The Countryside Code and access rights

The official rules for walking in England and Wales, open access land, dogs, and how access in Scotland is different.

Walking a National Trail is not only a matter of following an acorn. You also need to know where you have a right to be, and what you are expected to do when you get there. The rules below are from official pages for England and Wales, with a separate section for Scotland. They were checked on 14 November 2026.

The Countryside Code, in brief

The Countryside Code applies to England and Wales. It is grouped under three headings.

Respect everyone. Be considerate to people who live, work and take their leisure in the countryside. Leave gates and property as you find them. Do not block gateways or driveways when parking. Follow local signs and keep to marked paths unless wider access is available. Co-operate when animals are being moved. Give livestock, horses and wild animals plenty of space, and do not feed them. Cyclists must give way to walkers and horse riders on bridleways.

Protect the environment. Take your litter home. Dropping litter and dumping rubbish are criminal offences. Do not light fires, and only have barbecues where signs say you can. Always keep dogs under control and in sight. Bag dog poo and bin it in any public waste bin, or take it home. Do not disturb wildlife, including ground-nesting birds, or damage ruins and historic sites.

Enjoy the outdoors. Check your route and local conditions, including weather and tide times. Tell someone else where you are going and when you expect to be back. Phone signals are unreliable in many rural places. You are responsible for the safety of yourself and others in your care.

The Code also says that for some activities, including camping and freshwater swimming, you may need permission from the landowner.

Public rights of way

The GOV.UK rights of way overview says you can use public roads and pavements, or public rights of way such as footpaths and bridleways.

Use public rights of way sets out the four recorded types in England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

Footpaths — walking, running, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs
Bridleways — walking, horse riding, bicycles, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs
Restricted byways — any transport without a motor, and mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs
Byways open to all traffic — any kind of transport, including cars, though they are mainly used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders

These are marked with signs or coloured arrows. The Countryside Code gives the colours as:

yellow arrow — footpath
blue arrow — bridleway
purple arrow — restricted byway
red arrow — byway open to all traffic

You can find the routes on Ordnance Survey and other maps, and on some council websites. Report a problem, such as an obstruction or a misleading sign, to the local council.

A local sign may also mark a permissive path. Those are provided voluntarily by the landowner, who chooses who can use them. Follow the advice on the sign.

Open access land, or the right to roam

In England you can also go onto some land without following a path. Officially this is called open access land or access land, and the right is often called the right to roam.

Use your right to roam says access land includes mountains, moors, heaths and downs that are privately owned, common land registered with the local council, and some land around the King Charles III England Coast Path.

You can use access land for walking, running, watching wildlife and climbing. You cannot usually horse-ride, cycle, camp, take animals other than dogs, drive a vehicle (except mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs), or do water sports, unless the landowner allows it, a public bridleway or byway crosses the land, or there is a local tradition or right of access.

Some areas inside access land remain private. This excepted land includes houses and the land they stand on, land used to grow crops, building sites, parks and gardens, golf courses and racecourses, railways and tramways, and working quarries. Use public rights of way to cross excepted land.

The Countryside Code’s open access symbol is a round brown sign with a person walking over hills. Official maps show where the land is, and whether any of it is currently closed.

Dogs

Keep your dog under effective control. The Countryside Code says you should always keep your dog on a lead or in sight, be confident it will return on command, and make sure it does not stray from the path or area where you have a right of access. It is good practice to keep a dog on a lead around livestock.

On open access land and at the coast, you must put your dog on a lead around livestock. Between 1 March and 31 July you must have your dog on a lead on open access land even if there is no livestock. These are legal requirements.

The right-to-roam page is more specific about the lead: on open access land you must keep your dog on a lead no more than 2 metres long between 1 March and 31 July, to protect ground-nesting birds, and at all times around livestock. On land next to the King Charles III England Coast Path, you must keep your dog under close control. These extra rules do not apply to public rights of way or to assistance dogs.

A farmer can shoot a dog that is attacking or chasing livestock, and may not be liable to compensate the owner. If you feel threatened by livestock or horses, the official advice is to let the dog off the lead so you can both reach safety.

Scotland is different

The Countryside Code does not apply in Scotland. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code, overseen by NatureScot, is the official guide to responsible access.

In Scotland you can enjoy the outdoors on most land and inland water, as long as you act responsibly. Official examples of access rights include walking and cycling, sightseeing and picnicking, dog walking if the dog is under proper control, swimming and watching wildlife. They do not include access with motor vehicles, hunting, shooting or fishing.

Responsible access can be enjoyed over most of Scotland, including parks, hills and woods, beaches and the coast, and lochs, rivers and canals. Exceptions include houses and gardens, other buildings, school grounds, most land where crops are growing, and places which charge for entry. Access rights do not usually apply to farmyards, but you can follow a well-used path that goes through a farmyard.

Access rights in Scotland include responsible lightweight camping in tents, in small numbers, and for two or three nights in any one place, kept well away from buildings and roads. Leave no trace, use a camping stove, and never light open fires, barbecues or fire bowls in dry periods or near forests, moorland, farmland, buildings or historic sites.

For rights of way in Scotland, GOV.UK points to the charity Scotways.

Can I wild camp next to a National Trail in England?

Usually no, not without the landowner’s permission. The official National Trails planning guidance says that if you plan to camp you will need to find an official campsite, and that you cannot usually wild camp on land near the trails. Camping is also listed in the Countryside Code as an activity that may need the landowner’s permission, and it is not a usual right on open access land in England. Scotland’s access rights are wider, and include responsible lightweight camping as described above.

Sources

Checked 14 November 2026.