Buying a House with a Footpath - Advice/Thoughts

Bishi

As a keen walker who knows many other keen walkers, I can't say I know any of these so called militant ramblers who would challenge you if you moved the footpath to a more convenient part of the garden. What I, and others I know, get upset about is when footpaths are blocked or made purposefully difficult to find. I always think the latter makes the situation worse for the landowner in the end too: if you're ten miles into a walk and can't find the footpath, you're not going to turn around and go home but instead will look around for it.

I know that pedants do exist but all of the walkers I know would happily use a well signposted and maintained footpath even if it deviated a few metres from the one on the map, so long as the alternative route was made clear from the start of the original route. 

caprikid1

Bishi said:

As a keen walker who knows many other keen walkers, I can't say I know any of these so called militant ramblers who would challenge you if you moved the footpath to a more convenient part of the garden. What I, and others I know, get upset about is when footpaths are blocked or made purposefully difficult to find. I always think the latter makes the situation worse for the landowner in the end too: if you're ten miles into a walk and can't find the footpath, you're not going to turn around and go home but instead will look around for it.

I know that pedants do exist but all of the walkers I know would happily use a well signposted and maintained footpath even if it deviated a few metres from the one on the map, so long as the alternative route was made clear from the start of the original route. 

We have plenty by me where they move it to the boundary and fence it off, sometimes with a fence over 6 foot, not pleasant for the rambler to go down a fenced tunnel but they can find it easily and be on their journey so to speak.

Dustyevsky

Bishi said:

As a keen walker who knows many other keen walkers, I can't say I know any of these so called militant ramblers who would challenge you if you moved the footpath to a more convenient part of the garden. What I, and others I know, get upset about is when footpaths are blocked or made purposefully difficult to find. I always think the latter makes the situation worse for the landowner in the end too: if you're ten miles into a walk and can't find the footpath, you're not going to turn around and go home but instead will look around for it.

Yep. Three weeks ago, a missing signpost which would have directed us into a field made us take what looked like an overgrown path. Half a mile on, we found ourselves deep in a ravine, so with water up ahead, we  had to climb out and busk it. The local private school would have been horrified if they'd seen two dishevelled pensioners emerging from their shrubbery, but fortunately their security was rubbish.

Even when the path is well signed, there can also be this sort of thing, but deliberately much worse.  Faced with 'worse' we'd willingly take an alternative route and not grumble.

Skiddaw1

Bishi said:

As a keen walker who knows many other keen walkers, I can't say I know any of these so called militant ramblers who would challenge you if you moved the footpath to a more convenient part of the garden. What I, and others I know, get upset about is when footpaths are blocked or made purposefully difficult to find. I always think the latter makes the situation worse for the landowner in the end too: if you're ten miles into a walk and can't find the footpath, you're not going to turn around and go home but instead will look around for it.

I know that pedants do exist but all of the walkers I know would happily use a well signposted and maintained footpath even if it deviated a few metres from the one on the map, so long as the alternative route was made clear from the start of the original route. 

Absolutely.

It's quite common around here to find path diversions where the path crosses gardens or (most commonly) runs directly through farmyards. There's very rarely any issues.

GDB2222

Bishi said:

As a keen walker who knows many other keen walkers, I can't say I know any of these so called militant ramblers who would challenge you if you moved the footpath to a more convenient part of the garden. What I, and others I know, get upset about is when footpaths are blocked or made purposefully difficult to find. I always think the latter makes the situation worse for the landowner in the end too: if you're ten miles into a walk and can't find the footpath, you're not going to turn around and go home but instead will look around for it.

I know that pedants do exist but all of the walkers I know would happily use a well signposted and maintained footpath even if it deviated a few metres from the one on the map, so long as the alternative route was made clear from the start of the original route. 

Most ramblers are pretty reasonable, and if there's an alternative route that's cleared and well marked, they'll take it. 

However, try and lock us out altogether, and we are determined! Here's just one example (of many):

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4443524/Ramblers-win-battle-against-Harrow-School.html

Sapindus

GDB2222 said:

As a member of the Ramblers Association, I can confirm that we are becoming rather militant about protecting footpaths. 

