This idea has been created by the Scrutinise team as a historical case study. It represents real legislation that reached the statute book through civil society advocacy. It is presented here to show how that process might have looked on Scrutinise.
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
Created a legal right to roam over mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land in England and Wales. The result of a 60-year campaign by the Ramblers Association following the 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass.
Summary
Created a legal right to roam over mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land in England and Wales. The result of a 60-year campaign by the Ramblers Association following the 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass.
Challenge (summary)
Public access to open countryside was entirely at the discretion of landowners. Millions of people were excluded from upland and heath landscapes that had historically been used for recreation and subsistence.
Approach (summary)
A statutory right of access to open country — mountain, moor, heath, and down — with a mapping exercise to define the open access land and a complaints mechanism for obstruction.
First step (summary)
Amend the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 to create an access right, fund the Countryside Agency to map all open access land in England and Wales, and establish the Open Access Contact Service for disputes.
Stage
DevelopIdea Type
Legislation
Government Area
Environment
Created
27 Mar 2026
Owner
Ramblers Association