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“Have a bit of this”: Cyclist camping overnight in field sprayed with slurry from tractor by “annoyed” farmer who wanted to teach a “lesson” to trespassing campers

The beef and sheep farmer saw the cyclist camping against the hedge and drove his tractor to spray a wall of manure on him, saying: “You won’t be staying in anyone’s fields ever again”

A cyclist who was camping overnight at a field in Devon was sprayed with slurry for 15 seconds after a farmer who saw the cyclist's tent in his field got in his tractor to teach him “not to stay in anyone’s fields ever again”.

The incident, first reported by The Sun, was captured on video last week by Jack Bellamy, a third generation farmer from Tavistock, Devon with 200 cows and 650 sheep on his farm. 

Bellamy sees the black tent propped against the hedge and gets in his John Deere tractor, before saying: “I’ll tell you what, these *****, they’ll f****** set up anywhere. They do not give a flying f***. They’ll go anywhere.”

He starts driving towards him, blasting slurry out of his tractor, even stopping just past him to get the maximum amount of manure on the cyclist, who seems to be caught completely unaware and is seen ducking behind the tent to shelter himself from the wall of slurry being thrown at him.

“I’ll tell you what chap, have a bit of this,” Bellamy says, while driving past him and filming with a handheld device at the same time.

> How to wild camp responsibly with OS Maps and Cycling UK

Bellamy later told The Sun: “I went out in the morning because I had to get on. When I looked in the field I saw a tent on the freshly cut grass. There was someone camped right up against the hedge.

“I left him covered in slurry. He never said a word — he couldn’t really argue with that. I’m sure he had a nice evening there, but he didn’t have a very nice wake up call.

“He must’ve heard the tractor coming because he was out of his tent. I said ‘You won’t be staying in anyone’s fields ever again’ and then I drove on and carried on with my morning.

“When my dad went back later the tent was gone, there was a white patch where the tent was and the slurry hadn’t been. I would hate to think what he smells like now.

“There is a campsite 400 yards in one direction and 600 yards in the other but they just please themselves these people. We’ve had people from towns walking in the fields.

“There is 50,000 acres of Dartmoor nearby and he chose to camp in my field. They come up from the towns and think they can do what they want. We’ve had loads of trouble with dogs worrying the sheep.

“They wouldn’t like it if I went camping in their garden. They’ve got no knowledge of the countryside at all. They come up from the towns and think they can do what they want. They probably think food grows on a plant or something.”

> Farming community divided over “arrogant, entitled” farmer spraying camping cyclist with slurry in “downright nasty” video

It would be important to point out that wild camping is illegal and a civil offence in England and Wales, with the exception of some parts of Dartmoor. Campers must get permission from the landowner to camp, which includes tents and motorhomes, or risk being charged with trespassing.

Anyone who refuses to move faces fines up to £2,500 if caught breaking the rules, although first time offenders are likely to be charged up to £300. You could even face a prison sentence of up to three months if you refuse to leave when requested to do so by police. Wild camping is legal in Scotland, however, as long as local guidelines are followed.

The reaction to the situation has been mixed, with many anti-cycling views and opinions running rampant on social media. However, farmers themselves have been quite divided about the whole incident, with many calling it a “horrible thing to do” and “pretty grim and quite sad behaviour from the tractor driver” on the Farming Forum.

Meanwhile, environmental lecturer and Right to Roam campaigner Lewis Winks has criticised the farmer’s actions and offered an insight into the cyclist’s perspective, who as of now remains unidentified: “Consider this – you’re on a bike tour, alone but free. Exhausted after many miles on the road, scouting spots to sleep before continuing the next day. After an hour you opt for a discreet field edge.

“You wake up early and begin packing up, then this happens. Truly unjustifiable.”

He added: “Firstly, trespass is a civil offence – despite the best efforts of the dying Tory government. It’s a matter between the landowner and the trespasser, provided there are no aggravating circumstances. Common assault, however, is a criminal offence.”

> Why don't cyclists use the cycle lane? Because a farmer has dumped hundreds of tonnes of sugar beet in it

Winks then shared the Met Police’s stance on “camping without permission”, which recommends that landowners “talk to the people occupying your land and ask them to leave, if you feel safe to do that”, and reminds them that “you could find yourself guilty of several criminal offences if you forcibly attempt to remove them or their property.”

“Dialogue is the best course of action,” says Winks. “The rights of landowners are vast and sacrosanct in the UK – and far outweigh their legal responsibilities to people or nature. Including their own land which too often is also subject to abuse. Crying trespass distracts from the imbalance between rights and responsibilities.

