My husband and I have been walking on our local beach for a decade, going north from our house near Town Landing for a mile or two, and back. The walking route has been one of the best parts about living in our neighborhood.

Earlier this year, new owners of a property right in the middle of our route posted no trespassing signs all over their pier and on the beach itself (six in total). We kept walking past, knowing that we weren’t harming anyone or anything. One day, the owners came out to shout at us from the cliff above the beach that we were on their property. We turned around and went home and haven’t done the walk again since. Another neighbor was yelled at by the same people.

This admonishment and the blockade along our primary dog walking route has made me so sad, for us and our dog, for the entire neighborhood. Most of us want to live in a place where neighbors are friendly and say hello to one another rather than “Get off my property!”

I hope the outcome of this lawsuit gives us the clear right to get back to not bothering anyone at all while we and our dog get a bit of fresh air and exercise.

Marian Starkey
Falmouth