Open access land (England & Wales)
I recently discovered a shorter more manageable route up to Llyn Conglog using access land. This motivated me to look into this further and write a short article on the subject.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW Act) outlines public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common land. On the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 maps for England and Wales, some areas are shaded with a thick brown outline. This is open access land and within this area, you can access land for walking, running, watching wildlife and climbing. On the OS 1:50000 Landranger maps this is shown with by a thick purple outline and includes symbols to differentiate between land owned by the National Trust, Forestry Commission and Natural Resources Wales. Within these areas, while there are footpaths and trails running across this land, you do not have to stick to them if you don’t want to. There are certain activities you cannot usually do on open access land, including: horse-riding, cycling, camping, taking animals other than dogs on to the land (on a lead), driving a vehicle (except mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs) and water sports. You should note that the OS Explorer maps may not show permissive access land or any area of CRoW access land which is smaller than 5 hectares. The OS Explorer maps also highlight key information points for CRoW access land. Important information is displayed at these places, including any local restrictions that might be in place. These access symbols displayed on land look like the following:
Open access land. Areas of open country, registered common land or dedicated land (under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) open to people to walk, run, explore, climb, watch wildlife etc., without having to stay on paths.
A ‘negative’ access symbol marks the end of area-wide access, although other access rights may exist, for example public rights of way.
Right to roam (Scotland)
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives the public the right to be on or cross any land for recreational, educational and other purposes. There may be circumstances where you need to get the permission of the landowners, however, providing you are considerate and respectful of the land you’re traversing, you have the right to roam when walking, cycling or horse riding. The same symbols are used on OS maps in Scotland, indicating where land may belong to the National Trust for Scotland, Forestry Commission or Woodland Trust. There may be limited access in some of these area, but local signs will indicate what you can and can’t do.
I hope this helps you get to more fishing waters. Tight Lines
Greg
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