“The rights of people – particularly those wishing to access land – on the other hand, are wildly lacking. Yet, we have a bedrock of historic and customary rights which have not entirely been swept away by property law. The civil attitude to trespass is in part an admission of this. Just west of where this incident took place is Dartmoor, where historic customs were written into bylaws in 1985, protecting wild camping; placing into stark contrast the farmer’s response.

“Secondly, on the notion of planning ‘better’,” he continued, “I’d wager that the majority of those with this view have never undertaken a long-distance expedition. If they had they'd realise that part of what it means ‘to plan’ is to prepare for the unexpected, to expect to change plans.

“I’d also bet that most of these detractors have not experienced wild camping and the feeling of freeing oneself from constraints of expensive, rigid, and scarce campsites in the UK. Elsewhere, such as in France, there are much better – more dependable networks of municipal campsites, but here it’s a nightmare trying to plan a trip based on private campgrounds which require booking ahead – and they’re often expensive and shite.

“Plus, of course, the sheer joy of waking up on your own with the golden light of a solstice sunrise, kettle on the boil, and on the road before the town wakes up, carefully leaving no trace of you being there. As for ‘you should have asked for permission’... just try finding out who owns the land in England while at a desk, let alone while on the road.

“And – to those who say ‘what about litter’. Our crisis is one of disconnection, it’s a lack of access to nature (not the opposite) which is unravelling our ability to know the land.”

> Opening stage of Etoile de Bessèges cancelled – due to protests from Jeremy Clarkson-idolising French farmers

Winks concluded: “This dude was bike touring – camping in a discreet spot, rising early, packing up in the golden opening of the day. And he was assaulted by someone who calls themselves a custodian of the land.”

As unlikely as it may seem, this isn’t the first time cyclists and farmers have locked horns.

Two years ago, a foul-mouthed anti-cyclist rant went viral on a Facebook page, and has been regularly reshared on social media numerous times a year ever since.  i

The post says: “If I’m coming at you in a bloody great big tractor with 20 tons behind me on a single track road, do me and yourself a favour and STOP for one second, either move as far over to your side of the road or just step on to the verge if there is one, so I can pass safely, do not just continue at full speed and then piss and moan as you go past because if it goes wrong you’ll end up being pressure washed off a tractor wheel.

“Unfortunately for you we take all your space and we can’t help it, so unless you want to lend a hand either changing a tyre that’s blown out or shovelling up a spillage, then we’re not dropping our wheels into drainage grips so that you can continue your bicycle ride.

“Cars, horse riders and runners are capable of it, I seem to be missing something with cyclists, I presume either you don’t want to get your special bike dirty, you’re trying to beat your PB or more than likely you’re just a complete cock in general."

Even more worryingly, in 2021, a farmer attacked a cyclist by throwing a billhook at his bike following a road rage incident in which he became enraged because the man was not using a cycle lane. 

The cyclist shouted at the farmer in his VW Transporter that he had passed him too close, to which the farmer replied: “Well get on the cycle path then!”

He decided to follow the driver back to his nearby farm to ask him why he was so rude, when the farmer grabbed a billhook - which is used to trim tree saplings - and hurled it towards the cyclist, striking and damaging his £2,950 carbon framed Specialized Tarmac SL6 Sport Disc Road Bike.

Were you the cyclist involved in this incident? Email us at info [at] road.cc 

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after completing his masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Cymru, and also likes to write about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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113 comments

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Scarey | 5 months ago
4 likes
Scarey wrote:

Have to say both biker and farmer are way out of line! IF your going to camp on anyone else's land, you have to ask FIRST; if you don't, you deserve some measure of unmannerly behaviour.

Why exactly would you "deserve" unmannerly behaviour? The cyclist was camped at the edge of a field where he could do no damage to the crops if there were any growing (in fact there weren't anyway), so has done the farmer no harm whatsoever. The farmer could've simply said good morning, hope you've enjoyed your night in my field, you will make sure you take all your rubbish away and leave the place as you found it, won't you? As others have noted, it's high time we brought our laws more in line with those of Scotland to say that it's perfectly acceptable to walk over or camp on agricultural land provided no harm is done to crops, infrastructure or livestock.

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perce replied to Scarey | 5 months ago
3 likes

So assault is ''unmannerly behaviour now''. Wow. I'll have to remember that one.

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mdavidford replied to perce | 5 months ago
2 likes
perce wrote:

So assault is ''unmannerly behaviour now''. Wow. I'll have to remember that one.

To be fair, they said

Quote:

 you deserve some measure of unmannerly behaviour. The farmer's behaviour was inexcusable.

