The Countryside Code Leaflet - DofE

Respect other people Please respect the local community and other people using the outdoors. Remember your actions can affect people’s lives and livelihoods.

Consider the local community and other people enjoying the outdoors

• Respecttheneedsoflocalpeopleandvisitorsalike–forexample,don’tblockgateways,drivewaysorotherpathswithyourvehicle.

• Whenridingabikeordrivingavehicle,slowdownorstopforhorses,walkersandfarmanimalsandgivethemplentyofroom.Bylaw,cyclistsmustgivewaytowalkersandhorse-ridersonbridleways.

• Co-operatewithpeopleatworkinthecountryside.Forexample,keepoutofthewaywhenfarmanimalsarebeinggatheredormovedandfollowdirectionsfromthefarmer.

• Busytrafficonsmallcountryroadscanbeunpleasantanddangeroustolocalpeople,visitorsandwildlife-soslowdownandwherepossible,leaveyourvehicleathome,considersharingliftsandusealternativessuchaspublictransportorcycling.Forpublictransportinformation,phoneTravelineon08712002233orvisitwww.traveline.info.

Leave gates and property as you find them and follow paths unless wider access is available

• Afarmerwillnormallyclosegatestokeepfarmanimalsin,butmaysometimesleavethemopensotheanimalscanreachfoodandwater.Leavegatesasyoufindthemorfollowinstructionsonsigns.Wheninagroup,makesurethelastpersonknowshowtoleavethegates.

• Followpathsunlesswideraccessisavailable,suchasonopencountryorregisteredcommonland(knownas‘OpenAccessland’).

• Ifyouthinkasignisillegalormisleadingsuchasa‘Private-NoEntry’signonapublicpath,contactthelocalauthority.

• Leavemachineryandfarmanimalsalone–don’tinterferewithanimalsevenifyouthinkthey’reindistress.Trytoalertthefarmerinstead.

• Usegates,stilesorgapsinfieldboundariesifyoucan–climbingoverwalls,hedgesandfencescandamagethemandincreasetheriskoffarmanimalsescaping.

• Ourheritagematterstoallofus–becarefulnottodisturbruinsandhistoricsites.

Protect the natural environmentWe all have a responsibility to protect the countryside now and for future generations, so make sure you don’t harm animals, birds, plants or trees and try to leave no trace of your visit. When out with your dog make sure it is not a danger or nuisance to farm animals, horses, wildlife or other people.

Leave no trace of your visit and take your litter home

• Protectingthenaturalenvironmentmeanstakingspecialcarenottodamage,destroyorremovefeaturessuchasrocks,plantsandtrees.Theyprovidehomesandfoodforwildlife,andaddtoeverybody’senjoymentofthecountryside.

• Litterandleftoverfooddoesn’tjustspoilthebeautyofthecountryside,itcanbedangeroustowildlifeandfarmanimals–sotakeyourlitterhomewithyou.Droppinglitteranddumpingrubbisharecriminaloffences.

• Firescanbeasdevastatingtowildlifeandhabitatsastheyaretopeopleandproperty–sobecarefulwithnakedflamesandcigarettesatanytimeoftheyear.Sometimes,controlledfiresareusedtomanagevegetation,particularlyonheathsandmoorsbetween1stOctoberand15thApril,butifafireappearstobeunattendedthenreportitbycalling999.

Keep dogs under effective control

• Whenyoutakeyourdogintotheoutdoors,alwaysensureitdoesnotdisturbwildlife,farmanimals,horsesorotherpeoplebykeepingitundereffective control.Thismeansthatyou:

· keepyourdogonalead,or

· keepitinsightatalltimes,beawareofwhatit’sdoingandbeconfidentitwillreturntoyoupromptlyoncommand

· ensureitdoesnotstrayoffthepathorareawhereyouhavearightofaccess

• Specialdogrulesmayapplyinparticularsituations,soalwayslookoutforlocalsigns–forexample:

· Dogsmaybebannedfromcertainareasthatpeopleuse,ortheremayberestrictions,byelawsorcontrolorderslimitingwheretheycango.

· Theaccessrightsthatnormallyapplytoopencountryandregisteredcommonland(knownas‘OpenAccess’land)requiredogstobekeptonashortleadbetween1Marchand31July,tohelpprotectgroundnestingbirds,andallyearroundnearfarmanimals.

· Atthecoast,theremayalsobesomelocalrestrictionstorequiredogstobekeptonashortleadduringthebirdbreedingseason,andtopreventdisturbancetoflocksofrestingandfeedingbirdsduringothertimesofyear. 

