"That field's been shut off for hay, even we won't walk in it till after mowing". Anyone else come across this statement from a farmer? If a right of way crosses a field the way must be made good within a week or two (can't remember the exact no. of days). So why does this excuse seem an infallible reason amongs't some farmers to deter walkers from crossing their land. Perhaps I talk to farmers more than some others.
Is this a reason to cite obstruction? In another
topic I asked if I should complain to the Local Authority, but it is difficult to pin a reason on the a particular obstruction, when to whole area is devoid of fingerposts and waymarks and I am reluctant to be accusing that local authority of dereliction, because to do such a good job when they do get around to furnishing an area and their older areas the walk furnishings are in decline.
This leads to another line of thought; That there are two types of obstruction, the physical blockage of a right of way and a sort that is not so tangible as we are now encouraged to understand the difference between actual and virtual reality.
What is the source of this virtual obstruction, it manifested itself in the attitudes of two property owners on the back stretch of that Dolfor walk, though friendly enough encounters, we encountered strong persuasion to deviate our planned route. In the first instance, a non farmer, we ignored his advice and discovered ourselves walking through a fairy tale wood with a carpet of yellow, cow wheat, lit by sunlight streaks piercing the tree canopy as stunning as any bluebell wood.
The second encounter did lead to our deviating our original course, the irony was we had already walked through the hay field concerned on our out stretch. So the damage was already done if any was done. When we walked that field to keep to the RoW would have taken us across the middle of the field, but the rise of the ground and the crop masked the objective, which when was apparent, no way through the hedge, was obvious. This meant a right angle change in direction to a field gate. Again not fully visible, for the same reasons as before, until we had walked through the crop looking for this alternative.
To walk the field boundary would have increased the damage to the crop, but was there likelihood of damage. This myth of shutting of for hay seems common in central Wales, does it over rule the obligation to spray out the line of a crop, such as cereals, rape or even potatoes. In the days of the cutterbar, it would have needed some adjustments of pitch and forward speed to overcome a laid crop. Modern mowers are far less susceptible and I think you have to go back to hand scything, where trodden or tussocked grass would turn the point of the blade into the ground.
We walkers are encouraged to observe the countryside code, the acceptance of this is the norm yet an age old tradition of hospitality among country people is being slowly diminished.
Whenever I read of public footpaths etc, in the farming press the tone is to tell occupiers of our countryside to obey their legal obligation, and that is as far as it goes. Never going further to explore the value of producer and visitor meeting through a fair share of the countryside. How magnanimous are those, who have farm visits etc, etc but are they encourage to supply additional directions or ways to mitigate seasonal obstructions?
Perhaps by writing this I am starting to flesh out my complaint to Powys CC. Would it go beyond the RoW Officer and be scrutinized by their Local Access Forum, because it is more directed at the landowners on that body, perhaps even the chairman (could he be a landowner).