The idea of the yellow insulation tape as a waymark goes mark at least 20 years, I think I heard something about it, maybe a precursor to way marks. When local authorities started to take RoWs seriously their order of marking was, first, fingerposts from off highway, then the field waymarks went in as the walk furniture was erected. The yellow tape was a stop gap action possible unofficial.
Good old binder twine has been a make do for bad farm maintenance, but with the advent big bale and polythene wrapped haylage is a commodity that is in short supply in some areas.
Some years ago we were walking in the Rhiew valley above Manafon, and got talking to a garrulous small holder, come local contractor. It was he, who explained the split between pro and anti walker occupiers in that valley, based on family. As dusk was falling he gave us directions for route that would be easier in the dark, but he warned it would come out on hostlile land. He said that that farmer was unlikely to come out after dark provided we did not set the dogs off too much. Our last obstruction, before making the safety of the road were some hurdles tied up with a most untidy mass of cat's cradle, worked up from a network of frayed orange baler twine, it would have been quicker to cut it and throw the hurdles in the hedge. But recognising the attitude that had gone into this nighmare of a gate latch and despite Mrs BWW's impatience I untied tangle to open up the gateway, then I retied with an obviously neater set of quick release knots.
I wonder if I had caused a blood pressure spike, when viewed in the cold light of day.
Some time later we were walking up to the back of farm building, the farm was owned by the father of the cat's cradle maker. A cow had just just calved, perfect birth, dam licking afterbirth off the newly born calf. As we were fore warned that we would be unwelcomed in this farmyard, as soon as I saw an individual with muck fork in hand. I told him he had a new calf around the back of the building, I invented the scenario that we had arrived in the nick of time to remove afterbirth from the calves nose thus saving the life of a valuable animal.
As we congratulated him on owning such interesting farm buildings where 5 footpaths met (all RoW) and speculated on such an interesting local history that was connected to his farm, leaving aside a totally illegal set of quasi official privacy notices we had noticed as we entered his fields, it was comical to see his actions with the muck fork and an inner struggle to be polite.
