Right to Roam

It was a joyful reminder that every river is worthy of wandering, not only the handful selected for the government’s “nine new river walks”.

Following the Pigeonhouse Stream back toward the suburbs, they found that children nearby had created a mud slide, showing how naturally people seek out wild spaces to play when they can. The walk ended up at Lakeshore, where the stream is dammed into two ponds, visible only through a high fence.

They dodged through brambles and over small ravines, passing thousands of young trees from a local woodland restoration project. When rain arrived, they paused beside a bulrush-lined pond to watch the surface dapple under the downpour.

A few brave souls washed their faces in the spring and even tasted it after their expert companion declared it “probably fine.” They cleared silt to reveal poetry carved in stone by Deborah Jones 25 years ago - coincidentally the last time new access rights were granted in the form of the CRoW Act.

On Sunday 30th November, a small group set out to find the source of the Pigeonhouse Stream - one of the hidden headwaters of Bristol’s “forgotten river,” the Malago.

“All Labour governments since the War have passed laws to extend public access to nature – does this Labour government want to be the first that fails to do so?”

“With a legal right to roam over only 8% of England currently, Labour backbenchers and the access sector are united in calling for new statutory rights of responsible access."

@guyshrubsole.bsky.social from the campaign said: “The government’s announcement of an Access Green Paper to ‘strengthen the public’s legal right to access’ is welcome, but officials have already been working on this for six months – so why not just legislate for this in the next King’s Speech?"

As of the 1st of December The Government has announced an Access Green Paper, which will consult on how to ‘strengthen the public’s legal right to access’. This is welcome - but further delay isn't: Labour MPs & access NGOs are united on the need for access legislation now.

Between passing showers, they experienced everything that makes open river access essential: striking views, abundant wildlife - godwits, lapwings, curlews, herons, egrets, kingfishers, sandpipers, gulls and more, and a sense of connection created by following the water together.

Cornwall may be fortunate to have routes like the Camel Trail (even if access is still far from perfect), but the group asked: why only nine more? How long will that take? And why should people accept being funnelled through the landscape by fences and designated paths?

Kernow showed up in force for river access last weekend. Twenty people gathered near Bodmin to trespass a stretch of the River Camel, while another seven walked the full 20 miles of the Camel Trail to highlight the inadequacy of the government’s proposed nine river walks.

The Government have today announced an Access Green Paper which will consult on how to ‘strengthen the public’s legal right to access’.

This is welcome - but further delay isn't: Labour MPs & access NGOs are united on the need for access legislation now.

@righttoroam.bsky.social comment:

indeed - an empty threat!

We need a Right to Roam. The CRoW act got us started, now we want to take the next step: A right of responsible access (with reasonable exceptions) guided by rules like the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Simpler, fairer, and future proof.

The reality today is that only 8% of the countryside is open to public access, and only 3% of our rivers, with around 20 million people living more than 15 minutes from access to nature. Access under CRoW is a postcode lottery, with over 100 constituencies left with no access land at all.

Our vision is of a countryside where everyone can enjoy outdoor recreation and nature as a right, not a privilege.

We recognise and celebrate the CRoW act as an important step in access legislation for this country. But 25 years later, we’re asking for an act that prioritises equity, and connectivity in perpetuity. It’s time to finish the job.

But it was complex, costly and hard to understand, coverage is limited and uneven, activities like cycling, horse riding, paddling and wild camping are excluded, microenclosures continue, and the piecemeal result relies heavily on permissions - not rights.

The Countryside Right of Way (CRoW) Act succeeded in giving partial access across the nation.

We're under way! Conf on Freedom to Roam 25 years on from CRoW access legislation. Here's Amy-Jane Beer from @righttoroam.bsky.social speaking. @ramblers.org.uk @campaignerkate.bsky.social @campaign4parks.bsky.social @britishmountainwmn.bsky.social @openspacessociety.bsky.social

Note: few places do make unauthorised access a criminal offence - think military sites, key infrastructure such as railways, or anywhere the King might be having a cup of tea. Check the list of “Sites under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005” to know what to avoid.

The legal situation changes if you were to damage property, disrupt lawful activity, conduct yourself in a threatening or abusive fashion, or bring a vehicle intending to reside. These could become a criminal matter.

The dispute is between you and the landowner. The police cannot get involved. The landowner could in theory take you to civil court. But they’d have to know your name, it would be costly, and damages sought would have to be proportionate to any caused, which if you trespass responsibly, should be 0.

You’ve seen the signs: ‘Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted’. They lie. In the UK ‘trespass’ is a civil offence, not a criminal one. You cannot face prosecution simply for being on someone’s land, off a designated Right of Way, open access land, or land where bylaws permit access, without permission.

Wild camping: we won the battle on Dartmoor, now what?

Listening to @lewis-winks.bsky.social, @maryannochota.bsky.social & Aila Taylor discussing extending the right to wild camp in England - at Kendal Mountain Festival, in (appropriately enough) a very big tent

These wild places are our shared heritage, linking us to our past and the natural world. When we walk, swim, climb, camp, or paddle responsibly, we not only connect with them we also learn how to care for them.

What does it mean to you?
Tell us here -> forms.gle/mfLdHxx7xX8Y...

Campaigners call for right to roam on edges of private farmland in England Group says people in rural areas have to walk on roads without pavement, which can be very dangerous

Department of Transport, via Slow Ways. It's been quoted here as well: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

An evening in celebration of a future @righttoroam.bsky.social in England in song, story, and words.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebratin...

The experience highlighted an issue far wider than a single estate. England has around 1,500 rivers, and many people still lack safe or simple access to their local waterways. We want the chance to know and appreciate the rivers that run through our own communities.
📷 Paul Timlett