Access restriction orders

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. At all times of the year dogs must be kept on a short lead (no more than two metres) in the vicinity of livestock.

The CRoW Act gives a landowner or farm tenant the discretion to suspend or restrict the new access right for up to 28 days each year, for any reason. They may also apply for additional restrictions or closures, where necessary for land management, safety or fire prevention reasons.

Whenever possible, restrictions and closures will be shown on CRoW access maps and will be reinforced by local signs. Local restrictions are shown below.

For more information visit the Natural England website.

Access land

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW), gives you access to approximately 865,000 hectares of mapped access land which you can walk across without having to keep to the footpaths.

This has opened up areas of mountain, moor, heath, downland and registered common land for people to walk and enjoy the countryside and wildlife.

The majority of open access land is privately owned and much is still used for grazing. Please follow the Countryside Code to protect and respect livestock and wildlife and fauna and comply with any restrictions that are displayed at car parks and access points.

Access land is shaded on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale Explorer series maps and marked with a peach coloured boundary.

Most access land is marked at the main entry points with the brown waymarker symbol.

What rights do I have on access land?

Please note the following key points from the legislation:

  • The Act does not introduce a 'right to roam' on any land, but introduces new access only on defined and mapped access land
  • The right of access is for pedestrians only. It does not extend to horse riders, mountain bikers or people driving or riding in a vehicle
  • The Act does not affect existing rights of way across access land
  • Access land may occasionally be closed to the public - when this happens, signs showing the times and dates that restrictions apply should be displayed at the site. You can also view Access restriction orders on this site
  • Dogs are permitted on CRoW access land, unless there are special restrictions. Dogs must be on short leads between March 1 and July 31 and at all times when there is livestock nearby

There are no current restrictions in force at the moment.