I just had a really scary experience that has left me shaking.
I was walking in the East Midlands, and completed a 6 hour hike using a guidebook, on my way back home I decided to use a different route using alltrails and my OS map.
I saw a sign and it had arrows pointing in all directions, I proceeded to go left and could see on the OS map there was no footpath sign however on alltrails there was a footpath sign however it ended with the other part starting after a space. Despite this I decided to proceed as im a very experienced walker and have had difficulties before but managed to overcome them.
I continued to walk and couldn't see any further signs and it became quite wild. I was about to turn back but after my long hike I just wanted to get home. I approached farm buildings and could see sheep on my left enclosed, all of a sudden they ran in my direction and start baaing. I approached the farm and it had a gate with chains around it, and at this point I realised I mucked up and it was private farmland I was in.
I decided to turn back and all of a sudden I hear a loud tractor noise and see a tractor heading down. I stepped to the side and decided I was going to ask the farmer for advice as alltrails was showing I could walk through the farm buildings and reach the road through a footpath.
The tractor stops and this really rough looking woman starts effing and swearing at me. "What the f*** do you think you're doing here". I told her I was following the footpath directions but must have got lost . She was furious though and wouldn't stop, "get the f*** out of here." I told her I'll head back but she yells at me that I don't know how to f****** read a map so how will I know where to go. I try explaining I saw the footpath sign at a crossing and she yells at me that there isn't anything there. Then she asks me why I walked here when there are signs saying private keep out-there were absolutely 0 signs saying this or else I wouldn't have dared cross any further. Then she accuses me of opening gates to get here -again there were no gates. She asked me where im heading to, I tell her the village name, she asks for my map and snatches it off me, continue to curse and gives me a lecture about how to get back. Then she looks at me in the eyes and tells me "don't you f***** dare cross this farm building, and you're lucky it was me you ran into today."
I don't doubt for a second what she meant with the last part of the sentence, it would have been worse with any man who lives there with her, such as a husband or son. I was so scared, especially as a brown man in the current climate. Usually I'll give people a piece of my mind when they're being rude, but I was so terrified, in an isolated place with such a confrontational and angry person, I just kept quiet and quickly walked off when she was done.
I learnt my lesson to stick to the OS maps, as alltrails can be unreliable at times, although it was frustrating that the council put up a footpath sign pointing in the direction of her farm buildings. I had another experience last year where a woman driving out of a caravan site was telling me I couldnt walk there, the footpath sign was right next to us and there were other people also walking in and out of there.
I've never had such a horrible experience before, other walkers are lovely, but I find farmers and landowners seem to carry a huge chip on their shoulder at times. It's obvious I'm not there to burgle their farm or cause a problem as I've got my walking books and map in my hand.
Please be careful guys when you're navigating out there, especially to any minorities, it's just not worth the danger!
