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Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

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Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#11

Post by maccard »

I live in Scotland, but grew up in Ireland (where there is no such right). The value of this cannot be understated, IMO. It's not _just_ the right, the fact that it exists forces landowners to consider access routes. Very rarely have I found myself crossing fields full of livestock or someone's front garden, because in most places the landowners have maintained or signalled a preferred walking route. It really is wonderful.

Compare this to Ireland, where one of the most spectacular and celebrated natural rock formations [0], which has been used by the government as promotional material for visiting Ireland, is borderline inaccessible [1], and you are met with signs warning you of trespassing, and when I went last year, there was another sign warning of a bull in the field.

[0] https://www.thewildatlanticway.com/waw/great-pollet-arch/

[1] https://www.bengoesplaces.com/how-to-access-great-pollet-sea...

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#12

Post by _xnmw »

Last summer we hiked the Bruce Trail in Ontario, Canada, and discovered for myself that the local laws are NOT so free and permitting. You can't just set up camp anywhere you want, only on predefined campsites and trails. Without that freedom camping is -much- less fun.

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#13

Post by rzwitserloot »

In the US it gets a little crazy: Land is separated out into square plots in quite a few places, especially the later-colonized west, think 'chessboard'. Companies buy all the white squares, leaving the black squares as public land. Which is now entirely inaccessible from anywhere except their private land.

Lots of shady duderanch companies do this.

There's an interesting legal dispute: Is crossing diagonally from one 'black square' to the next 'black square' tresspass? Technically unless you are infinitely tiny, your bulk does theoretically pass over white square.

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#14

Post by haspok »

maccard wrote: post #11

I live in Scotland, but grew up in Ireland (where there is no such right). The value of this cannot be understated, IMO. It's not _just_ the right, the fact that it exists forces landowners to consider access routes. Very rarely have I found myself crossing fields full of livestock or someone's front garden, because in most places the landowners have maintained or signalled a preferred walking route. It really is won…

Interestingly, in Yorkshire, where there is the Rights of Way, which gives you the right to pass through private land on a specific path, I had the opposite experience. I can't count how many times I had to pass through ploughed fields, the arrow sign pointing roughly in the direction of the other side of the field, and in between there is... nothing. If it is a popular path then others might have created a faint footpath, so you don't have to tread on the wheat or corn. Maybe this is how the owner wants to discourage wanderers?

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#17

Post by 867-5309 »

082349872349872 wrote: post #10
aetherson wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is "we" in your comment?

People in my country, one of {Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland}.

easy on the PII there

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#18

Post by maccard »

haspok wrote: post #14
maccard wrote: post #11

I live in Scotland, but grew up in Ireland (where there is no such right). The value of this cannot be understated, IMO. It's not _just_ the right, the fact that it exists forces landowners to consider access routes. Very rarely have I found myself crossing fields full of livestock or someone's front garden, because in most places the landowners have maintained or signalled a preferred walking route. It really is won…

Interestingly, in Yorkshire, where there is the Rights of Way, which gives you the right to pass through private land on a specific path, I had the opposite experience. I can't count how many times I had to pass through ploughed fields, the arrow sign pointing roughly in the direction of the other side of the field, and in between there is... nothing. If it is a popular path then others might have created a faint foo…

I don't spend much time in the area so I can't really comment on it, but it's definitely (in my experience) the exception rather than the norm. It's happened to me twice in 10 years of living here, both in the same general area (black isle) on two different trips. We are very regular walkers, but we're not "explorers", looking for new or untrodden paths.

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#19

Post by TaylorAlexander »

carschno wrote: post #15

Tangentially related, Spain's coasts are public domain and therefore do not require freedom to roam: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_de_Costas_de_Espa%C3%B1a (Unfortunately, English Wikipedia does not have a translation)

California’s coasts as well!

Re: Freedom to Roam in Scotland (2019)

#20

Post by 082349872349872 »

867-5309 wrote: post #17
082349872349872 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People in my country, one of {Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland}.

easy on the PII there

says a handle whose birth year is likely in the range 1961-1975? :P

cf https://youtu.be/L8pKkpxD7ws?t=36

Bonus track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVZJYtq-jYs

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