and render it unusable by anyone else though if it's a byway...
 
how do you get in contact with your rights of way officer and am i right in thinking fairfield lane in particular shouldnt be blocked (road up until the woods then stoney track) its single track width.

does it matter that i dont know who has done this? (may be able to find out from villagers)

thanks :)
 
Looking at the OS map for the area leads me to question just how much of your riding routes are Public Rights of Way. Fairfield Lane appears to end in a Footpath (and you may not legally ride a horse on a footpath). Burton Common Lane appears only to be a PROW as far as Burton Common Farm and I can see no PROW across the woods to Poole Lane. I could be wrong of course and I have no knowledge of the area, but if your riding is across private land, you have no legal right (unless you can prove otherwise).

Having said that, I would advise you to visit your Council's Rights of Way office to check out the Definitive Map. If you find that you do have Right of Way, your next step would be to put your concerns in writing, demanding action be taken (and don't give up).
 
Please, PLEASE get your facts right. These tracks do NOT appear to be byways in the legal sense of the term. You MUST check the status of these tracks on the definitive map, held at council HQ, before contacting any access officers or similar.

As far as I can tell, the tracks you mention as being closed are not rights of way, so the landowner can do as he or she chooses, unless these paths have been ridden without objection for many, many years, in which case you would have a long legal fight ahead of you with no certainty of winning.

Burton Common Lane is a dead-end other than footpath status links.
Poole Lane has no links with any paths which hold right of way status of any sort. Neither are there any rights of way around the woods; the tracks marked on the maps appear to have no public right of way status.
Fairfield Lane's link with Burton Common Lane holds only footpath status.

You have probably been using these tracks by courtesy of the landowners and - as so often happens - other users have spoilt things for you. Would speaking to the landowners and requesting some form of monitored and restricted access be a possibility?



xloopylozzax said:
Hi
wonder if anyone can help, my local hacking route has been completely trashed by 'someone' (believed local farmer but unsure).

there are large boulders, locked gates, chain blockades and logs placed across every path or link between fields with no way to get round (safely anyway theres enough room for a single person but theres 6 foot ditches either side).

as far as im aware there has been no issues (people riding on sown crops, theft etc) however there has been a low level problem with joyriding and cars been dumped and torched- this was stopped by the first boulder i mentioned which we could get round so it wasnt an issue, it has now been moved so you cant get past at all.
people are careful when riding on stubble fields and paths so they dont get chewed up.
one farmer used to get annoyed with a couple of people riding right up his private drive past his house and he shut a gate but that path didnt stop the whole route and he opens it after a while anyway.
we are considerate and shut gates, allow other road users past, thank farmers and are generally pleasant, cant speak for anyone else though.
the paths/roads in question are in burton salmon (anyone local?!) specifically fairfield lane, and a track linking burton common lane around the woods then back to poole lane (see the cricket pitch its one field afterwards going straight up ;))

could also be a deterrant to the hunt, but frankly its ridiculous, the hunt (and anyone) are allowed on public byways (though not private roads, but as far as im aware there isnt one...) and they wont go on land without permission so its a bit rubbish.
the joyriders have been stopped by the first boulder no need to move it.

they could stop vehicles but still leave it wide enough to take a horse through.

im at a loss, its the best (almost) traffic free hacking we have!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?near=burton+salmon&q=maps&f=p&rl=1
thanks for reading my essay :o
Click to expand...
 
i dont/didnt know what these roads are, which is why "byways" is in "" :)

they have been used over 40yrs to my knowlege (by horse-drawn vehicles, ridden horses, walkers, bikers etc) and surely a long time before that.
 
worth talking to the local farmer then and asking if you can use them... or maybe get in touch with local access rights people as if a path has been used for so long then i think it can have it's status changed and force the farmers to open it again... but warning - you wont make any friends with the local land owners if you go down that route! :o

ETA - with a similar problem where i used to live we got an aranged 'trail' sorted out with local farmers - local riders paid a small fee for the track and clubbed togerher to get a few jumps on it - we all got a tagg to go on teh saddle so farmers could tell who'd paid and who hadn't - also there were signs saying private property - xx trail riders access only' to deter other users
 
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In order to change their status they need to have been ridden regularly for at least 20 years by at least a dozen people who are willing to give evidence (forms available from Council ROW dept). The process takes about five years in our area, including a Public Enquiry if there are objections. You should have a local BHS person who would help.
 
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