• It’salwaysgoodpractice(andalegalrequirementon‘OpenAccess’land)tokeepyourdogonaleadaroundfarmanimalsandhorses,foryourownsafetyandforthewelfareoftheanimals.Afarmermayshootadogwhichisattackingorchasingfarmanimalswithoutbeingliabletocompensatethedog’sowner.

• However,ifcattleorhorseschaseyouandyourdog,itissafertoletyourdogoffthelead–don’triskgettinghurtbytryingtoprotectit.Yourdogwillbemuchsaferifyouletitrunawayfromafarmanimalinthesecircumstancesandsowillyou.

• Everyoneknowshowunpleasantdogmessisanditcancauseinfections,soalwayscleanupafteryourdogandgetridofthemessresponsibly–‘bagitandbinit’.Makesureyourdogiswormedregularlytoprotectit,otheranimalsandpeople.

Enjoy the outdoors Even when going out locally, it’s best to get the latest information about where and when you can go. For example, your rights to go onto some areas of Open Access land and coastal land may be restricted in particular places at particular times. Find out as much as you can about where you are going, plan ahead and follow advice and local signs.

Plan ahead and be prepared

• You’llgetmorefromyourvisitifyourefertoup-to-datemapsorguidebooksandwebsitesbeforeyougo.Visitwww.gov.uk/natural-englandorcontactlocalinformationcentresorlibrariesforalistofoutdoorrecreationgroupsofferingadviceonspecialistactivities.

• You’reresponsibleforyourownsafetyandforothersinyourcare–especiallychildren-sobepreparedfornaturalhazards,changesinweatherandotherevents.Wildanimals,farmanimalsandhorsescanbehaveunpredictablyifyougettooclose,especiallyifthey’rewiththeiryoung-sogivethemplentyofspace.

• CheckweatherforecastsbeforeyouleaveConditionscanchangerapidlyespeciallyonmountainsandalongthecoast,sodon’tbeafraidtoturnback.Whenvisitingthecoastcheckfortidetimesatwww.ukho.gov.uk/easytide,don’triskgettingcutoffbyrisingtidesandtakecareonslipperyrocksandsea-weed.

• Partoftheappealofthecountrysideisthatyoucangetawayfromitall.Youmaynotseeanyoneforhours,andtherearemanyplaceswithoutclearmobilephonesignals,soletsomeoneelseknowwhereyou’regoingandwhenyouexpecttoreturn.

Follow advice and local signs

Englandhasabout190,000km(118,000miles)ofpublicrightsofway,providingmanyopportunitiestoenjoythenaturalenvironment.Gettoknowthesignsandsymbolsusedinthecountrysidetoshowpathsandopencountryside.

Some of the symbols you may see

Footpath–opentowalkersonly,waymarkedwithayellowarrow.

Bridleway–opentowalkers,horse-ridersandcyclists,waymarkedwithabluearrow.

Restricted byway–opentowalkers,cyclists,horse-ridersandhorse-drawnvehicles,way-markedwitha plumcoloured arrow.

Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT)–opentowalkers,cyclists,horse-riders,horse-drawnvehiclesandmotorvehicles,waymarkedwitharedarrow.

National Trail Acorn–identifies15longdistanceroutesinEnglandandWalesandtheEnglandCoastPath.Allareopenforwalkingandsometrailsarealsosuitableforcyclists,horse-ridersandpeoplewithlimitedmobility.ChecktheNationalTrailwebsiteatwww.nationaltrail.co.ukforinformationincludingmaps,tripplanningtoolsandtraildiversions.

Open Access land –865,000hectaresofmountain,moorland,heathland,downlandandregisteredcommonland(mappedundertheCountrysideandRightsofWayAct2000)isavailabletopeopletowalk,run,explore,climbandwatchwildlife,withouthavingtostayonpaths.SimilarrightsarebeingextendedinstagesoncoastallandinEngland(identifiedundertheMarineandCoastalAccessAct2009).ChecktheOpenAccesswebpagesatwww.openaccess.naturalengland.org.uk/wps/portal/oasys/maps/MapSearch formaps,informationandanycurrentrestrictionsinplace.

A‘negative’accesssymbol–maybeusedtomarktheendofarea-wideaccessalthoughotheraccessrightsmayexist,forexamplepublicrightsofway.

Countryside Code – advice for land managersKnow your rights, responsibilities and liabilitiesPeoplevisitingthecountrysideprovideimportantincomeforthelocaleconomy.Mostliketofollowavisibleroute,preferusingproperaccesspointslikegates,andgenerallywanttodotherightthing-buttheyneedyourhelp.

