How best to make a "private access" sign to hammer into the ground?

[d000hg]

Access to our house is by a private road/track ~100m which only serves us. However it has a cut at the top through to a public path which is handy, but does mean we get some people using it as a short cut (I'm not sure if it's obviously private or not really). It's a council road but we've been told it is categorically our private access not a public right of way e.g. we could close the cut-through if we wanted.

At one end of the drive is a nice post I can put a sign on, at the other I was wondering about one of those wooden "keep off the grass" type signs to hammer into the ground.
How best to make such a sign and paint it neatly so it looks nice and will last without rotting/fading in a year, without needing great artistic skills and expensive equipment? How would you guys go about this?

 

[HERTS P&D]

See below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8...t=&hvlocphy=1006625&hvtargid=kwd-296151009069

Andy

 

[d000hg]

And how do I sink those wall-mounted signs into the ground? I already bought one for my gate-post but the top of my drive leads through a little woodland hence wanting to make something like:

 

[HERTS P&D]

Get a piece of 3x2 and hammer it into the ground.

Andy

 

[d000hg]

as in just screw the sign onto a wedge? I guess as long as the sign I buy isn't too flimsy it'd save me a job making one

 

[Ian H]

Screw it to a tree

 

[Bosswhite]

By all means stick a sign on the grass , but in all honesty how many people do you think will bother adhering to it ?

 

[d000hg]

By all means stick a sign on the grass , but in all honesty how many people do you think will bother adhering to it ?

We'll have to find out At the moment there is a little side-path coming off a public footpath, past our house and down a track - it's not like people are walking over our garden so I will give the benefit of the doubt.

If people come despite signs, I can be more definitive in asking them to keep off!

 

[StephenOak]

My garden has a considerable slope and when I cut down decent branches / trunks (e.g. 6-8" thick) I am putting them across the open slopes. To hold them in place I get straightish thinner branches (2-3" thick) and cut a four-sided point on them and hammer those into the ground above and below. I can get those easily a foot (typically more) into the ground in a couple of minutes.

So I'm sure a piece of 3x2 with a point will go into the ground far enough to hold the sign. Alternatively a straightish branch 3" thick might look more rustic and I think it would last a good few years.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Or get a piece of 'Oak', Stephen?

Andy

 

[StephenOak]

Andy,

Already have plenty of oak. A 30' tall tree fell down in the garden a while back and I cut it up into pieces.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Check that you are correct in preventing access and the status of the road

I grew up in a private street- the only thing different was that we were liable for maintenance of the road.
It was still a right of way.

Obviously a gate. Might help ?

 

[endecotp]

When you say “cut through” do you mean for cars or for pedestrians?

Re it being a “council road” - are you saying it’s owned by the council? Is the house a (former) council house?

It is hard to imagine a road that is a “council road” that is not a right of way for pedestrians, unless it it access to council property like a school.

Who told you it is not a right of way? They might be wrong. Is it in your deeds?

 

[d000hg]

It is a council owned road serving only as access to our house, and the council have told us it is our private access. The cut to the public path is informal and we're told we can indeed gate or block it.

The back story is our house is the former colliery (coal mine) manager's house which belonged to the Coal Board. The foot path used to be a railway line and our drive was access to the line/sidings as well as the house.

At some point the coal board land became council owned and the house was sold to a private owner but the drive wasn't. Much later, the railway line was pulled up and turned into public paths... And an informal footpath from the house to the line remained for the owner to walk their dog.

At the bottom of the drive there is even an old gate.

We checked with the council after moving in since it is a slightly off situation, just one of those quirks of an old property with a history.

 

[endecotp]

OK, that makes sense. Thanks for explaining!