Also, some walking groups will attract dozens of members to their walks. So, you could have dozens of people walking through your garden. Ever so politely, of course. 

There’s a minimum width for a footpath of around 2 metres. If you don’t maintain that, the local council will clear it for you, or issue proceedings to get you to do the work. 

I was on a walk recently where the walk leader asked us all to take pictures and complain to the council about a very narrow path. 

I believe the minimum width requirements apply to paths which cross farmland.  I've walked plenty of paths which go down narrow alleyways behind churchyards etc, so I don't think the council are going to be wading into a back garden and razing a 2m wide path across your flowerbeds.

If I really liked the house... Is the path mentioned in the particulars? If not, I would ask for a reduction in the price along the lines of what it would cost to get it moved.  But it doesn't sound like getting it moved will be an easy option if the alternative is through someone else's garden.  So in the meantime I would embrace the thing - mark the route of the path very clearly, put out a water bowl for hikers' dogs, an honesty box for jam and apples, and keep the freezer stocked with ice creams!

GDB2222

Sapindus said:

GDB2222 said:

As a member of the Ramblers Association, I can confirm that we are becoming rather militant about protecting footpaths. 

Also, some walking groups will attract dozens of members to their walks. So, you could have dozens of people walking through your garden. Ever so politely, of course. 

There’s a minimum width for a footpath of around 2 metres. If you don’t maintain that, the local council will clear it for you, or issue proceedings to get you to do the work. 

I was on a walk recently where the walk leader asked us all to take pictures and complain to the council about a very narrow path. 

I believe the minimum width requirements apply to paths which cross farmland.  I've walked plenty of paths which go down narrow alleyways behind churchyards etc, so I don't think the council are going to be wading into a back garden and razing a 2m wide path across your flowerbeds.

If I really liked the house... Is the path mentioned in the particulars? If not, I would ask for a reduction in the price along the lines of what it would cost to get it moved.  But it doesn't sound like getting it moved will be an easy option if the alternative is through someone else's garden.  So in the meantime I would embrace the thing - mark the route of the path very clearly, put out a water bowl for hikers' dogs, an honesty box for jam and apples, and keep the freezer stocked with ice creams!

It's quite complicated, as some of these paths date back many centuries, when there were no laws about widths. The starting point would be to check the definitive statement, which goes with the definitive map, but may not be online. 

It also depends what sort of footpath this is. It might be a bridle way or even a BOAT. Different rules apply, eg for a BOAT it’s 3m, unless otherwise specified.

 I don’t want to scare the OP, but it would be better not to be too optimistic.

NameUnavailable

There was a comedy series on TV about a couple who buy a house in the country for a 'quiet' life which turns out to be anything but.

One of the issues was a public right of way through their garden which they only realised when groups of walkers started arriving!

So, if you proceed, be prepared for this to be a thing. Might be seldom, might be frequent but it will be what it will be.

You could set up a little stall selling refreshments!

nicetomeetyou123

Hi, 

I really really hope you didn't buy this property in the end. We are living through a similar experience having bought the property with a footpath running through, its been HELL.
We put a gate at our boundary on the property to secure it as we have two young children and a dog and the locals have been an absolute nightmare. One of them had a go at me whilst I was holding my baby... on my OWN doorstep. 

Wish you all the best, not much advice really but looking back we would've steered well clear of this house had we have known. I had a random man wondering our tree line of our garden yesterday, imagine if my children or dog was in the garden? Honestly, it is not worth the stress. 

sheramber

nicetomeetyou123 said:

Hi, 

I really really hope you didn't buy this property in the end. We are living through a similar experience having bought the property with a footpath running through, its been HELL.
We put a gate at our boundary on the property to secure it as we have two young children and a dog and the locals have been an absolute nightmare. One of them had a go at me whilst I was holding my baby... on my OWN doorstep. 

Wish you all the best, not much advice really but looking back we would've steered well clear of this house had we have known. I had a random man wondering our tree line of our garden yesterday, imagine if my children or dog was in the garden? Honestly, it is not worth the stress. 

Can you fence off the path to  keep your children and dog in your garden and the walkers on the path.

You cannot block the footpath itself.