Countryside opening hours

[Redrhino]

See this sign - who would have thought it?
Fair enough that Lord Bathurst opens up his private lands and chooses his own terms.
But the sign is by a marked (and legally confirmed) bridleway.
Surely he can’t overlay his own rules (opening hours, no cycles) on to public rights of way?

[random37]

It's speculative. There is no way he could enforce it, or put a barrier across the bridleway.

Saying that, don't go looking for fights where there isn't one. If you don't make a nuisance of yourself I can't see you having a problem.

[Herts Audax]

It is a public highway and you have the right to pass over that any time of day or night. Do what you wish. You might even want to report it to your local rights of way officers.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Some one tried redirecting a bridle path unofficially on Dartmoor...................fat chance............I reported it to Dartmoor authorities.
Now there is an optional way but I still use the old one even though they are trying to redirect (holiday farm, now lama farm)
Fact is that the old bridle path right through farm was easy and convenient, the new one (not sure whats official here, must check, signage rubbish) is up hill off road (grass) and when muddy walking is harder especially with a bike.

[Vorpal]

It is a public highway and you have the right to pass over that any time of day or night. Do what you wish. You might even want to report it to your local rights of way officers.

I would ask the local rights of way officer.

It's possible that the only part which is public highway is the footpath, and the rest is permissive, meaning that the owner can restrict use.

The only way to be certain is to find out the legal status of the routes in question.

[the_twin]

No public rights of way through there showing on the OS map, apart from a single yellow road.

[Redrhino]

Thanks for the replies. I reckon as one person said: "don't make a nuisance and just get on and use it".

This map is from the Glos. definitive rights of way map. Lots of blue bridle paths and that is good enough for me.
Restrictive signs are on (some) entrances to the woods

[Cunobelin]

Thanks for the replies. I reckon as one person said: "don't make a nuisance and just get on and use it".

This map is from the Glos. definitive rights of way map. Lots of blue bridle paths and that is good enough for me.
Restrictive signs are on (some) entrances to the woods

That is it....

You can use the definitive paths / bridleways, but other areas may be "permissible" in which case they may be enforceable

[Cyril Haearn]

"may" or "can"?

[mjr]

It's speculative. There is no way he could enforce it, or put a barrier across the bridleway.

Saying that, don't go looking for fights where there isn't one. If you don't make a nuisance of yourself I can't see you having a problem.

Surely there is a fight there? The landowner is trying to restrict a right of way and users can report it now and maybe get government help in the fight, or someone is going to have bigger fight later on more difficult terms once the landowner starts enforcing it.

I've made this mistake before, where we suspect a sneaky landowner persuaded someone to change the definitive map after a few years to go around the bit of the bridleway they'd claimed (the written statement of the bridleway's course is ambiguous). Best to nip this sort of thing in the bud.

[Herts Audax]

If you find restrictive or misleading signs on the public bridleways then report it.

[the_twin]

Thanks for the replies. I reckon as one person said: "don't make a nuisance and just get on and use it".

This map is from the Glos. definitive rights of way map. Lots of blue bridle paths and that is good enough for me.
Restrictive signs are on (some) entrances to the woods

I thought you were referring to the area to the right of that map, which is strangely devoid of any PROW. The bit on the left is however a mass of footpaths and bridleways. I figured the very important landowner must therefore own the bit on the right, to which he had graciously granted those on foot or horseback access.

[cycleruk]

These signs seem to appear at various places on the estate.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/the-b ... state.html
But they cannot stop you using a genuine public right of way (bridleway in the case of horses and cyclists) except by a change in the law.

[PH]

The signs say Cirencester Park and the only thing I know about that is the huge hedge, but I'm pretty sure it's the area in the bottom right of the map above and not the area with the bridleways marked.
If there are signs restricting use of a bridleway then you should be making an official complaint, it's worth double checking that's what they are before you do.

[Redrhino]

I’m on it. I have written to Glos CC - outsourced to Amey to see what they say