Right to Roam

Act as if you’re already free Nobody gave us the rights we have today. They were fought for, or emerged from customary practices which survived because people defended them. Rights come into being when we believe in them, exercise them, and fight for their recognition in law. Acting as if you’re free means moving through the world with the understanding that land exists to be shared, not locked away. By accessing and caring for the land as if we belong there, trespass becomes a way of enacting the world we want to live in, and making visible the boundaries that stand in its way.

Act as if you’re already free - Nobody gave us the rights we have today. They were fought for, or emerged from customary practices which survived because people defended them. Rights come into being when we believe in them, exercise them, and fight for their recognition in law.

Managing confrontation If law isn’t a barrier, fear of confrontation can still be off-putting. In reality, hostile encounters are rare. But if they do happen, here are some tips: – Set the tone. Initiate the interaction by waving and saying hello. If you’ve been litter-picking: show them! – Prepare a story. Explain honestly what’s motivating you to be there, and what it means to you. Emphasise local connection (if relevant). – Accommodate concerns. They weren’t planning on you being there, so work around genuine concerns. – Seek common ground. Show you love the land – they probably do too! Highlight plants, birds, or any positive management.

Managing confrontation - Say hello, explain why you’re there, accommodate real concerns, and find common ground in care for the land.

Be polite No matter how landowners may respond, we encourage you to stay calm and seek de-escalation. Private property can be closely tied to people’s sense of identity, so even a quiet walk through “their” countryside can feel like a personal attack. Our role is to defuse that feeling. Remember that farmers and land managers face their own pressures and concerns, and some may react based on negative past encounters with the public.

Be polite - Stay calm and de-escalate. Remember that farmers and land managers face their own pressures and concerns, and some may react based on negative past encounters with the public.

Leave your dog at home Even a well behaved dog can cause issues with wildlife or livestock disturbance and make confrontation situations more stressful. Dog faeces can cause something called neosporosis in cattle causing infected cows to abort their babies. Flea treatments, especially spot-on varieties, can be highly toxic for aquatic ecology. We believe a future Right to Roam Act should go alongside new regulations and educational measures for dog owners, so until this is in place, please walk your dog only where rights already exist to do so.

Leave your dog at home - Dogs can disturb wildlife and livestock and cause real ecological harm. We believe a future Right to Roam Act should go alongside new regulations and educational measures for dog owners, so until this is in place, please walk your dog only where rights already exist to do so

Leave a positive trace You’ve probably heard of the idea of ‘leave no trace’. But why not go one better? We are all guardians of nature, so let’s act like it: pick up rubbish, learn to recognise and report introduced species that harm our environment, record and report wildlife and environmental crime, undertake citizen science. Sometimes exclusions are legitimate: if you think the ‘keep out’ sign might be justified – respect it. Especially if there’s a genuine conservation need. Believe you belong. Take responsibility. This is your world to protect, regardless of who owns it.

Leave a positive trace - Go beyond “leave no trace”. Care for the land, pick up litter, respect genuine conservation exclusions, and report environmental harm.

Follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code - No need to reinvent the wheel. Follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC). In Scotland there’s presumed access to land and water, with a few sensible exceptions: – Respect domestic privacy. Don’t go near people’s houses or through adjoining gardens. – Take personal responsibility. Anticipate hazards, respect flora and wildlife, and look after the land. – Don’t disrupt land management. Leave gates as you found them, be careful around livestock, respect reasonable exclusions.

Follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) - in Scotland there’s presumed access to land and water, with a few sensible exceptions. www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/sites/defaul...

Trespass is a civil offence, however, trespass can be criminal in certain circumstances. For instance, if you: - cause damage to property - disrupt lawful activity - conduct yourself in a threatening or abusive fashion - bring a vehicle where you intend to reside or cause damage - enter land with special restrictions (any sites designated under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 - usually military or defence sites, key infrastructure, royal residences and parliamentary buildings)

Keep it civil - trespass can become criminal if you cause damage, disrupt lawful activity, behave threateningly, use vehicles to reside, or enter specially protected sites (under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005)

Trespassers will not be prosecuted. In the UK, ‘trespass’ is a civil offence. You cannot face criminal prosecution simply for being on someone else’s land without permission (but there are caveats - see next slide!). The dispute is solely between you and the landowner, and the police cannot get involved. That landowner could theoretically take you to civil court. But they’d have to know who you are, and it would most likely be a waste of their time. Likewise, any ‘damages’ would have to be proportionate to the damage you've caused, which if you follow our principles of trespass, should be zero.

Trespassers will not be prosecuted - trespass is a civil matter, not a criminal one. It’s a dispute between you and the landowner (but there are a few caveats!)

How to trespass: It often doesn’t come naturally - we’re conditioned to stick to paths, obey signs, and respect boundaries. We’re going back to basics to share core principles for roaming respectfully and interacting with the world around you with care.

