Open access land in the Peak District National Park is set to double as the new CRoW right to roam takes effect in the area from 19 September as part of a two-year national roll out.
The Derbyshire Peak District is set to be one of the first areas
in the country to benefit from the new right to roam under the
Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act.
The new act takes effect in the Peak District National Park on 19
September and will more than double the amount of open access land
from the present 92 square miles to 193 square miles allowing walkers
- that's us :-) - to explore areas previously closed to them.
The opening is the culmination of a long and sometimes fraught
consultation process to decide which areas should be included under
the new act, with some landowners concerned by the opening up of
their moorland holdings. To smooth the passage of the new
legislation, the Peak Park Authority has received funding to appoint
new rangers, some 400 new gates and styles have been installed along
with 250 new signs wherever the open country is accessible.
The new act doesn't mean you can walk anywhere you choose. The
process excludes cultivated land, improved grassland, golf courses
and racecourses. It's also applicable only to walkers, so don't think
you can go hooning off across the moors on your new-fangled mountain
bicycle or old-fangled horse. Bear in mind too, that although the
signs will be appearing from 1 September, the land isn't actually
open until 19 September.
To mark the launch of open access, Minister for Rural Affairs Alun
Michael will be joined by hundreds of invited guests at a Peak
District celebration event, which will take place on September 19 in
the Goyt Valley, between Buxton and Macclesfield. Sadly we haven't
been invited though.
Confused? You can find more detailed information and explanations
at www.peakdistrict.org/crow/intro.htm
which includes a detailed map.
In addition, local tourist information offices in the Peak will be
able to provide map or you can find out more from the Countryside
Agency helpline on 0845 100 3298, or by visiting www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk
.
See today's Guardian for an interesting article
on the Peak access situation which puts it in the context of an area
which has a long historical background of access campaigning
including the famous Kinder Trespass of 1932.
The new open access legislation is being rolled out across the
country over the next two years and will extend the amont of land
accessible legally to walkers by almost 3,200 square miles. Open
access area information will be included on new OS maps as areas are
opened up.
