Fight to ramble rumbles on still after 90 years
This month marks the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Scout Trespass, the start of the freedom to roam movement. The Ramblers’ looks at how the fight started and is still going on to open up more and more of the countryside for all walkers to enjoy.
Frustrated with landowners closing off access to their land, on 24 April 1932, more than 400 walkers left Manchester and Sheffield for a mass trespass on to Kinder Scout, a moorland plateau in what is now the Peak District.
Several walkers were arrested and imprisoned, but over the weeks public opinion started to sway in the trespassers’ favour.
The trespass was the start of a movement in which the Ramblers have played a key part, that eventually led to the National Parks and Countryside Act and the creation of our National Parks and National Trails, giving us more rights to enjoy the amazing countryside of England and Wales.
The Freedom to Roam gives us the right to walk in wild open areas of countryside, without having to stick to paths. Following years of campaigning by the Ramblers, the government in England and Wales introduced the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in 2000, which opened up more than three million acres of moorland, mountain, heathland and downland – open access land
OS maps - you don’t need to stick to a designated path.
Today, it’s still the Ramblers’ mission to remove barriers to walking and improve both Britain’s most popular and least-known places. From campaigns for better access to nature for everyone to volunteers on the ground, literally removing barriers by clearing overgrown paths and replacing stiles, the charity is
Margaret Manning, of the Greater Manchester Ramblers, originally joined the Ramblers to campaign for the freedom to roam and continues to campaign in her local area.
“Walking keeps me fit, happy and sane. As a Ramblers member I love that I can walk in the hills, on the coast or in local green spaces closer to home, in good company. grounds and I’m proud to be part of movement to improve walking for all.”
Bhavesh Mistry, from the Ramblers Manchester and District Walkers, said: “Joining the Ramblers has taken me to lots of new places that I would never have thought of visiting.”
Francesca Donovan and her partner Stew Hulme joined the Ramblers to sup
k. ing sure the natural world around us is cared for and preserved and the Ramblers offer hope through their campaigning.”
The Ramblers is calling for the freedom to roam across England and Wales to be extended.
Open green spaces where walkers can wander off-path are mostly in remote upland areas, stretching across mountains, moors, heaths and downs. That’s eight percent of land in England. That leaves people in lowland areas, like much of eastern England, with less opportunity to roam freely close to where they live.
As a Ramblers member, you will have access to thousands of tried and tested walking routes and great group walks across Britain, to inspire your explorations. You’ll also be supporting the charity’s work to open the way for everyone.
Find out more about how to become a member: https:// www.ramblers.org.uk/getinvolved/join-the-ramblers. aspx