OP
OP
Fnaar
Smutmaster General
- Location
- Thumberland
Hope Peter Harrison doesn't mind me reproducing the text of the email here...
worth bearing in mind, folks...
As you are all aware I changed the route slightly this year to incorporate the climb out of Redesmouth. This was the climb up to the 3rd feed station. This road has two gates plus a number of cattle grids on it which is not unusual on small country roads.
I naively assumed that all riders would open and close these gates as they passed through them as there are cattle, sheep and horses in the adjacent fields. However I was mistaken.
I have taken a call from a very irate farmer this afternoon who, quite rightly, was very annoyed that the gates were left open and that some gates at the sides of the cattle grids were left propped open. As a result the cattle, sheep and valuable horses had strayed and farm hands had to be employed to round them up, separate them and get them back to their respective owners. I am now having to pay for this task in order to placate the farmers in the area.
There could have been a serious accident if the cattle or horses had strayed onto the main roads.
I realise that not everyone would have known the gates had to be closed when they passed through but common sense should have told everyone that if there is livestock in a field and there is a gate between the fields it is there for a reason.
The farmer also voiced the concerns of the local community about the amount of rubbish discarded into the fields. Again everyone had been asked to behave responsibly but my requests seem to have fallen on some deaf ears.
I am sure that no one wants to see the scenario where the local population do not want us in the area and start to actively cause problems as happened in the Etape Caledonia.
I am having to eat a lot of humble pie as well as having to pay out money unnecessarily and would just ask everyone to act responsibly in future.
worth bearing in mind, folks...
As you are all aware I changed the route slightly this year to incorporate the climb out of Redesmouth. This was the climb up to the 3rd feed station. This road has two gates plus a number of cattle grids on it which is not unusual on small country roads.
I naively assumed that all riders would open and close these gates as they passed through them as there are cattle, sheep and horses in the adjacent fields. However I was mistaken.
I have taken a call from a very irate farmer this afternoon who, quite rightly, was very annoyed that the gates were left open and that some gates at the sides of the cattle grids were left propped open. As a result the cattle, sheep and valuable horses had strayed and farm hands had to be employed to round them up, separate them and get them back to their respective owners. I am now having to pay for this task in order to placate the farmers in the area.
There could have been a serious accident if the cattle or horses had strayed onto the main roads.
I realise that not everyone would have known the gates had to be closed when they passed through but common sense should have told everyone that if there is livestock in a field and there is a gate between the fields it is there for a reason.
The farmer also voiced the concerns of the local community about the amount of rubbish discarded into the fields. Again everyone had been asked to behave responsibly but my requests seem to have fallen on some deaf ears.
I am sure that no one wants to see the scenario where the local population do not want us in the area and start to actively cause problems as happened in the Etape Caledonia.
I am having to eat a lot of humble pie as well as having to pay out money unnecessarily and would just ask everyone to act responsibly in future.
I also noticed the amount of discarded bottles etc along the route I do not understand why people do this. Mr Archie tect come over to Burnopfield, hills in hills out!
Try Busty Bank nice going down but coming home agh
Try Busty Bank nice going down but coming home agh
