Seen through Barrow Piece Plantation from the bridleway. The undergrowth in the wood has been cleared, a new fence put up and the gate locked.
Image credit: A. Brookes (1.1.2019)
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Pity. One can't help thinking such measures may well ultimately have the opposite effect to that intended by the land owner. The more enlightened would consider that, but there you are.
That was exactly my thoughts too. You could still get to it (I didn't) but the feeling of being an unwanted visitor will sadly detract from what is otherwise a lovely site.
Hi tsc, seeing your photo and info about padlocked gate reminded me of the first and only time I visited back in 2011. The gate into the field was padlocked then too (just checked my field note) if I recall correctly there were some horses in the field. We did trespass on that occasion by climbing over a fence - never completely comfortable about it though. On close inspection the barrow appeared to have been heavily excavated in the past so it is possible the land owner wants to deter opportunist metal detectorists - not that it would in reality.
You're right about the padlock thinking about it, it used to be open but actually it may well have been locked on my last couple of visits. The real shame is that the new fence is between the bridleway and the wood, not between the wood and the field (that was always there), so you can't wander through the lovely wood itself anymore without climbing the new fence. It may be that the issue is that the landowner didn't like people in the wood rather than the barrow itself, but the effect is the same either way.