Dear Roamers,
Thanks to all of you who got in touch following our previous newsletter (“What does the Right to Roam mean to you?” – 19th Jan). We received many beautiful responses about places dear to your hearts, since lost to the depredations of landscape exclusivity. A common theme is just how tightly policed the countryside has become in the past few decades, and especially since the 2020 lockdowns. Barbed wire has been with us since the late 19th century but the architecture of misanthropy it pioneered seems to grow ever more abundant.
POLLING IS IN – So much for countryside culture wars…
It’s sometimes claimed by our opponents that the right to roam is an urban fixation being imposed upon the countryside. One that rural people themselves want nothing to do with. Now, most of our team grew up and live in rural areas, so we knew in our bones that this was bollocks. Still, since it has become the chief attack line of those seeking to prevent access reform, we thought we’d test the claim in a fresh YouGov poll.
Well, the results are in. As in our previous poll, support for reform is strong and extensive across all ages, political affiliations and regions – even more so when you emphasise the responsibilities which would adjoin any new rights. 69% of respondents would support extending ‘rights of responsible access to the rest of the countryside’, provided it gives space for all the usual sensible exceptions (crops, privacy and highly sensitive wildlife areas) as we’re proposing.
This time though, we asked for an additional cross-break to test the alleged rural vs urban divide. Low and behold: support was completely identical. And we mean identical: 68% in both demographics, with ‘Town & Fringe’ leading the charge at 70% favourability. The Times covered the story (‘Country dwellers just as keen as townies on nature access’ – 23rd Jan) rightly highlighting the cold water it poured on claims made by the Countryside Alliance and others that our campaign is some kind of rural culture war.
As so often in country affairs, those who purport to represent the countryside are in reality only speaking for a tiny proportion of it. So we’d love for you all to share these results as much as possible in your networks. It’s time the rest of us had a voice.
FORBIDDEN ISLAND TRESPASS
A reminder that our next big event, held in tandem with our Devon group, will take place on Dartmoor on February 24th, where we’ll be trespassing to an ‘access island’ – that is, an area of land where we do have the right to roam already under the CRoW Act, but have no lawful means of reaching. This is to highlight why we think just extending the CRoW Act to a few new landscape designations won’t really cut the mustard. More on that soon.
You can sign up to the event here. Do read the event details carefully. Note that we’re experimenting with a deposit to reserve coach places. This is to minimise folk holding pricey coach spots and then not showing up last minute. A crisp tenner will be available to recollect from one of our stewards or if you’re flush you can opt to donate it to the campaign to help us cover the event costs. Parking will be limited on the day.
One of you pointed out that sometimes actual offshore islands are forbidden for good reason – namely to protect seabird colonies. So remember, friends: leave them birds alone! Despite the island theme, our event will be firmly inland and involve no water except the kind which rains down from Dartmoor’s skies.
LOCAL GROUP DIGEST
Undeterred by winter, our local groups have been out and about spreading (and sometimes singing) the word, as well as getting stuck into some brilliant acts of Wild Service.
-This month, Manchester Right to Roam teamed up with Radical Tradition to learn songs from the access movements of old. We’re looking forward to these being heartily delivered at events soon. Check out this scene of their spooky cave-based trespass singalong! Catch them next on 12th February at the Manchester Patagonia store for a talk with river campaigners, Save the River Bollin. More details here.
-Norwich Right to Roam have been doing great work myth-busting common misconceptions about the campaign as well as organising a fresh trespass walk for February 18th. Meet at Cantley Train Station at 2pm if you’re in the area and would like to be involved.
-Nearby, the Norfolk Right to Swim group will also be continuing its periodic ‘swimpasses’ with another walk and dip on February 12th: meet outside Leziate village hall car park at 10.30am. A great reminder that reform is about access to water as much as land!
-Bristol Right to Roam teamed up with our pals at Conham Bathing to clear the litter brought up by the recent floods. They spoke with locals who had been doing the same and were grateful there were more people to help. A powerful reminder that access to land also means taking ownership of its care.
-This weekend, our friends at the Sussex-based group, Landscapes of Freedom will be holding one of their monthly trespasses with a five mile walk “along an undulating landscape of fragmented woodland” concluding in an Imbolc celebration at Future Roots. Meet on Sunday 4th February at 10am outside Sussex House Car Park 4 (University of Sussex). More details on their Instagram here.
-Scotland might already have a right to roam (okay, “right of responsible access…” or is that a “right of access exercised responsibly”?) but our Right to Roam Scotland group is showing that hard-won rights always need to be defended. Join them at Holyrood park on 17th February for a gentle walk and awareness raising about the closure of the Radical Road. More on their Instagram here.
Want to get involved with this kind of amazing local activity? You can check and see if there’s a local group or contact in your area here.
Can’t see anyone nearby but would like help starting your own? Get in touch with our local groups coordinator, Maria at maria@righttoroam.org.uk and she’ll give you a hand.
Till then, enjoy the snowdrops and keep on roaming.
From Jon and the rest of the Right to Roam team
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