Imagine a community where the outdoors isn’t a privilege, but a shared part of life. When everyone can wander, watch, and wonder in nature, we don’t just learn to love it, we learn to protect it together.

Why do you support a Right to Roam, and what does it mean to you?
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Gaining access is about more than just stepping into natural spaces. It’s about having the chance to truly connect with them. When we connect, we learn their rhythms, understand what they need, and feel inspired to protect them.

Why do you support a Right to Roam?
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This land belongs to all of us, yet too often a few control access at the expense of the many. Securing a true Right to Roam is the reform we need to ensure everyone can explore, enjoy, and connect with our countryside.

Why do you support a Right to Roam?
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It would be much easier for the Government to pass a new law giving the public a right of responsible access to rivers, river banks and the wider countryside. It works in Scotland, so why not in England?

A promise to create nine new river walks – when there are around 1,500 rivers in the UK – is totally inadequate, and won’t help most people in this country access nature. What’s more, Ministers will discover it’s a logistical nightmare to negotiate access with the hundreds of owners of river banks.

It’s been presented as a national breakthrough, when, in reality, is a set of long-overdue local council upgrades to existing riverside paths. These upgrades will indeed benefit local communities, but local authority work shouldn’t warrant a national announcement.

The Mersey, the river designated for the first of the 9 river walks, is already one of the most accessible in the country. The walk is not “new” but along existing rights of way, where Government sources have confirmed that no new footpath would be created.

The Government has just announced the first of their ‘nine new river walks’: a section of the River Mersey. Whilst we commend any new access, this is giving us the Boxing Day scraps, and is not the ambitious access legislation we have been promised.

INACCESSIBLE ANCIENT SITES — Stone Club 28% of England’s ancient monuments have no legal public right of access Over 5,500 sites recorded by Historic England are beyond reach of the public, according to new analysis undertaken by the camp...

Find your local ancient monument: Ancient monuments are important cultural sites in our landscape, yet over 5500 of them have no legal right of access. They include burial mounds, hillforts, holy wells, henges, barrows, cists, cairns, and, in some cases, entire villages stoneclub.rocks/right-to-roam

Access Islands - Google My Maps Largest access islands in England (over 500m2). Areas of Access Land (CRoW 2000) which have no legal public right of way access via footpath or highway (which are beyond 15m of these features). We al...

Find your local access island: Access Islands are unique phenomenons where we have the right to roam, but no way in which to get to them without trespassing. There are around 2500 access islands in England. www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/v...

Find your local river: With the release of the ‘9 River Walks’ pledge by the Government, and with around 1500 rivers in the UK, we say 9 isn’t enough. Exploring your local river can be a great way to engage with your environment and gives a clear navigational route to explore.

A little thread of ideas for your Boxing Day Walk (Trespass)

New National River Walk ‘a damp squib’ - Open Spaces Society The proposed first new National River Walk, the government’s Boxing Day announcement, is a ‘damp squib’, we argue. The government claims that it will provide ‘21 kilometres of new paths’ along the Mer...

Government's proposed new National River Walk a damp squib says @openspacessociety.bsky.social -it's not new, but on existing rights of way. Priority should be green paper on access to nature, and new legislation. www.oss.org.uk/new-national... @ramblers.org.uk @naturalengland.bsky.social

A new river walk will be created along the River Mersey between Stockport and Manchester - the first of nine such paths promised by the government for locations nationwide.

The Government has announced the first of their ‘nine new river walks’: a section of the River Mersey near Stockport. Yet what’s being presented as a national breakthrough is, in reality, a set of long-overdue local council upgrades to existing riverside paths.

A skim through the details... 🧵

First of nine new river walks in England announced for north-west Mersey Valley Way takes in Manchester and Stockport on its 13-mile route with other walks to be identified in 2026

It seems the first of the new 'nine river walks' the Government announced in place of a real access policy... won't actually create any new access?

They're just upgrading the existing path and adding some signs and benches. A really rubbish level of ambition.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

We have one goal… to secure a Right to Roam. We truly believe we can, and will achieve it, and with your support, we move a little closer every day. Don’t lose faith. A new countryside is on the horizon.

Why do you support a Right to Roam?
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Elin Manon Illustration

Illustration by Elin Manon www.elin-manon.com

In England, people currently have a legal right to access just 8% of the land. This solstice, on a day of reflection and setting intentions for the new year ahead, we’re calling for a right of responsible access, so we can reach, and reconnect with, the sites that hold our shared heritage.

Many of these monuments were used to mark the turning of the seasons, the movement of the sun, and the cycles of light and dark. Yet today, we are cut off from so many of them, separate from the spaces our ancestors inhabited.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recognises that historic sites matter because they help us understand “how the present can be connected through a place to past people, events and aspects of life.” On the solstice, this feels especially true.