Manage public access on your open access land

The rules here are for England and Wales.

What open access land is

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives the public a right to walk on land mapped as open country (mountain, moor, heath or down) and on registered common land, without keeping to paths. People can use it for open-air recreation such as walking, climbing, running and bird-watching. You keep ownership and can farm and manage the land as before. Check the official access maps to see whether your land is mapped and whether any restrictions already apply.

What visitors cannot do

Unless you give permission, or they have a separate right such as a bridleway, people using the access right cannot:

• ride a horse or bicycle, or drive a vehicle other than a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair
• bring any animal other than a dog
• camp, light a fire, or play organised games
• hunt, shoot, fish or feed livestock
• trade, film commercially, or do anything else for a commercial purpose
• damage plants, walls, fences, hedges or gates, or leave gates open

Dogs must be on a lead of no more than 2 metres near livestock, and on all open access land between 1 March and 31 July.

Someone who breaks these rules, or a restriction you have put in place, becomes a trespasser and you can ask them to leave. They then lose the access right to that land, and any other land you own, for 72 hours after leaving.

Land the public cannot use

Some land is excepted from the access right even if it appears on the map. You do not need to apply for this.

Your liability to visitors

On open access land you owe people using the access right less duty than other visitors. Your reduced liability does not apply on days when a legal restriction you have put in place is in force.

Close land for up to 28 days a year

You can exclude or restrict access to any of your open access land for up to 28 days in a calendar year without approval, but you must give notice to the relevant authority first. On tenanted farmland the tenant, not the owner, holds the 28 days. You cannot use them:

• on bank holidays, Christmas Day or Good Friday
• on more than 4 Saturdays or Sundays in a calendar year
• on any Saturday from 1 June to 11 August
• on any Sunday from 1 June to 30 September

You can also exclude people with dogs from a field of up to 15 hectares used for lambing, for one period of up to 6 weeks a year, and from land managed as a grouse moor for up to 5 years at a time, except along public rights of way.

Apply for a longer restriction

For more than 28 days, you can apply for a direction restricting access for land management, public safety from work you are doing, or fire prevention. You cannot get one to manage risks from natural features such as cliffs. If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal to the Secretary of State through the Planning Inspectorate within 6 weeks.

Signs on access land

You can put up signs that explain the rules, mark a restriction or warn of work in progress. A sign that gives false or misleading information to put people off using their access right is an offence.