September 2004 - November 2005
Between September 2004 and the end of 2005 the new right of access contained in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) comes into force across the whole of England and Wales. The new right gives access to mapped areas of open countryside -- mountain, moor, heath and down -- and registered common land, opening up for walkers some of our wildest and most beautiful areas of open countryside, many of which have been off limits for generations.
Meanwhile in Scotland the provisions of the Land Reform Act 2003 include a new statutory right of access to most land, provided you act responsibly. The new right was introduced for the whole of Scotland in February 2005.
The campaign for a legal right of access to open countryside began over a hundred years ago and the Ramblers' Association has been working on these issues since its formation in 1935.
19 September 2004 The new right of access commenced in first two of the eight English regions, the southeast and the lower northwest.
14 December 2004 The new right of access commenced in the third of the eight English regions, central southern England.
9 February 2005 Statutory access rights commenced in Scotland.
28 May 2005 The new right of access commenced across the whole of Wales, and in another two English regions, upper northwest and northeast, both of which have large areas of exceptionally beautiful upland landscapes.
28 August 2005 The new right of access commenced in the sixth of the eight English regions, southwest England.
31 October 2005 The new right of access commenced in the two final regions, the west and east of England. This completes the implementation process, with the right of access now applying to all mapped open country and registered common land in England and Wales.
Walks celebrating new access rights
Local Ramblers are celebrating by organising led walks that highlight newly opened access land in England and Wales, and in Scotland we participated in the Scottish Spring Outdoor Access Festival in March 2005 that marked the launch of the new rights.
More information
Dragon's Back Hill, Staffordshire, before September 2004. Access to this landmark had been denied for many years but since this photo was taken everyone now has a statutory right to roam over the hill.
