In Scotland the right to roam – especially across agricultural land – has been countered by the intensity of livestock farming, compared to most areas of England. I’ve driven through hundreds of miles of England without seeing any of the fields full of livestock which typically line the route when driving in the Scottish Borders; admittedly, a trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow down the M8 would have you thinking most fields are empty even north of the Border.
On the radio a couple of days ago, a Scots farmer was talking about the problems encountered by walkers (presumably including photographers) who enter a field and get mobbed by cattle, not posing any threat, but just curious or mistaking the visitor for a food delivery. This is less common now that farmers arrive on quad bikes hauling the fodder and the cattle know the sound of the bike.
The suggestion was that if you have a dog, just let it off the lead – it will run away, and the cattle will follow it instead of you. This rather goes against the signs everywhere telling you KEEP the dog on the lead.
When I first started photographing historic sites, complete with a Reliant Supervan III, I returned from Mattersey Priory (Nottinghamshire) to find the van entirely surrounded by cattle. It took some time to get back in, and the paintwork (such as it was, in faded Reliant blue) was damaged. The farmer who got them to surrender the van explained that it was the salt from the roads, but it didn’t stop them actually licking the paint off with the salt!
So, next time, remember to take your sacrificial dog. And remember that the right to roam applies to all properties other than the private curtilage and gardens of homes; if it’s agricultural land, woodland, riverside, beach, moorland and some estate parkland you are not restricted to remaining on the Public Footpaths or highways. ‘Private Fishing’, a sign often found where I’m based, does not mean ‘Keep Out’ if you are a photographer or just out walking.
- DK