[escapedtothecountry]

Today I am sat in my lounge - my mother has come up for a visit, and what do I see? A strange bloke clambering over my gate. I get up and watch with incredulity and knock really loudly on the French windows. He ignores me so I dash out the front and round the side to see what he thinks he is doing.


Picking mushrooms on my land. Now lets be serious. I couldn't care less about the mushrooms. I also know you are allowed to pick wild mushrooms. What I know you aren't allowed to do is just give yourself access to


So when I confront him he first says... I didn't know it was your field. (now remember my plot is just a rectangle with a third taken up by house and garden, and then to the right as you look at it .... what was a paddock which had horses in it). I replied - well it should be a bit obvious - but its clear its certainly not yours!!


He responds by saying "Well I'm allowed to pick mushrooms". Well sorry that was red rag to a bull - so I said maybe - but you aren't allowed to trespass. Yes I am he replied.


Anyway the short story is I recognise trespass is a civil matter( as opposed to criminal) . I recognise mushrooms aren't important, but I don't want people to think they can just hop over the fence and wander round my paddock and indeed garden helping themselves to whatever they want. There have been plenty of cases of heating oil being stolen for example. Or what next? First mushrooms, then nuts off the 100 hazel trees I plant? Etc etc...


Interestingly the village PCSO is visiting at 2:00pm. What actually can you do to stop this happening?

[deepinthewoods]

i tend to use the technique of a quick but accurate blow with a piece of 2x2 to the bridge of the nose. hth.

[escapedtothecountry]

The other bit that made me really mad was his retort that "It's people like you". Eh? People like me who buy somewhere and grow things, look after it, and don't want anyone uninvited to just help themselves.


The thing is if someone had said - I spied some mushrooms would you mind if I took some Id have said yes, if you show me which are edible and which aren't... but no. He just helped himself!

[deepinthewoods]

yes, manners cost nothing. i pick mushrooms, but no way would i do what that guy did, he is not setting a good example for other mycologists.
 
 

[hughesy]

Surely picking wild mushrooms requires the land owner's permission?

[deepinthewoods]

yup.

[colliewoman]

Foraging on private land requires land owners permission for sure  
Land with a public footpath doesn't need permission IF picking from the path, step off the path and you need permission.
Public access land you can forage so long as the plant is neither protected nor uprooted.


I go all over the place and forage many places with no public access, BUT I have the permission of every land owner to do so.


People shouldn't be climbing fences or gates, that should have been a huge clue 
Unfortunately many people think the right to roam act means you can go anywhere you like regardless.
Pop into his garden and pick all his flowers/veggies. See how he likes it

[mojocafa]

Would you like to borrow my 3german shepherds, open the door let them deal with him, he wouldn't return . Thankfully their bark is worse than their bite but he wouldn't know that!!!

[escapedtothecountry]

its the hole assumption that he was in the right that is madenning.  As mentioned if he hd knocked on the d ad asked may have just said help yourself, but to just take and to allege was in te wrong for challenging him is perplexing.

[fifixx]

Next time, get name and address and car reg. Then either, depending on the response, report to police or visit and picnic in his garden (I've always wanted to do this, but never had the nerve!)

[happygolucky]

I would be fumeing as well.........if I were you post some warning signs up to say "DANGER, MINE DISUSED MINE FIELD  " or BEWARE OF THE BULL" or somthing in that vien......to be fair, lot's of people are either unsure or stupid......do a Tresspass sign would be great too......Like you say, a different story if they had have asked and what next, taking the eggs from peoples hens, veg from thier gardens or washing from thier lines!!!!!   I love the idea of a pic nic in thier garden or even better, pick some of thier flowers etc!!!

[Backinwellies]

Go out with camera .... take photo evidence.   Can hardly complain about you taking photo of your own property!

[deepinthewoods]

nah 2x2, everytime. worked for me! never had a trespasser on my land since i did the first one in!

[RUSTYME]

Yes , i get dog walkers park at the top of my track and then walk down the track allowing tiddles to do his business on my property .
I politely inform them they are on private property after asking if they are looking for me .
And i always get told it is a right of way and they are allowed to walk there . It isn't , and they aren't , they then leave very fast !
I have had lots of stuff nicked in the past .
I had a froe , a drawknife , a metal rake , a wooden rake , a wooden wheelbarrow nicked , all hand made by me . The froe and drawknife i made out of old 1930's lorry leaf spring . They were the first tools i made in my forge , fired by my first batch of home grown , home made charcoal . So sentimental value more than money .
Also had some replica 16th century furniture i made go walk about , a chest , a couple of chairs , and a settle . Not small stuff and that was worth money . All hand hewn oak and metalwork made from rought iron rigging straps off of a boat made in 1800ish .
So when i see people down there now , i ask politely what they want ? , then ask them to leave . If they argue i tell them to go and if they still argue , i help them on their way .
Why do they just assume they have a right to go where the f eck they want ?
I know not all of them are theives , but i can't tell which are or not , so i tell'em all to f eckoff if they argue .

[Sbom]

A friend of mine had the same problem, he found out where the person lived and then let himself into his garden and started picking flowers! The fella went mad but I think he got the point in the end  . The problem is people don't see a private field in the same way as a private garden and they should. I would have been hopping mad aswell.