Much of England’s and Wales’s finest landscapes are now open to the public, thanks to the Ramblers’ Association’s right to roam campaign launched in 1935.
On October 31 – when mapped countryside in the final two regions, the east and west of England, is opened – the new right will apply to a staggering 1,286,000 hectares of mountain, moor, heath, down and common land in England and Wales. This new land has opened up in stages since September 2004.
The RA, the biggest charity in the UK working for walkers, started its campaign seventy years ago for a legal right of access on foot to England and Wales’ wild open spaces, such as Bodmin Moor in Cornwall and the famous Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, where access was previously permitted on only a few paths. The Countryside Agency has spent four years mapping the country, as part of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CRoW). This they have done in consultation with the public and landowners. Despite misconceptions this right of access has never applied to domestic buildings or gardens. Neither does it affect land management.
Kate Conto, Head of Freedom to Roam at the RA said: “We are delighted that the public now have the right to enjoy so much countryside. There is no shortage of breathtaking scenery for people to explore, from rolling hills to windswept uplands and common land. The next challenge is for the Government to extend the right of access to coasts, riverbanks and woodlands.”
Rt Hon Lord Smith (Chris Smith) of Finsbury, President of the RA said: “The CRoW Act, which enshrines on the statute books a genuine freedom to roam, is based on a very simple principle – that every citizen of our country, no matter who or what they are, where they come from or how much money they have, should be able to walk freely over the open country, mountain and moorland that forms such an important part of the landscape of our islands.”
He added: “The Government deserve genuine congratulations on having introduced the Act and now having carried it through to fruition. What is now needed is a serious look at what might be done on access to coastal land, particularly to shore and foreshore; then perhaps a look at riverbanks and woodland.”
