really old style living?

zarazara

unfortunately its not "my land my rules" when it comes to sporing rights or fishing rights you do have to make sure they are included in the sale,they often are. its the same with open acess and public rights of way,you just cant stop things because you dont like them,if you buy land with open acess then anyone and everyone can traipse across it whenever they want to.

maryb

NualaBuala
I've had to give up my dream of living in the country as well, as I have been diagnosed with glaucoma and although I have been allowed to keep my driving licence for now, the time will come when I have to stop driving. A buss pass isn't much use if there are no buses. But now that it simply isn't an option to move to the country, I find I can settle very happily for living in a suburb on the edge of the country. We don't have a huge garden but we have rented an allotment which looks out over National Trust land and you could be forgiven for thinking you actually are in the country. I buy organic free range eggs from a local smallholding. We've installed a woodburner which I love to pieces.

I really think this is better than the country - my DDs are growing up and if we stay where we are there is a good chance they will settle nearby ( because they will want Gran to babysit, I suspect), whereas if we were miles away we would only see them fairly rarely. I also have access to good bookshops here which is my weakness and I can get into the centre of London in less than half an hour. Life is good and in many ways it is a good thing that I can no longer think the grass would be greener in the country as it makes me make the best of what I have here and now.

NualaBuala

Right if I ever find myself in the predicament of owning some land that other people have legal hunting rights to, I will simply invite around Mardatha and her cronies (edit, I meant to say you as well ceridwen!:o) to make things damn difficult for them! It could turn into one of those "hunter becomes the hunted" horror film scenarios!

I live in a suburban area and we have foxes - they are so shy though, have never caused any problems and run away whenever they see me. I think they were living in my overgrown garden at one stage but not sure anymore. They're gorgeous actually, and luckily the neighbours like them too.

NualaBuala

maryb wrote: »

NualaBuala
I've had to give up my dream of living in the country as well, as I have been diagnosed with glaucoma and although I have been allowed to keep my driving licence for now, the time will come when I have to stop driving. A buss pass isn't much use if there are no buses. But now that it simply isn't an option to move to the country, I find I can settle very happily for living in a suburb on the edge of the country. We don't have a huge garden but we have rented an allotment which looks out over National Trust land and you could be forgiven for thinking you actually are in the country. I buy organic free range eggs from a local smallholding. We've installed a woodburner which I love to pieces.

I really think this is better than the country - my DDs are growing up and if we stay where we are there is a good chance they will settle nearby ( because they will want Gran to babysit, I suspect), whereas if we were miles away we would only see them fairly rarely. I also have access to good bookshops here which is my weakness and I can get into the centre of London in less than half an hour. Life is good and in many ways it is a good thing that I can no longer think the grass would be greener in the country as it makes me make the best of what I have here and now.

Lovely post Mary! :TYou have a wonderful attitude, I love how you've made your situation work for you. It sounds to me like you have the best of all worlds.

I hope to do the same - just cos I can't have a place in the country doesn't mean I'll end up in a high rise apartment with no greenery for miles.

In the meantime I'm in a nice suburb until the house sells - who knows how long that will take so I could be here a long while!!!

mardatha

I'm dead against hunting, would happily shoot the lot of them - but am not mad on foxes. I like their colour & golden eyes, but not what they can do to hens or newborn lambs.

NualaBuala

Yeah, my relatives in the country always think I'm overly sentimental about foxes. They lost too many hens to feel much compassion for them. I can understand that though, it's not killing an animal for fun - that's what makes my stomach turn.

ceridwen

zarazara wrote: »

unfortunately its not "my land my rules" when it comes to sporing rights or fishing rights you do have to make sure they are included in the sale,they often are. its the same with open acess and public rights of way,you just cant stop things because you dont like them,if you buy land with open acess then anyone and everyone can traipse across it whenever they want to.

Guess I shoulda clarified there:o that obviously I accept that "public rights of way" are just that and, if one buys a house knowing there is a footpath there - then one has to accept that. We all use footpaths for walking round the countryside. Thats fair enough. What isnt acceptable is for other people to think they can come onto ones land and kill animals/fish, pick anything they fancy and such or trash the place.

Hmmm...if I wanted/had the money to buy land that had that sporting/fishing clause attached and I wasnt able to get it removed:think: - I guess I'd start getting a bit "ingenious" at finding ways to get round that....;)

mardatha

Ceridwen, I think that most people who buy these places know and understand the law and how the system works. Then also, sometimes it's not as "in your face" as it sounds.. an awful lot of things up here are more unsaid than said - and while technically the landowner might have the right in law to do this that or the other, a lot of them are down south and don't know the half of what goes on, remembering that their bailffs are local people...:rotfl:
I think as long as it's discreet and not too blatant, people do have a lot of leeway.

Red_Doe

mardatha wrote: »

I'm dead against hunting, would happily shoot the lot of them - but am not mad on foxes. I like their colour & golden eyes, but not what they can do to hens or newborn lambs.

I have a flock of a dozen hens (and one poor overworked cockerel ) and there`s a local fox that thinks nothing of sauntering into the hen runs to try and get into the hutches, or who harrasses a neighbouring crofters fifty-odd flock, getting into a killing frenzy and necking a couple of dozen then sauntering off again.
There used to a man in these parts who toured the crofts. He was the vermin control fella, he would catch rats, foxes, etc that were harrying livestock. Haven`t seen him for ages though and nobody can seem to get hold of him. It`s only a matter of time before the fox goes for my hens, when it`ll be gloves off and if I can borrow a rifle, I will shoot him. I`ve seen first hand the devastation a fox can do...thing is, they often kill just for the hell of it. I`ve seen a whole flock of hens, strangled in a fox`s mouth, but uneaten. He wasn`t hungry, he just got into his killing frenzy.
In Scotland, the law says that any creature harrassing livestock can legally be shot and killed. I only have an air rifle for rabbit shooting, that isn`t enough to take out the fox, but am looking for someone local with a decent rifle.
Normally, I won`t go actively looking to kill the fox. But things are such a struggle here as it is, so if it comes to the pretty looking fox or my hens, I know who`ll be left standing at the end of the day.

mardatha

We had a guy here who came round every year in early spring, and took a few foxes. I dono if he still does it any more. I myself have never ever seen a fox up here, but when I worked nightshift in Edinburgh it was full of them I dont mind foxes at all, but then I havent got chickens.
Yet....
By the by, I was saying to my son yesterday that the rabbits seem to have vanished here, for 2 years they have been scarce. And he said it isn't myxy but some new liver virus that's killing them. Has anybody else heard of this?