Countryside Access
Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW), the public can walk freely on mapped areas of mountain, moor, heath, downland and registered common land without having to stick to paths.
Open Access
People across England now have approximately 865,000 hectares of land across which they can walk, ramble, run, explore, climb and watch wildlife as they are given the freedom to access land, without having to stay on paths.
The new rights, for which people have been campaigning for over 100 years, came into effect across all of England on 31 October 2005.
Please visit our Open Access pages for more detailed information.
Other access
Please view the Natural England website for further information on the following access to the countryside:
