Right to Roam - New Areas of Historic Interest Open to the Public

Submitted by AngieLake on Tuesday, 21 September 2004 Page Views: 2459

The new Countryside and Rights of Way Act came into force last weekend. The programme will gradually roll out across England and Wales - allowing unprecendented access to vast areas of open country. It's been dubbed "the right to roam" but it won't let you walk wherever you want, to before you pack your sandwiches and pull on your boots, here's a rundown of the changes, writes Rebecca Ford of the Daily Express:

Essentially, walkers will be able to wander freely, away from paths, on around four million acres of open countryside designated "open access" land (mountains, moorland, heaths, downs and common land).
The first two regions where new access areas will open are the South East, where pockets of Kent, Surrey and Sussex are affected, and the Lower North West, where the amount of accessible land in the Peak District will almost double.
You'll now be able to walk across Snailsden Moor, near Holmfirth, to Ramsden Clough, a dramatic deep-sided valley. It'll give you a great chance to see the moorland's precious birdlife, which includes golden plovers, peregrine falcons and merlins.
Lancashire's Forest of Bowland, one of the country's biggest shooting estates and an area with few footpaths, will be accessible to walker for the first time.
During the next 18 months, more and more countryside tracts will be opened up across England and Wales. In some areas the changes will be striking, with the amount of accessible land in the Yorkshire Dales set to rise from four to 64 per cent and that in lonely Northumberland due to rise from 19 to 85 per cent.
Ordnance Survey has updated its maps that cover the first two regions with open-access areas. The rest will follow in a series known as OS Explorer maps, identifying access land with a light yellow tint inside a pale orange border. New orange "i" symbols will pinpoint permanent information boards. You'll be able to consult the maps or the Countryside Agency's website or advice line to check that no temporary restrictions are in place before setting off (landlords can close access land for up to 28 days a year - during lambing or shooting, for instance).
You won't be able to go across gardens or trample crops - and outside access land, you must still keep to footpaths - but you'll now have the chance to test yourself with challenging walks in some of our wilder places and discover ancient sites.
Sheffield Campaign For Access To Moorland secretary Terry Howard, who campaigns for greater access around Sheffield, says that many areas in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire offer potential for some exciting exploration.
"Bamford Moor's covered with stone circles, burial mounds and signs of ancient settlements and aat Bamford Edge there are spectacular views into the Hope Valley," he says.
It's the sense of wilderness that Howard loves, the chance to walk across lonely landscapes never knowing what you might find. Recently he discovered the remains of a medieval farmstead unknown to local archaeologists.
"It's a personal challenge," he says. "The land can be rougher. It gives you an opportunity to navigate but you must be properly clad and well prepared."
Good advice.
The Act applies to walkers only, so nothing changes for cyclists, horse riders and others, and you won't necessarily be able to take a dog. Much of the land is rich in birdlife, so dogs are permanently excluded from some areas, while in others you must keep them on a short lead in the nesting season (March 1 to July 31) and when near livestock. Access brings responsibilities too.
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(further sensible advice follows)
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Crow Open Access Timetable
Region -- Access commences
South East -- September 2004
Lower North West -- September 2004
South Central -- December 2004
Upper North West -- May 2005
North East -- May 2005
South West -- August 2005
West -- October 2005
East -- November 2005
Wales -- by Summer 2005
..........................................................
Information:
Countryside Agency: 0845 100 3298 / www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk Or
www.openaccess.gov.uk
Countryside Council for Wales
08451 306229 / www.ccw.gov.uk
To order access maps (£6.99) from OS call
0845 200 2712 / www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
Ramblers Milletts Welcome To Walking Week:
www.ramblers.org.uk/walks

In Scotland the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 will come into force in a few months. It will make clear the right of access to huge tracts of land and inland water and will be even more wide-ranging
than the changes taking place in the South.
Scottish National Heritage: 0131 447 4784 /
www.snh.org.uk or, from October,
www.outdooraccess-scotland.com Source: The Daily Express 19/09/2004

Contributor Bio for AngieLake: Enjoy travels to spiritual sites in Great Britain and Ireland.

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