Far Over the Top - Grim Welcome to Blacka

Why do so many things get worse?

The Far Nova stables and livery are hardly making a visit to Blacka along Shorts Lane as attractive an experience as possible.

For many many years this used to be a pleasant and relaxing experience walking down Shorts Lane towards the lovely quiet streamside walk at Blacka's lowest level. In recent months it's become more like entering a militarised zone.

 What next? Gun patrols? and "Who goes there?". How utterly depressing. Notices are everywhere, shouting at us and threatening us with police action, guard dogs, legal sanctions and CCTV. Yet this used to be a delightful approach to Blacka. Now we would have more fun visiting Pentonville.

The visual impact of the stables is now much greater than in previous years with large containers helping to give an industrialised look as you approach. Notices contribute to an in-your-face aggressive tone. No more the old world relaxed atmosphere. We don't value enough the attractions of some places until they have gone.

It saps away the will to live almost as much as SWT's barbed wire.

Notices are plastered all over trees in the lane. I had thought this was public land.   And this tree can't take any more.

It also looks as if the notices refer to the lane to the left which is the public route to Blacka.

I have now heard from the farmer that the land is actually his on which the bridleway runs***(see below. That certainly needs looking into being contrary to what we had always thought.

And the justification for it all? Apparently some incidents have been reported between sheep and dogs being walked towards Blacka. The surprise in that is that I could see no sheep and can't remember sheep having been in the fields along the lane. It is reported also that there has been at least one burglary. Does that really mean things must look like this for ever?

I'm desperately looking for some good news.

*** Sheffield's Public Rights of Way Unit has now confirmed that this is not a bridleway but a B.O.A.T. - a public byway open to all traffic. There is no requirement for dogs to be on lead.