A Right to Roam

The government's commitment to creating the right to public access over parts of rural Britain challenges the current laws of trespass. What would this "right to roam" mean for farming, wildlife and recreation? A book which will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of Britain's countryside.

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Should there be greater access to Britain's countryside? For 1000 years British people have been battling against the "Trespassers will be Prosecuted" mentality of landowners. Now, however, the law of trespass is under challenge. After mass trespasses and days of protest against "Forbidden Britain", we have a government committed to creating a general right of public access over at least part of rural Britain. But such a "right to roam" will be fiercely resisted by some. What would it really mean for agriculture, forestry and wildlife, as well as recreation? Who would benefit and who would lose out? In this illuminating book Marion Shoard, dubbed the "Rachel Carson of the British conservation movement", attempts to answer these questions and place them in a historical, philosophical and political context. The result provides interesting reading for anyone concerned about the balance of power in a changing Britain as well as the fate of our changing countryside.