Momentum building for Scottish-style land access rights in England, says film

Anger and momentum are building for Scottish-style rights of access to mountains, meadows, rivers, and woodlands in England, where the public currently has access to just 8% of land. A new documentary, *Our Land*, explores the rise of the right to roam movement in England, inspired by the 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass. The movement, which began five years ago, uses tactics learned from early 20th-century campaigners. Their mass trespass on Kinder Scout in the Peak District in 1932 was seen as a catalyst for change, shifting public opinion. The documentary, directed by Orban Wallace, follows campaigners as they take members of the public on smaller mass trespasses on private land in England, and interviews landowners from Devon to Scotland. Wallace said: “I hope this film will be a deep listening exercise for the country and start an informed conversation. No one is having that discussion at the moment, people are on opposing sides.” In the last two years, momentum has built among those campaigning for public rights to be extended. A key catalyst was the battle to keep wild camping rights on Dartmoor in Devon, after landowners won a high court ruling that allowed them to remove campers from their 1,600-hectare estate. This provoked fury and a campaign of mass protest rallies, with legal action leading to the Supreme Court overturning the decision. Land activist Guy Shrubsole on Dartmoor said: “When Dartmoor happened, it unleashed this seam of energy that has been building in England. It is impossible to withstand. It has its own momentum now.” Nick Hayes, author of *The Book of Trespass* and a right to roam campaigner, added: “What we need is that hundreds of thousands of acres of forests, meadows, rivers, and wetlands should be opened up to the public, who so badly need them. The people who own them can go on owning them.” Campaigners want the government to introduce a Scottish-style rights of access law, allowing ordinary people to responsibly enjoy nature on private land. The 2003 Land Reform (Scotland) Act established a legal right of responsible access to most land and inland water in Scotland for walking, cycling, and camping. Similarly, in Sweden and Norway, the right of public access (*Allemansrätten*) gives everyone the freedom to roam and explore the countryside. The Scottish peer and landowner John Grant, featured in the documentary, drives around his estate, pointing out areas where the public can camp, cycle, and kayak. He said: “Everyone, whatever their age or ability, has access rights under the 2003 act, but you only have rights if you exercise them responsibly. We have found that people then really do care for the land. We all belong to the land, the land doesn’t belong to us.” However, some landed gentry, like Francis Fulford, who owns a 1,200-hectare estate in Devon, are skeptical. When asked if he would share his estate’s beauty with the public, he said: “Only to people who pay and make a contribution to the upkeep. Imagine the cost to a landowner to make sure his whole estate is safe for the general public, who are mostly ignorant of rural ways of life.” Nadia Shaikh, a naturalist and right to roam campaigner who has moved to Scotland, said closeness to nature gives people there a sense of belonging and responsibility. She warned: “If you are going to cut people from the landscape for hundreds of years, there is going to be some deep learning to do. But it’s not impossible that the English public can learn to, for example, shut gates, if we invest in education.” Guy Shrubsole emphasized that access to the countryside would depend on people acting responsibly. He noted that there is no right to roam over 92% of the English countryside. The last expansion of access was brought in by the last Labour government in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000. Creating a new right to roam law would mean access would no longer be subject to the arbitrary whim of big landowners, 1% of whom still own 50% of England. The government has indicated it does not support a direct adoption of the Scottish model due to differences in land use, population density, and land ownership patterns in England. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “Our countryside and green spaces are a source of great national pride, but too many people across the country have been left without access to the great outdoors. We are increasing access to nature and the countryside, creating nine new national river walks, designating the Coast to Coast route in the north of England, and launching the 2,700-mile King Charles III England coast path.” The documentary *Our Land* is released in cinemas on 8 May.