Several landscapes and beauty spots in England have a right to roam but no legal right to access, meaning walkers are being shut out, according to campaigners. Although England designates 8% of land as “open country” under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000, researchers have identified 2,700 hectares surrounded by private land with no public right of way. These so-called “access islands” can only be reached through trespassing as they are not connected to footpaths or situated close to roads.
Campaigners are calling for new laws that will establish a statutory right of responsible access across the English countryside, while still respecting crop, garden and nature sites with enforced rules on dogs and litter. The Right to Roam campaign group proposes new legislation that would create safe access to all public areas of the countryside, which would be fully accessible, and enable people to enjoy and explore the environment legally.
However, the Country Land and Business Association, which represents landowners, says there is already enough accessible open country, and that no walker should feel obliged to transgress the law. The government claims it is exploring ways of dealing with the problem as it continues mapping open access land.
As of summer 2021, payments under the government’s environmental land management scheme could be allocated by landowners to create new permissive routes across farmland, facilitating access to the otherwise inaccessible open country areas.
Regarding these closed-off areas, some of which are tiny sections of land and others wider landscapes, Parcels of mountain, moorland, heathland, downland and commons were mapped and designated as “open country,” as part of the CRoW Act 2000, and a legal right to roam applies. However, campaigners claim that by merging Natural England’s CRoW Act map with local authority public rights of way maps, they have recognised multiple fragmented open-country zones that are disconnected from footpaths
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