• TheOrdnanceSurvey’s1:25,000mapsshowpublicrightsofwayandaccessland.Thesemapsarenot‘definitive’.Ifindoubtyoucancheckthelegalstatusofrightsofwaywithyourlocalauthority.YoucanfindoutwhichareasofOpenAccesslandaremappedundertheCountrysideandRightsofWayAct2000ontheOpenAccesswebpagesatwww.openaccess.naturalengland.org.uk/wps/portal/oasys/maps/MapSearch.

• Forguidanceonyourrights,responsibilitiesandliabilities,contactyourlocalauthorityorNationalParkauthority.TheCountryLandandBusinessAssociation,www.cla.org.uk,02072350511andtheNationalFarmers’Union,www.nfuonline.com,on02476858500canalsoofferadvice. 

• ForspecificqueriesaboutOpenAccessland,checktheOpenAccesspagesonGOV.UKatwww.gov.uk/guidance/open-access-land-management-rights-and-responsibilitiesorcontacttheOpenAccessContactCentre,on03000602091.

Bylaw,youmustkeeprightsofwayclearandnotobstructpeople’sentryontoaccessland-it’sacriminaloffencetodiscouragerightsofpublicaccesswithmisleadingsigns.

• Trespassingisoftenunintentional-foradviceontacklingtrespasscontactyourlocalauthority(www.gov.uk/find-your-local-council).

Make it easy for visitors to act responsiblyMostpeoplewhovisitthecountrysidearekeentoactresponsiblyandproblemsarenormallyduetoalackofunderstanding.Thereareanumberofwaysyoucanhelpthemtorealisetheirresponsibilities:

• Keepingpathsclearandwaymarksandsignsingoodorderanduptodatewillhelppeoplesticktotherightroutesandaccesspoints.ContactyourlocalauthorityorNationalParkAuthoritytofindoutwhathelpisavailable.

• Wherethereispublicaccessthroughaboundaryfeature,suchasafenceorhedge,createagapifyoucan–oruseanaccessiblegateor,ifabsolutelynecessary,astile.Wheninstallingcompletelynewgatesandstiles,makesureyouhavethepermissionofthelocalauthority.

• Encouragepeopletorespectyourwishesbygivingclear,politeguidancewhereit’sneeded.Forexample,tellingvisitorsaboutyourlandmanagementworkhelpsthemtoavoidgettinginyourway.

• Rubbishattractsotherrubbish–bygettingridofitemssuchasfarmwasteproperly,you’lldiscouragetheillegaldumpingofrubbishandencourageotherstogetridoftheirrubbishresponsibly.

Identify possible threats to visitors’ safetyPeoplecometothecountrysidetoenjoythemselves.Theyhavethefirstlineofresponsibilitytokeepthemselvesandtheirchildrensafewhilethere,butyouneedtoensurethatyouractivitiesdonotknowinglyputthematrisk.

• Considerpossibleman-madeandnaturalhazardsonyourlandanddrawany‘hidden’riskstothepublic’sattention.

• Trytoavoidusingelectricfencingorbarbedwirewherepeoplemayaccidentallytouchit,particularlyalongsidenarrowpathsandbridleways.

• Ifelectricfencingisused,ensurewarningsignsarevisible.

• Useandstoreanychemicalsorpoisonoussubstancesresponsiblyonyourland.Theymaykillwildlifeorcauseharmtopeopleorpets.Anypestcontrolyouundertakemustbeplannedwiththisriskinmind.

• Animalslikelytoattackvisitorsshouldnotbeallowedtoroamfreelywherethepublichasaccess–youmaybeliableforanyresultingharm.

• YourdutyofcareundertheOccupiers’LiabilityActsof1957and1984dependsonthetypeofaccessrightpeoplehave–soit’simportanttoknowwhatrights,ifany,applytoyourland.Byvoluntarilydedicatinglandforpermanentpublicaccessyoumaybeabletoreducethisliability.

Natural England is here to secure a healthy natural environment for people to enjoy, where wildlife is protected and England’s traditional landscapes are safeguarded for future generations.

© Natural England 2016

Catalogue Code: NE326

Natural England publications are available as accessible pdfs from: publications.naturalengland.org.uk/

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Produced jointly with Natural Resources Wales.

www.gov.uk/natural-england

The Countryside CodeRespect Protect EnjoyRespect other people•Considerthelocalcommunityandoth-erpeopleenjoyingtheoutdoors

•Leavegatesandpropertyasyoufindthemandfollowpathsunlesswideraccessisavailable

Protect the natural environment •Leavenotraceofyourvisitandtakeyourlitterhome

•Keepdogsundereffectivecontrol

Enjoy the outdoors •Planaheadandbeprepared•Followadviceandlocalsigns