Ramblers’ rights: should you get to walk all over the countryside?

For anyone who hasn’t heard of these hardy sorts, the Ramblers are an organisation that protects walkers’ rights to brave bracing winds, driving rain and fearsome cows to enjoy a wander around the countryside. While gentle exercise in the fresh air seems about as far from controversy as it’s possible to get, it’s the ramblers’ belief in their right to access all of Britain’s green outdoor spaces that has landed them in bother with some big names.

Created in 1931 as the National Council of Ramblers’ Federations, the ramblers became notorious after they united for a mass trespass of the Kinder Scout Mountain in 1932. The charity rebranded in 1935 and continued to assert their right to free access to the British countryside. In 2000 they won a landmark victory when the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act was passed, which allows walkers to roam over specified areas of land. They might now have the law on their side, but this hasn’t prevented clashes.

Owners of large country estates still dispute the ramblers’ right to walk on their land and some have even taken legal action. One notable confrontation occurred in 2004, when Madonna won a legal battle that prevented ramblers from accessing her estate during shooting season. Just last year TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson lost a seven-year struggle with ramblers when he was forced to remove fencing that prevented them accessing a footpath near his home.

Clarkson isn’t the only celeb to have battled the walkers for several years: British property tycoon Nicholas Van Hoogstraten branded them ‘scum of the earth’ after a decade-long fight to keep them off his estate. The tension between allowing nature enthusiasts to make the most of the beautiful countryside and to protect what Clarkson described as his human right to privacy is a long and troubling one. At what point do an individual landowner’s rights trump those of people who just want to enjoy Britain’s natural beauty?

Perhaps this is all getting out of hand. The Ramblers are not celeb-mad stalkers keen to find out what Jeremy Clarkson is cooking up for dinner. They simply want the chance to appreciate the beauty and peace of the countryside. While they believe in their own right to roam, they also aim to make members aware that with this right comes responsibility for treating other people and the environment with respect.

Clearly this involves respecting landowners’ privacy, meaning that of all people, this group of wanderers should be welcomed. Encouraging people to join the charity promotes responsible behaviour and outdoor exercise, which has been shown to be better for your body than just sticking to the gym. You might not fancy strapping on your walking boots for a wet weekend wander, but take a leaf from the ramblers, grab a comfy pair of shoes from this range of Reebok trainers at K&Co and try commuting to work on foot this season.

The sight of walkers wandering over your land might cause concern for some. However, when their main aim is to protect outdoor spaces and encourage appreciation of our wildlife and agriculture, it’s hard to justify stopping ramblers in their tracks.
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