So although the 'unmannerly behaviour' bit was still nonsense, they explicitly excluded what this farmer did from it.

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chrisonabike replied to perce | 5 months ago
3 likes

Haven't you been reading about police responses to e.g. near miss of the day?  And further - the farm worker *was* in a motor vehicle AND nobody died.  So that probably fits the "six of one and half a dozen of the other" evaluation criteria some police are working under...

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alan_peery replied to Scarey | 5 months ago
1 like

When you roll up at 9 pm after a long ride, do you really think the probably early rising farmer will welcome a knock on his door?

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LeadenSkies replied to Scarey | 5 months ago
1 like

I worked closely with one for 25 years, and am acquaintances with a number of others. Let's just say that they each have their own unique foibles and aren't everyone's cup of tea. Same goes for many of the cyclists I know though. None of them would have acted like the twat in the tractor.

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SLarge | 5 months ago
6 likes

I've been thinking about this, and it could work out better than expected.....
If the Internet is true and the victim (the guy camping if there's any doubt) was on a charity LEJOG to raise money for the cancer charity that helped his wife, and he was wild camping so that maximum funds could go to the charity, then a real backlash could happen.
Wouldn't it be great if The Sun (and many readers) crowd funded a massive donation to that charity and replaced all the guys gear and offered him places to stay foc along the way. And made the farmer look a proper twunt.

Just my thinking out loud.
Anyone know if there is anything happening along those lines, as I'd be more than happy to contribute

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giff77 replied to SLarge | 5 months ago
0 likes

Going by some of the responses on various sites there seems to be a greater siding with the farmer than the cyclist such is the antipathy towards anyone who opts for two wheels to get around. 
 

I too would appreciate a link to the fund raising page. 

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muppetkeeper | 5 months ago
9 likes

According to "the blackbelt barrister", trespass isn't actually a crime in England, only damages caused by it. Assault with slurry most definitely is a crime though. 

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SLarge replied to muppetkeeper | 5 months ago
4 likes

That's how I understand it. The person accusing someone of trespass must show they've lost out somehow....

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OnYerBike replied to muppetkeeper | 5 months ago
5 likes

Yes, that would be my understanding too - the article above would seem to contain some inaccuracies. "Trespass" isn't an "offence" - it's a civil tort ("offence" means criminal). You also can't be "fined" for trespass - the landowner can sue you for damages.

The £2,500 fine/potential prison sentence mentioned in the article has presumably been copied from some information pertaining to "aggrevated trespass", which is a criminal offence.

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MattKelland | 5 months ago
0 likes

Fake.

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alchemilla replied to MattKelland | 5 months ago
3 likes

What is?

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eburtthebike replied to alchemilla | 5 months ago
0 likes
alchemilla wrote:

What is?

MattKelland.

Avatar
half_wheel79 | 5 months ago
7 likes

Seen this a few times now and its still mind boggling. Poor bloke must've been shell shocked. Theres no way I would've let that slide, he'd have been out of that tractor for a hiding. 

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Benthic replied to half_wheel79 | 5 months ago
1 like
half_wheel79 wrote:

...he'd have been out of that tractor for a hiding. 

All keyboard and no trousers.

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chrisonabike replied to Benthic | 5 months ago
4 likes
Benthic wrote:
half_wheel79 wrote:

...he'd have been out of that tractor for a hiding. 

All keyboard and no trousers.

Shocking what you people get away with on Zoom.

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half_wheel79 replied to chrisonabike | 5 months ago
1 like

I was just about to say, why's he imagining me with no trousers on ?

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chrisonabike replied to half_wheel79 | 5 months ago
1 like
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E6toSE3 | 5 months ago
1 like

As cyclist for main transport for 50 years, mostly in London, the farmer's quote accurately reflects a large proportion of modern cyclists, ebikers, escooters.
As father of son who got into dairy farming after growing up very woke in inner city, I know most of that industry is old men who have known nothing else, have very low level of social skills, extremely stressed by workload while steadily losing money. And farm machinery is now so vast it fills lanes (as do big 4WD cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, bin lorries) such that I've not gone down some lanes with high sides and no space to step aside.
I'd blame and understand both sides here. Cyclist should use a campsite. Farmer likely lacks life experience, language skills, emotion set to explain things to this cyclist

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cyclisto replied to E6toSE3 | 5 months ago
5 likes
E6toSE3 wrote:

I'd blame and understand both sides here.

True indeed

This farmer must have problems in life and searching a way to blow off some steam. To be honest, farm life, even in our modern times, is incredibly difficult for most of us urban dwellers. But also we all cycle here, maybe toured some of us, and we understand that sometimes you just want to lie dead on the closest flat place.

