Letter: Etiquette of the bridleway

Sir: K J McLean (Letters, 4 February) wishes that legitimate users of bridleways be more aware of each other's rights.

It is generally accepted that horse riders always give way to pedestrians; and cyclists give way to both pedestrians and horse riders.

I am writing as a keen long-distance horse rider and would never pass pedestrians at anything faster than a walk. I find that the majority of pedestrians, although not obliged to, stand to one side and greet me with a cheery smile and salutation, as I do them.

I'm certain that if I were to gallop past, splashing them with mud as I went, I would elicit a totally different reaction.

I am puzzled therefore that, if adhering to these guidelines as a cyclist, K J McLean has encountered rudeness among his fellow byway users.

HELEN NEWTON

Saughall, Cheshire