Permission

[+The HERB5]

Surely we don't ALWAYS need permission.

 

Isn't Public ground public.

[NickPick]

Ah, the contentious issue of permission.

 

In english law, all land is owned by somebody. Whether anybody knows who is a different matter.

 

Geocaching guidelines state that you need "adequate permission to hide your cache in the selected location". It's that word "Adequate" which causes the problem. Some people will say that you should have express permission - ie, you have asked the land owner / manager. Others will say that implied permission is good enough - ie, the landowner lets people walk there, so they shouldn't be bothered about a cache.

 

My personal opinion is that it depends on the cache type. An micro cache stuck to the back of an information sign in a public location is unlikely to need express permission, but if you're placing a larger cache in a nature reserve or similar location, you probably need to approach the landowner / manager to get their express permission.

 

That's my personal opinion, which I have formed by reading various forum postings about the issue.

[+Brenin Tegeingl]

Isn't Public ground public.

 

The problem with not obtaining permission, is the fall out that can affect the whole community when the person managing the land finds the cache. Why destroy all the work people have put in working with landowners/managers in obtaining permission to place caches, by placing one without permission!

 

We have been very lucky in that in several cases, our Reviewers, members of the GAGB committee and other members of the community have managed to turn around negativity to geocaching by caches placed without permission. Unfortunately this has not been the case in all situations to the detriment of the community.

 

To give you a example: the New Forest uplifted 17 caches that were placed without permission, it took over 12 months of negotiation before they even returned the containers, and several more months to reach a agreement. This is now on a 12 month review period at the end of which they will either allow caching to continue in the area, or completely ban caching.

 

My personal opinion is that it depends on the cache type. An micro cache stuck to the back of an information sign in a public location is unlikely to need express permission, but if you're placing a larger cache in a nature reserve or similar location, you probably need to approach the landowner / manager to get their express permission.

 

Strictly speaking even a micro on the back of a information sign should have permission. But the chances of it having a major negative impact on the community if placed without permission is slight.

 

Please remember County Councils and other such groups have thier own web forums, and it the case of the CC's geocaching has been brought up. So that a cache in one area which creates a negative impact can be brought to the attention of all of them.

 

Dave

[Lactodorum]

Rather than start yet another discussion on this issue, can I suggest you perform a search on the UK forum and see what has been said before. Just to get you started here's a search I just did with the keywords Right Of Way

 

I think there's enough there to keep you busy for a while

[+Tupperware Hunters]

you dont have to ask when its in your garden like ours but seriously it dosent hurt to be polite and check with the land owners if they wernt willing before you find that most people will respect the fact that you asked rather than trespassed as me and mongoose found out when triggpointing a trig in someones back garden we knocked on there door asked for acces and they seaid yeah go ahead thanks for asking i have been chasing people away just hop over the gate it dont cost anything to be polite

[+Learned Gerbil]

Or, as I once overheard on a London Street -

 

"Manners cost nothing you ignorant four-eyed p***k!"

 

(Slight edit )

Edited May 20, 2005 by Lactodorum

[nobby.nobbs]

ah but it's bad manners to comment on others lack of them!

 

i'd always go with the good manners approach.