Government looking for suggestions to improve access

[mikem]

The new All-Party Parliamentary Group for Outdoor Recreation & Access to nature has launched an inquiry to help improve people's access to green and blue space. Paddle UK are pleased to be working with The British Mountaineering Council and The Ramblers in setting the inquiry up. Now we need your help…the call for written evidence to support improved access is live until 20th July:

‘People need access to green and blue spaces closer to home’ - MP

Laws need to change to give people better access to nature closer to their homes, the chair of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) has said. The APPG is focusing on Outdoor Recreation and…

paddleuk.org.uk

Links to same Paddle UK submissions page:

Access to nature inquiry launched by All-Party Parliamentary Group - The British Mountaineering Council

Today, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature has launched a Call for Evidence to examine how to allow more people to access the outdoors.

www.thebmc.co.uk

 

[mikem]

Outdoors Unlocked

We’re calling on the government to introduce a transformational new Access to Nature Bill. This bill will break down barriers to the outdoors so everyone in England can enjoy the benefits of walking in nature.

www.ramblers.org.uk

Access to nature in England - how is the government doing?

The Covid-19 pandemic made us more aware than ever of the importance of being able to access nature. But is the government doing enough to improve access?

www.ramblers.org.uk

Local elections 2025: How you can stand up for access

With local elections taking place across England on 1 May, we set out why they matter for access and how your local representatives can stand up for walking.

www.ramblers.org.uk

 

[Lankyman]

It would help if some current anomalies of CRoW could be sorted out. There are quite a few blocks of access land which are surrounded by non-access land which aren't reachable via a PRoW. I think the original idea was that people and landowners would 'organically' come to an arrangement and then the authorities would fit stiles/gates. Not having a helicopter, I've trespassed to reach some of these and have kept a low profile but have felt uncomfortable. There are also numerous examples where parcels of rough, unimproved ground are not accessible often next to identical ground which is. Of course, things like this cost money and what's the likelihood of anything major happening? Not far from where I live in the Forest of Bowland the footpath infrastructure is dire - broken/missing stiles and footbridges a lot of it on the estate of one of the wealthiest landowners in the UK.

 

[wellyjen]

Caves are more grey and brown spaces, once you get of daylight.

 

[cavingbiker]

It is all well and good improving access, but people need educating first. Just look at the 3 peaks route after a charity event, it's a rubbish tip

 

[Badlad]

I agree that education should be improved, on littering etc, but that is no reason to restrict access to the Countryside for all. Mess is a problem across many fronts. Just have a look at any given farm with its usual piles of rusting junk and black silage wraps blowing in the wind. We still see dead sheep dumped in shakeholes along with other farm waste. The great unwashed are often those that clear things up too.

 

[Mark]

Lathkill Dale upstream of Conksbury Bridge early morning

Then later on when the sun comes out

On a concession footpath too,

If you respect the countryside, you don’t need some government department to sort out where you can go, you just know.

The Peak Park is full to bursting, have a look at the Castleton Parish Council Website to see what problems they have to endure with camper vans

 

[Stalgtite]

It is all well and good improving access, but people need educating first. Just look at the 3 peaks route after a charity event, it's a rubbish tip

We learnt to respect the outdoors because we fell in love with it. And we fell in love with it because we got to visit it. For that reason access should not be a privilege for us few but a basic necessity for all.


(and the three peaks route is exactly the sort of place people get their first exposure.)

Same goes for the underground: a novice might not think not to drop crumbs while snacking on their first trip, but after seeing mould around the place they will soon be the one warning others.

 

[Lankyman]

View attachment 22982

On a concession footpath too,

Are there restrictions on what people can do there? Given the desire to get out more since covid restrictions it's perhaps unsurprising that accessible or well known places have become much busier. Was there a lot of litter left or damage done (fire rings, barbecue scorching or trees hacked about etc)? That would annoy and dismay me a lot more than lots of people enjoying the river responsibly. One potential benefit of greater access I suppose is that more people care about nice places. I'd hope that Lathkill Dale has a local volunteer group who looks after the place. I used to be involved with one in the Arnside/Silverdale area which did all sorts of stuff including litter picking. Sadly, there will always be those who don't care, education or not. I'm lucky where I live in that there are lots of quiet places to disappear into when the usual spots are rammed (but I'm not going to tell you about them!).

 

[pwhole]

The top half of Lathkill Dale is managed by Natural England as a nature reserve, and then I believe it becomes part of the Melbourne estate near Over Haddon - I don't have the boundaries handy. But NE's team are very overstretched, and I doubt would have the authority to walk around kicking people off. But I'm astonished to see dinghies on the water. It's essentially the nearest thing the Peak District has to a chalk stream, as found in Hampshire, etc., and its ecosystem is delicate to say the least. The trout (and their numerous prey species) will be heavily impacted by human boating.

Don't get me started on Castleton - tourism is slowly but surely permanently damaging much of its environment, both natural and man-made historical. The only bits they're not damaging are private farmers fields.

 

[Lankyman]

It's almost inevitable that somewhere close to where tens of millions of people live is going to come under pressure. I wonder if any of the families paddling in the river actually know anything about the ecology? Last year I was by the Wharfe at Linton Falls and it appeared that half of Leeds and Bradford was picnicking and paddling by the bank (there's a big carpark nearby). I don't suppose any damage they might have been doing would have been great though. Education will stop some people from paddling in sensitive areas but (as you say) Natural England aren't going to police the ones that don't care.

 

[mikem]

A public footpath only confers the right to be a metre or so either side of its centre line. Concessionary depends how much the owner wants to police it.