Foot and Mouth Sanity Hits North

Good news from the NE where the Northumberland National Park has re-opened many rights of way.

It's a really positive move, not least because it shows that authorities are starting to follow the government guidelines which limit exclusion zones to 3 km around confirmed outbreaks of foot and mouth.

There's also an excellent interactive mapping facility which you can access by clicking here. Some75 per-cent of rights of way within the Park are now open, though the area is still an infected zone and you should follow the code of conduct.

Positive news too from North Yorkshire where more rights of way have apparently been opened up in accordance with guideline, despite a new outbreak as recently as last weekend. There's a load of access information here, including downloadable PDF format lists of open paths. although some re-opened rights of way have had to be re-closed as well.

Thanks to OUTDOORSmagic member Julie Harris for the Northumbria link.