editor David Jordan
The Editor Writes In this issue, Andrew Bibby( p6) reminds us of the approaching 25th anniversary of the Countryside Rights of Way Act( CRoW) 2000. The act that enshrined into law a right to“ enter and remain on the land” for“ open-air recreation”. At the time it was a milestone achievement, despite numerous exclusions, granting access to mountain, moor, heath, down, and registered common land, collectively known as‘ open country’. By definition however, a landowner can encircle any such land, and it becomes‘ enclosed’, and therefore excluded from access rights. So how strong is the protection of CRoW really?
On p10 Stan Abbott highlights such an example, where one of the Lake District’ s great viewpoints is enclosed and forbidden to access. What protection do we have against other landowners following this example?
Wild camping had long been practised on Dartmoor and was recognised in 1985 under the Dartmoor Commons Act right to“ open-air recreation”. The public outcry against a challenge to those rights in 2022, demonstrated that rights can’ t be taken for
Then & now- Alf Alderson p5 granted, they must be both exercised responsibly and vigilantly protected. Fortunately, in 2023, the Supreme Court agreed that‘ open-air recreation’ included wild camping. But why do we have that right on Dartmoor and not Exmoor? Why can we not camp along the great expanse of the Pennines, or other great open country? Why does the definition of open-air recreation allow wild camping in one act and not the other?
In Scotland the Land Reform( Scotland) Act 2003 went much further granting access rights to most land and waterways, including wild camping, known as the‘ right to roam’. Official figures showed that the costs of implementing CRoW were six times that of the equivalent costs of implementing the right to roam in Scotland. Now there is growing momentum to extend the right to roam across the rest of the UK. For our industry, focused on outdoor recreation, surely this is the biggest issue of our time.
Thanks to Julian Baird for the fine image of Bowerman’ s Nose on Dartmoor- well-suited for the cover of this issue.
The Zino’ s Cry- Chris Scaife p6-7 p8-9
Campaigning- Andrew Bibby
Mapping- Andrew Davies p10-11 p12-14
Forbidden- Stan Abbott
In the news
p15 p16
Latest Books- Roly Smith
My favourite kit
Editor David Jordan ISSN 2043 8605 editor @ owpg. org. uk Design David Jordan, Ronald Turnbull Cover Bowerman’ s Nose, Dartmoor Photographer Julian Baird
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2 OUTDOOR FOCUS Autumn 2025