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mdavidford replied to E6toSE3 | 5 months ago
9 likes
E6toSE3 wrote:

the farmer's quote accurately reflects a large small proportion of modern people (including cyclists, ebikers, escooters, and farmers).

...would be more accurate.

You just don't notice the vast majority who are pleasant, well-behaved, and socially responsible, so those who aren't seem like a larger proportion than they really are. And that small proportion exists in all groups of people, whether they travel on two wheels or not.

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kingleo | 5 months ago
5 likes

When I raced at Hern Hill track a long time ago we had two consultant surgeons taking part in the races - I take it these are the sort of people the farming community hates.

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M_W_R_M | 5 months ago
26 likes

It's interesting how people in other countries deal with finding a cyclist camping in a field:
I was once discovered camping in Georgia (the country not the State). The man was agitated and motioned for us to pack up and ship out. We obliged as he had a shotgun on his back. While we packed up he was making an animated phone call.
Once packed and loaded he forced us to steer our bike back to the road, up to the nearest village and then down his driveway. Waiting for us was his wife who had prepared a meal for us and beds for the night. He was angry that we wanted to camp when he had a perfectly good house nearby!
Why do we get such a different reaction in the UK?

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OldRidgeback | 5 months ago
18 likes

That was truly disgusting. I saw the video elsewhere. I hope the person whpo sprayed the slurry gets done for assault. 

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essexian replied to OldRidgeback | 5 months ago
4 likes

Unlikely.... they will know the local Policeman: perhaps they drink in the same pub/are members of the same lodge/are brothers/sisters and this "problem" will be filed in the bottom draw under: "No further action."

The only way to get justice for the cyclist is to sue... and then the District Judge hearing the case, if local, is also likely to know the farmer....

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Homebaker replied to OldRidgeback | 5 months ago
10 likes

Farmer discharged, a biological agent at a person. sounds like a riddor reportable HSE incident to me, and assault.

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stevemaiden | 5 months ago
9 likes

I'd say if this guy didn't have a bike with him the farmer wouldn't have assaulted him like this. It's common for tractor drivers to cut you up or give you a dirty stare and that's on public roads so this is no surprise really.

But the angry tractor man wasn't man enough to ask the guy to leave? Is he shy or something?

Clearly it was a premeditated assault with a weapon so hopefully the camper reports this online, it's easy enough to do.

Speaking of which the poor guy was on grass as far into the hedge as he could get in a tiny little tent, he was doing his best to not have any impact on the farmer and his untouchable field! Little does he know everything he sells is bought by other people, maybe he should learn to live alongside his fellow countrymen.

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Simon E | 5 months ago
18 likes

“I’ll tell you what, these *****, they’ll f****** set up anywhere. They do not give a flying f***. They’ll go anywhere.”

Ironically, those words describe the attitude and behaviour of an awful lot of tractor and combine drivers towards other road users, especially cyclists.

They are also as bad as anyone for using a smartphone while at the wheel.

And the forum twat who commented “Despite my dislike for cyclists, that’s shocking" shows the widespread contempt for people on 2 wheels, regardless of how we behave.

As someone who uses country lanes for the majority of my riding, I've had a few close calls and very occasionally abuse. A couiple of years ago a guy got out of his van to shout in my face, lecturing me loudly on which bit of the road I should ride on and that he'd run me off the road next time. Friends have had similar unpleasant tirades and threats. The police just don't care so I won't be reporting incidents in future (though I might ring the fire service once I've set the arrogant bastard's barn on fire). angel

@danhopgood - the plastic (plus fast food and drinks cans etc etc) dumped on local roads is from people cars, not cyclists, so you can fuck right off and take your prejudices with you to your little cave.

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chrisonabike replied to Simon E | 5 months ago
2 likes

Yep, there are some aggressive types / feckless youth driving big machines in the country also.  I've mostly had good interactions - but that goes for humanity in general, if you're careful!

Simon E wrote:

@danhopgood - the plastic (plus fast food and drinks cans etc etc) dumped on local roads is from people cars, not cyclists, so you can fuck right off and take your prejudices with you to your little cave.

TBF there are also some litterbugs who cycle, which shouldn't be surprising.  Unless the discarded inner tubes (really) I have (occasionally) encountered blew off a waste truck or were planted by drivists in a false flag operation (the car was shod with bike tyres to throw us off the scent...)  (Still finding it hard to understand how you'd carry a spare but then just dump the old one?  Maybe I'm missing something?)

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